Available in: NOOK Book (eBook), Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook. The New York Times bestseller is a fascinating fantasy (Midwest Book Review). Thomas ..
Against All Things Ending is a 2010 fantasy novel by Stephen R. Donaldson. It is the third novel in the Last Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant tetralogy, and the ..
Against All Things Ending
Against All Things Ending, is the third of four books in The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Stephen Donaldson's' “Thomas Covenant” books are not an ..
Against All Things Ending (The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, #3)
Oct 19, 2010.. Against All Things Ending has 2355 ratings and 213 reviews. Benjamin said: Make no mistake: among all the Thomas Covenant books (of ..
The Runes of the Earth. Trailer · Preview.. Prologue, Chapter 1. Click for larger view, October 14, 2004 G.P. Putnam's Sons (US) Cover Art by Michael Whelan.
Against All Things Ending is a 2010 fantasy novel by 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 and on 28 October 2010 in the United Kingdom.
Against All Things Ending (The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, #3) 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 2,357 ratings · 213 reviews Desperate for help to find her adopted son, Jeremiah, Linden Avery has resurrected Thomas Covenant in a cataclysmic exertion of Earthpower and wild magic. But the consequences of her efforts are more terrible than she could have imagined. Sorcery on that scale has awakened the Worm of the World's End: the ultimate end of all Time, and therefore of all life, has been set in Desperate for help to find her adopted son, Jeremiah, Linden Avery has resurrected Thomas Covenant in a cataclysmic exertion of Earthpower and wild magic. But the consequences of her efforts are more terrible than she could have imagined. Sorcery on that scale has awakened the Worm of the World's End: the ultimate end of all Time, and therefore of all life, has been set in motion. And on a more personal level, the results are no less extreme. The stress of reincarnation so many centuries after his death has fractured Covenant's mind. He cannot tell Linden where to find her son. And his leprosy has renewed its grip on him, inexorably killing his nerves. The Ranyhyn had tried to warn her. Now, plunged to depths of desperation and despair for which she is entirely unprepared, Linden seeks radical responses to the dilemmas she has created. Searching for Jeremiah, and accompanied only by a few friends and allies - some of them unwilling - she takes chances that threaten her sanity, forcing her to confront the Land's most fearsome secrets. Dreadful futures hinge on all of her choices, and she and her companions are driven beyond the limits of their endurance. Yet she still walks paths laid out for her by the Despiser, and his forces are ready ... ...more Make no mistake: among all the Thomas Covenant books (of which this is the 9th, and one more to come ~2013), this is the most difficult to read. Not for the prose or style (which has been called, by various people, "Epic," "Operatic," and "too d***ed wordy,") nor for the vocabulary (even the most astute readers tend to keep their dictionaries handy when reading a Donaldson tome), but for the sheer emotional impact it will have on you. The book is perfectly named. The ancient enemy of the Land, Lo Make no mistake: among all the Thomas Covenant books (of which this is the 9th, and one more to come ~2013), this is the most difficult to read. Not for the prose or style (which has been called, by various people, "Epic," "Operatic," and "too d***ed wordy,") nor for the vocabulary (even the most astute readers tend to keep their dictionaries handy when reading a Donaldson tome), but for the sheer emotional impact it will have on you. The book is perfectly named. The ancient enemy of the Land, Lord Foul the Despiser, raged a physical war in the first Chronicles. In the Second chronicles, nature itself was mercilessly perverted in the form of the Sunbane, which destroyed the natural order of the seasons. In the Final Chronicles, the nature of time and space themselves are under attack, as Lord Foul attempts to end his eternal imprisonment by destroying reality itself. In a fight to save the very fact of reality and existence, Thomas Covenant, Linden Avery, and their companions are forced to make extreme sacrifices. You will be horrified by the cost of fighting despair; but you will also exult in the victories gained. With this addition, the Final Chronicles have finally surpassed the previous series, and rival Donaldson's GAP Cycle as his magnum opus. Now, all that's left is the final chapter ("The Last Dark," due out in 2013) and it will be complete. ...more Someone take the damned thesaurus away from Donaldson. As much as I love his work, I hate to say it but I think he's peaked. Actually, I think he peaked with his Gap series. This new "Final Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" brings all the things I loved about the first two chronicles, but in a way that implies he was forced to write it. I started reading "Lord Foul's Bane" when I was in 7th grade - pretty heady fare for someone of that age. The main character that the entire series is based on commit Someone take the damned thesaurus away from Donaldson. As much as I love his work, I hate to say it but I think he's peaked. Actually, I think he peaked with his Gap series. This new "Final Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" brings all the things I loved about the first two chronicles, but in a way that implies he was forced to write it. I started reading "Lord Foul's Bane" when I was in 7th grade - pretty heady fare for someone of that age. The main character that the entire series is based on commits rape in the first 100 pages, and my first instinct was, "This is the *hero* of the series?!" Donaldson introduced me to the concept of an anti-hero and to the fact that the protagonist doesn't necessarily have to be a "good guy". For that alone, he's earned a spot on the "I'll give anything he writes a chance" shelf. But I'd be lying if I said I was sad that there's only one more book left in this series. None of the characters feel like real people anymore. They seem to exist only to further the plot and are (to me, anyway) are written in such a way that I can't relate to them at all. And for this final series, he's introduced not one, but TWO new races that have supposedly been around since the beginning of time, and just conveniently never mentioned. Feels too much like a deus ex machina or a retcon. Either way, if you're a fan of Donaldon's work in general, or the Thomas Covenant series specifically, give this series a read, if only to get closure on the entire story. ...more This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Let’s start off with my recommendation anent Against All Things Ending: If you have read Stephen R. Donaldson and loathe him (and there are a few) then this book will not cure you of that malady. In fact it will probably solidify your animus against the author. If you’ve never read Donaldson but have heard of him and are curious, this is still not the book for you. Start with the original Chronicles, the Gap series or Mordant’s Need, all of which show off Donaldson’s talents at their best. If, l Let’s start off with my recommendation anent Against All Things Ending: If you have read Stephen R. Donaldson and loathe him (and there are a few) then this book will not cure you of that malady. In fact it will probably solidify your animus against the author. If you’ve never read Donaldson but have heard of him and are curious, this is still not the book for you. Start with the original Chronicles, the Gap series or Mordant’s Need, all of which show off Donaldson’s talents at their best. If, like me, you think Donaldson is a brilliant and important writer than you’ll have to read this book despite its flaws. And there are flaws; the greatest of which is length. A hundred, two hundred pages could have been shaved off easily without detracting from the emotional impacts of Linden’s and Covenant’s dilemmas and actions. The second thing that makes it difficult to persevere in reading is Linden Avery. Other reviews have mentioned how unlikeable she is and it’s true. You would have thought that after the end of the Second Chronicles, Linden’s self-image and self-confidence would be greater but here she’s even more selfish, terrified and willfully stupid. In Fatal Revenant, Linden tore Covenant’s spirit from the Arch of Time and reincarnated him so that he could save the Land while she focused on saving her son, Jeremiah, and in the process woke the Worm of the World’s End, precipitating armageddon. In Against All Things Ending, Linden’s obsession continues to extract a horrible price from everyone around her. Galt, who turns out to be Stave’s son, dies defending Jeremiah. Liand dies trying to bring Jeremiah out of his mental fugue. And Elena, the long-suffering daughter of Covenant and Lena, is sacrificed to She Who Must Not Be Named in one of the most shocking and emotionally disturbing scenes in the book. And her other companions suffer nearly as much - Haruchai, Swordmainnir and Ramen. Covenant, at least, appears to have learned something from his experiences. He can still be frustratingly passive beyond all reason but he exhibits some remorse for his actions and their consequences and takes pains to minimize them. But…. All that aside, my objections are to the surfeit of details and the feeling that Donaldson is beating me over the head with a large stick not to the story itself. Again the author proves a master at evoking strong emotional reactions to his characters, and pushing them to find the limits of their abilities. And he deals with “big questions” that interest me; e.g., the corruption of power, the use of violence, how the seeds of future despite are sown by present triumphs, and how – in light of that – can one act at all. I also think that one of the reasons Linden pisses people off so much is that she’s so much like us; she’s not the perhaps-initially-doubtful-but-soon-confident heroine we’d like (and expect) to see. Consider, you wake up one day to find yourself in the Land (or some similar situation) and are told that you have the power to destroy or to save the world depending upon the choices you make. Would you confidently stride forward to wield the Staff of Law or your white-gold ring against Fangthane and obliterate all who stood in your way? Wouldn’t you be terrified and constantly questioning yourself? Wouldn’t you doubt the reality of your situation and do everything you could to pass the responsibility to someone else? I’ll tap my fingers impatiently and grumble about publishing schedules incessantly but I’ll look forward to the release of the final volume - The Last Dark. ...more I sometimes wonder, have always wondered, why, in the middle of reading a book by Stephen R. Donaldson, that I am continuing to read. Especially with his 30+-year-old saga about Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. This is the 9th of what is purported to be 10 novels in the series, and from the start, back in the 70s, I've been struck by how dark they are; how, at each step along the way, Covenant, and you, as a reader, are beset with tragedies, large and small and a pervading sense of despair that I sometimes wonder, have always wondered, why, in the middle of reading a book by Stephen R. Donaldson, that I am continuing to read. Especially with his 30+-year-old saga about Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. This is the 9th of what is purported to be 10 novels in the series, and from the start, back in the 70s, I've been struck by how dark they are; how, at each step along the way, Covenant, and you, as a reader, are beset with tragedies, large and small and a pervading sense of despair that anything will turn out OK. Yet on I read, page after page, book after book. Took him almost three years to get this out after the second book in these Final Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and the "what's happened so far" section is about as long as any of the chapters. I think what strikes the 'keep reading' chord in me is the texture of the world Donaldson creates; its totality. I forget things that have occurred almost on a page by page basis, but Donaldson will throw in a parenthetical phrase recalling an event or words spoken in the very first book, 30 years ago. The on-going story is remarkably connected, as if Donaldson knew from day one where it was going, even if we, as readers, are never quite sure, and keep reading, as a result. Not recommended for everyone; not suitable to all tastes in literature, but short of death, nothing would ever stop me from picking up this series finale and heading back out to The Land to find out what's happening. ...more This book was an excruciatingly painful read and I'm a huge fan of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and a big fan of the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. I flipped through the last 100 pages of Against All Things Ending because I couldn't take it anymore (and I'm a very patient reader). If the fact that nothing happens in the first 100 pages of this book doesn't tell you to stay away from it, then nothing will. Seriously, they stand around in Andelain and talk for 100 pages. Some of the most This book was an excruciatingly painful read and I'm a huge fan of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and a big fan of the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. I flipped through the last 100 pages of Against All Things Ending because I couldn't take it anymore (and I'm a very patient reader). If the fact that nothing happens in the first 100 pages of this book doesn't tell you to stay away from it, then nothing will. Seriously, they stand around in Andelain and talk for 100 pages. Some of the most appealing parts of the prior series were the flawed and sympathetic characters, whose actions of self-sacrifice for the Land or for Thomas Covenant came out of love for the Land, whether those actions succeeded or failed (and so often failed, which helped with the sense of despair Donaldson was creating). Now we're left with flawed characters who don't show it through their actions, but by simple repeating of how pathetic they feel, ad nauseam, from their POV (and that POV is almost entirely Linden Avery). I was hesitant to pick up this book after the reading the second book of the Final Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Now I'm sorry I did. I also know I won't be picking up the fourth and final book in the Final Chronicles. I don't think anything can save this train wreck. ...more The first two Covenant trilogies, "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" and "The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant", followed the same pattern: first a slow paced volume setting things up, then two intense volumes of magnificent dark fantasy. With "The Last Chronicles", we're already on to volume three out of four, and it frankly feels like things are still being set up, and not very well at that. Repetitious, slow moving and endlessly talkative, each of these novels moves like molasses, and the The first two Covenant trilogies, "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" and "The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant", followed the same pattern: first a slow paced volume setting things up, then two intense volumes of magnificent dark fantasy. With "The Last Chronicles", we're already on to volume three out of four, and it frankly feels like things are still being set up, and not very well at that. Repetitious, slow moving and endlessly talkative, each of these novels moves like molasses, and the fact that the world is about to end in a few days calls for, as Monty Python would put it, "immediate discussion". There seems to be plenty of time for private reflections, looong debates, eating and a few nice swims, whereas any sense of urgency is missing in action. Despite a fairly straight-forward plot, Donaldson manages to turn the narrative into a mire of inconclusive soul searching, almost as if he's writing a parody of the first two trilogies, and like such a parody, there's really nothing here to warrant four huge volumes. The whole work is in dire need of an editor to cut down on the circular arguments and tedious repetitions; I'm quite sure that two tomes would amply tell the entire tale, twice as many feeling ridiculous. But still, on the few occasions where Donaldson does get going, it turns out that his visual imagination is still second to none, and that his ability to render scenes of breathtaking majesty remains unrivalled. But "Against All Things Ending", like the previous two books, is a dull read, not alleviated by the fact that the character supposedly being chronicled barely puts in an appearance. ...more I re-read this, the third book of "The Last Chronicle of Thomas Covenant", and the ninth Covenant book overall, in anticipation of the tenth, and final Covenant book, "The Last Dark", to be released in October, 2013. This is the unabridged audio version, read by Tim Gerard Reynolds (not Scott Brick, Donaldson's usual narrator). Having read all the previous books in this series over the last year or so, I am struck by how incredibly precise and wonderfully detailed Donaldson has been throughout. E I re-read this, the third book of "The Last Chronicle of Thomas Covenant", and the ninth Covenant book overall, in anticipation of the tenth, and final Covenant book, "The Last Dark", to be released in October, 2013. This is the unabridged audio version, read by Tim Gerard Reynolds (not Scott Brick, Donaldson's usual narrator). Having read all the previous books in this series over the last year or so, I am struck by how incredibly precise and wonderfully detailed Donaldson has been throughout. Events and seemingly minor characters in the first books reemerge in fascinating