Gradual Interview
(answers from April 2007, as of Apr 30 2026, 2:47:57 AM)
www.StephenRDonaldson.com
© 2004 by Stephen R.Donaldson

greg

Love your work!....Is "health sense" an idea you imagined; or does it relate to your own experience.I know that,for me,the intensity and quality of impressions of the outside world is determined by how conscious I am...i:e less conscious-dull impressions; more conscious-vivid impressions carrying much information.Particularly in relation to the natural world.A great annalogy is the difference between the percipience of "health sense" and the effect of "Kevins dirt". 

I suppose one could draw a parallel between health-sense and intuition.  Or between health-sense and “degree of awareness,” as you do.  But when I came up the original idea, I was simply trying to imagine the opposite of suffering from leprosy.  Leprosy kills nerves, produces numbness and often blindness:  ergo life in the Land should have the opposite quality.

Of course, the concept and uses of--and the emphasis upon--health-sense modulate as the story of the “Chronicles” develops through its various phases.  But the original notion felt to me more like an exercise in logic than a leap of imagination (or intuition).

(04/04/2007)

Charles W. Adams

Since everyone seems to be throwing their opinion around regarding the title change, I'll do the same, and add a question.

I found that I understood the new title better than the former title.  And frankly I agree with the higher powers that the new title will likely sell more books than the old.  That isn't to say I *like* the new title better than the old, I found the old title to be more mysterious (which I prefered).  But I can definitely agree with the opinion regarding "Against All Things Ending" and the relationship to volume of sales.

Now the question.  I know the passage from where "The Final Dark" comes.  I know from where "Should Pass Utterly" comes.  Is there a passage from where "Against All Things Ending" comes?  If so, can you describe where we can find it?

Thanks!

Hmm.  I suppose I should reiterate that my intended title for the last volume of “The Last Chronicles” is “The Last Dark,” not “The Final Dark”.  “Against All Things Ending” is not a quote from the “Chronicles”--or from any other source that I’m aware of.  At least not a *conscious* quote.  As I’ve often said, my unconscious mind “works in mysterious ways, its wonders to perform” (I think I’ve got *that* quote right <rueful smile>).

(04/04/2007)

Matthew Yenkala

Regarding the "Shall Pass Utterly"/"Should Pass Utterly" debate, if an author isn't allowed to misquote themselves, who is???

(As a side note, I shall leave aside the "bowel movement" angle, though if there are any doctors in that subject in your fan base, perhaps THEY could use the discarded title for THEIR book? I know, I know...bad...but not as bad as "Shall Pass UDDERLY"....)

Which brings to mind various alternative titles for “Lord Foul’s Bane”.  “Lord Bane’s Fowl” was actually used at a WorldCon masquerade.  I would have preferred “Lord Fane’s Bowel”.

(04/04/2007)

kevin

Mr.Donaldson, what classic poet would you compare your poetry too? im writing a paper for advanced placement english in which i have to compare a modern poet with a classic, and as your poetry is by far my favorite contemporary poetry, i thought that i would ask for your opinion. i would really appreciate it if you could get back to me somehow. thank you very much,
     Kevin

Good God!  I wouldn’t compare my poetry to *any* “classic poet”.  As far as I’m concerned, I don’t write poetry at all:  I write verse (which I consider a kind of middle ground between prose and poetry).  Oh, I like to think that occasionally--a line or two here, perhaps an entire stanza there--my verse rises to the level of poetry.  But I may be deluding myself.  I can’t read Hopkins, or Blake, or Yeats, or Meredith, or Donne, or (of course) Shakespeare, and still believe that *I* write poetry.

(04/04/2007)

Tom Lavoie

Hi Mr. Donaldson

Unbelievable-my birthday and the US release date of Fatal Revenant coincide:  October 9th (I'll be 49).  Since there is a 3 year delay between books, will it be possible to schedule the final two release dates for October 9th?<grin>

Thank you

Tom

Your wish is my command.

