The Runes of the Earth
core novel 2004 The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
Record
| First published | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.80 (7,632 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 533 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780399152320 |
| Internal chronology | 7 |
Synopsis
The Runes of the Earth opens the Last Chronicles roughly a decade after the Second Chronicles, with Linden Avery now directing a residential care facility and raising an adopted son, Jeremiah, left withdrawn and brain-damaged after a childhood accident in the Land. When Thomas Covenant's estranged and vengeful son Roger arrives claiming Linden's guardianship is unlawful and abducts Jeremiah, Linden pursues them and is drawn back into the Land herself, only to discover that thousands of years have passed there and its people are now governed by an order of Masters who forbid use of the old lore out of fear of the Land's own magic. Amid signs that Covenant's influence still lingers, Linden must navigate a transformed and wary Land to find her son.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
- Series: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant core; position 1 of 4 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Stephen R. Donaldson
Awards (verified)
- World Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 2005: nominated; Lost to Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: position 1 of 4: next Fatal Revenant (2007)
- Internal chronology, within The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: position 7 of 10: previous White Gold Wielder (1983) · next Fatal Revenant (2007)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Thomas_Covenant
- https://sf-encyclopedia.com
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Runes_of_the_Earth
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