I bought this book not knowing it was the beginning of a second trilogy, not the first. That was a good mistake because this ended up being my favorite of all six. This is Thomas Covenant's second trip to The Land, and the once beautiful terrain is now scorched and ugly. His treacherous journey with Linden Avery is tense as Lord Foul attempts to thwart them. Their traveling companion, a small black creature named Vain, is as deadly as he is key to saving The Land. It's a bit violent at times but satisfying. ( )

In the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, ten years have passed for Covenant on our earth. When he is summoned back to The Land thousands of years have passed and his deeds have become the stuff of myth and legend while the land has changed dramatically. This trilogy is even darker than the First Chronicles and both of the primary protagonists, Covenant and Linden Avery, definitely qualify as anti-heroes. The Land itself has been twisted into a malevelant caricature of its former healthy self. It is really interesting to watch the character of Linden and her relationship with Covenant slowly develop as the books move along.

In The Wounded Land Linden and Covenant seek out the cause of the sickness in The Land. Covenant has lost all the Earth-Sense and healing benefits he had on his last sojourn here. Linden, on the other hand, has the Earth-Sense so acutely that she is sickened and overwhelmed by the suffering of The Land and its inhabitants. ( )

Covenant returns to the land many years after this last visit, and it is seriously changed. He believes now, but the challenges of the land are even greater.
I really enjoyed this book and the following books. Compared to the first trilogy, Covenant's task seems even more impossible, as improbable as that seems. Like the first series, this isn't so much about one superhero, but how one man can get a lot of help doing what seems impossible.
Well written as always. ( )

He knows leprosy! Great series ( )

It was easier being green.

Around a decade after the first trilogy Covenant is in the real world, mostly functioning ok again.

A new character enters the picture in Linden Avery, a doctor with emotional problems of her own, and she gets caught up in the conflict as Foul tries to get to Covenant in his world.

Back in the Land, things are nasty, as the weather and ecology have gone to hell, human sacrifices, dogs and cats living together, and worse.

Plus the usual evil dark lord and minions to deal with.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2008/04... ( )