(And if you think that my publishers are listening to either of us, I have a nice bridge I’d like to sell you, only one previous owner who only drove it on weekends….  <grin>)

(04/04/2007)

Robert Montgomery

One thing i missed while reading 'Runes of Earth' was the Woodhelven, i hope i spelled it right.  Why the focus on the haruchai and will the woodhelvenin be brought in during later books?  
thank you for your time

1) The Haruchai.  Please don’t take this the wrong way; but this is one of those situations where the answer can’t be explained unless it’s already obvious.  Why have I written so much about Giants?  Or about Ranyhyn?  Well, how could I not?

2) Woodhelvens and the Woodhelvennin.  This is a very different issue.  Wood doesn’t last the way stone does; the Sunbane was *very* destructive to life in any form that reproduces itself; and all of the old lore was lost as the Clave slowly corrupted the Council.  So who remains capable of growing or fashioning a Woodhelven?  After everything that’s happened, how could Woodhelvennin still exist?

(04/04/2007)

Brian Matthews

What are your happiest and funniest memories as a professional writer?

BTW, I like the new title Against All Things Ending.

I’ve been blessed with a number of extraordinary experiences.  Of course, I have to mention “Heatherly and Julie’s Fantasy Bedtime Hour,” my one true claim on immortality.  And years ago, at a variety of conventions, there was “The Real and Steve Show:  Despair and Whimsy in Fantasy” in its various avatars, the most hilarious of which was as a game show, “Whimsy, Despair, or Draw”.  (Incidentally, that’s Real Musgrave the incomparable artist, for those of you who are foolhardy enough to admit that you don’t know who “Real” is.  <grin>)  But I’ll concentrate on one ineffable moment at an sf/f convention mumblemumble years ago.

With three or four other writers, I was on a “liar’s panel” with Philip Jose Farmer.  The original idea, I suppose, was that we would make various statements about each other, and the audience would try to decide which statements were lies.  But since we all claimed that everything said about us was true, no matter how outrageous the assertion may have been, the panel quickly degenerated.

At one point, I was asked to tell a lie about Phil Farmer.  Well, I’ve never been very quick-witted in such situations, so I fell back on the familiar trick of stealing an old joke.  I said, “I’m sorry.  I simply can’t tell you any lies about Phil.  What I *can* do is tell you a little-known truth.  No matter what you may have heard, Philip Jose Farmer has never made love to any man, woman, or child…who wasn’t alive.  Or wasn’t *recently* alive.”  And without missing a beat (I swear I’m not making this up), Phil immediately reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out a thermometer, and said, “Yes!  That’s why I carry *this*!”

(For the record:  I have no idea why Phil carried a thermometer in his pocket in those days.  I can only assume that he was telling the truth.)

(04/04/2007)

Charles W. Adams

This is more of a business question.  Other than possible personal gratification or disappointment (hopefully not), do our pre-orders of Fatal Revenant have any impact for you?

P.S.  My order is placed :-)

The crucial point is this:  pre-orders from Amazon “count” for bestseller lists.  In fact, all pre-orders are included as “first-day sales”.  As I’ve explained elsewhere in this interview, being a “bestseller” measures the immediate speed with which a book sells, not the ultimate quantity of sales.  Therefore one might be inclined to consider ultimate quantity more important than immediate speed.  However, “bestsellerdom” has an undeniable perceptual power.  On an intangible level, a book which touches, say, #14 on the NY Times list is considered to be an entire order of magnitude more successful than a book which touches #16.  And on a tangible level, bookstores will stock more copies of bestsellers, and will stock those copies longer, than any book which does not achieve bestsellerdom.  The results are akin to a self-fulfilling prophecy.  The more copies a bookstore stocks, and the longer those copies are stocked, the greater the likelihood (duh) that some significant percentage of those copies will actually sell.  Which has a direct bearing on ultimate quantity.  In practice, being a bestseller tends to be self-perpetuating.  Sadly, *not* being a bestseller *also* tends to be self-perpetuating.  Hence the (otherwise irrational) emphasis that publishers--and reviewers--and bookstores--place on bestsellers.

