Ahira's Hangar

Okay, okay, so it's not the most original of topics, but we've all got to start somewhere
My own tale goes thus:
One day at the age of 13, I was feeling bored and so decided to raid my mother's collection of books for something new to read. Within the dresser drawers I discovered an old, battered, incredibly thick book called The Illearth Wars. I very quickly became a rabid obbsessive Donaldson fan and read it repeatedly, immersing myself within the land. I spent the next year or so trying to find the entire Chronicles,eventually managing to purchase them all, and since then have been trying to find copies of the rest of his works. Since discovering all of them in various libraries around London my search has toned down a bit, so now I am leisurly trying to find some second hand copies of the last three books in the Gap series on various market stalls. <i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 12/29/05 10:42 pm
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Ok, now u've got me started--tis a sad, strange tale that may reveal my age, as well. My mother, knowing I was in2 odd fantasies, such as The Lord of the Rings and H.P. Lovecraft's The Dreamquest of the Unknown Kadath, found the 1st paperback issue of Lord Foul's Bane @ Barnes & Noble, in NYC, and gave it 2 me 4 my 20th birthday. '78 was a very strange year I was rebellious crazy and lost 2 the world and Thomas Covenant was my salvation! I read the book about 4 times in arow and identified SO much w/TC that I twice REALLY considered chopping off 2 of my fingers 2 play him in the movie I was going 2 make. Through college and the Navy all I did was look 4ward 2 the next instalment of the Chrons. I was also very defensive and a loner going "hellfire, don't touch me!" 2 everything and every1 I met. I also felt myself being hounded by my on personal Lord Foul: Apex the Invisible. I also didn't really believe in the world around me 4 the longest time. When I joined Kevin's Watch about 1 year ago I had the wonderful 4tune of running in2 a crazy character named Skywier who convinced me 2 reread all 6 books--thank god I did! I looked @ everything in a positive and healing light (even tho The Wounded Land was a very tuf book 2 get through!) and my life has since changed in very happy, positive and healthy ways! Thanks Sky! Fall Far and Well Pilots!<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 8/5/03 6:16 pm
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I picked Lord Fouls Bane up back in the early 80's, as they were being released IIRC. The cover mentioned "comparable to Tolkien at its best". Now back then this usually meant diddly sqaut. In fact I brough Sword of Shannara under similar circumstances (sheesh !). However for once the cover blurb proved to be accurate. I spent the whole of the 80s with Donaldson at the top of my reading tree. Its only recently, IMO, writers like GRRM and Erikson have moved me as much. "Some of the Scottish troops ran for five miles before they were killed. Others threw themselves into the sea. The number of dead is impossible to calculate, but there must have been several thousand. They included 5 Scottish Earls. The few prisoners who had been taken were put to death on Edward III's order, a final act of savagery for which there is no rational explanation. English casualties were light. Halidon Hill 19 July 1333Edward III Puts Scotland to the Sword, For a very Long Time.<i></i>

Parts of Shannara were great, I loved Balinor so much that that's what I wanted 2 name my kid, if I had 1. Then I got 2 thinking all his peers would call him Ellanor so I got r rid that ideal quick. Other parts were weird and didn't make much sense--and ALL the books that came after that were crap! Damm Brooks! He did the same thing 2 me w/the Knight of the Realm books--Running With the Demon was great--2nd 1 so-so, kinda sucked--3rd book Angel something or other: REALLY stunk! I could get louder and move invasive about Brooks--but I'll just say this--I wouldn't read Isle of the Jerle Witch if u paid me a million bucks! Fall Far and Well Pilots!<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 7/4/02 7:13:15 pm
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I was a member (still am) of the Sci-Fi Book Club, and they were offering the first three books (the 2nd chronicles were still an idea in SRD's mind). I took a chance and ordered the trilogy at one time. I am so glad I did because I didn't have to wait for the next book, and the story was still fresh in my mind as I went through the 3 books like crazy! A truly wonderful set of books! Arise now, Riders of Théoden!Let horse be bridled, horn be sounded!Forth Eorlingas!<i></i>

<i> Mordant's Need</i> was recommended to me by a therapist I went to a number of years ago, because he thought I would identify with Terisa. I didn't, but I loved the books and have re-read them repeatedly over the years.

At the time, he also mentioned TCTC, describing it as a story of a man who was transported to another world and immediately raped a girl because he thought the world wasn't real and that nothing he did in that world would matter. Naturally, that wasn't a particularly attractive description of the book (to me, anyway ), and, in retrospect, not even particularly accurate, IMHO. Therefore, I put off reading the books for many years.

Right after I took my nursing boards, to get my RN license, I headed straight for the bookstore for something to read, so I wouldn't spend the weekend wondering whether I had passed or failed. I headed straight for the scifi/fantasy section, as is my habit, and my eyes fell on the TCTC series. I figured that, since I loved <i> Mordant's Need</i> so much, I might well enjoy TCTC, in spite of that unfortunate description of the book that I had heard. I bought all three books of the First Chronicles, and, in spite of being sometimes (often!) annoyed by TC found I couldn't stop reading. So of course, I went on to the Second Chronicles, and have been trying to hook other people ever since.

