The Runes of the Earth

By: Stephen Donaldson

Narrated by: Anton Lesser

In 1977, Stephen Donaldson changed the face of epic fantasy with the publication of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. Thomas Covenant is struck down with a disease believed eradicated; he is abandoned by his wife and son and becomes a pariah. Alone and despairing, Covenant falls, and is drawn into a mysterious new world, where gentle people work magic and the earth itself brings healing. He is welcomed as the reincarnation of a legendary saviour, but Covenant refuses to believe. At the end of the sixth book, as Covenant battles to save the world, he is killed, in both worlds, as Dr. Linden Avery, his horrified companion, looks on.

Now comes the book every fantasy reader has been waiting for. It's 10 years later, and Linden Avery thought she would never see the Land, or Covenant, again. But Lord Foul has stolen her adopted son, and is unmaking the very laws of nature. And though she believes Covenant dead, he keeps sending Linden messages: "Find me", and "Don't trust me". The Land is in turmoil, and Lord Foul has plans for them all.

©2004 Stephen Donaldson (P)2005 Orion Publishing Group Ltd.

First of Three

I am not a fan of abridged versions as a rule, but I figured that, if anyone can be abridged effectively, it must be Donaldson. Let's face it, and much as I enjoy his books, he is prone to the verbose; to use a $5 word when a 50c one will do; to use a handful of adjectives and a fistful of adverbs. So when I saw that a new trilogy had hit the shelves, my immediate excitement was tempered by knowing that I would have to read three books, that the installments would be broken by cliff-hangers and that that I would have to renew friendship with my dictionary. As it turned out, none of this proved to be incorrect. The book lost very little in the abridgement and I am left waiting for Books 2 and 3 to be captured on audio. As it turned out, I had bought all three and I followed along as best I could with the narration for this one. It (the text) and the glossary at the back are very handy, especially if you (like I) need a refresher on the Land. Having enjoyed that, I am not inclined to read the full text of the remaining two, notwithstanding the cliff-hanger ending.
My only real disappointment was in the small role that Covenant plays in this installment. I've always preferred him to Linden Avery (my subjective preference) so it was with some regret that I realised he would not be a big part of Book 1 at least. This Book does a very good job updating the reader of the earlier trilogies (yes, there is more than one) so no re-reading is necessary although a quick flick of the Glossary is worth the effort. I did that while listening to the Prologue (exciting though that is).
If you like Donaldson's stories, I think you'll like this, even though it is abridged. Anton Lesser (most recently the charred castle master for Ned Stark on the first season of Game of Thrones) gives a very expressive and impressive performance.