When my agent first began trying to find a publisher for “The Runes of the Earth,” I was horrified to learn that most US publishers considered me a “has-been” simply because nothing that I’ve written since “White Gold Wielder” has been on the NY Times bestseller list.  Enough pre-orders for “Fatal Revenant” could give my professional career a real boost.

(04/04/2007)

Marc Dalesandro

Hello Mr. Donaldson,

I have another Raver question for you. I read with interest several of your replies to others regarding these three malicious beings. But one thing always puzzles me - why do they serve Lord Foul? In one of your recent answers, you imply Foul's natural ability to make others do what he wants, plus the Ravers' own similar outlook on the world, is part of the answer. 

Don't the Ravers, however, realize that once the Arch of Time is destroyed (Foul's ultimate aim), they themselves will either be destroyed or cast out into the void? I doubt the Creator would have a sympathetic attitude toward his great enemy's three main servants!

In other words, if Foul wins, their fun is over. Or do they think that far ahead?

Thanks again for all your writing and the GI.

I'm tempted to say that Bad Guys always have Henchmen, and the Henchmen never seem to have any particular *reason* for, well, henching.  But a better answer would be, What makes you think the Ravers have a choice?  Do you imagine that they have the power to defy Lord Foul's will (assuming that they want to)?  And an even better answer would be, What makes you think "their fun is over" if the Arch of Time falls?  Do you assume that the Creator is THE supreme being, and that he rules EVERYthing outside Time?  If so, why does Lord Foul want to escape at all?  Isn't he better off inside Time (where he can pretty much do what he wants) instead of outside Time (where the Creator can presumably squash him like a bug)?

It seems likely to me that the Ravers believe they'll be able to ride Lord Foul's coat-tails into godhood if/when the Arch falls.

(04/04/2007)

John

Mr. Donaldson,

Do you know of "The Signed Page", www.signedpage.com, and would you participate in something like that? 

I have no objection.  But I don't see the need.  Autographs are readily available on my web site.

(04/05/2007)

Brian, UK

I hope you're getting as excited about the release of Fatal Revenant as I am (or doesn't it affect you like that anymore)
You have said several times that you have difficulty in coming up with initial ideas for stories. In your education you must have been set assignments where you had to create a story from someone else's idea. Have you ever been tempted to do that using a pseudonym to earn some "easy" money - understandable since you need to earn a living like the rest of us. Or have you already done so (you aren't JK Rowling are you :-) - actually King Stephen would be more appropriate)
I have recently re-read the Narnia books for the first time since I was a child (I'm now 46) and was struck by how many influences there were for the TC books, particularly in The Silver Chair. Obviously there are earlier examples in literature which have influenced all writers. In Narnia when someone enters then returns they return to their original age. What would happen to a child summoned to the Land who returns after growing up in the Land? If this is a potential spoiler, please ignore and save it for the remaining books.

1) Yes, I'm very eager to see how "Fatal Revenant" will be received.  I gave it my all (to coin a phrase).  And I defy anyone to predict the "arc" of the story--or to fault the logic of the arc once it has been revealed.  (What, hubris?  Me?  Surely you jest!)  Plus it's always very gratifying to see my work appear as a book; a tangible object independent of my imagination (and typing).  Publication makes my work "real" in a whole new way.

2) If anything, I've always found other people's ideas even more difficult to work with than my own.  For a writer like me, there *are* no easy ways to make money.  An attempt at pseudonymous hack-work might well be arduous enough to kill me.

3) In "Covenant," preserving the physical continuity of the "real world" has always been an important dimension of what I'm trying to do.  Hence the difference in the rate at which time passes in the two worlds.  Hence also the fact that no one gets to *stay* in the Land without dying in the "real world" (although I suppose that some form of permanent coma might be a viable alternative).

