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The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
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The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is a series of ten high fantasy novels written by
American author Stephen R. Donaldson. The series began as a trilogy, entitled The
Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. This was followed by another
trilogy, The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and finally a tetralogy, The
Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
Lord Foul's Bane (1977)

The Illearth War (1978)
The Power That Preserves (1979)
The Wounded Land (1980)
The One Tree (1982)
White Gold Wielder (1983)
The Runes of the Earth (2004)
Fatal Revenant (2007)
Against All Things Ending (2010)
The Last Dark (2013)
Author
Stephen R. Donaldson
Cover artist
Peter Goodfellow
Darrell K. Sweet
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre
High fantasy
Publisher
Ballantine Books
Gollancz Science Fiction
Del Rey Books
Published
1977–2013
Media type
Print (hardback & paperback)

Audiobook
E-book
No. of books
10
The main character of the stories is Thomas Covenant, an embittered and cynical
writer, afflicted with leprosy and shunned by society, and fated to become the
heroic savior of the Land, an alternate world. In ten novels, published between
1977 and 2013, he struggles against Lord Foul, "the Despiser", who intends to
escape the bondage of the physical universe and wreak revenge upon his arch-enemy,
"the Creator".
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the UnbelieverEdit
Lord Foul's Bane (1977)

The Illearth War (1978; "Gilden-Fire" - first published 1981)[1]
The Power that Preserves (1979)
The story "Gilden-Fire" first appeared as an independent novella (illustrated by

Peter Goodfellow), but is now most widely available as a part of most versions of
the Donaldson short story collection, Daughter of Regals, 1985. It was set during
the action of The Illearth War, and covers an episode from the doomed mission to
contact the Giants. Gilden-Fire is told from the point of view of Korik, the senior
Bloodguard on the mission. It describes Korik's selection of the mission's
Bloodguard, then narrates the mission's passage through Grimmerdhore forest, where
they defeat an ambush of ur-viles and kresh (wolves). The narrative ends as the
mission leaves the forest.
According to the author's foreword, Gilden-Fire was originally part of a larger,

planned section of The Illearth War that followed the mission to the Giants in
"real time", but was cut due to space restrictions as well as point-of-view
inconsistency with the rest of the Chronicles. The events during the trek through
Grimmerdhore are not mentioned in the published narrative of The Illearth War, and
some information shared here on the origin and motivation of the Bloodguard does
appear in other contexts in the published Chronicles. The rest of the mission after
the Grimmerdhore passage was included in the Chronicles, via the narrative device
of Bloodguard messengers.
The Second Chronicles of Thomas CovenantEdit
The Wounded Land (1980)

The One Tree (1982)
White Gold Wielder (1983)
The Last Chronicles of Thomas CovenantEdit
The Runes of the Earth (2004)

Fatal Revenant (2007)
Against All Things Ending (2010)
The Last Dark (2013)
Peoples and creatures of the LandEdit
Cavewights are dimly intelligent subterranean creatures skilled in metal working

and mining. They are weak willed, and are easily intimidated by Lord Foul into
serving him (though they once traded openly with the humans of the Land). They are
described as having "long, scrawny limbs, hands as huge and heavy as shovels," plus
"a thin, hunched torso, and a head shaped like a battering ram." Drool Rockworm is
a cavewight.
The Creator is the mysterious being who created the Land and the universe in which
it exists. This universe is referred to as "the Land" but is clearly a different
reality than Covenant's world. The fundamental structure of the universe, the Arch
of Time, prevents the Creator from intervening directly in events in the world of
his creation, and he never appears in physical form within that world. He can,
however, manifest himself in the "real" world—he appears to Covenant and Linden as
an old man in an ochre robe—and guides those who attempt to make contact between
the universes.
Demondim are a now-extinct race spawned by the Viles. They had a semi-corporeal
nature, and could only achieve physical presence by animating dead bodies. (They
are somewhat like dybbuks in this respect.) They were not originally wholly evil,
but their inherent self-loathing was used by Lord Foul to gain their allegiance.
They spawned two other races, the Waynhim and the ur-viles.
Elohim are a "faerie" people with god-like powers. They appear (to mortal
perceptions) as beautiful men and women and are capable of dazzling physical
transformations. They inhabit a remote region of the Earth called Elmesnedene,
accessible only by ship via a narrow fjord called "The Raw". Although other peoples
are welcome to visit and even stay in Elmesnedene, time flows quickly there and
even the long-lived Giants grow rapidly old and die. In their own perspective the
Elohim constitute the animating principle of the Earth and the history of the Land
is the manifestation of events in their own consciousness. As they regard their own
domain as the only "real" place in the Earth, they rarely dabble in outside events.
However, if they perceive a grave threat to the Earth, one of their number is
"Appointed" to attempt to avert the threat – and to bear the cost of failing.
Forestals are beings who serve the forests of the Land, the remnants of the One
Forest, the great sentient wood which once covered the Land. They are human in
appearance, but according to the Elohim they were created by the One Forest itself
using knowledge from another Elohim imprisoned within the Colossus. The Forestals
actively protected the remaining forest from destruction by encroaching mortals.
They were more numerous in the distant past but few survived into the era of the
New Lords. By the time of the Second Chronicles, when the remnants of the ancient
forest (with the exception of Giant Woods in the Lower Land) were long dead, the
last remaining Forestal lived in Andelain. His name was Caer-Caveral, though he was
originally Hile Troy, a man from Covenant's world who had once been Warmark
(commander-in-chief) of the Lords' army.
Giants are a race of extremely long-lived (but nevertheless mortal) humanoids of

unusual height and strength. Giants are known for their stone lore (similar to but
not identical with that of the Stonedownors), their skill at seamanship, their good
humour and their love of story-telling. A common Giantish interjection is, "Stone
and Sea!" Giants are resistant to cold and cannot be harmed by ordinary fire. Fire
does, however, cause them intense pain, which they use to cure themselves of grief
in a ritual known as caamora. In return for a favor performed for the mysterious
Elohim long ago, the entire race of Giants are endowed with an innate ability to
speak and understand all languages. The Giants' own language is very florid and
verbose, and they find human speech to be rather curt and inexpressive. The Giants
of the Land are sometimes called the Unhomed since they were separated from their
homeland long ago. Although the Giants love children, they are not fertile as a
people, and their numbers in the Land in the time of the First Chronicles have
dwindled. Kevin Landwaster entrusted them with the first of his Seven Wards before
the Ritual of Desecration. They sometimes refer to humans as Rockbrothers and
Rocksisters, in honor of the ancient alliance they made with High Lord Damelon
Giantfriend. Saltheart Foamfollower is a Giant.
Griffins are winged lions. They are sometimes ridden by ur-viles.
Haruchai are a hardy race of warriors living in the Westron Mountains, west of the
Land. The Haruchai shun the use of weapons or magic, taking pride in their own
physical prowess and the purity of their service, which is never given lightly.
They have the ability to communicate amongst themselves via telepathy, and each can
access the combined memories of their entire race. Outwardly stoic, even seemingly
emotionless, they could also be considered arrogant in their beliefs. It is
revealed on several occasions that the Haruchai are a deeply passionate race,
capable of swearing a lifetime's worth of service if sufficiently moved.
The Insequent are a mysterious race of people who dwell to the west of the Land.
Each Insequent has a unique and very focused skill that can seem magical or
superhuman. These skills range from invisibility, virtual invulnerability or even
time travel. They have an almost dismissive disdain for the Haruchai and a bitter
and long-standing rivalry with The Elohim, which has not yet been fully explained.
They rarely reveal their true names, but prefer to be identified by their titles.
So far only four Insequent have appeared in the stories: The Mahdoubt, the Harrow,
the Theomach and the Ardent. A fifth, the Vizard, is referenced by several other
characters, and a sixth—the Auriference—is mentioned briefly by the Ardent,
although both the Vizard and the Auriference are believed to be deceased.
Lords are the leaders and stewards of the Land, also known as Earthfriends. The
standards for Lordship are high, so they are generally few in number. In order to
become a Lord, a person must master the martial arts and the theory and application
of magic. These skills are called the Sword and the Staff respectively, and
together form the First Ward of Kevin's Lore, an ancient repository of knowledge. A
student who masters both parts of the Lore – and does not opt to become Unfettered
in order to pursue a private vision – is invited to join the Council of Lords at
Revelstone, also known as Lord's Keep. The Lords carry special staffs that allow
them to channel their power, and are easily identified by their sky blue robes.
Lord Foul is the most commonly used name for the ancient enemy of the Land, given
to him by the Council of Lords. He is also called 'The Despiser', the 'Gray Slayer'
(his name in The Plains), 'Fangthane the Render' by the Ramen and 'a-Jeroth of the
Seven Hells' by The Clave. According to Roger Covenant, he also called himself 'a-
Jeroth' during the time he served on Kevin's council. He is described as "the
wicked son or brother of the Creator's heart" and is the source of all evil in the
Land. He is a being of pure spirit, although capable of taking on human form, and
is apparently immortal: he cannot be killed, but his power can be reduced to near
insignificance. On occasions when this has happened he has always been able to
restore and regenerate his power. His desire to bring suffering to the earth and
the Land in particular is manifested by his extremely well orchestrated and even
cautious long-term plans throughout the chronicles.
Ramen are the tenders of the Ranyhyn (see below). The Ramen's life-work is to serve
the Ranyhyn, whom they hold in very high esteem. Traditionally they do not ride or
otherwise subjugate the great horses, and can grow resentful of those who do. The
fact that the Lords of Revelstone and the Bloodguard often ride the great horses is
a major point of contention, but the Ramen tolerate this in deference to the
Ranyhyn, who choose to give their service. When defending the Ranyhyn from Kresh
(large wolves in service to the Despiser) or other predators, the Ramen frequently
use ropes as garottes to break the attackers' necks. Ramen are organised into three
"ranks": Manethralls who are the leaders, Cords who assist the Manethralls while
training to become Manethralls themselves, and Winhomes who perform domestic
supporting duties. Two other ranks are mentioned in The Runes of the Earth, Keepers
and Curriers, but their placement within the Ramen hierarchy is not known.
Ranyhyn are the great horses of the Land. In the early books these horses live on
the Plains of Ra, though in the age of the Sunbane they leave the Land altogether.
They are protected by their human servants the Ramen. The Ranyhyn are akin to
normal horses, but are larger, always have a star and are in some indefinable sense
enhanced by the Earthpower of the Land, so that their speed, endurance and
intelligence outstrip those of a standard horse. The Ranyhyn can be ridden by
individuals they deem worthy, but a person who seeks such a mount must travel to
the Plains of Ra and offer himself to the horses for consideration. If a Ranyhyn
accepts a rider, it is loyal to that rider until death. All of the Bloodguard
(apparently) are accepted by the Ranyhyn, but not all Lords have been deemed
worthy. The Ranyhyn also have a limited ability to perceive the future; these
horses can "hear" when their rider will need them, hearing their calling days or
weeks before the rider makes the call. Thus, when the rider summons his Ranyhyn, it
appears shortly thereafter, regardless of the distance between them.
Ravers are bodiless evil spirits with the ability to possess and control some
lesser creatures, and most humans as well. Giants and Bloodguard are typically
immune to this power, and there are no known instances of a Raver possessing a
Ranyhyn. There are only three Ravers, ancient brothers who each have many names but
are commonly called turiya Herem, samādhi Sheol, and moksha Jehannum. Their
greatest hatred is reserved for the trees of the One Forest of old, and their
loathing of the Earthpower and all good things has led them to become Lord Foul's
willing servants. The Despiser is somehow able to enhance their abilities when he
pleases, but can prevent them from possessing individuals he deems too powerful.
(They were not allowed to possess Thomas Covenant, for instance, because his ring
would make them too powerful for Lord Foul to control.) This possession can be, and
in some cases needs to be, facilitated by some external power. In the 'Illearth
War' the Ravers were only able to possess their giant 'hosts' when they worked in
harmony with the power of the Illearth Stone. They often serve as leaders in Lord
Foul's armies, or as spies among his enemies.
Stonedownors are humans descended from the Land's original inhabitants. They are
known for their knowledge of stone lore and live in stone huts. A master of stone
lore is called a "Gravelingas", or a Rhadhamaerl which also refers to the craft of
stone lore. Stonedownors are typically dark-skinned, squat and muscular, though
this is not always the case. Trell and Triock are both unusually tall for
Stonedownors. During the Second Chronicles, their leaders are known as Gravellers,
and sacrifice members of their village to use the blood to call forth the power of
the Sunbane. Sunder, the Graveller of Mithil Stonedown, manages to use the power of
Loric's Krill to summon forth the power of the Sunbane without shedding blood, and
learns to manipulate the Sunbane for his own purposes.
Ur-viles are creatures of jet black color and are constructions of an extinct race
named the Demondim. They are highly magical, possessing a number of supernatural
abilities, including shooting acid, creating bolts of pure energy and the like.
They are blind, lacking any form of visual organ, but possess a preternatural sense
of smell. One of their most distinctive features is that when assembled in a wedge
formation, the leader (or loremaster) at the apex wields the combined power of the
entire group, without weakening any of their kin in the rest of the wedge. The ur-
viles initially served Lord Foul, but later turned against him by creating the
creature Vain (from which the new Staff of Law was created). In The Runes of the
Earth, the ur-viles have actively joined the side of "good", though their
motivation remains unclear. Because they were made rather than born, the ur-viles
loathe their own bodies and often redirect this rage towards other targets. They
also do not die, except when killed, or reproduce naturally, although they do
retain the lore required to construct more of their own kind and the Waynhim—
however, their motivations for doing so are unlike those of natural creatures.
Viles are an extinct race who spawned the Demondim. They were non-corporeal, but
nonetheless very powerful. Initially a proud and gifted race, they were led into
self-hatred and despair by the Ravers. They were eventually destroyed by the
Council of Lords, under High Lord Loric "Vilesilencer".
Waynhim are another race of creatures spawned by the Demondim (often referred to as
the "accidental" or "lesser" creations, in contrast with the ur-viles). They
closely resemble the Ur-viles (having no eyes, super-sensitive smell and hearing,
and magical abilities), though they are smaller and lighter in color. Like the Ur-
viles (who are their long-standing nemeses), the Waynhim were made rather than
born. However, they do not share their cousins' self-hatred, and have dedicated
themselves to serving the Land and the Earthpower according to their own peculiar
ethical system, the Weird of the Waynhim. Like the Ur-viles, they fight in a wedge
formation with a loremaster at the apex.
Woodhelvennin are humans descended from the Land's original inhabitants. They are
known for their use of wood lore and living in tree-top villages called
"woodhelvens". The village elders are called Heers. A master of wood lore is called
a Hirebrand, or a lillianrill. (Lillianrill usually refers to the craft of wood
lore.) They are typically fair-skinned, tall and slender. During the age of the
Sunbane, in the absence of permanent trees, woodhelvens became villages of wooden
huts.
Main conceptsEdit
Map drawn by Lynn K. Plagge to illustrate the books.
In Donaldson's fiction, Andelain is a focal region of the Land, where the

