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Daughter of Regals & Other Tales
The Creator Of Thomas Covenant Adds Eight New Wonders To The World.
In his first collection of short fiction, the bestselling author of White Gold Wielder presents eight superb stories, including "Gilden-Fire," the famous "outtake" from Illearth War, and two brand new novellas written especially for this edition. Enter a world of mystics and unicorns, angels and kings — all realized with the same dazzling style and imagination that has made Stephen R. Donaldson a modern master of the fantasy genre.
Daughter of Regals is a fantasy novella concerning a unique royal line and an unusual conception of magic.
The Conqueror Worm is a deliciously creepy "horror" piece in which havoc is wreaked by one lowly centipede.
Ser Visal's Tale begins as a simple story told over several flagons of wine at the local inn, this novella ends with a surprising twist.
Gilden-Fire is the famous chapter about Korik of the Bloodguard and his mission to Seareach that was part of the original manuscript of The Illearth War, but omitted from the published version.
337 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
32 people are currently reading
875 people want to read
About the author
Stephen R. Donaldson
149 books2,731 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 - 30 of 82 reviews
June 9, 2024
Much better than I was expecting it to be. I knew that Stephen Donaldson writes well (I read Lord Foul's Bane many years ago) but I was expecting these stories to be somewhat plain, maybe even a bit twee. I was wrong. They are very good and sometimes unusual. The title story is the favourite of many readers and reviewers but I actually preferred some of the others. There are no failures in this collection, though. Even the science fiction crossovers, which conceivably could have been not so good, turned out to be thoroughly enjoyable, 'Animal Lover' especially. The religious horror story, 'Unworthy of the Angel', was also an eyeopener for me. Best of all, the final story, 'Ser Visal's Tale' is a richly written and marvellous plea for tolerance set in a dark land ruled by a cruel theocracy.
October 13, 2007
His short stories are much, much, much better than his books. They are enjoyable and skip the long, drawn out, never ending, no resolution, obnoxiousness that are the rest of this book.
Donaldson, stick to short stories. You do so much better when you distill your good ideas down to what they should be: little bites of good story.
Donaldson, stick to short stories. You do so much better when you distill your good ideas down to what they should be: little bites of good story.
February 1, 2024
Having just finished The Great God's War I felt I had to start re-reading Donaldson. I started with this lovely hardback copy of DoR. It was a different experience from when I first read this decades ago. "Daugher of Regals" and "Ser Visal's tale" are classic; I adore "Unworthy of the Angel". I'm looking forward to starting "Lord Foul's Bane"!
May 26, 2020
I only want to say that the last scene of the last story bugged the crap out of me, because Donaldson kept referring to a crozier as a miter. Mr. My Vocabulary Is So Much Bigger Than Yours made me laugh when the story really didn’t call for it.
May 21, 2017
Really great short stories from a really great writer. This is one of the books I pick up when I want a quick fantasy fix. Can't tell you how many times I have read it - I am right inside the stories in seconds.
July 10, 2009
excellent collection of shorts from his prime period
June 7, 2024
Comfort read. Love the guardian angel story best 💖
December 23, 2012
As a whole, this anthology is varied - it's pretty much half science fiction, half fantasy, with some of the fantasy stories set in some sort of fantasy medieval-like world and some of the fantasy stories set in more contemporary times. All the stories in this trilogy were first published in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
"Daughter of Regals":
In this fantasy novella, a young woman is trying to get through the evening that will determine whether or not she is a Regal. If she can manage to pass the test (sitting upon a stone that no one who isn't Magic could even touch), then it will be proved that she is a Creature (a being that sometimes looks like a human, but that could also look like a dragon, phoenix, or some other being) and therefore the next Regal. If she does not pass the test, then those around her will kill her. Before she can even begin the test, however, she must delicately weave her way through all kinds of dangerous political machinations, dealing with each of the rulers who have come and expect her to fail.
When I first started this story, my main response was "huh?" but I eventually got over that and accepted that I would never really understand what Donaldson means by "Real" and "not Real." As one who usually reads things by female authors, I expected this story to go a lot differently than it did - a female author would've written things so that the handsome young man who is so attentive to the plain young woman would turn out to be the Creature, saving and marrying the young woman when she fails the test. This isn't what happens, but I won't say what does happen - although my ending would've been more predictable, I think I might've enjoyed it a little more, which isn't to say that I disliked Donaldson's ending. I'm just a romantic, and I wanted a little romance for her - she's intelligent, careful, and seems a little lonely.
"Gilden-Fire":
This is actually an outtake from Donaldson's The Illearth War, so I'd suggest reading that book if you haven't already. I haven't actually read that book, so I was a little lost as I read this story. This is apparently part of a character named Korik's mission to Seareach. As he and his party travel Grimmerdhore Forest, they worry that something is wrong with the Forest and the trees (which, I gather, are somewhat sentient). In the end, the entire party must deal with a pack of dangerous wolves. I spent quite a bit of time confused during this story. However, I may eventually read the books in Donaldson's Thomas Covenant series - some of the characters in this outtake interested me.
"Mythological Beast":
In the future Donaldson presents in this science fiction story, everything that might upset people has been eliminated. Everyone has little biomitter that reassures them that they are okay. Unfortunately, one morning Norman wakes up and his biomitter appears to obviously be wrong - how could he be okay when he's got a hard, horn-like lump on his forehead? As his symptoms begin to get worse, Norman starts investigating things.
It's a simple story, but I still enjoyed it. Although I can't say I agree that the world would ever get this placid, there are some aspects to the future Donaldson has created that are a bit chilling in the connections they have to what's going on in the world today. No one in Norman's world reads (Norman is one of the few people who knows how to read, because he works at the National Library), and no one questions anything.
"The Lady in White":
In this first-person fantasy story, a blacksmith/wheelwright/ironmonger named Mardik tells the story of the Lady in White and how she bewitched him and his brother. After Mardik's brother saw her and went to visit her home in the woods, he returned blind. At first, Mardik wanted to avenge his brother, but after Mardik saw the Lady in White, he, too, was bewitched. Mardik attempts repeatedly to get to her, determined to have her as his own. The ending of this one is weird - make of it what you will.
This story reminded me a little of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. Just as the beauty of the Snow Queen draws in and changes the boy in the fairy tale, the beauty of the the Lady in White draws in and changes the men in Donaldson's story.
"Animal Lover":
In this science fiction story, it's sometime in the future, and one of the biggest forms of entertainment and ways for people to let out their aggression in a controlled manner is hunting. Special Agent Sam Browne is unusual, in that he feels disdain for these hunters and protectiveness for the animals - on his off days, he likes to go into hunting preserves and smuggle out animals so that they can be taken to a zoo (where, unfortunately, they don't fare much better). Sam's boss, knowing his interests, gives him a case involving a hunting preserve with an unusually high percentage of human deaths. Sam has to try to infiltrate the preserve enough to figure out what's going on and stop it.
This is an exciting story, but, at the same time, it's almost B-movie cheesy in the way it handles genetic engineering fears - not too surprising, since it was first published in 1978, but that knowledge didn't make me stop snickering at some of the visuals (like rabbits with hand grenades).
"Unworthy of the Angel":
A man who can remember nothing from his past, not even his own identity, encounters a young woman in need of help. He eventually convinces her to introduce him to her brother, so that he can figure out exactly what's going on and what he must do to save her life. Basically, in order to get his sculptures known and seen, the woman's brother agrees to a gallery owner's conditions that he create all his sculptures out of a strange, evil black clay. He unknowingly is causing his sister's death with his efforts.
I enjoyed this story, although it was obvious well before the end of the story what the supposedly amnesiac man was.
"The Conqueror Worm":
A young married couple are fighting in their house. The man is upset and is accusing his wife of sleeping with other men, while the woman is upset over what she sees as his unreasonable jealousy. While the two fight, they keep encountering a disgusting, 10-inch long centipede that gets closer and closer to the woman.
Although I didn't think this was the best story in the anthology, the creepy-crawly aspect really stuck with me. The centipede may or may not be a metaphor for the husband's sexually-oriented anger - several of the people in my book discussion group caught this possibility as they read, too, so I'm apparently not the only person to think this.
"Ser Visal's Tale":
A bunch of young boys sit around Ser Visal as he drinks and tells the tale of events surrounding a young nobleman (I think he was a nobleman - anyway, he had a decently high station) and a witch. Think Salem Witch Trials - any woman accused of witchcraft gets imprisoned and tortured, and, of course, all women who are declared witches are found to be guilty. Dom Peralt was a drunken party animal who owned no slaves, unusual for this society. One day, as he is making his drunken way around, a slaver forces him into a situation where he must buy a slave. Dom Peralt does and immediately sets her free. He passes out from drunkenness and wakes up to discover that he has been jailed for consorting with a witch - the woman he freed. Dom Peralt tries to figure out if there's a way for him to survive this situation. He doesn't want to die, but some seemed to determined to make him appear guilty, and he doesn't want the young witch to die in his place.
Although I didn't like how the story was going when I first started it (Ser Visal seemed like an overly pious bastard, and Donaldson took his usual leisurely time getting around to the exciting parts of the story), the story really grew on me. Ser Visal was not, in fact, the overly pious bastard I thought he was - his slips of the tongue, emotions, and actions reveal that he hates the injustices that are rife in his society. If you can get past Donaldson's verbosity, this is a very thoughtful story. The one bit that bothered me was that there seemed to be a few loose ends that were not necessarily covered by Ser Visal's final revelation.