(04/05/2007)

denny

Mr. Donaldson,

[heavily pruned with denny's permission]

Why were 'Gryphons' (Griffins ??) introduced to the Land via your pen ?  I always thought they felt a little out of place, these beasts from Greece (as it were), taken from a mythology that didn't really mesh well with the Land's rich fabric .. any comments or thoughts on Gryphons (a 'geeky' question I know, but a lot of the good stuff has already been covered hehe)

Actually, I agree with you--retrospectively.  By the time I was well into "The Second Chronicles," I had already begun to feel that "griffins" were a, well, let's call them a tactical error.  The rationalization, of course, is this:  if Covenant is dreaming, than anything he knows can serve as an antecedent or source for something in the Land.  But rationalizations don't matter when the results don't *feel* right.  And like you, I now find that griffins don't feel right for my story.  I look back on them as a failure of imagination.

Sadly, I don't have the option of correcting miscalculations which occurred that long ago.  So I'm going to fall back on the tried and true gambit of Blaming Someone Else.  <grin>  This is all Lester's fault.  He was my editor:  he should have been perceptive enough to realize that griffins didn't belong in the same company as ur-viles, Cavewights, and the like.

But seriously:  I just screwed up.

The interesting question is:  why don't Giants suffer from the same flaw?  After all, like griffins they arise from the mythologies of our world.  The answer, I think, is that I reinvented Giants thoroughly enough to make them fit, whereas I didn't reinvent griffins at all.

(04/05/2007)

Marian Sherwood

I've often wondered about how it came to be that you attended The College of Wooster. Today I read on the GI that you chose your college because it was the school your parents attended.  You also indicated it turned out to be a good choice for you.  How did it come to be that your parents enrolled there?  Have your children also picked small, selective, liberal arts colleges?  Did you intentionally influence their college choices?  If you could start over, would you still choose The College of Wooster for yourself?

Your books are far and away my favorites.  For many months, the GI has been wonderful lunchtime reading for me.  Thank you!

(Not that any of this is germane to the GI.  But I'm in an expansive mood....)

I don't know all of the reasons my parents chose Wooster.  (Proximity was certainly a factor in my mother's case.)  One was this:  in those days, Wooster was a Presbyterian college that offered many forms of financial aid for the children of preachers and missionaries--and both of my parents were both.

Fortunately Wooster was perfect for me (at least in part because the college had changed considerably since my parents attended).  If I had to do it over again, I would make exactly the same choice.

I pushed my children toward "small, selective, liberal arts colleges," but only because I believed that they would not thrive in large universities.  I did not push them toward The College of Wooster.  I've never felt the slightest desire to have my children follow in my footsteps.  I just want them to discover their true potential--and to be happy doing so.

(04/05/2007)

Marcus Huculak

First of all, thanks for making this gradual interview available--I've found answers here to questions I didn't even know I had.

My question pertains to translation; Have the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant ever been translated into Ukrainian, and if so--who is the publisher?  I'm currently studying the language, and I consider reading for pleasure an important part of the learning process.  My command and affection for the English language is in no small part due to a love of reading acquired at an early age.  (In fact, if this question is to be published, is there a link to a site listing the translations of your work and the publishers?  I'm aware that relatively few people will have an interest in Ukrainian, but may have the same question about another language)

I'm unaware of any translations into Ukrainian.  Or of any "centralized" source of information about which books have been translated into which languages.  For any author--or even for any publisher.  The web being what it is these days, I'd be surprised if such a source doesn't exist somewhere.  But if it does exist, I don't know how to find it.

(04/06/2007)

Susan

I cannot find any of the Thomas Covenant Chronicles in hardback and I was wondering if they were published in hardback.  My husband and I just love your books and they are the only ones my husband will read over and over.

Thank You,
Susan

As far as I know, there are no currently available hardcover editions of any of the "Chronicles".  You may want to try used booksellers, of which there are many good ones.

(04/06/2007)

Richard

This question has been hidden since it is listed in the following categories:

Spoilers - The Runes of the Earth

To include this question in the downloaded file, you must change your preferences in the Options screen.  Go to www.StephenRDonaldson.com, click on "from the author" and then "Options."  The question can also be viewed online.

