Augur's Gambit

The King's Justice

by Stephen R. Donaldson

From the international bestselling author of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant comes an extensive and all original new fantasy novella.

Augur's Gambit is a tight and action-filled novella of more than 40,000 words. A novella with all the rich word-building and acute characterisation that readers have come to expect from the man who re-invigorated the whole genre in the 1980s and went on to write one of Fantasy's landmark series.

Revelling in the sense of freedom that comes from writing a new creation after the massive, controlled effort of the ten book epic of the Chronicles this is a novella that will both delight existing fans and win new readers for Donaldson's uniquely rich and intelligent fantasies.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories

192 pages, Hardcover

First published June 16, 2016

About the author

Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction, and mystery novelist; in the United Kingdom he is usually called "Stephen Donaldson" (without the "R"). He has also written non-fiction under the pen name Reed Stephens.

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION:

Stephen R. Donaldson was born May 13, 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 earned his bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster and master's degree from Kent State University.

INSPIRATIONS:

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. The writers he most admires are Patricia A. McKillip, Steven Erikson, and Tim Powers.

It is believed that a speech his father made on leprosy (whilst working with lepers in India) led to Donaldson's creation of Thomas Covenant, the anti-hero of his most famous work (Thomas Covenant). The first book in that series, Lord Foul's Bane, received 47 rejections before a publisher agreed to publish it.

PROMINENT WORK:
Stephen Donaldson came to prominence in 1977 with the The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, which is centred around a leper shunned by society and his trials and tribulations as his destiny unfolds. These books established Donaldson as one of the most important figures in modern fantasy fiction.

PERSONAL LIFE:
He currently resides in New Mexico.

THE GRADUAL INTERVIEW

Reviews

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This long novella is a veritable study in names :) I love court treachery, romance, complex players and subtle machinations, particularly out of the pen of an incredibly talented (and cynical) storyteller like Donaldson. Again, I got hooked immediately and the wording is exquisite.

Your knowledge of my dealings does not concern me. In truth, I require it. It will aid the accuracy of your auguries. But I fear your grasp of my intentions. It will make you dangerous.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second of the two Stephen Donaldson’s short form books (this is slightly longer so more of a short novel than a novella, coming in at over 180 pages). However strangely this felt less of a story than the previous book (the Kings Justice), now let me explain.

The King’s Justice felt like it had a story to tell, characters to introduce and some interesting concepts along the way – in short this book felt like it was the other way around. A clever concept and the rest of it was just built around it.

Now that sounds a harsh damnation of the story which in fairness was enjoyable I just felt that after the last page it was, hmm okay on to the next one unlike (yes I am sorry I am going back to it again – the King’s Justice) I wanted to read more and learn more about the world.

So yes this was an interesting concept and one that deal with quite a sensitive subject – although not a new one. For me it feels like Stephen Donaldson is a very capable author who is neither shy to address or tackle tricky concepts. However just because you can does not mean it makes a good story which is a shame as MR Donaldson can write some crackers.

My final work is my defence of mentioning these two books together is that now in paperback I believe you can buy them as one volume, so there.

[Bryan Wigmore · Rating 2 out of 5]

This might have made a decent short story, but was padded out to the length of a short novel by the first-person narrator's grandiloquence. It had the verbosity of the Covenant books, but with none of the sweeping grandeur, power, magic or charm. The setting was confined and uninteresting, and most of the characters dull. It seemed to exist only to allow the play on the word augur/auger (though that might have been coincidence). A saddening experience for someone who still loves The Illearth War.

[Ahmad Samra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of fantasy, treachery, superstition, and conspiracy all stirred up in the same pot. The actual events happen in the last chapters, but still the writer has a unique writing style to keep the reader's heed.

The main character's personal development is conspicuous throughout the story, which vitalizes him as a real or down to earth human and not merely a heroic, almighty fantasy protagonist.

The writer's descriptions are vivid, and the narration on the tongue of the protagonist fosters the attachment to him and gives insight to his internal conflicts and delights.

In general, a very pleasant read and an interesting little isle.

[Melanie Lippert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never read Donaldson's work before but have heard rave reviews from family about his other series. I really want to like this book and will say it has some interesting elements but it fell flat overall. The story seemed padded with flowery language that didn't add to the story while it could have benefited from more character development. The biggest disappointment was stereotypical treatment of the two female characters; we are constantly reminded of how alluring and beautiful the queen is and that her daughter is, gasp, just plain!
May still try some of his other books but will need a palette cleanser first.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the book is talky: conversations and conspiracies. The Augur, Mayhew, sees disaster in two horrible forms threating to defeat the country he loves. He, the queen, and the princess seek a solution to the problems Mayhew foresees. The only action comes at the end, but somehow, the story never lost my attention. It is smart and the characters, like most of Donaldson's characters, are fascinating. And, you can't guess ahead as to what might happen, because this author has no qualms about killing off his most compelling characters without a second thought.

[Ken Honecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Augur's Gambit is a 7 year old novella by Stephen Donaldson who over the years has been rather hit or miss as far as I'm concerned. I liked early Covenant but hated the final series, didn't find anything redeeming in The Gap but liked Mordant's Need a lot. At 182 pages I found this a slow read right up till the last day when I tore through the final 40 odd pages with a feeling of satisfaction. The ground work did little for me but there was a payoff in the end. That said it doesn't really feel like any of his earlier work and nothing about it screams "Recommend Me!".

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, self-contained fantasy story about the titular auger, Mayhew, rising to the occasion to save his queen's isle. The story itself meanders a little while leading to a climactic end that has some build-up.

The story is short and focuses on the dangers to the isle so there isn't a large amount of time dedicated to complex character work but does provide strong general descriptions.

Overall, an enjoyable story albeit leaning on some usual tropes of fantasy.

[Tommy Faris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read, somewhere on the cusp of novella and novel, but still filled with the complex characters we have come to expect from Donaldson. There plots and plans within plots and plans, motives that remain hidden from the narrator, and therefore from readers, and a satisfying denouement, even if it feels a bit like a deus ex machina. I hope Donaldson keeps writing for a long time to come.

[Chris Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst interesting and a lot about court politics, this book feels long even by novella standards. The writing is very eloquent but is not sussinct enough to make the book flow and therefore does slow the pace somewhat. The blurb says it is action packed, it is not, there are moments of action but it is mostly talking. OK, but not fantastic, I found at times I laboured through it.

[Daragh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable short novel

Not quite as inventive as some of his past work, but still a very enjoyable read - he never writes a predictable story, which is what I love about his work. Also that his characters are always very rounded out, never throwaway.

[Tommy Faris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. Short, more a novella than a full novel,but still filled complex characters who have motives that remain hidden from the narrator, and therefore from the reader. The ending was a bit of deus ex machina, but not unsatisfying.

[Mark Redman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Augur’s Gambit by Stephen Donaldson is a short (novella) tale of court politics, intriguing and spying in the shadows. The story hinges on a prophecy which Donaldson manages to subvert in a very clever way. This is a fun, short read, told in the first person, very enjoyable.

[Tansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short novella that has a lot more intrigue packed into its 180 odd pages than I expected. It's not in the same league as his legendary Thomas Covenant novels but still a decent read nevertheless.

[Simon Frenais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable.

[Paul Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun. Tongue in cheek fantasy intrigue

[Wouter van Boven · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jake Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

If words are food for the soul then this is a spiritual equivalent to having a Michelin Star meal.

[Scott Meesey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tense adventure with a brevity rarely found in Donaldson's works. I enjoyed it very much.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

c2016: FWFTB: Hieronomer, entrails, Queen, Indemnie, attempt. Being a novella, it is not mind-bendingly insightful to say this was a quick read. The Thomas Covenant series were great and I enjoyed all of them despite the plot being somewhat grim. I didn't really enjoy this book much and I have narrowed it down to the rather archaic writing style that he employed. I had had enough of the 'my queen's after the third or fourth page. I understand it was a deliberate choice. The plot was great and the characters charming. Would I buy the book and class it as a keeper? No, which is why I am unable to recommend to the normal crew. 'Such negligence was vital to hieromancy, as it was to other arts of augury. Its purpose was to foil the augur's natural impulse to impose and artificial and therefore misleading interpretation upon the scrying - the impulse, that is, to obtain a desired result rather than an honest one.'

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up randomly at the library and I'm glad I did, it's a cute little story. I particularly liked that it was written from the first person perspective which is unusual for a fantasy! It was really interesting seeing things from the perspective of Mayhew and experiencing his confusion and discovering things along with him. It was a lighter fare compared with some of the other things I've been reading lately so it was a nice change of pace. Also, Mayhew's profession is one that doesn't get a lot of airtime in other books (except as stereotyped villains) so it was nice to see it portrayed in a different light. Overall, it's a fairly light/cute fantasy with some interesting elements.

[Peter West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story

Another great story, told in the midst of a power struggle between barons and their calculating queen. Good characters drive this tale to its surprising and excellent ending.

[Sean Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A standard fantasy, more in common with Mordant's Need than the Covenant books. It's OK, but not essential.