(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
"Daughter of Regals":
In this fantasy novella, a young woman is trying to get through the evening that will determine whether or not she is a Regal. If she can manage to pass the test (sitting upon a stone that no one who isn't Magic could even touch), then it will be proved that she is a Creature (a being that sometimes looks like a human, but that could also look like a dragon, phoenix, or some other being) and therefore the next Regal. If she does not pass the test, then those around her will kill her. Before she can even begin the test, however, she must delicately weave her way through all kinds of dangerous political machinations, dealing with each of the rulers who have come and expect her to fail.
When I first started this story, my main response was "huh?" but I eventually got over that and accepted that I would never really understand what Donaldson means by "Real" and "not Real." As one who usually reads things by female authors, I expected this story to go a lot differently than it did - a female author would've written things so that the handsome young man who is so attentive to the plain young woman would turn out to be the Creature, saving and marrying the young woman when she fails the test. This isn't what happens, but I won't say what does happen - although my ending would've been more predictable, I think I might've enjoyed it a little more, which isn't to say that I disliked Donaldson's ending. I'm just a romantic, and I wanted a little romance for her - she's intelligent, careful, and seems a little lonely.
"Gilden-Fire":
This is actually an outtake from Donaldson's The Illearth War, so I'd suggest reading that book if you haven't already. I haven't actually read that book, so I was a little lost as I read this story. This is apparently part of a character named Korik's mission to Seareach. As he and his party travel Grimmerdhore Forest, they worry that something is wrong with the Forest and the trees (which, I gather, are somewhat sentient). In the end, the entire party must deal with a pack of dangerous wolves. I spent quite a bit of time confused during this story. However, I may eventually read the books in Donaldson's Thomas Covenant series - some of the characters in this outtake interested me.
"Mythological Beast":
In the future Donaldson presents in this science fiction story, everything that might upset people has been eliminated. Everyone has little biomitter that reassures them that they are okay. Unfortunately, one morning Norman wakes up and his biomitter appears to obviously be wrong - how could he be okay when he's got a hard, horn-like lump on his forehead? As his symptoms begin to get worse, Norman starts investigating things.
It's a simple story, but I still enjoyed it. Although I can't say I agree that the world would ever get this placid, there are some aspects to the future Donaldson has created that are a bit chilling in the connections they have to what's going on in the world today. No one in Norman's world reads (Norman is one of the few people who knows how to read, because he works at the National Library), and no one questions anything.
"The Lady in White":
In this first-person fantasy story, a blacksmith/wheelwright/ironmonger named Mardik tells the story of the Lady in White and how she bewitched him and his brother. After Mardik's brother saw her and went to visit her home in the woods, he returned blind. At first, Mardik wanted to avenge his brother, but after Mardik saw the Lady in White, he, too, was bewitched. Mardik attempts repeatedly to get to her, determined to have her as his own. The ending of this one is weird - make of it what you will.
This story reminded me a little of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. Just as the beauty of the Snow Queen draws in and changes the boy in the fairy tale, the beauty of the the Lady in White draws in and changes the men in Donaldson's story.
"Animal Lover":
In this science fiction story, it's sometime in the future, and one of the biggest forms of entertainment and ways for people to let out their aggression in a controlled manner is hunting. Special Agent Sam Browne is unusual, in that he feels disdain for these hunters and protectiveness for the animals - on his off days, he likes to go into hunting preserves and smuggle out animals so that they can be taken to a zoo (where, unfortunately, they don't fare much better). Sam's boss, knowing his interests, gives him a case involving a hunting preserve with an unusually high percentage of human deaths. Sam has to try to infiltrate the preserve enough to figure out what's going on and stop it.
This is an exciting story, but, at the same time, it's almost B-movie cheesy in the way it handles genetic engineering fears - not too surprising, since it was first published in 1978, but that knowledge didn't make me stop snickering at some of the visuals (like rabbits with hand grenades).
"Unworthy of the Angel":
A man who can remember nothing from his past, not even his own identity, encounters a young woman in need of help. He eventually convinces her to introduce him to her brother, so that he can figure out exactly what's going on and what he must do to save her life. Basically, in order to get his sculptures known and seen, the woman's brother agrees to a gallery owner's conditions that he create all his sculptures out of a strange, evil black clay. He unknowingly is causing his sister's death with his efforts.
I enjoyed this story, although it was obvious well before the end of the story what the supposedly amnesiac man was.
"The Conqueror Worm":
A young married couple are fighting in their house. The man is upset and is accusing his wife of sleeping with other men, while the woman is upset over what she sees as his unreasonable jealousy. While the two fight, they keep encountering a disgusting, 10-inch long centipede that gets closer and closer to the woman.