(04/08/2007)

Perry Bell

Hello Stephen,
 I was wondering if, at a later time, will you be releasing any unpublished material like you did with Gilden Fire? I was hoping for the complete unpublished material you have to omit from the story so that your fans can see all the work together. I know I would be at the bookstore...LOL
Thanks again for a great story!
Perry Bell
Reno Nevada 

Ain’t gonna happen.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again.  Words, sentences, paragraphs, pages, even entire scenes end up in my wastebasket because that’s where they belong.  The story is *better* without them.  Oh, sure, editors sometimes push me to prune more than I want.  But that’s a misleading way to phrase the issue.  The real problem is that editors sometimes push me to prune *differently* than I want.  When that happens, I usually find some way to squirm away from what they want and accomplish what I want.

“Gilden-Fire” is/was a *very* specialized situation.  If I had known that that scene would be so widely publishing (in direct violation of my contract with its publisher), I would never have agreed to its publication at all.  It *belongs* in the wastebasket.  I dug it out, well, to gratify my ego, and because I honestly believed that no more than 1000 copies would ever be printed.

But leaving the the specific circumstances of “Gilden-Fire” aside:  I’ve never repeated the narrative mistakes which led to the existence of that scene.  As a result, there’s nothing comparable in my wastebasket.  The “complete unpublished material” of, say, “The Runes of the Earth” would have all the same scenes and characters of the published version; but it would have longer and less vivid descriptions, less convincing characters, less comprehensible dialogue, and much much MUCH more repetition.

*I* say:  everytime I rewrite, for whatever reason, you should count your blessings.

(04/08/2007)

Andrew A

If Hile Troy was from the "real" world, did he die there only a few days ago if he has been in the land for 5 years? Or is the passage of time different for each character who enters the Land from the "real" world?

Hile Troy has been discussed in some detail elsewhere in this interview.  If he had lived, the ratio of time between his "real" life and his life in the Land would have been the same as Covenant's.  But he died in the "real world" mere moments after he was summoned to the Land.  Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to stay in the Land after his summoner died.

(04/09/2007)

Pastor Theo Obrastoff

I have loved your world, the Land, and characters for many years.  I mean this with the utmost admiration, but as a writer who seems to harbor a certain animosity towards Christianity, I treasure you writings as some of the most Christian writings I have ever experienced. 

I think I understand the, well, let's call it the discrepancy to which you refer.  Certainly it's true that I "harbor a certain animosity towards Christianity."  But when I say that, I'm using the word "Christianity" in a rather specialized and even ideopathic sense.  First, I'm referring to the bureaucracy of any organized religion--and to the theological distortions which are inherent in any bureaucracy.  (In my view--just an opinion--bureaucracies are always about self-perpetuation, which means that they're always about authority and control, which means that they always misuse their putative beliefs.)  Second, I'm referring to the judgmental, abusive, and even murderous forms which organized religions often take when they practice evangelism.  (The attack on the World Trade Center was a form of evangelism.  So were the Crusades.)

As the son of Christian missionaries, I have Christianity "bred in the bone," as it were.  And I also have intimate experience with a number of the evils which are practiced in the name of Christianity.  This accounts, I think, for the discrepancy you've observed.

(04/11/2007)

Theo Obrastoff

Dear SRD,
Concerning the on-going question of whether or not "the Land" is really real (IMHO):

If the Land is only something in TC then it stopped having significance when he pased away, didn't it?

I mean, we can say that we care about the Land because we care about the character TC.

But if "the Land" has no reality either in of Itself or within a character we love--then where is the motivation to care about it at all?

Blah blah blah. =-) Your thots?

Gee.  Doesn't Linden Avery count at all?  Sure, you could argue that she "inherited" the Land from Covenant in one form or another (shared delusion or dream, tangible experience, whatever).  But she's still "real".  In every sense that matters, the Land becomes a reflection of her in the way that it is a reflection of Covenant.

