1 option
The runes of the earth / Stephen R. Donaldson.
LIBRA - Adams Collection SciFi Donaldson, S.
Available in person
Request an item
Access options
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Donaldson, Stephen R., author.
- Series:
- Donaldson, Stephen R. Last chronicles of Thomas Covenant ; bk. 1.
- The last chronicles of Thomas Covenant ; bk. 1
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Covenant, Thomas (Fictitious character)--Fiction.
- Covenant, Thomas (Fictitious character).
- Fantasy fiction, American.
- Genre:
- Fantasy fiction, American.
- Fiction.
- Fantasy fiction.
- Science fiction.
- Novels.
- Penn Provenance:
- Adams, Mark B. (donor) (Adams Collection copy)
- Physical Description:
- xxi, 594 pages : illustrations, maps ; 22 cm.
- Place of Publication:
- New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, [2004].
- Summary:
- The original series introduced an unforgettable main character, a man who has fallen ill and in quick succession lost his family, his work, and everything else that made his life worth living. Abandoned by his wife and child, he lives alone, trying to maintain his fragile equilibrium. As he begins to experience spells of unconsciousness, however, he finds himself transported to the Land, a magical, dream-like world. Convinced that the Land is a figment of his own imagination, Covenant is christened The Unbeliever by its inhabitants. But after a long and dire struggle, Covenant sacrifices his own life to save a world he now regards as precious.
- The Runes of the Earth opens ten years after Covenant's companion, Linden Avery, witnessed his death. When she returns home from work one evening to find her adopted son constructing images of the Land with his toys, she realizes that the Land, and her beloved Thomas Covenant, are more than just a memory. Soon she will come to understand that evil is unmaking the very laws of nature-as well as the laws of life and death. The Runes of the Earth marks the thrilling return of a magnificent storyteller at the height of his craft.
- Contents:
- Prologue: "My heart has rooms" 1
- 1 Mother's Son 3
- 2 Gathering Defenses 17
- 3 In Spite of Her 30
- 4 Malice 48
- 5 The Cost of Love and Despair 58
- Part 1 "Chosen for this desecration" 79
- 1 "I am content" 81
- 2 Caesure 88
- 3 In the Rubble 99
- 4 Old Friends 111
- 5 Distraction 136
- 6 The Despiser's Guidance 156
- 7 Companions in Flight 166
- 8 Into the Mountains 176
- 9 Scion of Stone 194
- 10 Aided by Ur-Viles 215
- 11 Hints 240
- 12 The Verge of Wandering 262
- Part 2 "The only form of innocence" 287
- 1 Spent Enmity 289
- 2 Dangerous Choices 304
- 3 The Will of the Ranyhyn 320
- 4 Heedless in Rain 339
- 5 Against Time 366
- 6 The Staff of Law 374
- 7 Aid and Betrayal 388
- 8 "Contrive their salvation" 415
- 9 Pursuit 440
- 10 Troubled Sanctuary 457
- 11 The Masters of the Land 477
- 12 Find Me 504.
- Notes:
- Science Fiction Book Club number on back cover of book jacket: 1171559.
- Cover art by Michael Whelan.
- Local Notes:
- Adams Collection copy presented to the Penn Libraries in 2015 by Dr. Mark B. Adams.
- Adams Collection copy has dustjacket.
- Cited in:
- Internet Speculative Fiction Database, 276104.
- ISBN:
- 0399152326
- 9780399152320
- OCLC:
- 57308773
- Publisher Number:
- 1171559 Science Fiction Book Club
The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.