Although I didn't think this was the best story in the anthology, the creepy-crawly aspect really stuck with me. The centipede may or may not be a metaphor for the husband's sexually-oriented anger - several of the people in my book discussion group caught this possibility as they read, too, so I'm apparently not the only person to think this.
"Ser Visal's Tale":
A bunch of young boys sit around Ser Visal as he drinks and tells the tale of events surrounding a young nobleman (I think he was a nobleman - anyway, he had a decently high station) and a witch. Think Salem Witch Trials - any woman accused of witchcraft gets imprisoned and tortured, and, of course, all women who are declared witches are found to be guilty. Dom Peralt was a drunken party animal who owned no slaves, unusual for this society. One day, as he is making his drunken way around, a slaver forces him into a situation where he must buy a slave. Dom Peralt does and immediately sets her free. He passes out from drunkenness and wakes up to discover that he has been jailed for consorting with a witch - the woman he freed. Dom Peralt tries to figure out if there's a way for him to survive this situation. He doesn't want to die, but some seemed to determined to make him appear guilty, and he doesn't want the young witch to die in his place.
Although I didn't like how the story was going when I first started it (Ser Visal seemed like an overly pious bastard, and Donaldson took his usual leisurely time getting around to the exciting parts of the story), the story really grew on me. Ser Visal was not, in fact, the overly pious bastard I thought he was - his slips of the tongue, emotions, and actions reveal that he hates the injustices that are rife in his society. If you can get past Donaldson's verbosity, this is a very thoughtful story. The one bit that bothered me was that there seemed to be a few loose ends that were not necessarily covered by Ser Visal's final revelation.
(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
July 4, 2024
Having never read Donaldson, this is an interesting introduction that shows the variety of writing that he is proficient in. Donaldson commands the reader's attention in all genres with limited introductions.
May 2, 2012
Though best known for his Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series of books, Donaldson also writes short stories and mini-novellas. This book is a collection of them. I am not a Donaldson fan, but this book is a good one. The longer short stories -- the mini-novellas -- are told very well, and are proof that stories don't have to be hundreds of pages long to have strong characters, good plots, and satisfying conclusions. If you have not read this book and do not run away from fantasy (magic, dragons, unicorns, angels and demons, but thankfully missing some of the more salacious aspects of modern fantasy), this will be an enjoyable read.
My favorites from this collection are "The Lady in White" and "Ser Visal's Tale."
My favorites from this collection are "The Lady in White" and "Ser Visal's Tale."
July 30, 2011
I Loved this. Its Stepjen Donaldson back at his best, and though the work is shorter fiction, I would hardly call any of the tales in it short stories.
Its beautiful prose as always, and he is a master of setting the scene and laying out a plot to bring astory to life. The title story is a tad dark, showing signs of heading down the same pathway as first the Mordant's Dreams and then the Gap series, but he rescues it and it ends well. But for me the stand out is Unworthy of the Angel, which is again beautifully written, wonderfully told, and a surprisingly fresh take on the idea of angels.
Its beautiful prose as always, and he is a master of setting the scene and laying out a plot to bring astory to life. The title story is a tad dark, showing signs of heading down the same pathway as first the Mordant's Dreams and then the Gap series, but he rescues it and it ends well. But for me the stand out is Unworthy of the Angel, which is again beautifully written, wonderfully told, and a surprisingly fresh take on the idea of angels.
December 16, 2019
I found "The Conquering Worm", "Worthy of the Angel" and "A Mythological Creature" particularly captivating. They contain loads of satirical elements and fascinating premises coloured by an easy-to-follow prose. It strikes me as baffling that they're not widely known. It seems like one's reading a modern version of some classic story, and even if it's fantasy up to a point, the degree of realism is top-notch. The rest of the stories were sadly not as interestingly developed, but I think that they deserve a read, nonetheless.
April 3, 2008
Gripping, if somewhat dark short stories. Clearly for an adult audience, but one of things I like about these stories is that they make interesting and thoughtful points. Some of them are very dark and graphic though, so they are not to everyone's taste. One of them is great vampire story though, and I don't go in for that kind of thing. So while I recommend this as great literature, I also warn they you should approach it expecting some unappealing images.
October 1, 2022
Reread title novella, which is what I remember from reading this at 12. Great story, great palace intrigue, love the magic system.
August 1, 2015
Some extremely powerful storytelling.
November 22, 2025
Donaldson’s tome is a collection that reveals the full range of his fantasy imagination—mythic, psychological, morally complex, and stylistically distinctive. Known primarily for The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Donaldson brings the same intensity and philosophical weight to these shorter works, crafting stories that often feel as dense and meaningful as novels.
The title novella, “Daughter of Regals,” is the crown jewel of the collection. It presents a secondary world shaped by ancient magic, political tension, and a lineage of nearly divine monarchs whose power depends on inner transformation. The young queen, the last of her line, faces rival claimants, factional intrigue, and the crushing expectation that she must awaken the hereditary power of the Regals.
