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The First & Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever
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- GenresFantasy
Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
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About the author
Stephen R. Donaldson
149 books2,720 followersStephen 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 26, 2016
I read these years ago and missed The Land for so long that I didn't even look for the last chronicles when they came out. This story made an impression on me. Love the writing and the story telling. So much so that my wedding ring is white gold.
You never know.
You never know.
September 16, 2017
I remember when the first book was highlighted on supermarket shelves as a best seller. I could not wait for each installment, I scrimped and saved money to purchase each one, then devoured each in turn. The second series was a disappointment to me, It felt as though the story had been told and the author was just fulfilling a commitment to get his advanced money. I quit looking for more of his work after that.
August 20, 2019
The Thomas Covenant books are great yet distressing.
Why are they great? Because I love a never ending story. I love to know the history of each character and how they were introduced and what they contributed to the story. I love the generational progression. That is fascinating. The writer has quite the imagination and style. I have to refer to the glossary often to remind me of the references throughout the series (I ordered the ebooks).
This is why this series distressing? The author pulls you in and the characters are full of exciting adventure yet despairingly negative, borderline depressing. The seemingly good guys never get a break or if they do it's fleeting and the odds are mounting against them again. The writer laboriously takes you through the blow by blow account of every hill and every dell and the dispositions, emotional and physical health of each character which is also a bit laborious. So... on I read to see the resolve, book after book after book. And yes there are a few triumphs but short lived and then it is realized that the victory was not exactly a victory but maybe something else... the suspense is killing me and that is why I am just about to finish book 8 and begin book 9 of this epic adventure.
Why are they great? Because I love a never ending story. I love to know the history of each character and how they were introduced and what they contributed to the story. I love the generational progression. That is fascinating. The writer has quite the imagination and style. I have to refer to the glossary often to remind me of the references throughout the series (I ordered the ebooks).
This is why this series distressing? The author pulls you in and the characters are full of exciting adventure yet despairingly negative, borderline depressing. The seemingly good guys never get a break or if they do it's fleeting and the odds are mounting against them again. The writer laboriously takes you through the blow by blow account of every hill and every dell and the dispositions, emotional and physical health of each character which is also a bit laborious. So... on I read to see the resolve, book after book after book. And yes there are a few triumphs but short lived and then it is realized that the victory was not exactly a victory but maybe something else... the suspense is killing me and that is why I am just about to finish book 8 and begin book 9 of this epic adventure.
January 23, 2013
Stephen is my favorite author of all time. In real life he is also one of my favorite friends. I admire that he tries different genre's of books. And still manages it put a large part of himself in every book he has written. Yet, one will never know the real Stephen. I'm looking forward to what the future brings after the last Covenant book is finished.
June 30, 2014
IIRC the first book is derivative, but it picks up in the second book and the strength of the central character is enough to sustain the series. I'm sure there has been better fantasy written since then, but at the time (the 1980's) it felt quite original and enjoyable.
August 12, 2013
Superb sad but a little flowery in the prose
August 3, 2016
Spend your time on books that have more to do with real life. These books seemed great when I was young, but in hindsight they were a waste of time. Should of spent time reading the classics instead.
Read
March 1, 2019Started reading this series about 25 yeras ago.
Just finished books 7, 8, 9 and 10 on 02-28-19
Just finished books 7, 8, 9 and 10 on 02-28-19
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews