The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant – Stephen R Donaldson – 1977-2013

Has anyone else read this series? I just finished all 10 volumes (2 trilogies and a tetralogy), and I find myself thinking about it often.

The worldbuilding is superb, the action is well written, the supporting characters are loveable, and the main characters are, for the most part, severely unlikeable. I would categorize this series as somewhere between dark fantasy and grimdark, with extreme suffering endured by the protagonists, few uplifting moments, but somehow an overall hopeful message. I must say I have read few stories that better exemplify the concept of "snatching victory from the jaws of defeat" better than these books.

I might also add that I think this series would be next to impossible to adapt into a film series due to something that happens early in the first book. This event led me to put this series down for close to 20 years before attempting a re-read.

I haven't seen much discussion of this series. Has anyone else made it through the whole thing, and if so, what are your thoughts?