The Runes of Earth
Stephen Donaldson
Gollancz
Trade paperback, 590 pages
Reviewed by Al du Pisani, 14 April 2005
It has been a good twenty years since the publication of the original
Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, and
of the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
At the end of the previous trilogy, Thomas Covenant had died, and Linden
Avery had returned to our world. Ten years have passed in our world, and Dr
Linden Avery have rebuild her life. She have become the guardian to a young
autistic boy, scarred in use of the ritual by which Lord Foul brought her
and Thomas Covenant to the Land. She has created a small hospital caring for
those unable to care for themselves. And she and the hospital have been
taking care of Thomas Covenant's ex-wife.
But now all of this will change: Roger Covenant, estranged son of Thomas,
has come to take his mother into his care. And he will stop at nothing
to gain her. And a new ritual of summoning is forged, and Linden Avery comes
back to the Land.
A Land changed from what had been before. The Sunbane is gone, but so too
is the people's ability to use the Land's health sense. On her own, but
assisted by others, she has to find out what she can do to make things right.
Because there are time storms sweeping the Land, bringing enemies
of the distant past into the present.
Her first companion is Anele, a man who has lost the Staff of Law, and who
has just one friend: Stone. Because he can be possessed, and is
possessed by, among others, Lord Foul and Thomas Covenant, each using him to
send messages to Linden. Yet he is the only man who can read what Stone is
telling him.
There are others: Esmer, who can only help those he betray; Stave, the
Haruchai bodyguard who needs to control Linden; Liand, the Stonedowner who has
been prevented from learning the stone craft. Then there are the Ramen, the
Ranyhyn, ur-viles and Waynhim. With their assistance, Linden Avery has to find
out what to do to heal the Land, and bind Lord Foul again.
There are other problems: When she crossed, she was not alone. And some of
those who came across may be friends of Lord Foul. When she crossed, she was
hurt. In the Land, the bullet wound have healed, leaving a scar and a hole in
her jacket. In our world, she have yet to receive medical attention.
And she must still find out why she is the Chosen.
I read the previous six books at a good age to read them: I was between 18
and 24. I could skip the strange words and convoluted sentences, and read a
gripping story of people having to be heroes against a background of their own
despair.
This have been the hallmark of Donaldson's stories: Somewhat unpleasant
people people having to become heroes, with themselves as their own
greatest enemies, against a vividly painted dark background.
Linden Avery has grown up. She is no longer living a life of quiet despair.
She has healed, and is helping others to heal. And now she has to go back
and heal the Land again.
It took me some time to understand why Thomas Covenant and Linden Avery
have been such effective opponents against Lord Foul: He can only hit them
with more of what they are intimately familiar with: despair. Because in the
end, that is the only weapon he has. A very effective weapon, but less
effective against people used to living with despair.
I like this book, and recommend it. It is not so grim and dark as some of
the other books Donaldson has written, and there are a lot less strange
words, whose meaning you have to guess. You should be able to follow the story
without having to read the previous books in the series.
According to an interview with Donaldson I read, there will be a further
three books in the series.
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