The Runes of the Earth: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

Available instantly

Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial

Hardcover
$14.87

Paperback
$15.21

Your audiobook is waiting!

Click above for unlimited listening to select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection — yours to keep (you'll use your first credit now).
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.

Learn more about membership

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

List Price: $32.18

By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice.

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

The Runes of the Earth: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Stephen R. Donaldson (Author), Scott Brick (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)

4.4 1,368 ratings

See all formats and editions

Since their publication more than two decades ago, the initial six books in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series have sold more than six million copies and have been published in 10 countries around the world. Now, starting with The Runes of the Earth, Stephen R. Donaldson returns with a quartet of new Covenant novels that are certain to satisfy his millions of fans, and attract countless new followers.

In the original series, a man (living in our world and in our time) is mysteriously struck down with a disease long since believed to have been eradicated. He becomes a pariah in his small town and is abandoned by his wife who departs with their infant son. Alone and despairing, Thomas Covenant falls and, while unconscious, is transported to a fantastic world in which a battle for the soul of the land is being waged. Christened "The Unbeliever", for he is convinced the world is only an illusion, a dream, he finds himself slowly forced to accept the role that seems to be his destiny: savior of the Land.

At the end of the sixth book, Covenant is killed, both in the real world and in the Land, as his companion, Linden Avery, looks on in horror. His death is both the ultimate sacrifice...and his redemption.

At the opening of The Runes of Earth, 10 years have passed. Linden Avery comes home one day to find her child building images of the Land with blocks, and senses a terrible foreboding. She had thought that she would never again be summoned to the Land, nor ever again see her beloved Thomas Covenant. But in the Land, evil is unmaking the very laws of nature.

Listening Length

27 hours and 19 minutes
Author

Stephen R. Donaldson
Narrator

Scott Brick
Audible release date

April 29, 2005
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Audio
ASIN

B0009JON1E
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
See all details

Report an issue with this product or seller

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible audiobook with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $12.49 after you buy the Kindle book.

People who viewed this also viewed

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

People who bought this also bought

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Related to this topic

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Product details

Listening Length	27 hours and 19 minutes
Author	Stephen R. Donaldson
Narrator	Scott Brick
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	April 29, 2005
Publisher	Penguin Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B0009JON1E
Best Sellers Rank	#37,656 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #438 in Fiction Sagas #2,010 in Epic Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals) #2,353 in Family Saga Fiction

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

1,368 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

RMurray847

What a great treat to return to The Land!!! It's condign!!

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2005

Verified Purchase

I know a lot of people won't like this book. It's heavy on some of Donaldson's "weaknesses." If I ever have to read the words "condign", "frangible," etc., again, it'll be too soon. His vocabulary is staggering to the point of being distracting. I know that these grandiose or obscure words add a sense of urgency to the proceedings, but because they pop out when you first encounter them, you almost begin counting the number of times they appear, which is distracting.

And some people might not like the fact that Thomas Covenant doesn't really appear in this first volume.

But I have to figure that if a reader is picking this book up, chances are they've read the other two trilogies, and liked them enough to read more.

I am NOT a big reader of "fantasy fiction." When I was in high school, LORD FOUL'S BANE came out, and a friend sorta forced it one me. I devoured it in a few days and never looked back. I read each book eagerly (and now, these many decades later, I've read them all three times each, at a minimum). But other similar work that I've tried just hasn't engaged me. There is something pecularily haunting about the tone of these books. No one in these books makes little choices or does mundane things. Every moment is a life and death moment. Everything is FRAUGHT with meaning, possibility, danger, hope, menace, etc. They are richly rewarding.

I was so absolutely thrilled to be revisiting The Land. I remember when the 2nd book came out, it was great to see how Donaldson's imagination had wrought new despair upon the Land which had been saved at the end of the first trilogy. Naturally, a lot of time had gone by, and this helped a great deal. It's just the same with RUNES OF THE EARTH. Another couple thousand years have passed and things are pretty bad once again.

Linden Avery, Covenant's companion and love from the second trilogy, is sucked back into the land to try to rescue her adopted son, and to save the land from the return of Lord Foul, plus some new villains (I won't mention them here...trying to avoid spoilers if I can). She arrives, of course, in Mithil Stonedown, the village where Covenant so frequently arrived himself. She meets many of the familiar KINDS of characters as appeared in other books, although the exact characters are long dead, of course. Best of all is the evolution of the haruchai, the stone-faced, impossibly resolute former guards of the lords of the land. Their role in the Land has undergone some dramatic shifts, and Linden (and the reader) is horrified.

The pacing of this book is perhaps a mite slower than some of the former ones. It's a big volume, and is not a fast read. But its rewards far outshine its weaknesses. I'm an avid reader, probably a book a week (I do have a full time job and family too, so that's about all I can manage). I enjoy most things I read, but FEW things actually pull me right into them and involve me on a visceral level. For some reason, the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant have always had this effect on me. If you've felt as involved in these books as I have...you'll be glad to dive back in and see what's going on in The Land. (Be warned, though...there's a doozy of a cliffhanger AND the next book isn't due until 2007!)

14 people found this helpful

Helpful

G. A. Carlson

Despite Flaws Better Than I Thought It Would Be

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2004

Verified Purchase

Summary: Good, not great, but a fun read. For the book's length, the actual plot line is quite simple. I would say this book is 125 pgs. too long (or those pages could have at least been used to better ends), but when the story stops at its cliff-hanger (in a rather predictable place), one wishes there were a few more chapters before resigning to the wait. Also, the ending does not really come as a surprise (the series is of course entitled the Chronicles of THOMAS COVENANT), but I won't dwell on it other than to say character interaction should improve in the next installment.

Good News: Gone are 95% of Donaldson's annoying writing habits that virtually crippled the narrative of the first six books. Donaldson's writing has improved, with (thankfully) far less use of his unabridged Roget's thesaurus and unnecessaryily obtuse language. Also, it's easy to see Donaldson has put more into this than necessary for simple "money".

Bad News: When Linden Avery finally arrives in the Land atop Kevin's Watch and tumbles down to face her challenges, Donaldson surrounds her with the stoicism of the Haruchai, the single-mindedness of the Ramen, a brave but clueless Stonedowner, a babbling madman, an enigmatic spirit, and bands of creatures that cannot be understood in English. That leaves Donaldson's Avery in the unenviable spot as the only character the reader can hope to latch on to. While she is a fully realized character, and was a compelling counterpoint to Covenant in the Second Chronicles, she is just not a strong enough central figure to carry this 500 page book on her own. Also, the book covers a lot of old ground ... a lot. And Liand ("Land" with an "i" so assume Donaldson considers him important) is the only character unaware of all of this history. So apart from readers new to the series, this information is a revelation only for Liand, but the chance to explore this is squandered in favor of more re-hash. So far Liand only riles against his Hurachai-imposed ignorance and shadows Avery like a puppy.

All that said, I'm still a fan of Donaldson's ability to capture my imagination, hence the 4 stars.

Bottom Line: Runes of the Earth is a must have for Covenant Chronicle fans, and a nice continuation of the story. Those new to the series are best served by starting at the beginning and if they can work their way through the first six (books 5 and 6 were a bit disappointing comparing them to 1-4), then come and read this one (and by that time they can save money on the paperback version). Marginal fans can easily and rightly say, "A third series? Who cares?"

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

tallslenderguy

yes...but

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

If you are contemplating reading this book you probably have already read the preceding six chronicles and are intimately familiar with Donaldson's prolixity? Yet you have gotten this far and i would bid you to continue. I have not finished this book, yet Donaldson continues to make me laugh and cry. When i first started reading the Chronicles, i figured Donaldson has written himself in as Thomas Covenant. I've changed my mind and think Donaldson is the giant Foamfollower (maybe both?). What convinced me is how Donaldson cannot sacrifice words to abbreviate his tale. He makes me crazy sometimes. I speak to my Kindle, as though he were present, pleading with him to "get to the point." I also find myself wondering at the slowness of the characters at times, how agonizingly long it takes them to figure a thing out. The reader has long ago grasped what's going on. I sometimes think that Donaldson is not a master of suspense but a slave to it; that he has no control over his tether. BUT, something inside of me suspects this is all part of the genius of Stephen Donaldson. To me, his books are a remarkable slice of life; neither the wonder or tedium is edited out. If you have gotten this far in the Covenant Chronicles, I'd encourage you to stay the course. I have been disappointed and thrilled and am dreading being finished with the series, it will feel like a sort of death.

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

Septimus MacGhilleglas

I wish I had the fortitude to read these when they were new.

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2023

Verified Purchase

Not as good as the others with too much time spent on introspection by the lead character but still good enough to make me not put it down. I'm looking forward to the penultimate volume after I read a couple of books I've put off and left by the wayside. This series has truly aged like fine wine.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Jaycee Marcovitch

Good

Reviewed in Canada on October 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

Love this series

Kindle Customer

Brave and Brilliant - Have no fears if you are a Fan

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2005

Verified Purchase

I approached this book with trepidation. I love the first and second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and I could see no way that Stephen Donaldson could match his former achievements. I need not have worried.
It is impossible to explain how Donaldson resolves the seeming finality of the ending of "White Gold Wielder " without giving away too much of the plot, so I shall just say that he certainly does manage this, and I did not feel that it was at all contrived in the way that it was done.
The opening section covering Linden's life back in 'reality' following the death of Covenant is absolutely gripping. Even without Covenant beside her she is an excellent focus for the reader, at once sympathetic, and yet unsympathetic, although not the same way that Coevenant himself is.
Without giving too much of the game away and spoiling the book, I would remind readers of the sense of difference between the land at the end of "The Power that Preserves" and at the start of "The Wounded Land " . Dondaldson pulls of a comparable tour de force in his depiction of the land as it is now, completely different again, and still totally convincing.
The same feelings of desperation and urgency which he evoked so well in the past are evoked in this book as well. LIkewise, the idea of a quest is at its heart too, which always paid dividends in earlier novels. The ending is remarkable, but I shall say no more about it for fear of spoiling it.
Its probably superfluous for me to say this, but I will anyway - do please read the othr six novels before embarking on this one.

4 people found this helpful

ReviewerB

I liked the last few books in this series almost as ...

Reviewed in Canada on April 11, 2016

Verified Purchase

I liked the last few books in this series almost as much as the original six. Worth reading if you're a Donaldson fan and enjoyed the first books, (which you should read first.)

David Corbett

A series too far

Reviewed in Germany on February 3, 2014

Verified Purchase

It took ages to get going. When the real story finally begins, it's OK and some of the characters are excellent, but I wouldn't read it unless I'd already read the first two series. The original series is one of the best ever written in my opinion. Since then things have become a bit long winded, but there are always some good scenes and memorable characters to keep the interest there.

Shinigami Sam

Yay more covenant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 12, 2013

Verified Purchase

I liked it! As I can see from other reviews opinions seem to be mixed. But I thought it was a great continuation of a series I have come to love. I love seeing how the land has changed over time & the consequences of actions at end of 2nd trilogy. I do not want to give any major spoilers though. If you loved first 6 books can not see why would hate this. That being said some might, I only read first two chronicles last year & have some straight to this one. So it may be that if series is older to you, it may be nostalgia would spoil it as things can be hard to live up to when return after so long. Yeah story would be by some considered too slow but pacing same as rest of series, same with Donaldson's writing style/language use. If you liked first time same here, if you had issues before you will have same issues. But I like seeing characters progress this way & their self doubt is what the series has always used for extensive monologues. The cliffhanger at end is harsh but as book2 out now, no worries there. I for one can not wait to continue. Liking where story is going so far, some nice surprises & satisfying read. Highly recommended!

2 people found this helpful

See more reviews