I understand, EE. I'll try and sum it up without spoiling too much. I also hope my half-baked impressions don't deter you.
The titular character (Covenant) really makes you wonder how in the hell one man---one measly, self-deprecating man--- can be any kind of heroic. He's a self-absorbed, hermetic leper in the post-treatment phase (can't remember the medical term atm) that, through a series of events, gets whisked away to this place known as the Land. The Land is pretty much this place of power, of unimaginable beauty, where rocks and trees are filled with magic and lore. Currently, it is beset by this evil being known as Lord Foul, a malevolent being that exists supernally and is more or less the antithesis to purity and good. He's looking for a way to break free and cut loose on all of Creation.
And guess who he's going to use as a catspaw?
When Covenant eventually discovers some of the people of the Land (or stumbles upon, really. On a ****ing mountain), they gawk and awe at him, do the almost standard "HE'S A LEGENDARY DOOD" schtick. There's some credence here; not only does he bear the same disfigurement as their hero of yore (he's missing three fingers on his left hand), but he also brings with him a substance that is transcendently powerful and rarer than owl's teeth: white gold, in the form of a wedding band, leftover from his old marriage. "The wild magic that destroys peace." Covenant, naturally, thinks this is a load of horse****. He thinks that his psyche is cooking up this melodrama in his head and that it's a dream. Even when the people of the Land manage to "cure" (you'd have to read to understand why I say this loosely) his leprosy, he rationalizes it as, again, his subconscious.
That's basically the beginning of the book, in a nutshell. The greatest strength of this series lie in its characters. Covenant, first and foremost, is the definitive one. Donaldson makes Covenant's flaws understandable and human. He's not a hero. He was a moderately successful writer, but leprosy took that away from him. He was a husband and father, and leprosy took that, too. He's a lonely cripple that doesn't want to be important, doesn't want to be anything to anybody but himself. He doesn't want this supposed power of wild magic. All he has is his disease.
The supporting characters are extremely memorable as well. Most of them tag along with Covenant because of the ascribed, almost messianic status given to him. The best part of this is that these characters DO suffer from Covenant's selfishness at one point or another (one in particular at the beginning when Covenant first arrives in the Land...hoooo boy), and it shows. Faith, fire, necessity, and sometimes desperation; hallmarks to each and every single individual that travels with him. Sure, some like Covenant and some are grateful for some things that he manages to do along the way, but they wither under the weight of his decisions.
(Sidenote: Giants are awesome in this setting. The Bloodguard also hard****ingcore.)
Themes? Well, Covenant's ****ery could comprise just about every fault we as a race possess. Power and powerlessness, too, is also something that rears it's ugly head. Lord Foul's menace is also pervasive; it's not that sort of supermarket evil bent on ruling everything. Foul is hellbent on corrupting the world through despair and spite; tainting the mind and the spirit. Worse still, it's the kinda thoughtlessness and hatred you see in our world, when you get down to it. Donaldson's language is pretty damn flowery, but it makes that **** crystal clear at times.
tl;dr I'm tired. I can't do the series much justice without spoiling everything in the story (which, by the way, is almost pans out like a mystery at times with clever twists).
I hope it piques your interest, EE, though I cam understand if it doesn't. You got any recommendations for me?