Talk:Stephen R. Donaldson

Gap titles punctuation
The Gap titles have a line break in the title in my editions -- which we can't put in a page title here. However we do ntted something, they look odd otherwise. A dash maybe? The Gap into Conflict - The Real Story -- Tarquin

Those titles originally had dashes, I took them out, I thought dashes didn't work in 'pedia headings. Am I wrong? -- Zoe


 * (slaps self for not using Talk page). Erm. Not sure. only one way to find out I suppose. I wonder what his publishers do for their listing -- maybe that would be the answer. -- Tarquin


 * Hmph! they cheat. http://www.fireandwater.com/books/default.asp?id=8866

Library of Congress uses colons, as does ISFDB. (LoC also puts the 'Gap' phrase after the remainder of the titme, but this seems counter to the usage in the books themselves.)

The fireandwater link goes to a splash page for the site; I couldn't find anything about Donaldson within a few clicks. Does anyone have another web source for the title puncutation? -- OrionAnderson

titles for the rest of the Third Chronicles
I've added the tentative titles for the rest of the Third Chronicles, which I got from and also from  where there's rather more actual substance. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm excited at the prospect of finding out what happened next. Phil 11:59, Nov 28, 2003 (UTC)


 * You're not alone. I heard SRD read from Runes of the Earth at Bubonicon a few months ago... Salsa Shark 01:17, 13 Dec 2003 (UTC)

Duplication?
Is there a reason there are two "The Man Who Tried to Get Away" entries, one for 1990 and one for 2004? Is this an error, or are the two printings different in some way? Clarification is needed. -- Belross

Donaldson VS Tolkien
Does anyone really compare Donaldson to Tolkien? Tolkien is uplifting and empowering, the Covenant books just made me morose and depressed. No matter how bad things get for Covenant - they will always get worse.Avalon 03:59, 30 September 2005 (UTC)


 * The Thomas Covenant books are comparable to Tolkien's work in that they're heroic fantasy centered around a very powerful ring. That's not much basis for comparison, but the majority of the comparison may come from people less familar with fantasy fiction. Korvac 20:26, Oct 05 2005 (UTC)
 * I tend to feel there's very little basis for comparison between the two. But, the comparison has been made (just look at the covers and blurbs of many of his books - it seems to be all some fools can talk about).  It's notable that so many critics have (wrongly, in my opinion) compared Donaldson to Tolkien.
 * If anyone here is interested, my reasons for feeling there's little comparison between Donaldson and Tolkien can be read here. Kasreyn 17:24, 12 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Donaldson, if not very similar to Tolkien, is bound to be compared to him. Why? Well, Tolkien something like the Hitler of fantasy; just like any world leader worth his salt will be compared to Hitler, any fantasy author garnering (or trying to garner) any attention will most likely draw comparisons to Tolkien. When the mythical average person thinks of fantasy, they will most likely think of Tolkien, or more recently Harry Potter - it takes a very specific kind of book to fit the Harry Potter title, so Tolkien is a lot easier. Seriously - how many bestselling fantasies have you seen which don't reference Tolkien in their reviews and comments?--Mr Bucket 03:51, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

My copies of his book all have the blurb "Comparable to Tolkien at his best" across the front cover ... Besides, both LoTR and the Covenant series are the kind of books which require a map of an imaginary land, and a glossary. Maybe this was still rare in 1977? JöG (talk) 15:45, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

I realize this is an extreme necropost, but it's as good a place as any to organize my thoughts. I do think everyone should be comparing Donaldson to Tolkien. That doesn't mean they're the same, it just means they're similar enough for their differences to be interesting. The big thing to remember is that they're related to each other through a third source -- Wagner's Niebelungenlied operas. That's the original story about doomed heroes and magic rings. Tolkien studied european myth and folklore and was explicitly riffing on it for Middle-Earth. Donaldson has also made clear that he's strongly influenced by Wagner -- he describes the Gap cycle as an adaptation, but Covenant is clearly also influenced. Honestly, though, I think it's most useful to think of Covenant as a response to or a commentary on Tolkien. They both center on a stubborn hero with almost supernatural willpower, entrusted with a dangerous ring none of the "good guys" will willing take from them, who end up on a desperate foot journey to the evil mountain that would have failed at the last if not for their most faithful companion. The difference is that Tolkien makes his hero appealing and his power ugly. The shire is great, there's no problem there, power corrupts, and we and the readers are happy to be rid of the whole thing. That's that Donaldson rejects. He says (in the first chrons) that power isn't something to reject or surrender, its something we have a responsibility to take and use. It's the reversal of Christian humility. I had to post this here because it's heartfelt and clearly "original research," but I'm hoping that I could strip down to the objective basic facts -- both series end with a 2-person ringbearer quest, but one is about destroying the ring and the other is about using it -- but I'm not sure what page would be most appropriate to put it in. Advice? -- OrionAnderson — Preceding undated comment added 09:47, 24 March 2015 (UTC)