(04/11/2007)

sonke johnsen

Your books are wonderful. I love how  the characters deal with problems they simply cannot fix (Covenant's leprosy, Linden's parents, Saltheart's dead kin, the lords' inability to defeat Foul). I could never match this interest in how we deal with the essential unfairnesses of life with that smiling, young face on the back of the older editions of the Covenant books. So first, did anything in particular lead you to think about these things? I always assumed it was your time in India, though I know that life can be unfair anywhere. Second, did you choose that picture? Thanks!

Yes, I chose that picture.  It was the only one I had handy, and I couldn't afford a professional photographer.  I can't help the fact that (until I hit my 40s) I was cursed with a face that looked decades younger than my actual years.  (10 years after I got my MA, people were still asking me, "Where do you go to high school?")

I've already said more than I probably should have about my years in India.  The short version:  I've always written about the things I know best, which are pain, abuse, alienation, and the quest for healing (or redemption).

(04/11/2007)

Tim Piper

I'm still amazed that the GI exists.  Your love of writing shows in how you deal with our letters.

I read the news about the movie rights for the GAP cycle.  While it's way too soon to start salivating, there are questions to ponder.

What aspects of the story would you consider critical, beyond the Morn-Angus-Nick triangle?

By critical, I mean damaging to the storyline, in a Frodo-picks-Gollum-over-Sam way.

A toast to a quiet October afternoon in 2013, curled up with The Last Dark.

If one were so inclined, one could break the entire story down into triangles:  Warden/Morn/Angus, Warden/Hashi/Min, Morn/Davies/Angus, Warden/Holt/Norna, Koina/Cleatus/Holt, Marc/Milos/Angus, Marc/Milos/Warden, Nick/Sorus/Angus, Mikka/Vector/Morn, Mikka/Sib/Nick, Mikka/Sib/Sorus, etc..  But I'm really not the right person to ask which of these characters or relationships is critical to a movie version of the story.  I wouldn't have put them in if I didn't think they were all critical.

However, I think I can safely say that the entire story will collapse without the Amnion.  <grin>

(04/12/2007)

Michael from Santa Fe

I was sitting thinking one day about all the clues we have for the direction that the Last Chronicles is taking us: Runes (some big clues there), this Interview, Fatal Revenant teaser trailer, the leaked FR synopsis, new Covenant 9 title, etc.  I was feeling kinda Harry Potterish and on a whim gave it a shot.  Well, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that:

STEPHENDONALDSON: Anagram for - LAND NEEDS PHOTONS

At first I was stymied by this, WHAT DID IT MEAN?!  Photons = Light particles.  And then it hit me! Of course, Kevin's Dirt is blocking the sun, so the Land needs it's photons back and the key to the Last Chronicles is deciphering Kevin's Dirt and removing it as the scurge it is, thus restoring the Lands great need for photons. I slept well that night.  I'm sure you'll want to post this is the spoilers section - wouldn't want to ruin it for everyone.

I'm in awe!  Now why didn't *I* think of that?  <grin>

(04/12/2007)

kamelda

I heard you mention something of Chesterton's on a program my husband watched (he bought me the books a few years back, and I've read through the first three. I wanted to shout at Covenant at the end 'it's not that easy!' - I don't think you can escape the question of belief or unbelief, or somehow win where those who don't escape the question stumble, by the exercise of a contextless individual will? But I love them very much despite the painfulness of them -and will reread them, and read them to my children). I was wondering if you'd read Chesterton's poem called "The Ballad of the White Horse" and if these lines from Books I & II (public domain) had any influence on Foamfollower's character and the end of the first trilogy?  (Though I assume Chesterton got the idea of 'causeless joy' as something peculiar to giants from something else you may have read.)

[I cut a substantial quote from Chesterton's poetry to save space]

In fact, I'd never read any of Chesterton's poetry until the lines you quoted; so "The Ballad of the White Horse" could not have had any influence on my Giants in general, or on Foamfollower in particular.

