The Runes of the Earth is the first book in The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series. "Thomas Covenant lost everything. Abandoned by his wife and child, sick and alone, he was transported while unconscious to a magical, dreamlike world called the Land. Convinced it was all a delusion, Covenant was christened The Unbeliever by the Land's inhabitants—but gave his life to save this newfound world he came to regard as precious.