After 20 years Stephen Donaldson returns to the LAND to continue the epic story of Thomas Covenant. At the end of the Second
Chronicles, Thomas had fought Lord Foul the Despiser and sacrificed himself in the process to save the Arch of
Time and Linden Avery user Covenants wild gold ring to forge a new
staff of law.
The Runes of the Earth picks up the story ten years later in the real world. Linden Avery has organised the building of a psychiatric ward and has adopted one of the children who were almost sacrificed to summon Covenant to the land ten years ago. Linden has also been taking care of Thomas'''' ex-wife Joan in the hospital. It is then Thomas’ psycho son Roger visits her.Drawn to Haven Farm to save her kidnapped son, Linden is shot several times but instead of dying she finds herself once again on the top of Kevin''''s watch.
As expected the land is in turmoil again. The once earth-tuned people of the Land have been denied their percipience by a strange haze called Kevin''''s dirt, and the Bloodguard of old have taken it upon themselves to stamp out the use of Earthpower.
Linden, who knows Lord Foul has returned and has taken her adopted son hostage, battles the Bloodguard, now called the Masters, who want to stop her using wild fire; and try to understand a mad old man who seems to the only answer.
Knowing that she cannot risk wild fire, else the Arch of Time might be shattered, she seeks the staff of law. However, the mad man last one to see it, and he lost it millennia ago. Linden therefore goes back in time to seek the staff of law.
Aided by ur-viles and the regal horses Ranyhyn, Linden recovers the Staff of Law and prepares to tackle Lord Foul.
Donaldson brings to Runes of the Earth a maturity gained in the writing of the Gap series. In the previous six books on Thomas Covenant Donaldson had a tendency to heavily delve into the psyche of his characters to the detriment of plot flow. This is not present in Runes. Although Thomas Covenant is not an active character in the first book, the predicaments of Linden Avery in what is a largely different Land from the last time she was there carries the story well.
Anele and Stave are also interesting and complex characters. It is exciting to see the ur-viles fighting against Lord Foul and there are other power beings, elohim , which are playing a hand in the fate of the world. Bit disappointed that the Ravers weren''''t in this book, but heres hoping for Fatal Revenant.