But I have to say that I don't think there's anything "easy" about Covenant's response to the belief/unbelief dilemma at the end of TPTP.  Simply holding mutually exclusive concepts in the mind simultaneously is (in my limited experience) very difficult:  affirming (or reconciling) both of those concepts requires a real confrontation with the abyss.  Judging by the Chesterton passage you quoted, he would have approved Tertullian's statement of faith:  Credo qua impossibila est ("I believe because it is impossible").  Covenant's position might be similarly phrased:  "I believe that it is vitally important even though I know that it doesn't exist."  Chesterton obviously didn't think that his faith was easy:  I don't think that Covenant's is.

Of course, "hard-headed materialists" scoff.  So, curiously, do "true believers".  Both are convinced that one has to, well, pick a side (preferrably theirs).  I choose to disagree.

(04/12/2007)

Marcus Huculak

Greetings,

My question is in reaction to a statement you've repeated several times in this Gradual Interview:  "Anyone who can be discouraged from being a writer, should be."  Do you really mean that as is, or merely that anyone who can be discouraged from being a -professional- writer should be?  I consider writing, like any other creative act, to be of immense benefit to the writer.  Although I'd never attempt to publish anything I write (Indeed, I'd be utterly MORTIFIED if anyone other than I read what I write), that is a consequence of a) my complete lack of technical ability, and b) the intensely personal nature of the writing in question.  ("The heart cherishes secrets not worth keeping," y'know)

Writing is an enabler of personal growth, even if the story is never finished.  (Mine seldom are--the act of creation is, in my estimation, a journey rather than a destination, so if I am in 'danger' of being unable to stop before reaching a conclusion, I'll often apply the "rm -rf projects/*" ending).

Alright, so maybe that's more of a mini-essay than a question, but I think it's important to underline the value of creation for its own sake, as opposed to creation in order to entertain others.  Not that there isn't validity to writing to entertain--I buy books to be entertained--but it's certainly not the only purpose to creativity.

You make a very good point.  And I agree with you completely.  In fact, I was speaking of "being a writer" in the public (published) rather than in the personal (creative) sense.  (A bit of sloppy communication on my part; the result, no doubt, of having spent dozens or even hundreds of hours talking to people who want to be published.)  I can say with perfect certainty that writing has been good/constructive/theraputic for me in ways that have absolutely nothing to do with being published.  Indeed, I believe that the single greatest benefit of being published (with enough success to live off the income) is that it enables me to commit myself to writing more completely than I could otherwise.

Saying that, I don't mean to under-state the value of having readers.  I treasure the validation of being read.  (You might want to consider it.  Foamfollower notwithstanding, exposing our deepest secrets to the light of day can have some unexpected rewards.)  But writing was good for me long before I ever had any readers; and it would still be good for me if I could no longer get published.

Thank you for posting your thoughts.

(04/12/2007)

damien kennedy     western queensland   australia

Steve,

I know you are a busy man, however this thing is bugging me.   The Haruchai communicate through some form of telepathy.  In 'The Runes of the Earth', Stave needs to travel from the Verge of Wandering to inform his kin of his discoveries.  How far can the Haruchai be apart from each other before distance disconnects them of their telepathic abilities?  I would also comment on Kevin's Dirt.   It applies to our world for me.

Thanks again Steve,

Damien Kennedy

I'm afraid that I can't give you a satisfactory answer.  I don't write the kind of fantasy that can be readily quantified.  (The top speed of a Ranyhyn is X mph.  A Giant like Foamfollower can lift Y pounds.  The Haruchai are Z strong compared to the Giants.  How many foot-pounds of force can Mhoram exert with his staff?)  Clearly there *is* a significant distance-limit to the mental communication of the Haruchai.  But what's their actual range?  A hundred yards?  A quarter of a mile?  A mile?  More?  I just don't think in those terms.  (Critics have pointed out--to my chagrin--that I also don't think effectively in those terms when I'm writing science fiction.  <sigh>)  (Incidentally, this is why I work from an explicit map when I'm working on the "Chronicles".  I *do* want the distances to make sense.)  But if you'd like a rough guestimate:  the mental range of the Haruchai is probably less than a stone's throw for a Giant.  (How's that for a non-answer?)

btw, your thoughts on Kevin's Dirt make sense to me.