This power is as much spiritual as magical. Donaldson excels at creating protagonists who must earn their authority through psychological struggle, and here he crafts a tale that is both regal fantasy and coming-of-age story. The queen’s journey toward inner transcendence, culminating in a confrontation that tests her identity to the core, is both moving and exhilarating.
The shorter tales that follow reveal Donaldson’s versatility. “Gilden-Fire,” set in the world of Thomas Covenant, offers a rare glimpse into the trials of the Haruchai. It is a story steeped in honor, discipline, and self-overcoming, expanding the mythology of the Land. Though brief, it deepens the emotional and thematic tapestry of the larger series.
Other stories shift toward allegory or modern fantasy. Donaldson frequently writes protagonists grappling with internal demons—guilt, moral doubt, loneliness—and uses fantastical metaphors to dramatize these struggles.
This gives the stories a psychological density uncommon in fantasy short fiction. His characters often stand at moral or emotional crossroads, forced to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves.
One of the pleasures of the collection is Donaldson’s command of language. His prose is formal, rhythmic, sometimes bordering on archaic, yet full of force. The sentences feel deliberate, sculpted, and weighted with meaning.
Readers who appreciate richly textured language will find much to savor; those who prefer minimalist style may find it demanding. But the demand is worthwhile—Donaldson’s language mirrors the intensity of his themes.
What ties the collection together is its exploration of power—personal, political, magical, and ethical. Donaldson is interested in how individuals earn authority, how they uphold or betray their ideals, and how inner failings shape outer consequences.
Even the fantastical elements, whether dragons, magical inheritances, or mythic guardians, serve the deeper purpose of illuminating human struggle.
As a whole, Daughter of Regals and Other Tales stands as a significant work in Donaldson’s oeuvre. It combines epic resonance with intimate emotional journeys, showcasing his ability to blend fantasy grandeur with psychological realism.
For readers willing to engage deeply, the collection offers immense rewards—wisdom, catharsis, and the pleasure of encountering fantasy storytelling that refuses to be shallow.
The title novella, “Daughter of Regals,” is the crown jewel of the collection. It presents a secondary world shaped by ancient magic, political tension, and a lineage of nearly divine monarchs whose power depends on inner transformation. The young queen, the last of her line, faces rival claimants, factional intrigue, and the crushing expectation that she must awaken the hereditary power of the Regals.
This power is as much spiritual as magical. Donaldson excels at creating protagonists who must earn their authority through psychological struggle, and here he crafts a tale that is both regal fantasy and coming-of-age story. The queen’s journey toward inner transcendence, culminating in a confrontation that tests her identity to the core, is both moving and exhilarating.
The shorter tales that follow reveal Donaldson’s versatility. “Gilden-Fire,” set in the world of Thomas Covenant, offers a rare glimpse into the trials of the Haruchai. It is a story steeped in honor, discipline, and self-overcoming, expanding the mythology of the Land. Though brief, it deepens the emotional and thematic tapestry of the larger series.
Other stories shift toward allegory or modern fantasy. Donaldson frequently writes protagonists grappling with internal demons—guilt, moral doubt, loneliness—and uses fantastical metaphors to dramatize these struggles.
This gives the stories a psychological density uncommon in fantasy short fiction. His characters often stand at moral or emotional crossroads, forced to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves.
One of the pleasures of the collection is Donaldson’s command of language. His prose is formal, rhythmic, sometimes bordering on archaic, yet full of force. The sentences feel deliberate, sculpted, and weighted with meaning.
Readers who appreciate richly textured language will find much to savor; those who prefer minimalist style may find it demanding. But the demand is worthwhile—Donaldson’s language mirrors the intensity of his themes.
What ties the collection together is its exploration of power—personal, political, magical, and ethical. Donaldson is interested in how individuals earn authority, how they uphold or betray their ideals, and how inner failings shape outer consequences.
Even the fantastical elements, whether dragons, magical inheritances, or mythic guardians, serve the deeper purpose of illuminating human struggle.
As a whole, Daughter of Regals and Other Tales stands as a significant work in Donaldson’s oeuvre. It combines epic resonance with intimate emotional journeys, showcasing his ability to blend fantasy grandeur with psychological realism.
For readers willing to engage deeply, the collection offers immense rewards—wisdom, catharsis, and the pleasure of encountering fantasy storytelling that refuses to be shallow.
