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Against All Things Ending
Against All Things Ending
Against All Things Ending
Audiobook33 hours

Against All Things Ending

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

Award-winning author Stephen R. Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books have sold more than 10 million copies. In the third volume of this trilogy, Linden Avery confronts the consequences of using magical power sufficient to wake the Worm, which is capable of destroying the Land. And although the only hope may rest with Linden's son, the boy could also bring disaster upon everyone. ". a writer of extraordinary power and imagination."-Booklist
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 8, 2011
ISBN9781449866662
Against All Things Ending

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Reviews for Against All Things Ending

Rating: 3.857142857142857 out of 5 stars
4/5

21 ratings15 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Its a slow but deep read. I enjoyed it as a reader of the Series. All the back story at the beginning diffentately helped me get back up to speed. Awesome story, but so was not expecting the cliff-hanger at the end. I guess I missed there was another book to follow.A must buy for Donaldson fans!

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This, the third book in "The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" was the best read of the story arc. Detailing the "adventures" of Linden Avery and her quest to recover her son Jeremiah, who is under possession of a/the croyel. This book screams with a mother's yearnings to reclaim her lost son and the lengths she is willing to go to recover her progeny. In the previous book Linden has called Covenent from the Arch of Time and thus committed a desecration (most of those seem to involve bringing the dead back to live) and has awakened the Worm of World's End. This volume relates the events that lead towards the destruction of the land.There are elohim, Insequent, giants, ravers, haruchai and any number of now familiar entities of the land, all with their own agendas. They all seem to make an appearance in this book, with many sacrifices, twists and turns. Through it all Covenent is beset with memory loss and lapses of cognitive ability due to his experiences in the Arch. The final quarter or so of the book relates his own journey to meet his ex-wife Joan (who has been causing time-rips called caesures due to the influences of another raver). The book can be quite brutal at times, however the action pulls the reader through those moments. Linden's anguish and despair are quite evident and pulls one into the book like a drug as the Worm begins to feed.I received this copy as part of the LT Early Reader program - if you haven't signed up you should. I can't wait for the final volume.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There are not many books that I rush out to buy the day of release and then read straight through. This is one of them. For all his flaws (and Donaldson has many) I can do nothing but follow these last Chronicles through to the end.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    For fans of Stephen R. Donaldson's series, "The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant," this book will not disappoint. I'm not a reader of the series, so it took me much longer to grasp exactly what was going on. However, I am a big fan of science fiction and fantasy, so I was comfortable in the world once I figured things out.As stated in other reviews, Donaldson's prose can certainly be dense at times, but this shouldn't put readers off. Personally, I enjoy books that cause me to consult a dictionary now and then. I primarily read for pleasure, but I read to learn as well, and an author like this one challenges his readers to think outside their own vocabulary. The world he creates is multi-layered and complex, beautifully described and interesting. In my opinion, this is not a fault.That said, if you don't enjoy heavy fantasy, and aren't familiar with the series already, this book may not be for you. I'd definitely recommend reading the story from the beginning. I plan to myself, as I'm sure there are details and background I missed by starting with this book. Still, it was a worthy read.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This is one of the more frustrating books I've read in a while. I have said this before, and it sadly remains true, but I always have high expectations for popular series. I have no idea how people read this book and enjoy it. It is frustratingly slow. The small amounts of action are separated by obnoxious and abusive dialogue between these dull characters. The book circles around the female lead that is the most frustrating character I have met in a while. The other characters almost seem as place holders, and are seemingly hardily acknowledged besides their actions to follow these annoying heroes. Sadly I became so frustrated with this book I did not bother to finish the last 50 pages, as I saw there was no way it could redeem itself. Spare yourself the trouble and don’t bother unless you are already a fan.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book did not disappoint. As it's been quite some time since I read the last few books in the series, it took a little while to get back into the rhythm of Donaldson's prose and word-usage (so many unfamiliar or rarely used words!), but once started, I was quickly drawn in and transported into the story.Linden has set in motion dire events in the Land, and the consequences are apocalyptic. Thomas Covenant is alive...and he does not have the answers Linden craves. If you've made it this far in Donaldson's epic...you'll want to know what happens to Linden & Covenant...and fate of the Land.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have loved the Thomas Covenant series for years, and have re-read the first two trilogies twice. This last set, though, and most particularly this book, are making me re-think buying the last book.The author has always enjoyed a rather formal style to his writing, but this one starts off reading like puzzling through a "word a day" calendar. I like to think, having been an avid reader my whole life, that I've got a very good vocabulary. But when you don't understand a word, even in context, it's a bit hard to appreciate the writer's point. That's my biggest complaint.After the first 100 pages or so, the heavy vocabulary lightened up a bit so that more of the story could be enjoyed. But even then, there was a bit too much of inside Linden Avery's head - self-doubt, recrimination, revenge, rage, hopelessness, helplessness, despair, anguish - you start to feel like "ok, you feel emotionally wrung-out - get over it and do something." I hate it when you start to really just dislike the main character(s). Overall, I'm disappointed. I read for enjoyment, and when I have to work this hard at trying to enjoy a book, I tend to feel like time was wasted. I read it to the end out of fealty to the rest of the series, but I honestly doubt I care enough to see how it all turns out. Which makes me sad - the Land and its People are (were) beloved.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Second half reads better than the first, but gripping none-the-less.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This one picks up right after the last book, it is done in typical donaldson fashion and is one of the better reads in the series. It is slow at first but don't worry it will pick up.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I can't complete this review yet, but I was very impressed with this book. Its not light reading, but not as heavy and dark as some of the previous ones either.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    What would Stephen Donaldson do without a thesaurus? Don’t misunderstand me; I’m all for improving my vocabulary. But something is seriously wrong when I’m picking up a dictionary nearly as much as I am a novel. Donaldson’s latest epic, “Against All Things Ending,” is the third entry in his series, “The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.” I absolutely loved the first two trilogies of the Chronicles; this final series, and this volume in particular however, were somewhat lacking. The book was filled with tedious descriptions and emotions that seemed to go on and on; I thought I’d scream if I had to read one more passage about Linden Avery’s introspective struggle between helping others and obtaining revenge. While the book does explain some of the series’ earlier mysteries, it also leaves many new ones unexplained; explanations that will all need to be packed into the final volume. To summarize, the book was too long and drawn out without enough action to keep it interesting. Only recommended to the true devotees “The Land.”
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As so the story rumbles onwards in Donaldson's unique longwinded and verbose style that yet somehow contrives to remain exciting and enthralling at the same time. This is the 9th installment of Thomas Covenant who died back in book 6, and the penultimate book of his adventures. It is not in anyway readable as a standalone, and at very least the two preceding books of this quadrology should be read first. Ideally you'd want to read those book immediately before embarking on this tome. I didn't, having last read them at the time of the publication of the 2nd book at least 18 months ago, and initially I found matters somewhat confusing before I caught up sufficiently with events.Thomas has been re-incarnated by a passionate Linden, who has contrived to bestir the Worm At The End of The World in the process. All powerful and intelligent entities in the Land are aghast at this Desecration which will bring down the Arch of Time, freeing Despite form his Eons of imprisonment. Linden believes Thomas is the only person with enough power to oppose Despite, despite (ha) Thomas' continual protestations to the contrary, and her own evident powerful deeds. Meanwhile her son remains lost to her, Thomas' son Roger continues to bedevil them (lusting after the white gold as a chance to make himself immortal) and their various other nemeses' are still around. Thomas doesn't cope well with re-incarnation after being a dis-embodied spirit adrift int eh Arch of Time, he isn't built to remember eons of history, and keeps drifting into reminiscences rather than dealing with the crisis at the present moment. In terms of new directions now that Linden has dealt with the immediate threat to the land (as she sees it) her sole goal is to redeem her son, and to that end she eventually accepts the Harrow's bargain and surrenders both the White Gold and the Staff of Law to him. Hr transfers the party to the Lost Deep, first home of the Viles...This unfortunately didn't quite grab me as much as some of Donaldson's works have done. I'm still not convinced about the existence of this entire adduct to the original series, and this books feels far too much like a filler. Some events have to take place before the grand finale and showdown, but I'm not sure that 1000pages are necessary for them. We are again being introduced to new characters/abilities that should have been present in the earlier books but weren't. Little inconsistencies like this matter to me, and detract from the grandeur the series is trying to establish. Equally having Covenant remember occasional useful bits of information from his Time in the Arch seemed far too contrived as a plot resolution.I don't normally have an issue with Donaldson's expansive vocabulary, he knows a lot of words, and generally the meaning is clear even if I can't be bothered to look up the precise infections imparted by the specific words he uses. However he seemed to be writing particularly obscurely this time out, with a higher than usual preponderance of really exotic adjectives. All that said, this is still a good book with poetical descriptions of beguiling characters, deepset motivations and personal courage. It is nowhere near as dark in imagery as some of Donaldson's work and enjoyable throughout. It just isn't as good as some of his other works. Can't wait two years? for the last and concluding episode to be published though.