~MsMary~ "Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?"<i></i>

MsMaryMalone said "in spite of being sometimes (often!) annoyed by TC "



I guess we all felt that way, but that's deliberate I would say. Donaldson was unusual in making such an obviously umsympathetic character as his "hero". Anti-Heroes (e.g. Elric) had been done before. But not, IMO, none seemed as resolutely difficult as Covenant. I like the way that his disbelief is challenged frequently. And because Donaldson's writing is so good, he always stays true to his nature. "Some of the Scottish troops ran for five miles before they were killed. Others threw themselves into the sea. The number of dead is impossible to calculate, but there must have been several thousand. They included 5 Scottish Earls. The few prisoners who had been taken were put to death on Edward III's order, a final act of savagery for which there is no rational explanation. English casualties were light. Halidon Hill 19 July 1333Edward III Puts Scotland to the Sword, For a very Long Time.<i></i>

A college friend was in the habit of loaning me fantasy novels -- LoTR, Zelazny. She read the 1st Chrons and said they were really good, but for some reason, she didn't loan them to me -- maybe she'd checked them out of the library. Anyway, I stumbled across them in a different library after I got out of college, checked them out, read them, and immediately had a new favorite author.

Later, I ended up working at a radio station with a couple of people who had read and loved the 1st Chrons. When TWL came out, we were ecstatic! Anyhow, this was just at the time when PCs were becoming the thing; our station signed with RKO Networks, and one of the pluses was that we got a desktop computer in order to receive stuff from them (and which we also used to play Hunt the Wumpus...). (Holy cow, I just remembered this -- the modem we used was analog -- we had to stick the telephone handset into a two-holed cradle. Man, now I feel old! ) Anyway, we started out calling the little computer "Yoda". Had so much trouble with it that RKO sent us a new one. We named the new beastie "Lord Foul the Despiser" -- and it ran like a champ! <i></i>

A Rose by any other name...? Arise now, Riders of Théoden!Let horse be bridled, horn be sounded!Forth Eorlingas!<i></i>

<b><i>Quote:</i></b> Mordant's Need was recommended to me by a therapist I went to a number of years ago, because he thought I would identify with Terisa.

Really?? You never told me about that. Ugh.

<b><i>Quote:</i></b> I didn't, but I loved the books and have re-read them repeatedly over the years.

Heh...no kidding! That's the understatement of the week...

<b><i>Quote:</i></b> I bought all three books of the First Chronicles, and, in spite of being sometimes (often!) annoyed by TC found I couldn't stop reading. So of course, I went on to the Second Chronicles, and have been trying to hook other people ever since.

And that's where I come in...I was one of the people she hooked! She was reading the Second Chronicles on our family vacation, which is how I first found out about the books. (I actually read parts of TOT over her shoulder, so when I got to those parts later they looked familiar! ) Anyway, a short time after that I ran out of reading material, so MsMary said, "Why don't you read TC?" And that's how it all began...about a month of being alternately upset, angry, happy, frustrated and just about every other emotion you can think of. And afterwards, at MsMary's urging, I came to the Watch.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my story.

~Foamy~ <i></i>

and a wonderful story it be ..

I was book hunting one day as is my passion .. but no no .. not for new books .. searching 2nd hand book stores for something that looks interesting ..

I came across LFB and WGW .. the first and the last of the series .. mmm .. I thought .. (from the covers ) they look alright .. so I gave them to my partner ..

I didn't think (I as an adult) was much into works of fiction especially fantasy .. but at night we would read together LFB .. as is our habit .. I loathed the whinning TC but became possessed by an incurable curiosity regarding his adventure and was soon hooked .. <i> inspite</i> of his incessant whinning

Since TC .. I have developed a greater love of fantasy/sci-fi and other works of fiction .. and the rest is ancient history.

health and healing<i></i>

Foamy, I quite second your "ugh"!!

~MsMary~ "Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?"<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 6/3/02 9:45:44 pm
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Okay, why does my last message say it was edited by you??!!

What have you been up to?

"Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?"<i>Edited by: MsMaryMalone  at: 6/10/02 2:13:41 pm
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I made ur emotions appear! from some reason & were spelled out , but alas no emoticons! c! ur b is still up in the last post--I wonder what is happening? How far do you fall Pilot?<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 6/4/02 2:28:33 pm
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That <i> is</i> odd...

Edit: It's still happening!

Edit, again: Apparently the computer I'm using (at a college) has HTML enabled, which disables emoticons - so I have to remember to uncheck the box before I post.

At least I figured it out! "Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?"<i>Edited by: MsMaryMalone  at: 6/10/02 2:16:35 pm
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