October 18, 2020
Stephen R. Donaldson is one of my very favorite authors, and although I don't remember liking this 1984 collection of fiction as much as his novels or the later Reave the Just and Other Tales, my current reread through his oeuvre seemed like a good time to revisit these eight early stories. And they're collectively somewhat better than I had recalled, although markedly uneven. Individual reviews below:
Daughter of Regals: Donaldson's most remarkable talent as a fantasist is his marriage of distinctive worldbuilding with interrogations of moral philosophy and implications of associated intrigue. In this title novella, that plays out almost like a fairy tale, with a seemingly powerless heroine negotiating the dynamics of her rivals against one another and their preconceptions of her in a series of encounters over the course of the evening leading up to her attempted ascension to the throne. I'm deeply skeptical that our protagonist needed to be stripped and threatened with rape in order to tell this story -- and of how often this writer uses sexual assault as a plot driver in general -- but she's an engaging presence in an interesting realm, and it's easy to root for her triumph. ★★★★☆
Gilden-Fire: This was originally part of the second Thomas Covenant book The Illearth War, before being cut for space reasons (and to reduce the amount of narrative told from the perspective of a resident of the Land rather than an outsider like Covenant). It's a solid 'deleted scene' that adds to our understanding of the Bloodguard, but there's nothing within that's particularly essential. Excising it from the finished novel was probably the right editorial choice, and I'm not convinced it deserved to be brought back in this format, either. ★★★☆☆
Mythological Beast: Most Donaldson is recognizably his style, even the originally-pseudonymous The Man Who detective novels, but this short sci-fi piece feels way more generic. It's also just plain weird, with a premise like Fahrenheit 451 meets The Metamorphosis, in which a man comes to realize the sinister nature of his "perfectly safe, perfectly sane" utopia as his body gradually transforms into something nonhuman. I confess I don't quite get the point of this one. ★★☆☆☆
The Lady in White: This entry is more earthbound than the author's typical fantasy fare, being set in a medieval village first encountering magic rather than a fully-imagined secondary world. It has the rhythms of an Arthurian quest, but the protagonist is too much of a swaggering Gaston figure for me to care much about his fate. ★★★☆☆
Animal Lover: Goofy biopunk sci-fi that's somewhere between The Most Dangerous Game and The Island of Doctor Moreau. Now, look -- no serious literature is ever going to have a bear with human hands pull a pair of machine guns out of its kangaroo pouch and open fire on a cyborg cop. In fact, I think this is the story I've most turned around on, as I remember rolling my eyes at it in the past. But Donaldson doesn't often let himself indulge in this sort of fun, and the gee-whiz Golden Age throwback (set in the far-future year of 2011) is a charming change of pace. [Content warning for gore and eugenics.] ★★★★☆
Unworthy of the Angel: This entry feels more quintessentially Donaldson, with a protagonist who's some sort of angelic champion for the downtrodden despite being pretty world-weary and battered himself. It's one of those short stories that skates by with gesturing towards larger concepts that are never quite elaborated on, but it works just fine in the moment as the nameless hero fights for the soul of a resentful sculptor who's been using his sister's sacrifices to fuel his art. It's a pithy yet complicated look at the creative process and the question of who deserves salvation, which is of course one of this writer's major themes. ★★★★☆
The Conqueror Worm: By far the shortest tale, as well as the one I have the least patience for. Taking its title from a Poe poem about the inevitable intrusion of death into the performance of humanity's passions, this story depicts a quarreling couple whose stupid argument -- mostly involving the drunk husband baselessly accusing his wife of cheating on him -- keeps getting interrupted by a ten-inch centipede that's invaded their home and scurries around avoiding all efforts to crush it. It's really too heavy-handed a metaphor by far, and the nominal protagonist is too odious to even enjoy rooting against (as I do think we're supposed to). Even at just a dozen pages, it's a waste of the author's talents and the reader's time. [Content/spoiler warning for insects crawling inside clothes and implied castration.] ★☆☆☆☆
Ser Visal's Tale: An engrossing and enchanting trickster fable in the form of a tavern boast, rich with details to summon both the framing scene and the embedded story. Although set in a fantasy world, it's a strong rebuke to the religious hypocrisy of oppressive institutions like the Spanish Inquisition, and a great illustration of how a character can say one thing -- praising the priests for introducing slavery and torture to the realm -- while actually (but deniably) conveying the exact opposite stance. There's a frisson of danger electrifying this final tale, and although I have mixed feelings about the collection as a whole, it definitely goes out on a high note. [Content warning for sexism, mention of rape and child molestation, and use of a racial slur.] ★★★★★
Overall rating for the book: ★★★☆☆