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Very disappointed. I loved the first series, liked the second series, and was enjoying this final series, at least to the extent that it promised to wrap up any loose ends left from the first two series. I struggled with the fact that the pace was so slow. In lieu of an actual plot, the first half of the book is stuck inside the head of one of the main characters. While I get the idea of having flawed characters (one of the main appeals of the earlier series, actually), Linden Avery seems irredeemably pathetic. And the vocabulary in this installment was just too much of a mountain for me to climb. I usually look forward to Donaldson's books as a way to add words like bifurcate and surquedy to my vocabulary; but this book seemed like the author was determined to write using a list of the 150 least used words in the English language. In writing this volume, Donaldson was probably going for a poetic, epic struggle of hope against all the odds, but it was beyond my (admittedly) limited intellectual powers to convert it into an enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Finally, several months after receiving Stephen R. Donaldson’s Against All Things Ending, I’ve read it. I had to read, and chose to review, the first two books in The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: The Runes of the Earth and Fatal Revenant.But having done so, it’s a little hard to decide what to say about this third book. It’s more of the same, isn’t it? It doesn’t help that it’s the third book of the tetrology. This means pretty much all the plot elements have been set in motion and pretty much none of them get resolved. It’s 570-ish pages of connective stuff.I noted that the first book seemed to have rather little happening and a lot of reacting to what was happening, and that rather more action occurred in the second book. Book three seems to me to fall in between, though of course that’s subjective. Certainly our heroes get themselves into and out of several perilous situations. Yet a lot of pages are devoted to talking, feeling, and thinking about those situations. It feels ponderous, and it feels like some of the momentum of book two is dissipated in book three.To do a little spoiling — not too much, especially for those who’ve read the first two books — at the end of The Runes of the Earth Thomas Covenant and Jeremiah Avery turn up, but in Fatal Revenant we learn Thomas is a fake and Jeremiah is under another creature’s control. At the end of Fatal Revenant Thomas Covenant turns up again. For real? Yes, for real, it turns out, and he’s a central figure along with Linden Avery throughout Against All Things Ending. Linden has brought him back from the dead — but broken, and in bringing him back she’s set the end of the world in motion. Not good, especially considering what else they have to deal with: Jeremiah and his controlling croyel, Roger Covenant and his cavewights, the Sandgorgons, the skest, Joan Covenant, the mad Elohim Kastenessen, She Who Must Not Be Named, Lord Foul himself — have I left anyone out? Probably. Donaldson has piled on enough bad guys for four or five epic fantasies.I spoke of the Harrow in my review of the second book: “[he] seemingly pops up out of nowhere and for no evident reason other than that Donaldson seems to have decided Linden didn’t have enough problems to deal with. I get the feeling Donaldson has a pivotal part for the Harrow in mind, but so far he seems more an ad hoc additional bad guy.” The Harrow does indeed play a major role in the first portion of Fatal Revenant... then he gets tossed away. “Is that it?” was my reaction; “Is that all you brought this character into the story to do?” The Harrow is one of several characters we meet of the people known as the Insequent, people comparable in power and to the Elohim but curiously unknown in the Land — unmentioned in the previous two trilogies. As of the end of the third book we have started to get a picture of the Insequent, but only started, and I have no clear idea how really they fit into the big picture. A big, nagging loose end, so far.I guess the emerging theme here is Linden’s growing sense of inadequacy against all she faces, and her guilt over the losses suffered along the way. That’s probably an altogether too-simplified condensation of thousands of words of Linden’s self-examination but it’ll do. “Can good be accomplished by evil means?” is a question repeatedly asked here, and a final answer has yet to be made.The first three books came out at intervals of about three years, so I guess it’ll be 2013 or so before we get the conclusion. I’ll plan on reading it, but I guess my expectations won’t be very high; from what I’ve seen so far, this series is likely to fall well short of Donaldson’s best.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "Against All Things Ending" is the third book in the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, with one more to follow. It is not for the vocabulary-challenged, as Donaldson uses many words like "puissance" and "surquedry" that require a dictionary, the ability to infer from context, or just a highly advanced grasp of vocabulary. That said, the language is a plus rather than a minus in my opinion.If you aren't put off by the big words, I recommend that you start the Chronicles from the beginning, however this review will cover only this volume. Donaldson picks up right where the last one left off, with Linden Avery having resurrected Covenant from death and awakened the Worm of the World's End. The nature of his fate had left Covenant almost a god-like being, the Guardian of the Arch of Time, but his resurrection into a mortal body leaves him a shell of what he once was, as his new form cannot possibly hold all that power. The entire book runs on themes like this, of being broken, and the power of guilt, and the struggle to keep going on even with no hope. I found the philosophies behind the story extremely powerful. We lost several characters, many of them major, and were introduced to yet another Insequent, who as a race I personally find fascinating.Donaldson has woven a captivating new chapter in the tale of Thomas Covenant. I was enthralled the entire way through, although Linden's self-loathing did get a little old after a while, and with this book ending on yet another cliffhanger, I'm extremely eager to see what happens in the next, whether the Worm will indeed destroy the Land or our heroes will find some way to save the world, or at least themselves. The reason for the title of the next book, "The Last Dark," is made abundantly clear in the last paragraph, which only leaves one wanting more.