Earthpower is especially strong. In the Second Chronicles it is the one place
immune from the Sunbane, as it is protected by the Forestal Caer Caveral.
Languages: Human inhabitants of the Land (together with Giants, Cavewights, and the
human inhabitants of other regions of the Earth) all appear to speak modern
English, though their style of speech is usually rather formal and archaic. The
strange commonality of language between Covenant and the Land's inhabitants is
never addressed in the books. There are, however, other languages extant: for
example, in Lord Foul's Bane, Atiaran tells Thomas Covenant that a different
language was spoken in the age of the Old Lords. (However, this appears to be
contradicted in Fatal Revenant, when Linden Avery and Berek Halfhand converse
together in English.) Non-humans also have their own languages, for example the
barking speech of ur-viles and Waynhim, the Giants' florid and ornate language, and
the native tongue of the Haruchai. In the Second Chronicles it is explained that
the Giants received "the gift of tongues" from the Elohim as a reward for the
telling of a simple tale, and the Bhrathair, a people who live on the edge of the
Great Desert, also speak their own language, which is described only as sounding
"brackish".
Worm/Word/Weird. In the cosmology of the Land, the Earth's core consists of a

coiled-up serpent called the "Worm of the World's End". When Covenant attempts to
sever a branch of the One Tree by using the power of the white gold, he risks
rousing the Worm (which is not fully asleep, but merely resting) and thus
destroying the Earth. The Waynhim and Ur-viles believe in a principle of ethics or
destiny called the "Weird". The Elohim have a concept which appears to do duty for
both these beliefs: it is impossible to determine whether the sound used for this
is "Worm", "Word" or "Weird", as it comes out in a blurred form sounding something
like "Würd".
LawEdit
Law is the natural order; a body of principles which defines and governs the way in
which the world works. Some parts of the Law conform to the scientific laws of the
real world: gravity and motion, for example operate as the reader expects them to.
Other aspects of Law are unlike the real world. Chief among these is the
accessibility of Earthpower. Another important difference is that Law is not
inherently inviolable. Acts of thaumaturgy can create phenomena which do not
conform to Law. In some instances, the violation of a Law can cause that law to
stop operating altogether, which results in a major shift in the nature of the
world. The novels have discussed three Laws in detail: the Law of Time, the Law of
Death, and the Law of Life.
The Law of Time is the most basic and fundamental aspect of Law: it defines the
nature and structure of time, and provides a "place" in which the Earth can exist.
It requires that instants and events proceed in an orderly fashion from cause to
effect. The consequences of all actions must be borne. Although a later action
might reverse the effects of an earlier one, those effects (and the earlier action
itself) cannot be made to have not been. Any attempt to alter past events risks
creating a paradox, which would destroy the structure of time, taking the entire
Earth with it.
TerminologyEdit
In the Thomas Covenant stories, Donaldson takes several terms from Sanskrit that
are significant in Hinduism and Buddhism and reassigns them meanings in the Land.
For example, the term moksha, which in Sanskrit refers to liberation from the cycle
of sorrow, is given as the original name for a creature of depravity and evil
called a Raver. Another Raver, Satansfist, is called samādhi, which in Sanskrit
refers to a state of mind in which one achieves oneness with the object of one's
concentration. The third Raver, Kinslaughterer, is called turiya, Sanskrit for a
state of pure consciousness. Donaldson has commented on his website that moksha,
samadhi, and turiya are ways the Ravers describe themselves, while their other
names are given by others.[1]
Donaldson repeats this application of Sanskrit terms to seemingly unrelated aspects

of the Land to other terms, including: dukkha, dharmakshetra, ahamkara, and yajna.
The Chronicles also contain names of Semitic origin. For instance,

samadhi/Satansfist is also called "Sheol", (Hebrew for the grave, the abode of the
dead), moksha/Fleshharrower is also known as "Jehannum" (similar to the Hebrew
"Gehinnom" and the Arabic "Jahannum", for Hell or Purgatory), and
turiya/Kinslaughterer is also "Herem" (Hebrew for banned, excluded, excommunicated
and Arabic for sinful or forbidden [Haram]). The name of the fairy race of Elohim
is the Hebrew for God.
Critical response
References
Sources
External links
Last edited 2 months ago by 2601:141:8101:BC10:DC94:E177:6A21:E785
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1980 fantasy novel by Stephen R. Donaldson

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Lord Foul's Bane
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2015)
Lord Foul's Bane is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen R. Donaldson, the
first book of the first trilogy of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series. It is
followed by The Illearth War.
Lord Foul's Bane
LRDFLSBNCC1978.jpg
First edition
Author
Cover artist
Janice C. Tate
Country
United States
Language
English
Series
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Nelson Doubleday
Publication date
1977
Media type
Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages
480
ISBN
0-8050-1272-9 (USA hardback)
OCLC
33451041
Preceded by
None
Followed by
The Illearth War
Plot summaryEdit
Learn more
This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (August 2009)
Thomas Covenant is a young author whose world is turned upside-down when he is