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Daughter of Regals: Donaldson's most remarkable talent as a fantasist is his marriage of distinctive worldbuilding with interrogations of moral philosophy and implications of associated intrigue. In this title novella, that plays out almost like a fairy tale, with a seemingly powerless heroine negotiating the dynamics of her rivals against one another and their preconceptions of her in a series of encounters over the course of the evening leading up to her attempted ascension to the throne. I'm deeply skeptical that our protagonist needed to be stripped and threatened with rape in order to tell this story -- and of how often this writer uses sexual assault as a plot driver in general -- but she's an engaging presence in an interesting realm, and it's easy to root for her triumph. ★★★★☆
Gilden-Fire: This was originally part of the second Thomas Covenant book The Illearth War, before being cut for space reasons (and to reduce the amount of narrative told from the perspective of a resident of the Land rather than an outsider like Covenant). It's a solid 'deleted scene' that adds to our understanding of the Bloodguard, but there's nothing within that's particularly essential. Excising it from the finished novel was probably the right editorial choice, and I'm not convinced it deserved to be brought back in this format, either. ★★★☆☆
Mythological Beast: Most Donaldson is recognizably his style, even the originally-pseudonymous The Man Who detective novels, but this short sci-fi piece feels way more generic. It's also just plain weird, with a premise like Fahrenheit 451 meets The Metamorphosis, in which a man comes to realize the sinister nature of his "perfectly safe, perfectly sane" utopia as his body gradually transforms into something nonhuman. I confess I don't quite get the point of this one. ★★☆☆☆
The Lady in White: This entry is more earthbound than the author's typical fantasy fare, being set in a medieval village first encountering magic rather than a fully-imagined secondary world. It has the rhythms of an Arthurian quest, but the protagonist is too much of a swaggering Gaston figure for me to care much about his fate. ★★★☆☆
Animal Lover: Goofy biopunk sci-fi that's somewhere between The Most Dangerous Game and The Island of Doctor Moreau. Now, look -- no serious literature is ever going to have a bear with human hands pull a pair of machine guns out of its kangaroo pouch and open fire on a cyborg cop. In fact, I think this is the story I've most turned around on, as I remember rolling my eyes at it in the past. But Donaldson doesn't often let himself indulge in this sort of fun, and the gee-whiz Golden Age throwback (set in the far-future year of 2011) is a charming change of pace. [Content warning for gore and eugenics.] ★★★★☆
Unworthy of the Angel: This entry feels more quintessentially Donaldson, with a protagonist who's some sort of angelic champion for the downtrodden despite being pretty world-weary and battered himself. It's one of those short stories that skates by with gesturing towards larger concepts that are never quite elaborated on, but it works just fine in the moment as the nameless hero fights for the soul of a resentful sculptor who's been using his sister's sacrifices to fuel his art. It's a pithy yet complicated look at the creative process and the question of who deserves salvation, which is of course one of this writer's major themes. ★★★★☆
The Conqueror Worm: By far the shortest tale, as well as the one I have the least patience for. Taking its title from a Poe poem about the inevitable intrusion of death into the performance of humanity's passions, this story depicts a quarreling couple whose stupid argument -- mostly involving the drunk husband baselessly accusing his wife of cheating on him -- keeps getting interrupted by a ten-inch centipede that's invaded their home and scurries around avoiding all efforts to crush it. It's really too heavy-handed a metaphor by far, and the nominal protagonist is too odious to even enjoy rooting against (as I do think we're supposed to). Even at just a dozen pages, it's a waste of the author's talents and the reader's time. [Content/spoiler warning for insects crawling inside clothes and implied castration.] ★☆☆☆☆
Ser Visal's Tale: An engrossing and enchanting trickster fable in the form of a tavern boast, rich with details to summon both the framing scene and the embedded story. Although set in a fantasy world, it's a strong rebuke to the religious hypocrisy of oppressive institutions like the Spanish Inquisition, and a great illustration of how a character can say one thing -- praising the priests for introducing slavery and torture to the realm -- while actually (but deniably) conveying the exact opposite stance. There's a frisson of danger electrifying this final tale, and although I have mixed feelings about the collection as a whole, it definitely goes out on a high note. [Content warning for sexism, mention of rape and child molestation, and use of a racial slur.] ★★★★★
Overall rating for the book: ★★★☆☆
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January 18, 2019
2/7 decent stories. Mostly WTF
Daughter of Regals: 3.5-4*
A bit of a cross between A Court of... by Maas and Tolkien. Enjoyable but predictable.
Mythological Beast: 3*
Random. Dude turns into a unicorn. Very PK Dick...
The Lady in White: 2*
Well written, but the protagonist is a schauvenistic ass!! “The Lady in White will know my desire” what a creepy rapey prick...
Animal Lover: 1*
Shit story. Two antagonists were exactly the same character. Poorly written... Read the whole thing from a lady voice; just couldn’t keep straight that the narrator was a dude.... hilarious that it’s set 40 years in the future (2011) and talks about tape decks, blasters, hover cars and cyborgs...
Unworthy of the Angel: 1.5*
Shit
The conqueror Worm: 1*
WTF
Sir Visal’s Tale: 3.5*
Almost a vindication for the rest of the book. But not quite. Good story, about witchcraft and bravery.