ways throughout the long saga, up to and including this penultimate book. This is complex, detailed and amazing epic fantasy. Should book 10 hold up to the promises of the earlier volumes, this series will likely eclipse Tolkien as my favorite work of high fantasy fiction. A word on the narrator - Reynolds is a talented storyteller, but it is rather unfair to compare him to Scott Brick, narrator of five earlier books. Brick has created the definitive, though incomplete, Chronicles of Thomas Covenant on audio - hopefully he will get the opportunity to complete the entire series one day. Now, just waiting for October, 2013 to arrive... ...more This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The third (of four) books of the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and the ninth (of ten) book in the series. The last book ended with Linden Avery and her Giantish companions entering the last bastion of health in the otherworldy Land, the Hills of Andelain. The novel ends with most of those characters dead or missing, and the world about to end (no spoiler, it's in the title). Four fifths of the book takes Linden on a walking tour through various attractions in the Land, feeling sorry for her The third (of four) books of the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and the ninth (of ten) book in the series. The last book ended with Linden Avery and her Giantish companions entering the last bastion of health in the otherworldy Land, the Hills of Andelain. The novel ends with most of those characters dead or missing, and the world about to end (no spoiler, it's in the title). Four fifths of the book takes Linden on a walking tour through various attractions in the Land, feeling sorry for herself, as she first tries to find her missing son, Jeremiah, and the consequences of that search. Sample conversation: Giants: You rock, Linden! Linden: No, I suck. The Humbled: We don't trust you, but you rock. Linden: You really think I suck. Stave, her friendly Haruchai: You rock so much. Linden: Actually, I suck. Ex-Lover: You rock! Linden: If you really loved me, you would think I rocked and rolled! You think I suck! Waynhim and Ur-Viles: Y'kdjk R'klkdlk! (translation: You rock!) Linden: Thanks for telling me I suck. Linden: Guys, I have an announcement: I suck. Everyone: Yay Linden! Can she rock more? She cannot! She rocks 110%! The book finally picks up at the last few chapters once the large group is diminished by many deaths and finally by splitting in two. The Covenant series has been blasted in the past for its talky nature and anti-heroes who drone on endlessly about their flaws. While the first trilogy managed to mix that with plenty of action and fantastic imagery, the later volumes, as they grew heavier, were weighed down ever more by endless self-examination. The stakes couldn't be higher in Against All Things Ending, with a cliffhanger that echoes the final line of Arthur C. Clarke's "Nine Billion Names of God". I'll be tuning in for the next book, three years from now, but for those who haven't been reading each book as it comes out, waiting for the series to be complete may be your best option. ...more I grew up on Thomas Covenant. I snuck the original books out of my brother's room when i was in middle school, and from there on out was a fan of fiction/fantasy/role playing. Granted, i was too young to understand most of it, but it was the coolest thing ever. ...that was 30 years ago. 30 years later, Stephen R. Donaldson has finally presented us the last of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. The first two books in this final trilogy were long-winded and painful, but this one is the crown jewel I grew up on Thomas Covenant. I snuck the original books out of my brother's room when i was in middle school, and from there on out was a fan of fiction/fantasy/role playing. Granted, i was too young to understand most of it, but it was the coolest thing ever. ...that was 30 years ago. 30 years later, Stephen R. Donaldson has finally presented us the last of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. The first two books in this final trilogy were long-winded and painful, but this one is the crown jewel of long winded and painful. We are forced to spend FAR too much time inside of linden avery's mind, where you are forced to endure repetition ad nauseam, and FAR too much time listening to TC spouting nonsense (that after my brain melted from boredom, actually started making sense). 3 days in, i'm not even a fraction of the way through, and i'm doubting at this point i can finish it. i'm so brain-dead by this book that i don't even want to finish this review... We begged and begged for him to continue writing after the second chronicles. If only we knew then what we know now... ...more To strive against all things ending was simple vanity, valiant and futile. This book is Donaldson's crowning glory in the Covenant saga (so far, I have yet to read The Last Dark). It his most vile and horrific, yet his most tender and optimistic TC book. The losses suffered are as shocking and unexpected as the victories and gains won. At this point, The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant surpasses the previous two trilogies in scope, tragedy, and intimacy. Against All Things Ending is less episo To strive against all things ending was simple vanity, valiant and futile. This book is Donaldson's crowning glory in the Covenant saga (so far, I have yet to read The Last Dark). It his most vile and horrific, yet his most tender and optimistic TC book. The losses suffered are as shocking and unexpected as the victories and gains won. At this point, The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant surpasses the previous two trilogies in scope, tragedy, and intimacy. Against All Things Ending is less episodic than FR and much less daunting than TRotE, and equally as epic. Where will the final book of this magnificent saga take the reader? Can it fullfil the epic promise of AATE? Only one to find out... ...more