diagnosed with leprosy. After six months' treatment and counselling in a
leprosarium, he returns home to find himself alone, divorced by his wife Joan, and
outcast from his community. His son Roger has been taken to live with his ex-wife.
On a rare trip into town, he is accosted by a beggar. The beggar refuses Covenant's
offers of charity, including his white gold wedding band, makes several cryptic
pronouncements, and leaves Covenant with the admonition to "be true." Disturbed by
the encounter, Covenant stumbles into the path of an oncoming police car and is
rendered unconscious.
He wakes to find himself in "the Land", a classic fantasy world. He first meets the
evil Cavewight Drool Rockworm, who has summoned him to the Land with the power of
the enchanted Staff of Law. Drool has been instructed and manipulated by a
malevolent incorporeal being who calls himself "Lord Foul the Despiser". Foul
reproaches Drool for his arrogance and transports Covenant to Foul's demesne.
Addressing Covenant as "groveler", Foul taunts him with a prophecy that he (Foul)
will destroy the Land within 49 years; however, if Drool isn't stopped, this doom
will come to pass much sooner. He tells Covenant to deliver this message to the
rulers of the Land, the Council of Lords at Revelstone, so that they can make
preparations to combat Drool Rockworm and recover the Staff of Law.
Covenant is transported again and wakes on Kevin's Watch, a tall finger of rock
attached to a mountain overlooking the Land's southernmost region. He meets a girl
named Lena, who uses a special mud called hurtloam to heal the injuries from his
fall. Covenant is shocked to discover that the hurtloam has also cured his leprosy.
This is only the first example Covenant will see of the Earthpower: a rich source
of healing energy present throughout the Land. Covenant's loss of two fingers on
his right hand, a consequence of the failure to promptly diagnose his leprosy,
causes him to be identified by Lena as the reincarnation of Berek Halfhand, an
ancient Lord who saved the Land from Lord Foul during a war which occurred in the
Land's distant past. His special identity is seemingly confirmed when Lena's mother
Atiaran identifies Covenant's white gold ring – in his world a plain wedding band,
which he had been emotionally unable to discard notwithstanding his divorce – as a
token of great power in the Land.
Believing that he is unconscious from his collision with the police car, and
therefore experiencing a fantastical dream or delusion, Covenant refuses to accept
the reality of the Land. Appalled and indignant at the expectations the people of
the Land have for him as their new-found saviour, he gives himself the title of
"Unbeliever."
He is also unprepared for the sudden restoration of his health, which cures the
impotence brought on by his leprosy. This, and his mental turmoil over the reality
he feels but does not believe, drives him into a frenzy, causing him to rape Lena,
an act which will be pivotal to all that follows. When Lena's friends and family
learn of what happened to her, they are barely able to comprehend the enormity of,
or reasons behind, this crime, but the Oath of Peace to which they are sworn
forbids them from taking vengeance.
Atiaran, with great chagrin, guides Covenant to the Hills of Andelain, a region of
the land where the Earthpower is especially strong. There she entrusts Covenant to
the care of Saltheart Foamfollower, one of the Unhomed Giants, who are allies of
the people of the Land. The Giants, a seafaring people who live on the eastern
coast of the Land, have a strong understanding of the Earthpower, especially as it
relates to the Sea and other waters. Foamfollower is able to sail his stone boat up
one of the great rivers of the Land to Revelstone, the Lords' mountain fortress.
Covenant delivers the message of Lord Foul to the Lords. He is invited into their
council as an "ur-Lord" because of his connection to Berek, and his white gold
ring, which the Lords recognize as having the power to unleash the "wild magic"
which may be the key to defeating Lord Foul. Despite the obvious danger, the Lords
decide to make an effort to wrest the powerful Staff of Law from Drool's evil
grasp. Rather than waging an all-out war, the Council sends four Lords and a band
of forty warriors to attempt to infiltrate Drool's lair at Mount Thunder.
Led by High Lord Prothall, and accompanied by the Lords' sleepless and ageless
protectors the Bloodguard, and the Giant Foamfollower, the Lords' party sets out
eastward. Covenant joins them in the hope that the recovery of the Staff of Law
will somehow assist in his return to his "real" world. Along the way, Covenant
attempts to come to terms with whether or not to believe in the reality of the
Land. He also attempts to redeem himself for his horrible crime against Lena by
commanding one of the Ranyhyn, the wild, free and intelligent horses of the eastern
Plains of Ra, to do homage to her yearly. The Ramen, a tribe of humans who dedicate
their lives to care and protection of the Ranyhyn, awed to see their equine
companions under Covenant's compulsion, agree to assist the quest on the last leg
of its journey.
In the end, at the cost of the deaths of many of their companions, the Lords
succeed in penetrating Mount Thunder and seizing the Staff, temporarily securing
peace for the Land. Covenant destroys Drool Rockworm and saves the surviving
members of the party by using the wild magic of his ring to summon the Fire-Lions,
creatures of living lava which issue from the peak of Mount Thunder, although he
does not fully control or even understand his power.
After the death of Drool, who had used the Staff of Law to summon Covenant to the
Land, Covenant feels his physical body fading away, loses consciousness, and wakes
up in his own world, a leper once more.
Critical response
References
External links
Last edited 8 months ago by GrahamHardy
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The Illearth War
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This article relies too much on references to primary sources. (September 2009)
The Illearth War is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen R. Donaldson, the
second book of the first trilogy of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series. It is
followed by The Power that Preserves.
The Illearth War
THLLRTHWRZ1977.jpg
Cover of The Illearth War
Author
Cover artist
S. C. Wyeth
Country
United States
Language
English
Series
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Publication date
1977
Media type
Print (hardback and paperback)
Pages
527
ISBN
0-8050-1271-0 (USA hardback)
OCLC
23591011
Preceded by
Lord Foul's Bane
Followed by
The Power That Preserves
Plot summaryEdit
Several weeks after returning to his world from The Land, the leper Thomas Covenant
is taking a phone call from his ex-wife Joan when he falls and hits his head,
waking to find himself back in the Land, in the chamber of the Council of Lords of
Revelstone.
Angered by the fact that he has been transported away from "reality", Covenant
nevertheless believes he is once again experiencing a dream or delusion due to his
head injury. His hypothesis is supported by the fact that the Land has seen the
passing of forty years compared to the few weeks that have passed in his own world:
the High Lord of the Council is Elena. Much later he learns that she is his
daughter, born of his rape of Lena. Due to the trauma, Lena has disassociated from
life and reverted to a childlike mentality, fully dependent on her family. Elena is
now Covenant's summoner and shows no ill will towards her biological father. She
and Covenant become close friends.
Elena explains that the evil Lord Foul has assembled a massive army, with which he
now threatens the people of The Land. For forty years, the Lords have dedicated
themselves to the study of Kevin's Lore, training new students at the school at the
tree city of Revelwood. Only Mhorham remains from Lords of the council during the
quest for the Staff of Law, but seven new Lords have taken their seats, having
mastered both the magical and martial arts. The horse-tending Ramen have been
enlisted to patrol the frontier near Foul's dominions. The Warward, the army of
Revelstone, is full of battle-ready volunteers and is led by Hile Troy, who came to
the Land from Covenant's world. An attempt was even made to attack Lord Foul
directly, via a commando raid on his lair at the Land's eastern edge; although the
raid, led by Lord Mhoram, failed, valuable knowledge was gained about Foul's
forces.
The commander of Foul's army is one of three brothers of the race of Giants, a
people previously thought incorruptible. With the aid of the powerful Illearth
Stone, Foul's non-corporeal servants, the Ravers, have possessed the three
brothers, now renamed Kinslaughterer, Fleshharrower and Satansfist. In shame and
despair, the other Giants offer no resistance as Kinslaughterer murders them all in
their home city. Thus, the Lords have lost their strongest and bravest ally in the
fight against evil.
Nevertheless, the Lords resolve to meet the enemy on the battlefield. Hile Troy is
a genius in military tactics who developed a mystical form of sight when hurtloam,
a magical mud with miraculous curative properties, was used to try and "heal" his
lack of eyes. (The hurtloam used to heal Covenant's head injury also has the effect
of "curing" his leprosy.) While Troy leads the army to confront Fleshharrower's
attacking force, Elena and Covenant go in search of the Seventh Ward, a repository
of ancient magical power which Elena believes will ensure victory.
Covenant, Elena and their two Bloodguard protectors journey through the remote
mountain region on the western frontier of the Land to the hiding place of the
Ward. Elena gains the power, but foolishly uses it to summon the long dead High
Lord Kevin from his grave, and send him against Lord Foul. This act breaks the Law
of Death, the barrier preventing the souls of the dead from interfering in the
world of the living. Kevin's spirit is easily defeated and then enslaved by Foul
wielding the Illearth Stone, and commanded to destroy Elena. The two High Lords
engage in a battle of magic, in which Elena and her Bloodguard are defeated and
killed, and the Staff of Law lost again. Covenant is able to save himself and his
Bloodguard by using the power of his white gold ring, again without understanding
how.
Meanwhile, Hile Troy has been forced into a desperate retreat by the superior force
of the Raver's army to the edge of a dangerous, forbidding forest known as
Garroting Deep. In desperation, he and Lord Mhoram beg the aid of Caerroil
Wildwood, an immortal Forestal who is charged with protecting the ancient forests
of the Land from the Ravers. Wildwood brings the forest to life, totally destroying
Foul's army, and personally garrotes Fleshharrower. The victory is a Pyrrhic one,
however: the Lords' army is nearly obliterated, three Lords besides Elena have been
killed, and Hile Troy has sacrificed himself as the price for the Forestal's aid,
becoming Wildwood's immortal apprentice.
The war thus ends in a draw, and with the death of High Lord Elena his summoner,
Covenant once again returns to his own world. His ex-wife has long since hung up
the phone, and he is a leper once more.
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The Power that Preserves is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen R.

Donaldson, the final book of the first trilogy of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
series. It is followed by The Wounded Land, which begins the second trilogy.
Covenant3a.jpg
First edition cover
Author
Cover artist
S. C. Wyeth
Country
United States
Language
English
Series
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Publication date
1979
Media type
Pages
489
ISBN
0-8050-1270-2 (USA hardback)
OCLC
23602890
Preceded by
The Illearth War
Followed by
The Wounded Land
Plot summaryEdit
Back in his own "real" world, Thomas Covenant is devastated by the loss of Elena,
though he still maintains to himself that his experience in the Land was all just a
dream. Tormented by this unanswerable paradox, he neglects his physical condition;
he stops taking his medications and fails to treat his head wound, allowing his
dormant leprosy to once again become active.
Wandering in the woods outside of his home town, he comes upon a lost little girl
suffering from a rattlesnake bite. At this point he is once again summoned to the
Land, this time by the desperate High Lord Mhoram, who is in need of aid. Covenant
finds that seven years have gone by since the Illearth War, and Lord Foul is
preparing for his final assault on the people of the Land. Foul has enslaved the
tormented spirit of former High Lord Elena, who now wields the Staff of Law in the
service of evil. The Lords have lost their most loyal defenders, the ageless
Bloodguard, and the Land has been cast into a perpetual winter. Furthermore, Lord
Foul has rebuilt his army, which, under the command of the third Giant-Raver
Satansfist, now besieges the Lords' mountain-fortress of Revelstone. As a last
resort, the Lords have decided to call upon Covenant, in the hope that he will be
able to use the wild magic of his white gold ring to repel the siege and save the
Land from total destruction.
Covenant, however, demands that Mhoram release the summons in order to allow him to
save the girl's life in the "real" world. Mhoram assents. Covenant does manage to
save the girl, but at the cost of being poisoned by the rattlesnake venom he has
sucked out of her. In this state and with the knowledge that the girl is safe, he
accepts another summoning.
Covenant finds himself once again at Kevin's Watch, the place to which Lord Foul
transported him at the time of his first summoning by Drool Rockworm. This time he
has been brought to the Land by the joint efforts of Triock, jilted lover of Lena
(whom Covenant raped on his first trip to the Land resulting in the birth of Elena)
and the Giant Saltheart Foamfollower, his boon companion from the quest for the
Staff of Law and one of the last two surviving Giants. Descending from the mountain
and travelling east with Triock and Foamfollower in search of Lord Foul's demesne,
Covenant is horrified to witness the depredations caused by Foul and his servants.
South of the Plains of Ra, Covenant finds that his old bodyguard Bannor has joined
with the Ramen in an attempt to protect the Ranyhyn, the intelligent, free horses
who formerly served the Bloodguard as mounts. Covenant convinces the Ramen to take
the Ranyhyn south to safety; Bannor, though no longer sustained by the power of his
Vow, accompanies him on his journey east. Kidnapped by Ravers, Covenant confronts
Elena and uses the power of his white gold ring to dismiss her ghost, although this
results in the destruction of the Staff of Law. Bannor declines to follow Covenant
further, although he accepts the metal heels of the Staff for safekeeping and
eventual return to the Lords. Meanwhile Lord Mhoram, after a protracted battle, is
able to break the siege of Revelstone and kill Satansfist.
Afterwards, Covenant and Foamfollower journey to Ridjeck Thome, the very heart of
Lord Foul's dominion, where they succeed in defeating Foul; this act also repairs
much of the havoc caused by Elena's breaking of the Law of Death. Covenant, who has
finally gained full comprehension of and control over the power of the wild magic,
uses it to destroy the Illearth Stone: in the final cataclysm Foamfollower is
killed and so, seemingly, is Covenant.
However, his consciousness remains, and while in a state somewhere between being
and non-existence, he is spoken to in the darkness by the voice of the old beggar
from the beginning of the first book, who is in fact the Creator of the Land. The
Creator thanks Covenant for saving his creation and asks him what reward he might
accept. Excitedly, Covenant asks the Creator to save Foamfollower, but the Creator
regretfully tells Covenant "in a tone of ineffable rue" that even he cannot undo
something that has already occurred: otherwise the Arch of Time, the fundamental
structure underlying the Land's universe, will be destroyed. The Creator explains
that this restriction, in fact, is what prevented him from dealing with Foul
directly: he had to act through a proxy, Covenant, and even after causing Covenant
to be transported to the Land, the Creator did not interfere with Covenant's
freedom of will in any way. The decision to "save or damn" the Land was Covenant's
own.
The Creator then tells Covenant that he has a choice: either he can remain in the
Land in full health, or he can be returned to life in his own world, where he
otherwise would have died from an allergic reaction to the anti-venom treatment
applied to his unconscious body. Covenant, still unwilling to fully accept the
Land, chooses the latter and awakes in his hospital bed, weakened from his physical
trauma, still afflicted with his disease, but happy to be alive, and secure in the
knowledge that he had not failed the Land.
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The Wounded Land

