OH MY Lord, what a story. I wish I had the luxury to read this one straight throug. I had just re-read the 1st book of the series and was about half way through the second when I saw "Runes" come out. This story is very well thought out with characters both unfamiliar and, yet, embodying the archetypes from the previous novels - Harauchi, Ramen, and StoneDowners make appearences as do creatures you may not expect to have seen again.
Mr. Donaldson has always amazed me with his mastery of the English language and his use of unusual (perhaps archaic in some cases) but always appropriate word choices throughout his story. There's no shortage of rare words used to describe people, creatures, scenes and emotions so have a dictionary handy if your vocabulary is not as robust as SRD's.
Excellent book - glad I bought it in hardcover because it will be a keeper and I look forward to reading it again to pick up on all those little details that seem to escape the first read.

once again we are transported to the land and any one who has been there before will tell you it is a magical place full of intregue and wonder. whilst very few characters remain from the last 2 trilogies we welcome back many people from the land whos general prinsiples and knowledge never diminish which gives us a feeling of continuity despite the vast years which have taken place since. this first book is a lot closer to the first trilogy than the second as the sunbane no longer exists and all the life it spawned. the author has really instiled countless possibilities as linden is no longer the sole white gold wielder in the land and as time travel becomes possible. the fighting scenes once again put you right in the heat of the battle and the general sympathy for characters harmed is both sincere and painfull. expect hopelessness and despair and hope and struggle as the paradox which is lord foul is once again feircly fought. And so i conclude that any 1 who was a fan of particulary the first serious will love this new edition with ramen, hirachi,ranhyn,stonedowners,urviles,waynim,hurtloam,alanthia,earthpower and thomas convenant himself (in some sort of capacity) it will be like revisiting an old friend who you cant wait to see.

Just finished reading this one. It had a bit of a different feel to the previous six books. Perhaps this reflects that both the author and myself are twenty years older! I was a little disappointed in aspects of the book - for example, certain aspects seemed to be dwelled on rather too long. And there seemed to be a bit of unnecessary repetition at times. Nonetheless I was very impressed overall with Donaldson's ability to recreate the general mood of the Chronicles.
I loved the character of Esmer - a great invention.
The fact that Linden enters the Land no longer a victim is part of the reason for the subtly different flavour also, I think. In the previous series both Linden and Covenant entered the Land in pretty bad shape in terms of spiritual health. It's different this time.
Lots of things still to be covered in the remaining books. Looking forward to it....
And a nice little development in the last page to entice us :-)

Although I enjoyed being transported to "The Land" once again, I was reminded of the Second Chronicles by the slow pace. There is a lot of imagination in the book, but I understand her self-doubt already. That being said, I am looking forward to the next book.

Great book! It doesn't seem like it has been over 20 years since the last book. I gave it a 4 instead of 5 due to my frustration at having to wait for the next book in the series.

Donaldson's lead character struggles constantly with the inner turmoil of her situation, just like the many conflicts Thomas Covenant dealt with in the first two series involving the Land. The many complexities of the character make it difficult to feel a bond with her and therefore with the novel itself. The Runes of the Earth is however beautifully written and the detailed accounts of the Land are extremely visual. Donaldson is a powerful writer whose insights into the human psyche stand alone. Overall more action, less dissection.