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

• Lord Foul's Bane
• The Illearth War
• The Power That Preserves
• Gilden Fire

• The Wounded Land
• The One Tree
• White Gold Wielder

• The Runes of the Earth
• Fatal Revenant
• Against All Things Ending

• The Mirror Of Her Dreams
• A Man Rides Through

• 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

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

Latest news: Stephen Donaldson

Notable future releases in the fantasy genre
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Unique Dothraki language created for Game of Thrones series
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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?
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The best fantasy characters
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