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The Wounded Land is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen R. Donaldson, the
first book of the second trilogy of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series. It is
followed by The One Tree.
The Wounded Land
Covenant-4a.jpg
First edition cover
Author
Cover artist
Darrell K. Sweet
Country
United States
Language
English
Series
The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Del Rey
Publication date
1980
Media type
Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages
497
ISBN
978-0-345-28647-5
OCLC
5353176
Preceded by
Followed by
The One Tree
The book is dedicated to Lester del Rey with the cryptic appendation: "Lester made
me do it." Donaldson has explained on his website that del Rey, his editor-
publisher, was the "King of Sequels" and pestered Donaldson incessantly with ideas
for a follow up to the first trilogy, all of which were quite bad, to the extent
that Donaldson was driven to conceive workable ideas for both the second and third
trilogies. [1]
Plot summaryEdit
Ten years have passed since the end of the first Chronicles. After his experiences
in the Land, Thomas Covenant has resumed his career as a writer. He is still
isolated from society, but he has come to terms with that and with the other mental
and physical consequences of his leprosy.
The story begins by presenting us with a new main character; the prologue is told
entirely from her point of view, as is much of the main narrative. Linden Avery is
a doctor who has moved to Covenant's hometown to take a position at the local
hospital. Her traumatic childhood and rigorous medical training have left her
emotionally isolated from other people. In her own way, she is as much an outsider
in society as Covenant.
The chief of staff at the hospital (who appeared briefly in the first Chronicles)
asks her to check up on Covenant. Linden, reluctantly, drives to Covenant's house
outside of town. On the way, she sees an elderly man in an ochre robe collapse by
the side of the road. Using CPR, she revives him: he makes a number of cryptic
pronouncements and walks off, telling her to "be true".
Confused and disturbed by this strange encounter, Linden continues on to Covenant's

