Stephen Donaldson biography
Stephen R. Donaldson was born on the 13th May 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prosthetist (a person skilled in making or fitting prosthetic devices). Donaldson spent the years between the ages of 3 and 16 living in India where his father was working as an orthopaedic surgeon. Donaldson was educated at the College of Wooster and the Kent State University, being awarded a Bachelor's and Master's degree respectively. Stephen Donaldson's work is heavily influenced by other fantasy authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Roger Zelazny, Joseph Conrad, Henry James and William Faulkner. Stephen Donaldson currently lives in New Mexico.
Stephen Donaldson came to prominence in 1977 with the The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, a story that centred around a leper shunned by society and his trials and tribulations as his destiny unfolds. These books established Stephen Donaldson as one of the most important figures in modern fantasy fiction.
The writers that Stephen Donaldson most admires are Patricia A. McKillip, Steven Erikson, and Tim Powers.
Stephen Donaldson books
The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant- The Runes of the Earth
- Fatal Revenant
- Against All Things Ending
- The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story
- The Gap into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge
- The Gap into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises
- The Gap into Madness: Chaos and Order
- The Gap into Ruin: This Day All Gods Die
It is believed that a speech his father made (whilst working with lepers in India) on leprsosy led to his creation of Thomas Covenant, the anti-hero of his most famous work (Thomas Covenant). Lord Foul's Bane received forty-seven rejections before a publisher agreed to publish the book.
Donaldson's other published work includes Mordant's Need, The Gap Cycle and The Man Who detective novels. At this time of writing, The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, comprising of 4 novels, are being published and released with "The Runes of Earth" already available in stores.
Donaldson has also written under the name of Reed Stephens, releasing non-fiction genre. These novels feature Mick Axbrewder.
- The Man Who Killed His Brother
- The Man Who Risked His Partner
- The Man Who Tried to Get Away
Latest news: Stephen Donaldson
Audio-book review: The Runes of the Earth read by Anton Lesser
Synopsis In 1977, Stephen Donaldson changed the face of epic fantasy with the publication of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. Thomas Covenant is struck down with a disease believed eradicated; he is abandoned by his wife and son and becomes a pariah. Alone and despairing, Covenan [...]
The winners of the 2009 British Fantasy Awards are…
The British Fantasy Awards have been in existence for almost as many years as the British Fantasy Society itself. In 1971 Ramsey Campbell suggested the Society present an award in honour of the recently deceased August Derleth – an award which this year went to Memoirs of a Master Forger by William [...]
Steven Erikson interview (September 2009)
Steven Erikson’s ongoing fantasy series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen has brought new life and originality into the fantasy genre. Steven Erikson kindly spoke to Fantasy Book Review in September 2009, shortly after the publication of the ninth novel in the series, Dust of Dreams. We believe that [...]
The Runes of the Earth - the best fantasy audio-books
Stephen Donaldson altered the face of epic fantasy with the release of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. Thomas Covenant is struck down with a disease assumed to be eradicated; he is abandoned by his wife and son and becomes a pariah. Abandoned and despairing, Covenant falls, and is [...]
Fatal Revenant paperback to be released in August 2008.
In August 2008, Ace will publish the trade paperback of Stephen Donaldson's Fatal Revenant. Also, Ace will be repackaging the look of the Runes of the Earth paperback so that it fits in with Fatal Revenant. John Jude Palencar has agreed to do the cover illustrations. [...]
Stephen Donaldson book tour dates for 2008
Stephen Donaldson has announced his tour dates for 2008. All the venues are in the US and take place between March and June. The dates and venues are -
International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts - March 19-23, 2008 - Orlando Airport Marriott Hotel, Orlando, FL.
11am Saturday, April [...]
Fantasy literature - what exactly is it?
In the following article we will attempt to provide a condensed guide to fantasy literature. This is by no means complete as many sub genres have not been included as we focus on the most popular and most commonly used forms.
What is a good example of fantasy literature?
We need look no further th [...]
The best fantasy characters
The fantasy genre has always been very good at portraying characters that are good or evil. In recent times this distinction has become blurred due to the new breed of authors creating sympathetic villians and flawed heroes.
We have put together a collection of our favourite characters from the f [...]
Reviewed: The Power That Preserves
The third and final book of Stephen Donaldson's epic trilogy The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the unbeliever brings to an end the story of Covenant the leper and his fight to save he can not and will not believe in. This is not your standard fantasy fare and is some of the most complex, yet beautif [...]
What was the Balrog award?
The awarding of the Balrog stopped in 1985 after running for 6 years, what exactly was it?
The award was voted for by fantasy fans and was unfortunately never held in very high esteem.
Some notable winners during the Balrog award's time were:
1981 -- The Wounded Land by Stephen Donaldso [...]
Stephen Donaldson interviews
An interview from 1991 in which Stephen Donaldson talks about life before writing and explains in detail the reasons for and the influences on his writing. Stephen R. Donaldson interview in 1991 >>
SFFWorld interview Stephen Donaldon about the daunting process that is the writing of the The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Donaldson states that consistency is the most important thing when writing a large series. Stephen Donaldson interview - 30th December 2007
Book of the Month
Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it’s been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
Latest interviews
Interviews plus question and answer sessions with authors, narrators and publishers.
Must-reads
The following reviews are of books that begin the very best fantasy series available.
Competition: Win a signed copy of Graham Hancock's Entangled
Graham Hancock is the author of The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis, Heaven's Mirror, Supernatural and other bestselling investigations of historical mysteries. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. Written with the same page-turning appeal that has made his non-fiction so popular, Entangled is his first work of fiction. We have five signed copies of Entangled to give away as prizes. Email us the answer to the following question and the lucky winner, chosen at random, will receive a copy of the book, signed by the author.
Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe
Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.
Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.