Daughter of Regals: 3.5-4*
A bit of a cross between A Court of... by Maas and Tolkien. Enjoyable but predictable.
Mythological Beast: 3*
Random. Dude turns into a unicorn. Very PK Dick...
The Lady in White: 2*
Well written, but the protagonist is a schauvenistic ass!! “The Lady in White will know my desire” what a creepy rapey prick...
Animal Lover: 1*
Shit story. Two antagonists were exactly the same character. Poorly written... Read the whole thing from a lady voice; just couldn’t keep straight that the narrator was a dude.... hilarious that it’s set 40 years in the future (2011) and talks about tape decks, blasters, hover cars and cyborgs...
Unworthy of the Angel: 1.5*
Shit
The conqueror Worm: 1*
WTF
Sir Visal’s Tale: 3.5*
Almost a vindication for the rest of the book. But not quite. Good story, about witchcraft and bravery.
January 28, 2020
4.5 Stars
I think this is fantastic showcase for Donadlson's versatility as a writer. It shows him doing classical fantasy, action adventure shlock, contemporary drama, and even science fantasy magical realism.
Despite the problems the Thomas Covenant books have, the fact that this collection is so diverse made me realize that the style employed in the Covenant series was done deliberately rather than being the limit of the author's ability made me appreciate them a little bit more. Even if they're tough to read at times, the operatic style was deliberate.
But ultimately, this collection is so solid that I wouldn't hesistate it to recommend it for readers looking for a place to dive into donaldson's work without having to jump into any of his larger works. Really great collection here.
I think this is fantastic showcase for Donadlson's versatility as a writer. It shows him doing classical fantasy, action adventure shlock, contemporary drama, and even science fantasy magical realism.
Despite the problems the Thomas Covenant books have, the fact that this collection is so diverse made me realize that the style employed in the Covenant series was done deliberately rather than being the limit of the author's ability made me appreciate them a little bit more. Even if they're tough to read at times, the operatic style was deliberate.
But ultimately, this collection is so solid that I wouldn't hesistate it to recommend it for readers looking for a place to dive into donaldson's work without having to jump into any of his larger works. Really great collection here.
July 11, 2025
Apart from making me remember what a disappointment the more recent Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant were, this has been a good reading experience. Some of the language is, predictably, a bit too fruity but all the stories are well structured and some - the concluding 'Ser Visal's Tale' in particular - have some fine characterisation. I note how Donaldson's language loses its reliance on thesaurus-bursting vocabulary (he and Henry James are the only writers I've ever known to use the word 'cynosure') when he leaves fantasy behind and sets a story in something closer to the world we know. I accept he's a more versatile writer than I'd thought.
July 24, 2023
I have missed Stephen R Donaldson. There is a huge amount of inventiveness in his stories. Remember in Thomas Covenant how he'd create a fabulous character and then just kill him off and create another one? He writes fantasy, but also science fiction. I even enjoyed his non-fiction account of why he enjoys writing short stories. He almost always makes me think with his multifaceted characters, strange situations, fantastic worlds, and inventive plots.
May 5, 2017
I've been a fan of Donaldson since The Chronicles epic saga. Then I came across this book of short stories. Every story is wonderful, captures your imagination immediately and most importantly, makes you care about the hero. The lead story is just superb, any fan of fantasy should read this one at least once.
July 1, 2020
This collection includes stories of magic set in medieval times, current times and times we know not when. It is a fun read with the titular story being the longest. There is only one Covenant related story. You need to know the Illead War for the purpose of the journey to make sense, though it is a good standalone.
November 6, 2018
Billed as a book of short stories, it's more like a collection of novellas.
I think my favourite one in there was [i]Unworthy of an Angel[/i] for an interesting tale from the perspective of a guardian angel.
I think my favourite one in there was [i]Unworthy of an Angel[/i] for an interesting tale from the perspective of a guardian angel.
Read
November 22, 2020Only read daughter of regals :
Interesting world building potential
Very boring first half of the story, gets a bit more interesting, cliche and predictable ending
Either make a full novel out of it and explore the history and intrigue of the creatures or edit the story to 15 pages or so
Interesting world building potential
Very boring first half of the story, gets a bit more interesting, cliche and predictable ending
Either make a full novel out of it and explore the history and intrigue of the creatures or edit the story to 15 pages or so
August 10, 2017
First work I've read from this author.
I liked all of the short stories it contains.
Most were 4*'s
I liked all of the short stories it contains.
Most were 4*'s
November 29, 2017
Read this over 20 years ago, and thought I’d give it another go. Enjoyed it far less than my original reading. Much better than his Thomas Covenant books but not outstanding.
March 3, 2018
Always love short stories
March 20, 2019
I liked the first and last stories - the ones which are most classifiable as traditional fantasy - the best.
November 1, 2019
I enjoyed them all. A great collection with interesting variety.
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