house. Although he initially brushes her off, she is persistent, and finds that
Covenant's estranged wife has returned to him, but that she is under the influence
of a cult of worshippers of Lord Foul, who has found a way to exert his influence
in Covenant's world.
After Covenant is stabbed in the chest by one of Foul's dupes in the "real" world,
he loses consciousness and hears a familiar voice: Lord Foul's. Taunting Covenant
that there is "more despair bound up for you than your petty mortal heart can
bear", Foul vows that he will have his final revenge on Covenant and the Land.
He awakes to find that both he and Linden have been transported to the Land - to
Kevin's Watch, the mountain at the Land's south frontier where he was first
summoned by Drool Rockworm. His wound has been healed - somehow Covenant was able
to use the "wild magic" of his white gold ring, although he had no conscious
control over the process. Descending from the Watch, he also finds that a terrible
change has transpired: four thousand years have passed, the Earthpower is gone, or
nearly gone, and the people of the Land are out of touch with what remains of it.
The Land is afflicted with the Sunbane, a disruption of the physical order which
alternately causes rain, desert, pestilence and unnatural fertility to wreak havoc
on man, animals and nature.
The people of the Land have turned to human sacrifice as a means of harnessing the
power of the Sunbane: shortly after their arrival, Covenant and Linden are taken
prisoner and condemned to be "shed". They escape, but shortly thereafter Covenant
is bitten by a monster. Linden, who has become imbued with a form of clairvoyance
which allows her to perceive the fundamental nature of people and things in this
world (which, with her medical training, she comes to think of as her "health-
sense") is able to save Covenant from a life-threatening infection, but the venom
from the bite leaves Covenant unable to control the destructive power of the wild
magic.
Despite these difficulties, Covenant and Linden Avery join with Sunder and Hollian,
a man and woman of the Land, to travel to Revelstone to challenge the corrupt new
rulers of the Land, the Clave. On the journey, Covenant enters the Andelainian
Hills, a region of the land free of the Sunbane. There he meets with the Forestal
Caer-Caveral (formerly Warmark Hile Troy) and the spirits of the long-dead
characters of the First Chronicles, who provide him with rather cryptic advice
concerning the plight of the Land. Saltheart Foamfollower gives Covenant something
more: Vain, a creation of the ur-viles, who accompanies Covenant to Revelstone.
(Linden, Sunder, and Hollian have already been captured by the Clave and imprisoned
there.) Once there, Covenant agrees to undertake a "soothtell", a ritual of
divination by blood. Before Covenant can defend himself the Clave's minions open
his veins: this triggers the ritual. Covenant thus discovers that the cause of the
current condition of the Land is the destruction of the Staff of Law, which he
himself had wrought. Without the strength of the Staff to protect it, the
Earthpower itself has been corrupted by Lord Foul; hence, the Sunbane.
Covenant also discovers that the leader of the Clave, the na-Mhoram, is a Raver,
one of Lord Foul's immortal, incorporeal servants. As each new na-Mhoram succeeds
the last, the Raver takes possession, ensuring that the Clave continues to maintain
the Banefire which strengthens the Sunbane. The Banefire is fed by copious
quantities of blood: among the victims held by the Clave for future sacrifice are a
group of Haruchai, the descendants of the race which formerly served the Land as
the Bloodguard. Covenant frees the Haruchai and his friends and retrieves the
krill, an ancient and powerful sword forged in the days of the Old Lords, but, due
to his power-madness combined with his blood loss, cannot single-handedly battle
the combined power of the Clave, and thus is forced to leave Revelstone.
Revelstone is located at the western limit of the Land; beyond is only mountainous
wastes. Hence, Covenant and his companions set out east. Their journey is made
perilous by the corruption of the Sunbane and the perversity of Sarangrave Flat, a
marshy plain on the lower portion of the Land which has been inhabited for
millennia by the "lurker", a mysterious and malevolent creature which is aroused by
the presence of power. However, the party is preserved by Covenant's wild magic,
Linden's health-sense, the Sunbane survival skills of Sunder and Hollian, and the
physical prowess of the Haruchai.
As they approach the sea-coast at the eastern edge of the Land, the travellers
encounter a party of Giants, of the same race as Foamfollower's long-dead people.
Covenant, Avery, Vain, and four of the Haruchai take ship with the Giants in search
of a solution to the matter of the Staff of Law, leaving Sunder and Hollian in the
Land to try to gather resistance to the Clave in preparation for the final battle.
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The One Tree is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen R. Donaldson, the second
book of the second trilogy of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series. It is
followed by White Gold Wielder. This book differs from the others in the First and
Second Chronicles, in that the story takes place outside of the Land, although
still in the same world.
The One Tree
Covenant5a.jpg
First edition cover
Author
Cover artist
Darrell K. Sweet
Country
United States
Language
English
Series
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Del Rey
Publication date
1982
Media type
Pages
496
ISBN
978-0-345-29898-0
Preceded by
The Wounded Land
Followed by
White Gold Wielder
Plot summaryEdit
Following the vision he received from the Clave at Revelstone, Thomas Covenant
seeks to fix the corruption of the Land after the Staff of Law's destruction. He is
accompanied on his quest by Linden Avery, a physician from his own "real" world,
and four Haruchai bodyguards. They use a ship crewed by the Giants, a benevolent,
seafaring people. The journey is made more difficult by Covenant's bouts of madness
from the venomous bite of a Sunbane-spawned monster. Linden, who in this world is
endowed with clairvoyance, is frustrated by her inability to help him.
From the Land, the Giant-ship sails to the home of the Elohim, a wise race. Linden
perceives that the Elohim are the embodiment of Earthpower, the source of the
beauty and magic. Despite their seeming omnipotence, the Elohim are bound by a
strange code of behavior and provide no direct help, other than helping Covenant
unlock the location of the One Tree, from which the Staff of Law was fashioned. In
the course of rendering this service, the Elohim cause Covenant to go into a
catatonic state; "don't touch me" is all he can say.
The travelers find that one of the Elohim, named Findail, has joined them aboard
the Giants' ship for his own purposes. The questors are not pleased but are
powerless to make him leave. After suffering severe damage in a storm, in which
Findail refuses to help, the ship arrives at the port city of the Bhrathair, a
militaristic – but also wealthy and civilized – people living at the edge of a
great desert. The Bhrathair are ruled by the gaddhi, Rant Absolain, who rather
coldly receives the quest's shore party, and it is discovered that the true ruler
is the gaddhi's chief adviser, a wizard named Kasreyn of the Gyre. Kasreyn
initially appears to be kindly disposed to the quest but is revealed to have
ulterior motives.
The ship is repaired, but the ill will between the travelers and the gaddhi breaks
out into overt violence. Two of the Haruchai guards lose their lives. The feud was
the result of a manipulative ploy by Kasreyn. The wizard abducts Covenant, who is
still in a catatonic state, and attempts to use his powers to compel Covenant to
give up his ring. The remainder of the shore party is imprisoned in the dungeon.
Linden reluctantly uses her power to invade Covenant's consciousness, breaks his
catatonia, and thwarts Kasreyn's efforts to seize the ring. Covenant and the
Haruchai fight their way to Kasreyn's laboratory but discover that Kasreyn has a
parasitic being living on his back that provides him with extended longevity and
immunity to physical attack. Findail kills both the parasite and Kasreyn, setting
off a palace coup that leaves the port in a state of chaos.
After narrowly escaping, the ship arrives at the One Tree's island location. Brinn,
Covenant's Haruchai bodyguard, sacrifices himself in a duel with the Tree's
Guardian ak-Haru Kenaustin Ardenol. He is regenerated as the new Guardian and leads
the party to the Tree itself. Cable Seadreamer, the mute giant, stops Covenant from
taking a piece of the Tree. When Seadreamer makes the attempt himself, he is
killed: he has disturbed the Worm of the World's End, which sleeps beneath the Tree
and whose "aura" serves as a defense mechanism. This aura triggers Covenant's power
to an exponential degree. As Covenant attempts to overwhelm the Worm with his
power, Findail warns Linden that the Arch of Time cannot contain the struggle
between the two powers and that the world will be destroyed if it continues.
Linden, much against her will, mentally reaches out to Covenant. Sharing his
thoughts, she sees him open a passage back to the "real" world and attempts to
return her to it. She senses, however, that in the "real" world Covenant's body is
very weak and will die if he does not himself return. Unwilling to do this,
Covenant draws Linden back through the rift between the worlds. With her help, he
is able to contain his power, but at the price of the Isle of the One Tree sinking
beneath the ocean as the earth heaves with the movements of the Worm of the World's
End settling back from disturbance into slumber. Thus, the quest ends in failure.
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White Gold Wielder is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen R. Donaldson, the
final book of the second trilogy of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series.
White Gold Wielder
Covenant6a.jpg
Cover of White Gold Wielder
Author
Cover artist
Darrell K. Sweet
Country
United States
Language
English
Series
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Del Rey
Publication date
1983
Media type
Pages
512
ISBN
978-0-345-30307-3
OCLC
8930083
Preceded by
The One Tree
Followed by
The Runes of the Earth
Plot summaryEdit
Leaving the sunken island of the One Tree, the Giant ship Starfare's Gem sets
course to return to the Land. In a dangerous region of the ocean known as the
Soulbiter, the ship is blown off course into the far northern reaches of the Earth
and becomes ice-bound. Realizing that the Land's need cannot wait for the spring
melt, Thomas Covenant leaves the ship and strikes out south over the ice-scape,
accompanied by Linden, Vain, Findail the Elohim, Cail of the Haruchai, and four
Giants.
The party encounters many dangers on its journey but reunites with Sunder and
Hollian, the man and woman of the Land who Covenant left behind in order to attempt
to gather resistance to the Clave, the corrupt rulers of the Land. They have little
comfort to offer: the Clave has become so blood-hungry that entire villages have
been completely emptied in order to sustain the Banefire, making the corruption of
nature by the Sunbane worse than ever. Only the stalwart Haruchai, freed from the
Clave's magical coercion, have rallied to the side of freedom.
Covenant and his companions nevertheless march on Revelstone, the mountain fortress
of the Clave. Once there, Covenant stuns the others by summoning a Sandgorgon, the
beast responsible for the deaths of two of his Haruchai companions in the previous
book. The Sandgorgon, grateful to Covenant for having previously spared its life,
breaches the outer defenses of the great Keep. After a tremendous struggle,
Covenant and the Sandgorgon are able to destroy the Raver who leads the Clave,
although at the price of the life of Grimmand Honninscrave, the valiant Giant
captain of Starfare's Gem.
Mourning the loss of his friend and the deaths of many of the innocent denizens of
Revelstone, Covenant is able to come to terms with his power-madness, through a
process in which he mimics the Giantish caamora, a ritual of purification by fire.
Using the Banefire and the wild magic of his white gold ring, he is able to negate
the effect of the strange venom with which he has been infected. The process hurts
Covenant but does not do him permanent injury. With the aid of the Sandgorgon,
Linden and Covenant are able to extinguish the Banefire. The defeat of the Clave
causes the corruption of the Sunbane to diminish but not to disappear.
Sending Cail and the Giant Mistweave to reconnoiter with Starfare's Gem at the
eastern coast of the Land, and charging the remaining Haruchai to resume their
Bloodguard forebears' role as the warders of Revelstone, Covenant and the rest of
his party set out to challenge Lord Foul directly, in his lair in the depths of
Mount Thunder. En route, Hollian and her unborn child die resisting an attack of a
band of Sunbane-warped ur-viles. Sunder is left numb and wordless with grief: in
Andelain the Forestal Caer-Caveral sacrifices his immortal life to re-unite Sunder
with Hollian and the yet-to-be-born child and give them a second chance at life. In
so doing, he breaks the Law of Life, which prevents the dead from intervening
directly in the world of the living. Bereft of the Forestal's protection, Andelain
begins to succumb to the Sunbane. Covenant leaves the young family in Andelain and
continues his journey, accompanied by Linden, two Giants, Vain, and Findail.
At Mount Thunder, Covenant gives the white gold ring willingly to the Despiser, an
action which was foretold by Lord Foul upon Covenant's initial return to the Land;
Linden Avery refrains from preventing him from this action, despite her ability to
do so. The Despiser then kills Covenant, and attempts to destroy the Arch of Time
with the wild magic. However, Covenant's spirit blocks his assault: in a manner
similar to the cleansing experience with the Banefire, the power of wild magic
causes Covenant pain but does not harm him, and in fact makes him more powerful
with each attack. (Covenant later explains, "Foul did the one thing I couldn't: he
burned the venom away.") Covenant's ability to interfere in this manner is revealed
as a consequence of the breaking of the Law of Life and a fulfillment of Lord
Mhoram's prophecy ("You are the white gold"). Unable to comprehend this, Lord Foul
continues to attack Covenant's spirit until he vanishes, drained of all his power.
Linden Avery then takes the white gold ring, and uses it to bond Vain with Findail.
Linden thus creates a new Staff of Law, combining the rigidness and structure of
the ur-viles' lore with the pure and free Earthpower of the Elohim. Then, combining
the new Staff with the power of the wild magic, she heals the Land of the Sunbane.
Giving the Staff to the Giants to take to Sunder and Hollian, Linden fades away. In
the limbo between the worlds, Covenant speaks to her and explains how he defeated
Foul and re-assures her that their love will transcend both time and death. Linden
wakes up in the "real" world, finding Covenant dead, as expected, but takes comfort
in the knowledge that through his love, she has redeemed both herself and the Land.
At the very end of the book, Linden takes Covenant's white gold wedding ring.
Reception
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The Runes of the Earth is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen R. Donaldson,
the first book of The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series. It was first
published in 2004.
Cover to the First UK Edition
Cover to the First UK Edition
Author
Country
United States
Language
English
Series
The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
Genre
Fantasy
Published
14 October 2004 Putnam Publishing (USA)
21 October 2004 Gollancz (UK)
Media type
Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio CD
Pages
608 (UK hardback edition) & 532 (USA hardback edition)
ISBN
0-575-07598-8 (hardback edition) & ISBN 0-399-15232-6 (USA hardback edition)
OCLC
59265669
Preceded by
White Gold Wielder
Followed by
Fatal Revenant
Plot introductionEdit
Donaldson returns to the Land for the third series of novels based there. We are
re-introduced to Linden Avery years after she first encountered Thomas Covenant and
was forever changed by the experience. We journey once more to the familiar fantasy
world where everything is again under threat.
Plot summaryEdit
Linden Avery is now in charge of a clinic for the mentally ill and is responsible,
among other things, for caring for Joan Covenant. Roger, son of Thomas and Joan,
comes to visit for the first time in many years and seeks to take Joan out of care,
claiming that he wants to assume responsibility for the task himself. Roger also
demands from Linden his late father's white gold wedding ring, which she refuses to
relinquish. Linden remains suspicious of his intentions, but she is not able to
prevent his forceful removal of Joan at gunpoint, and his abduction of Linden's
adopted son, Jeremiah. Casualties mount as Joan is taken and - whilst attempting to
intervene - Linden, Joan, Roger, and Jeremiah are transported to the Land, where
they must adjust to its new demands.
On return to the Land, she discovers that the people have no knowledge of the
Earthpower she had so cherished before; this knowledge is denied them by the blight
on the land known as Kevin's Dirt. This ancient lore is also kept from them by the
Haruchai, who have now taken upon themselves total responsibility for the Land's
defense, discouraging the learning of Law and any knowledge of Earthpower or the
Land's history. They have become the "Masters” of the Land. Also, the Land has been
beset by caesures (or "Falls") which are strange disruptions created from wild
magic by Joan in her madness.
Linden takes under her protection an enigmatic character called Anele, who turns
out to have been the son of two people that Linden had known centuries before,
which appears logically impossible. He is full of Earthpower, as a result of a
pregnant Hollian (from the second chronicles) being brought back to life by
Earthpower. Linden also finds an ally in a Stonedownor, Liand, who quickly comes to
trust Linden implicitly when she introduces him to his past and the Land, showing
him an expression of Earthpower beyond all his previous experience. The Masters
threaten Anele (and indirectly, Linden) as she seeks to find ways of locating and
rescuing her son, a quest she keeps to herself. When a strange storm attacks
Liand's village, Mithil Stonedown, he and Linden and Anele take the opportunity to
escape the Masters.
Their escape is compromised when Stave, another Master, catches up with them.
Initially they believe he has come to recapture them, but he actually brings timely
warning of a huge pack of wolves (kresh) that is pursuing them. They are rescued by
a company of Ramen, the traditional servants of the Ranyhyn horses, who seem to
have made an odd alliance with the ur-viles. They are then led to the Verge of
Wandering - a valley the Ramen come to every couple of generations.
Here they meet Esmer, a powerful being who claims to be the son of Cail - an
outcast Haruchai - and the merewives, the mysterious Dancers of the Sea. Linden is
unsure whether to treat Esmer as a friend or an enemy: He attacks and wounds Stave
(as punishment for his ancestors' treatment of his father), but then proceeds to
help Linden. He uses his strange powers to summon a caesure, allowing Linden and
her companions to travel backwards in time to retrieve the lost Staff of Law.
They emerge from the caesure in a Land which is still recovering from the Sunbane.
After some initial frustration, they find (with some dubious help from Esmer) that
the Staff is guarded by a group of Waynhim who - not being creatures of Law - are
slowly sickening from its influence. Linden uses the Staff to cure the Waynhim, but
she and her companions are suddenly attacked by Demondim (who they suspect have
been summoned from the past by the mischievous and unpredictable Esmer) wielding
the power of the Illearth Stone.
Fearful that the coming battle will alter the Land's history, Linden creates a new
caesure and returns herself, her companions, the ur-viles, Waynhim, and Demondim to
her own present. When they emerge, they find themselves in the neighborhood of
Revelstone, which is now the stronghold of the Masters. The Haruchai attempt to
fight the Demondim, but their efforts are in vain. Stave is badly injured, and
Linden and her companions are forced to retreat to Revelstone.
Here Linden meets the Mahdoubt, a mysterious old woman who describes herself only
as "a servant of Revelstone". As the company is enclosed in the Lord's Keep with
their foes outside, they see a small group rapidly approaching: her son, Jeremiah,
and Thomas Covenant, who has seemingly returned to life.
Characters in “The Runes of the Earth”Edit
Linden Avery – doctor (also the Chosen, Wildwielder, and Ringthane)
Jeremiah – her adopted son
Joan Covenant – Thomas Covenant's ex-wife
Roger Covenant – Thomas Covenant's now-adult son
Anele – deranged, loser of the Staff of Law; appears to be the son of Sunder
and Hollian
Stave – Master and Haruchai
Liand – Stonedownor
Esmer – son to Cail (a Haruchai) and merewives
Lord Foul – the old adversary
Hami – a Ramen Manethrall
Mahrtiir – a Ramen Manethrall
Doan – a Ramen Manethrall
Hyn – a Ranyhyn
Hynyn – a Ranyhyn
Thomas Covenant: original Wildwielder; seems to have returned at the end of the
book with Jeremiah
Major themesEdit
Two dangers face the Land: the constant threat of the intention of Lord Foul,
although his purposes appear more benign than before; and the presence in the Land
of white gold (an ultimate source of power) in the hand of one turned mad, Joan
Covenant (Thomas's ex-wife).
Similarly, the consequence of potentially using both the Staff of Law (enabling
control of Earthpower) and white gold simultaneously is addressed by the main
character Linden Avery. The book also explores the idea of the consequences of time
travel i.e. what will happen to the future if you alter the past?
Literary significance & criticism
Awards and nominations
Release details
Footnotes
External links
Last edited 3 years ago by Timrollpickering
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Fatal Revenant is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen R. Donaldson, the