 * There clearly is a similarity in the stories, but the atmosphere, and the attitude of author, is very different.--Jack Upland (talk) 04:52, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

essay on Epic Fantasy
Is it appropriate to make people aware of the availability of Donaldson's essay on Epic Fantasy in his website? Or is it enough to only list his website as an external link? Jimmysuzuki 05:00, 17 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Might be better to link directly to the essay. Donaldson's website seems to have compatibility problems with several browsers, including Firefox.  I can only access certain parts of the site by loading Internet Explorer.  Since Wikipedia is for everyone, not just IE users, some may have navigation problems there and won't be able to find the essay, so let's just link directly to it.  Kasreyn 17:21, 12 July 2006 (UTC)
 * there is no comparison!
 * Honestly, while the illearth stone may take away all of his super-powers, Covenant can clearly overmatch any of the crew from middle earth. Just his aquaintance with the haruchai means that he [covenant] understands being able to overcome the terrible hand he has been dealt with in life.
 * And Lindsey is no Lois! Bringing her man back from the dead!
 * Wow! Dhydro (talk) 16:48, 2 May 2009 (UTC) Donaldson vs. Tolkien?Dhydro (talk) 16:48, 2 May 2009 (UTC)


 * You're replying to a comment several years old, and about a topic that wikipedia is not. WLU (t) (c) Wikipedia's rules: simple/complex 03:24, 3 May 2009 (UTC)

Gap Cycle
I just created articles for each book of The Gap Cycle and they are in dire need of plots, images of the cover art and other useful info RoyBatty42 23:41, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

FanLit.net link
I added a link to FanLit.net because it's a better resource than what is present. I think editors don't like that it's a newer resource, but it is better than those up here that have ads and not much useful content. This is the kind of information readers want -- book covers, publication dates, reviews. I am a user of the website and find it very helpful. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chraak (talk • contribs) 14:43, 15 February 2008 (UTC)


 * Chraak, I am glad you enjoy fanlit site, and I find it interesting, but I don't agree that it should stay here as an external link.
 * Book covers and publication dates are already available in the Wikipedia articles on the specific books.
 * The site does have some lengthy personal reviews by readers, however that feature is not unique. Such reviews are available in multiple locations on the web. Are these particular reviews of higher value?
 * The pages have a lot of advertising and affiliate links to commercial websites. Advertising does not automatically disqualify a site, but all other things being equal it is a negative. See External_links for more on the subject.
 * But I'll leave the link on the main page for other editors to evaluate. Carboncopy (talk) 16:57, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

ISBN numbers
Does it really make sense to identify his books by ISBN numbers? They change between hardback and paperback, between US and foreign printings. I haven't seen ISBN used this much in other articles ... JöG (talk) 15:15, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Awards?
It is mentioned in "Awards" section that Donaldson received Saturn Award - Best Novel in 1983 for The One Tree. However, from the Saturn Award article it seems that this is a tv/movie award, and there is no "Best Novel" category. Even more, the only relevant result for "saturn award best novel" search is the article in question. It seems that Donaldson did not actually receive any Saturn awards. Penartur (talk) 14:41, 19 March 2011 (UTC)
 * It is worth mentioning that Saturn Award for The One Tree is also mentioned on Donaldson's official website. However, it seems that Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Novel is only mentioned in conjunction with The One Tree in the internet. Penartur (talk) 14:50, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

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External links modified (January 2018)
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