second book of The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series.
Fatal Revenant
StephenDonaldson FatalRevenant.jpg
First edition cover
Author
Country
United States
Language
English
Series
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Gollancz
Publication date
18 Oct 2007
Media type
Print (hardback)
Pages
896 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN
978-0-575-07600-6 (first edition, hardback)
OCLC
153556124
Preceded by
Followed by
Linden Avery is taken 10,000 years into the Land's past, where she meets Berek
Halfhand.
Donaldson returns to the Land for the third series of novels based there. We are
re-introduced to Linden Avery years after she first encountered Thomas Covenant and
was forever changed by the experience. We journey once more to the familiar fantasy
world where everything is again under threat.
Plot summaryEdit
Linden Avery is determined to save her adopted son, Jeremiah, from the hands of the
Despiser. However, before she even begins her search, it appears that Jeremiah and
Thomas Covenant have ridden into Revelstone, despite the voice of Thomas Covenant
previously telling Linden to "find me". The behaviour and demeanour of her two
loved ones arouse suspicion and doubt in Linden.
The Masters (Haruchai) act as hosts whilst the group are in Revelstone. Linden
seeks to wash away some of the effects of her adventures and Kevin's Dirt by
bathing in Glimmermere, the Earthpower-rich lake above Revelstone. It is there that
the ever-conflicted Esmer informs her that she must be the "first to drink of the
Earthblood".
Linden returns to Revelstone and accomplishes her immediate goal of cutting off the
Demondim's access to a fragment of the Illearth Stone, but shortly afterward she is
transported thousands of years into the Land's past by the forms of Thomas Covenant
and Jeremiah. Covenant reveals to Linden that he and Jeremiah plan to drink the
Earthblood in an attempt to thwart the dire plans of both Lord Foul and
Kastenessen, the renegade Elohim. However the trio soon encounter the mysterious
and knowledgeable Theomach, a puissant figure who is one of a learned race known as
the Insequent. Linden is informed that she must be careful not to upset the Law of
Time whilst journeying through this age.
Linden and her companions encounter the Land's ancient hero, Berek Heartthew, the
Lord-Fatherer, and his sorely depleted army. The Theomach guides Linden through
this meeting, mindful that their presence in this time could have a profound effect
on the Law of Time. It is during this meeting that the Theomach reveals the Seven
Words of Power to Berek. The Insequent explains Linden's odd appearance and
presence by dubbing her the first of the "Unfettered Ones", thus keeping the Law of
Time intact. Berek senses her white gold ring, which turns out to be the Land's
first encounter with the powerful alloy.
Linden, Covenant and Jeremiah depart Berek's camp, leaving the Theomach behind to
fulfill his chosen role as Berek's guide.
Whilst Covenant and Jeremiah attempt to teleport the trio to Melenkurion Skyweir,
the source of the Earthblood, Linden is separated from them, and finds herself lost
amongst the ancient forest of Garroting Deep. Here she encounters an ancient race,
the Viles.
She knows from her time in the Land that the Viles will be corrupted by Lord Foul's
Ravers in the centuries to come; eventually they will spawn the Demondim, who in
turn will spawn the ur-viles and Waynhim. During this encounter Linden risks the
Law of Time by attempting to dissuade the Viles from their path of self-loathing,
informing the Viles of the Raver's part in their corruption. However, in the midst
of her revelation, Covenant and Jeremiah contrive to instigate a confrontation
between the Viles and Garroting Deep's Forestal, Caerroil Wildwood. During the
ensuing battle, Linden is reunited with her two companions, who hasten her towards
Melenkurion Skyweir.
The trio enter the caverns of Melenkurion Skyweir. Linden's doubts and misgivings
concerning her companions continue to grow, and as the three approach the
Earthblood, Linden resolves to partake of the powerful, wish-granting substance
before Covenant or Jeremiah.
Once she has drunk of the Earthblood, Linden commands that the truth be shown
concerning her companions. Instantly their true forms are revealed: Thomas
Covenant's son Roger Covenant has been wearing the guise of his father, whilst
Jeremiah is shown to be under the malign influence of a croyel, a parasitic being
that feeds upon and takes over the mind of its host. A raging battle takes place in
the caverns of Melenkurion Skyweir, during which the ancient mountain is torn
asunder. Roger Covenant and the croyel-driven Jeremiah eventually escape, leaving
Linden in a state of despair. Half-catatonic, she eventually once again finds
herself amongst the trees of Garroting Deep. Here Linden finds the Mahdoubt,
another of the Insequent who had previously befriended her in Revelstone during her
"proper" time. The Mahdoubt acts as Linden's liaison during a meeting with Caerroil
Wildwood, at which point the Forestal bestows Linden with runes for her Staff of
Law. After the gift of the runes is given, the Mahdoubt's ability to time-travel
allows Linden to return to her proper time, where she is reunited with her friends.
When Linden recovers from her ordeal, her friends tell her that they have
communicated with the voice of Thomas Covenant via Anele. They also tell her of a
mysterious man who has rid Revelstone of the hoarding Demondim. Linden confronts
the man, who turns out to be the Harrow, another of the Insequent. He attempts to
wrest Linden's white gold ring and the Staff of Law from her, but the Mahdoubt
intervenes and forces the Harrow's forbearance, at the cost of her sanity.
Linden eventually resolves to seek out Loric's krill, a powerful tool which will
allow her to channel the power of her white gold ring and the Staff of Law.
Accompanied by her friends and the Humbled (three self-maimed Haruchai), Linden
leads a quest to Andelain, the last known resting place of the krill. However the
company is besieged when an army of Cavewights and kresh, led by Roger Covenant,
attacks them along their way. Esmer materialises, as does the Harrow. The ur-viles
which had served Linden during her search for the Staff of Law also join the fray.
A mighty battle ensues, during which Linden summons the Sandgorgon Nom for aid. An
army of Sandgorgons appears and enters the melee, turning the tide of battle in
favour of Linden's company; Roger Covenant retreats, and the Harrow and Esmer
vanish. The Sandgorgons, communicating telepathically with Stave of the Haruchai,
inform Linden that they consider their service to her to be over and they will no
longer obey her summons.
Linden and the company continue to the relatively new forest of Salva Gildenbourne,
a wild, jungle-like expanse which surrounds Andelain. Here they first encounter one
of the fiery serpent-like skurj; the company struggle to fight it, and Linden finds
she is unable to channel sufficient power from her Staff of Law as a consequence of
Kevin's Dirt. At the same time Linden is attacked by a crazed Giant. The Giant is
quickly subdued by a group of female Giant-warriors, who agree to join Linden's
company on their journey to Andelain. Their leader explains to Linden that the
actions of the crazed Giant, Longwrath (who is the grandson of Linden's old friend
the First of the Search), have been the focus of her group's activities; they have
pledged to discover the focus of Longwrath's madness, which seems to be Linden
herself.
With Longwrath imprisoned by his fellow Giants, the company encounters Esmer, who
warns them that Kastenessen, his grandfather, has sent a pack of skurj to thwart
Linden's attempt to recover the krill. Making a desperate stand on the outskirts of
Andelain, the company manages to hold off the skurj long enough to enter Andelain,
where their attackers seem to be unable to follow.
As Linden and her companions enter Andelain, the Wraiths guide her to the krill's
resting place. Linden is besought by both the Harrow and Infelice of the Elohim to
turn aside both from her desire for the powerful blade, and her hidden intentions.
The Harrow tells Linden that he knows where Lord Foul is keeping Jeremiah, and that
he will trade the knowledge for the white gold ring and the Staff of Law.
But Linden will not be turned aside and, as she approaches the krill, her Dead
appear to her: Sunder, Hollian, Honninscrave, Cail, the Old Lords - but not Thomas
Covenant himself. Yet the Dead refuse to give her counsel. Reaching the apex of her
hidden intention, Linden summons the breakers of the Laws of Life and Death: Elena
and Caer-Caveral. Through their presence the spirit of Thomas Covenant is invoked.
Yet he too refuses to give her counsel; he cannot.
The Humbled attempt to intervene too, but Linden's friends win her freedom to
choose by thwarting the Humbled's attempts. Finally Linden grasps the krill, and is
exalted by a transcendent surge of power: she is now able to wield both wild magic
and Earthpower combined, too much power for any one being without the krill's
facility to channel such forces.
With her newly acquired power, Linden enacts her secret desire and hidden
intention; she resurrects Thomas Covenant, the only person she feels can help her
in her quest to find Jeremiah and defeat the Despiser. But Thomas Covenant appears
distraught at her actions: "Oh Linden, what have you done?". Infelice replies that
with her use of extreme power, Linden Avery has roused the Worm of the World's End,
endangering the Arch of Time itself and all life in the Land.
Characters in "Fatal Revenant"Edit
Linden Avery
Jeremiah Jason (Adopted son of Linden Avery)
Roger Covenant (Son of Thomas Covenant)
Anele (Son of Sunder and Hollian)
Stave (A Haruchai; a Master of the Land)
Liand (Stonedowner)
Esmer (Son of Cail and the Mere-wives)
Mahrtiir (Manethrall of the Ramen)
Bhapa (Cord of the Ramen)
Pahni (Cord of the Ramen)
Branl (Humbled of the Masters)
Galt (Humbled of the Masters)
Clyme (Humbled of the Masters)
the Mahdoubt (Insequent)
the Theomach (Insequent)
the Harrow (Insequent)
Berek Halfhand (Heartthew, Lord-Fatherer; First of the Old Lords)
Caerroil Wildwood (Forestal of Garroting Deep)
Longwrath (A Giant; Swordmainnir name for Exalt Widenedworld)
Rime Coldspray (Ironfist of the Swordmainnir of the Giants)
Hyn (Ranyhyn)
Hynyn (Ranyhyn)
Infelice (Elohim)
Thomas Covenant
Major themesEdit
Self-loathing is an important theme in this book.

Learn more
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008)
Literary significance & criticismEdit
"his descriptive passages are mesmerizing and as vivid as the most spectacular
of dreams." Bookreader.com[1]
Learn more
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008)
Release details
Footnotes
External links
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Against All Things Ending is a 2010 fantasy novel by American writer Stephen R.
Donaldson. It is the third novel in the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
tetralogy, and the ninth novel in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant overall. It was
released on October 19, 2010 in the USA[1] and on 28 October 2010 in the United
Kingdom.
Stephen R. Donaldson - Against All Things Ending.jpeg
First edition (US)
Author
Cover artist
Sidonie Beresford-Browne
Country
United States
Language
English
Series
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Putnam (US)
Gollancz (UK)
Publication date
Oct 19, 2010
Media type
Print (hardback)
Pages
624 pp. (English paperback)
ISBN
978-0-399-15678-6
Preceded by
Fatal Revenant
Followed by
The Last Dark
A preview of the book's first chapter is currently available in PDF form from the
author's website [2]
Thomas Covenant is resurrected by Linden Avery. He is once again a leper, and his
mind slips in and out of human reality as an after-effect of spending millennia as
part of the Arch of Time. As a result of the combined use of wild magic,
Earthpower, and Loric's krill, the Worm of the World's End has been awakened, and
is moving towards the Land to drink of the Earthblood. This will result in the
destruction of all things, the breaking of the Arch of Time which encompasses the
Earth, and subsequently the release of Lord Foul. The Elohim are fleeing to the
farthest reaches of the Earth to avoid being eaten by the Worm.
Major enemies to Linden and Thomas include Lord Foul, the Worm, Kastenessen, Roger
Covenant, Joan Covenant (possessed by a Raver), She Who Must Not Be Named, and
other creatures loosed upon the land. Linden Avery, accompanied by Ramen, Giants,
and Haruchai, seeks to find a way to stop Joan's caesures, find and free her son
Jeremiah, and stop the Worm of the World's End.
Plot summaryEdit
Learn more
This section's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (February
2020)
After the resurrection of Thomas Covenant, his mind is fractured and often becomes
lost among his vast memories of the Land's past acquired from existence as the
Timewarden. Linden Avery resolves to find Jeremiah before confronting the newly
awakened Worm of the World's End, when the Harrow appears and claims that he can
take her to her son. It is the Harrow's purpose to confront the Worm, for which he
requires the Staff of Law and the white gold ring; he demands to borrow them to
use, in return for which he offers to retrieve Jeremiah. The Ardent, a
representative of the Insequent, arrives to ensure that the Harrow does not betray
Linden Avery. Thomas Covenant, who must struggle with his memories, takes the krill
from its place in Andelain. However, his former wife Joan is able to attack
Covenant with wild magic through the krill; also, without the krill's protection
the skurj and the Sandgorgons (now controlled by the Raver samadhi Sheol) will lay
waste to Andelain and the surrounding Salva Gildenbourne. Ultimately, with
assurances that the Ardent – and, through him, the entire race of the Insequent –
that the Harrow will not deal falsely, Linden agrees to the bargain, and surrenders
the Staff and the ring. The Ardent is charged by his kindred to both constrain and
assist the Harrow – which means that, by the innate law of the Insequent, his life
is forfeit to failure as well.
The Harrow and the Ardent transport Linden and her companions to the Lost Deep, the
ancient domain of the Viles, to find Jeremiah. There, at the great bridge the Viles
called The Hazard, Anele becomes enraptured by the deep stone of the earth, and
prophesies that the Worm will ultimately seek the Earthblood as its final
sustenance: when the Worm drinks the Earthblood, the Arch of Time will fall. In
witnessing this prophecy, the Ardent accomplishes one of his private goals;
however, the Harrow fails to open the portal to the Lost Deep. Ultimately it is
Linden, using the Staff, who is able to undo the Viles' magic due to the insight
she gained from Caerroil Wildwood, and from her personal encounter with the Viles
themselves in the Land's past. It is revealed that it was to steal this insight
that motivated the Harrow's initial attempt to possess Linden, before he was denied
by the Mahdoubt. By regaining the Staff, Linden also discovers that far beneath
even the Lost Deep slumbers a powerful bane called She Who Must Not Be Named – a
tormented avatar of countless betrayed women throughout history, including
Kastenessen's lover, and the banished wife of the Creator, Diassomer Mininderain.
Linden discovers that it is this bane which is the source of Kevin's Dirt. The bane
slumbers, however, and without any conceivable means to oppose it, the party leaves
it sleeping, and enter the Lost Deep.
While Linden's companions are held enthralled by the wonders of the Viles' ancient
abode, the Harrow leaves them to take Jeremiah for his own ambitious schemes.
There, he confronts the croyel, which hides in one of Jeremiah's constructs
designed to conceal it from the Elohim (who had previously told Linden they were
unable to free her son). Liand attacks it, and the croyel nearly kills him. The
Harrow believes that due to this construct, the croyel will be unable to summon aid
– meaning Roger (who was gifted one of the mad Elohim Kastenessen's hands, and
therefore has some Elohim powers). However, the croyel surprises him by summoning
skest instead, and the party are nearly overwhelmed. In desperation, Linden
destroys the construct, which immediately allows Roger to transport himself to the
fight, where he promptly murders the Harrow. Before Roger can claim the Staff and
ring, however, his father intervenes, battling against him with Loric's krill.
Through the krill, Joan exerts her power to harm Covenant, and his hands are so
badly burned that Linden is later forced to amputate his remaining fingertips. With
Stave's aid against the croyel, Linden is able to combine forces with Covenant to
force Roger to flee. At last Esmer arrives, with the ur-viles and Waynhim, and
prevents Roger from fleeing with Jeremiah. Covenant is able to capture the croyel
using the krill, and Esmer takes Roger and transports him away from the fight; he
shortly returns with a group of Waynhim and ur-viles, who assist the party to
escape.
The conflict of these forces awakens She Who Must Not Be Named. Linden and her
companions follow the ur-viles and Waynhim in seeking a way out, and rely heavily
on the strength and endurance of Ironhand Coldspray and her Swordmainnir. By
holding the croyel at bay with the threat of the krill – one of few weapons that
can slay the monster – the party are able to bring Jeremiah and the croyel with
them. The skurj also arrive to worsen the situation. Exposed more intimately to the
bane's evil than the other party members by her Earthsight – and being a more ready
target due to her family history of abuse and despair – Linden's hope finally fails
when the party is cornered, and she falls into a catatonic state, deeply
traumatized. Covenant first tries to reason with She Who Must Not be Named, then
tries to convince Esmer to reveal her true name which would release her. When Esmer
refuses, Covenant asks Anele to use Liand's orcrest stone to summon the spirits of
his parents, Sunder and Hollian. They leave, however, and summon High Lord Elena's
spirit as bait for She Who Must Not Be Named. This ploy succeeds at delaying She
Who Must Not Be Named from attacking the group. As Elena is being consumed Covenant
convinces Esmer to leave them, which allows the Ardent to transport the company
away.
The Ardent transports the group to a location near Landsdrop. The Ardent can no
longer assist them since he failed to protect the Harrow, and begins to madden and
die, though through him the race of the Insequent announce that he has become the
greatest among them. Somewhat later, as a final service to Linden, he transports
the Cords to Revelstone, so that they might convince the Masters to march against
the Sandgorgons and skurj that are attacking the Upper Land. In the meantime, the
party rest and recuperate from their narrow escape from death. Linden is recalled
from her catatonic state by Covenant, but her yearning for his love is (from her
point of view) spurned. She grows bitter towards him as a result, and refocuses
herself on the plight of her son.
After a failed attempt by Linden to free Jeremiah from the croyel – during which
the flames of Earthpower which she draws from the staff are tainted black,
apparently permanently – the group are attacked by caesures, brought on by Joan's
awareness of Linden's attempted use of wild magic. No fewer than six caesures
assail the company, and in the chaos Anele touches the dirt and is possessed by
Kastenessen; the mad Elohim immediately kills Liand in an effort to protect the
croyel. After Linden quenches the caesures, the Giants and Stave construct a rocky
cairn for the slain Stonedownor, whose lover Pahni is inconsolable. The devastated
group is soon attacked again by Roger and an army of Cavewights. During the battle,
Galt sacrifices himself to protect Anele, indicating an alteration in the Humbled's
stance towards the menace of his Earthpower. Anele then uses Liand's orcrest and
sacrifices his life to both slay the croyel, and to transfer his innate Earthpower,
and heritage as the "Last hope of the Land" into Jeremiah. During the battle, Esmer
arrives in yet another attempt to betray Linden for Kastenessen, but is pursued by
the ur-viles, who at last reveal the purpose of the manacles they had forged: they
capture Esmer with them, restraining his power and freeing the wild magic to act.
Infuriated by the loss of Anele and Galt, and exalted by the rescue of her son,
Linden wields the white gold and utterly routs Roger and his Cavewights.
In the battle's aftermath, it is revealed that Jeremiah remains locked in his

isolated mental state, and that Galt was actually Stave's son, though the two had
become estranged by Stave's repudiation of the Masters. As for Esmer, the tormented
half-Haruchai begs Linden for the release of death, but she cannot bring herself to
do it, even though the required weapon, the krill, is at hand. Stave sees this and
kills Esmer as an act of mercy – upon both Esmer and Linden, so that she would not
have to. Finally, with help from the Giants, whose gift of tongues is restored upon
Esmer's death, Linden is finally able to communicate with the ur-vile loremaster,
whom she thanks and promises to give assistance to at some later time. The
Demondim-spawn then depart.
Abruptly, Covenant leaves with the two remaining Humbled to confront Joan. Linden
and her companions follow the Ranyhyn, trusting the wise horses to know best what
they must do next to confront the Land's doom. They lead Linden to a quarry of
bones named Muirwin Delenoth. The bones belonged to quellvisks, an extinct race of
monsters that Lord Foul created in an attempt to rouse the Worm by attacking the
Elohim (this plot failed, and the quellvisks were eradicated by the Elohim).
Unprompted, Jeremiah begins building a construct with the quellvisk bones, somehow
using the ancient lost craft of anundivian yajna. The group are promptly targets of
more than one foe: Joan, who begins assailing them with caesures; and Infelice, who
appears and attempts to stop Jeremiah. She hints that Jeremiah's construct will
capture the Elohim, which she cannot permit. She describes his actions as "ruin
incarnate". She also warns that Lord Foul's "deeper purpose" (which he hinted at
when Linden was summoned in The Runes of the Earth) is to use Jeremiah's power,
after the fall of the Arch of Time, to create a prison for the Creator, allowing
Foul to rule all universes. This, at last, is what has long been hinted at in
references to "the shadow on the heart" of the Elohim: Infelice insists that
Jeremiah's building must not be completed. In exchange for Linden stopping
Jeremiah, Infelice offers a promise of the Elohim's protection for the boy, to
ensure he does not fall back into the Despiser's hands. Linden refuses the bargain,
and as a caesure attacks, Infelice binds Linden and Stave with enchantment, and
moves to attack Jeremiah. However, Stave and Linden resist, and with the assistance
of the Ranyhyn, Linden is able to throw Jeremiah's old toy race car (that Esmer had
previously repaired) to her son, who uses it to complete his construct. Infelice
vanishes, and it is revealed that the construct is a doorway into Jeremiah's mind
enabling him to escape the prison of his mind and finally gain cognizance. At last
he and his mother share an embrace, and Linden is able to believe "that her rent
heart might heal".
Meanwhile, Thomas Covenant travels to the ruins of Foul's Creche to face Joan. He
refuses to ride a Ranyhyn in accordance with his ancient bargain with them, so the
Humbled's Ranyhyn bring with them the steed formerly ridden by the Harrow, which
they compel to bear Covenant. On the journey he speaks to the Feroce, diminutive
creatures who worship the Lurker of the Sarangrave. They are offshoots of the same
race that produced the skest and the sur-jheherrin. The Feroce tell Covenant that
the Lurker wants to be allied with Covenant, since it has realised the peril of the
Worm as a common enemy. Covenant accepts this alliance, and the Feroce later help
him when they battle with the skest. Covenant reaches Joan by entering a caesure;
Branl and Clyme follow him with Haruchai loyalty, though Covenant is able to free
only himself from the warped instant of time. He realises that Joan is beyond reach
as she rebukes his efforts to help her, and intends to kill him. Covenant calls the
Ranyhyn, who are able to distract Joan – due to her love of horses. The distraction
provides him the opportunity to drive the krill through Joan's heart, ending the
caesure and freeing the Humbled. turiya Herem, the Raver who had possessed Joan,
flees, and Covenant takes his ex-wife's wedding ring, stripping Foul and his allies
of the white gold.
Covenant and the Humbled climb onto the shore to evade a tidal wave caused by the
Worm's approach to the Land; they survive, though the Humbled's Ranyhyn mounts are
lost. The morning sun has failed to dawn, and Thomas Covenant watches as the stars
begin to wink out, one by one.
Characters
References
Last edited 8 days ago by Rodw
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The Last Dark
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The Last Dark is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen R. Donaldson, the final
book of The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, ending the story that Donaldson
began in 1977 with Lord Foul's Bane. It was published on October 15, 2013.[1][2]
The Last Dark
Cover art for Stephen R. Donaldson's The Last Dark.jpg
Cover art depicting Caerwood ur-Mahrtiir.
Author
Country
United States
Language
English
Series
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Gollancz (UK)
Publication date
October 15, 2013
Media type
Print
Pages
592 pp. (English paperback)
ISBN
978-0-575-07602-0
Preceded by
In April 2013 a preview of chapter 3 was made available at the author's official
website.[3]
PlotEdit
Part oneEdit
On the promontory where Foul's Creche once stood, Thomas Covenant, Clyme, and Branl
are met by Covenant's old Haruchai companion Brinn, who became the Guardian of the
One Tree during his quest for a second Staff of Law. The aged Brinn renounces the
Humbled's actions, likening their Mastery of the Land to "simony" and stating his
shame. The Humbled, who hold ak-Haru Brinn in great respect, are affected by his
judgments, but do not relent. They are further troubled by him when Brinn then
chooses to ignore them; with the Worm of the World's End roused, Brinn has arrived
to give Covenant counsel and healing. He informs Covenant that following Joan's
death, the Raver turiya Herem has fled north to Sarangrave Flat in an attempt to
possess Horrim Carabal, the lurker of the Sarangrave. Brinn advises that Covenant
kill the Raver rather than return to Linden, and cryptically reminds him that the
krill is "capable of much". Brinn then heals him from the hurts gained from Joan,
but also causes Covenant to fall unconscious.
When Covenant rouses, he and the Humbled use wild magic to teleport several times
towards the Sarangrave. The Raver has already begun his attack on the lurker, but
because the lurker is so large, he cannot possess it easily or quickly. With the
help of the Feroce and the lurker's consent, Covenant uses the krill to chop off
the possessed tentacle and jumps into the swamp after it, attempting to kill the
Raver inside. Before he can reach the sinking tentacle, Branl pulls him out of the
water and Clyme allows turiya Herem to possess him, and in turn Clyme holds the
Raver within him (similarly to Grimmand Honninscrave's actions in Revelstone).
Remembering that samadhi Sheol was only "rent", Branl uses the krill to disembowl
Clyme and brutally chops him into pieces, killing both him and the Raver.
The lurker, grateful that Covenant and the Harauchai have exceeded the terms of
their alliance, offers hurtloam to the two. Before leaving, Covenant asks the
Feroce to convey a message to Linden to "remember forbidding". They then travel
eastwards via teleportation with wild magic, watching the Worm of the World's End
in the Sunbirth Sea as it draws towards the Land and Mount Thunder. Covenant
instructs that the lurker blocks the Worm's senses with its sheer mass, thereby
temporarily slowing it down; with the aid of the surviving ur-viles and Waynhim, it
does so successfully. Confident that he has done all he can, Covenant then heads
back west with Branl.
Meanwhile, following their victory against Infelice of the Elohim, Linden,

Jeremiah, and Stave return to Mahrtiir and the Giants. Jeremiah wants to build a
structure of malachite to hold and protect the Elohim from the Worm. After the
Feroce arrive to forward Covenant's message and help her interpret it, Linden
realizes that they will need the ancient Forestal lore of forbidding to keep the
Worm from simply destroying the structure with all the Elohim inside. She makes a
caesure and travels back in time with Mahrtiir and their two Ranyhyn, intending to
meet the Forestal Caer-Caveral.
Stave and the Giants exhaust themselves helping Jeremiah build the structure using
malachite scavenged from the side of a massive ridge with no food and little sleep;
Stave himself suffers disassociated mental exhaustion after struggling to knock
down a large slab by himself while the Giants sleep.
When the structure is finished, Infelice arrives and attempts to slay Jeremiah,
claiming him to be an abomination, but is surprised to find that the structure he
has built is not a jail, but a "fane" – a temple that they can choose to leave when
they want. Infelice acknowledges that the Elohim do not have friends when she is
informed by the Giants that they will stand by Jeremiah, and allows her and the
Elohim to be drawn inside. Jeremiah is possessed by Kastenessen in the same way
that Anele was also possessed by him, but Stave severely hurts himself by throwing
Jeremiah onto the top of the structure, away from physical contact with the grass,
breaking his possession. Kastenessen himself then appears and towers over the
shrine; he raises his human fist (which was originally Roger Covenant's) in an
attempt to destroy the shrine and all of the remaining Elohim in the world, but
Lostson Longwrath emerges from behind a crater nearby and fulfills his geas by
cutting off Kastenessen's hand. Kastenessen kills Longwrath, but before he can
summon the Earthpower and fire necessary to destroy the shrine, Covenant appears
with Branl and drives Kastenessen back towards Infelice with the krill and wild
magic. Kastenessen states that he is only an abomination, but Infelice explains
that he is the only Elohim to have ever loved and been loved; she acknowledges that
the Elohim have been cruel to him, and asks that he allow them to heal him.
Infelice reminds the Giants that Lord Foul desperately wants Jeremiah before
entering the structure with Kastenessen. With Kastenessen now isolated from Mount
Thunder and She Who Must Not Be Named, Kevin's Dirt disappears.
In the Land's past, the Ranyhyn bear Linden and Mahrtiir to Caerroil Wildwood
instead of Caer-Caveral. In the time after Lord Foul's first defeat by Covenant,
she meets Wildwood at Gallows Howe; he is tired of caring for the trees for many
thousands of years and explains that forbidding is not lore, but essence. Mahrtiir
requests to become a Forestal. Wildwood obliges and then sacrifices himself to
allow them to return to their present.
Following their ordeal, Covenant attempts to help the Giants grieve by giving
Longwrath's corpse a caamora with wild magic, but is interrupted by Linden's
return. Mahrtiir, as the new Forestal Caerwood ur-Mahrtiir, sprouts nature and
aliantha in front of the shrine's entrance. Covenant asks Linden to marry him; she
accepts and they exchange rings and embrace.
Part twoEdit
The group head to Mount Thunder to confront Lord Foul, knowing they can do nothing
more to stop the Worm, which has altered its course to Melenkurion Skyweir. Just
east of the mountain, they are set upon by skurj and Sandgorgons led by the
remnants of the Raver samadhi. The Swordmainnir and Haruchai are reinforced with
Giants who have arrived from Dire's Vessel (the ship the Swordmainnir arrived on)
under directions from Brinn, who had died from old age shortly after arriving on
board the ship. The lurker creates a flood that kills the skurj while Covenant
summons the Fire-Lions once again, who kill the Sandgorgons.
Inside the mountain, the group are ambushed by Cavewights inside the Wightwarrens,
but join up with two hundred Haruchai led by Handir after Bhapa and Pahni convinced
them to confront Linden. Unaware that Covenant had returned to life, they decide to
fight alongside him and confront Lord Foul – something the Haruchai had never done
before. As many Cavewights continue the attack, Covenant, Linden, Jeremiah, the
remaining Swordmainnir and Giants, Branl, Stave, Bhapa, Pahni, and the Masters
fight towards Kiril Threndor as the Worm of the World's End starts to drink the
Earthblood at Melenkurion Skyweir.
Before reaching Kiril Threndor, Linden uses wild magic to return to the Lost Deep
in an effort to stop She Who Must Not Be Named. With the help of the remaining
ur-viles and Waynhim, Linden uses wild magic to transfer several victims into the
Demondim-spawn and saves the bane. Covenant finds Lord Foul and his own son Roger
in Kiril Threndor. A fight ensues, and Jeremiah is possessed by the last remaining
Raver; in an attempt to help Lord Foul trap the Creator using one of Jeremiah's
constructs, the Raver attempts to show Jeremiah memories he had learned when he
last possessed his mother – of Linden's father killing himself and her killing her
mother – but Jeremiah instead sees memories of the Land's past and learns much
lore. Jeremiah overpowers the Raver, and he escapes. Roger is killed in despair by
Lord Foul when he realizes that he cannot escape his mortality. Jeremiah forbids
Lord Foul from escaping creation. Linden returns and She Who Must Not Be Named
slams into Lord Foul before leaving, severely weakening him. Thomas Covenant
absorbs Lord Foul and, as the earthquake that has been destroying the Earth reduces
Kiril Threndor to rubble, Covenant, Linden, and Jeremiah "[step] into the wake of
the World's End and [rise] like glory", fixing the Arch of Time.
EpilogueEdit
Covenant, Linden, and Jeremiah, now dressed in sendaline robes and glowing silver,
travel west through Andelain. They meet Infelice, who congratulates them on saving
the world and states that the Elohim have returned the Worm to slumber. Later they
meet Caerwood ur-Mahrtiir and the remaining ur-viles and Waynhim, who have also
become Forestals. After a short discussion, and eager to repair the Land and help
it grow, they take their leave. Finally, they reach the survivors of those who
helped them in the Land. Following Handir's death in the Wightwarrens, Stave has
become the Voice of the Masters. Stave expresses his wish to reform the old Council
of Lords instead of continuing as Masters, and asks the Giants to aid him in this
and educate the humans of the Land of their past. Jeremiah promises to inform them
of the locations of Kevin's Wards. Branl aims to return to Mount Thunder both in
search of the krill and hoping to make peace with the Cavewights now that Foul no
longer goads them to madness. In the distance, an Insequent beckons toward
Covenant, Linden, and Jeremiah, and they take their leave as the sun rises.
Reception
References
Last edited 2 years ago by Bellowhead678
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The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

Lord Foul's Bane (1977)

Print (hardback & paperback)

Lord Foul's Bane (1977)

The story "Gilden-Fire" first appeared as an independent novella (illustrated by

According to the author's foreword, Gilden-Fire was originally part of a larger,

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The Last Chronicles of Thomas CovenantEdit

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Peoples and creatures of the LandEdit

Cavewights are dimly intelligent subterranean creatures skilled in metal working

Giants are a race of extremely long-lived (but nevertheless mortal) humanoids of

Griffins are winged lions. They are sometimes ridden by ur-viles.

In Donaldson's fiction, Andelain is a focal region of the Land, where the

Worm/Word/Weird. In the cosmology of the Land, the Earth's core consists of a

Donaldson repeats this application of Sanskrit terms to seemingly unrelated aspects

The Chronicles also contain names of Semitic origin. For instance,

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1980 fantasy novel by Stephen R. Donaldson

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