(04/12/2007)

Stephen

A question about things-of-which-you-have-no-control (and possibly no-idea, but what the heck?  :-)

Why don't UK and US publishers publish on the same day?

Because publishers publish a whole bunch of books; and they already have prior commitments when they pick publication dates for almost any specific book.  Given the ease with which books can be purchased internationally these days, I'm sure that Gollancz *wanted* to release "Fatal Revenant" on the same day as Putnam's.  But sometimes publishers just don't have that option.

(04/12/2007)

Slim

Hopes of a Gap film? And you may be involved? The very thought makes me tingle all over! :) 

In that case, I despair for your sex life.  (Of course, I mean that in the *nicest* possible way.  <grin>)

(04/12/2007)

Scott

Regarding the Sandgorgon, Nom; after rending the raver and gaining the power to communicate, was Nom able to pass this along to other Sandgorgons?  I realize you may not be able or *willing* to answer at this time, so a couple of follow-up questions which might be safer.  
Sandgorgons are formed from the violent sand storms, therefore can we presume they are incapable of reproduction?  How does a Sandgorgon typically die (i.e. Is there a *possiblity* that Nom still exists)?  Hopefully these will escape the spoiler catagory.
Until next time, may the Land be your home and the Earthpower your strength. (I'd love to see a Prequel someday about the original Lords).

I'm sorry.  You're asking me to create details that I don't need for my story; and as I've said many times, I don't do that.  In addition, I think it's a plus that there are things we don't know about the world of the story.  For me, at least, this helps create the sensation that the world is bigger than the confines of the story.

But based on what you already know, you can safely make some assumptions.  Sandgorgons aren't really comparable to the Elohim.  And they weren't consciously made by magic (Demondim, ur-viles).  They were formed by storms--and storms eventually blow themselves out.  That's only natural.  So it seems reasonable to me that the specific energies which created individual Sandgorgons would eventually expend themselves.  Ergo individual Sandgorgons do perish, even if they aren't slain.

More than that I can't tell you.

(04/13/2007)

Michael from Santa Fe

I see in the "Appearances" section that you will be attending the World Fantasy Convention Nov. 1-4, 2007 in Saratoga Springs, NY.  This is shortly after the release of "Fatal Revenant".  When I went to the WFC web site for this year's convention (http://www.lastsfa.org/wfc2007/) I saw that the theme was:  

"Ghosts and Revenants: Memory, History and Folklore"

Coincidence?  I've never been to a WFC event, besides giving out awards, what else happens?  Also, I see that you actually won a WFC award for "Reave the Just" as best collection - congratulations, it is well deserved.  Poking around a little more I was surprised to see that the "First Chronicles" lost in 1978 to Fritz Leiber's "Our Lady of Darkness".  Hmmm...now, I will be honest and say I've never read "Our Lady of Darkness", actually never even heard of it, so I can't really pass judgement.  If I can find a copy I may just see what the judges were so impressed by.  Have you read it?  I would find it hard to believe that it is better than the "First Chronicles", but I guess that's just my opinion.  Or are these awards more like the Academy Awards where one's best work is sometimes not recognized and then an award is given later to "make up for it" (like Martin Scorsese this year).  Was 1978 Fritz's Scorsese year?

Coincidence.  The organizers of the WFC choose their themes years in advance, based on their own interests and locations.

The WFC is mainly a "professional" convention:  unlike most sf/f cons, it exists primarily for writers, artists, agents, editors, publishers, etc..  It has some "fan" programming (panels, readings, an art show), but mostly the pros spend their time wheeling and dealing, or just plain schmoozing.

The World Fantasy Awards have many similarities to the Academy Awards.  The year that Charles de Lint and I shared the award for "best collection," we were both being recognized more for a body of work than for a specific book.

(04/13/2007)

Drew (drew)

Hello.

I was wondering, are there any offical plans for a 30th anniversary cellebration of the First Chronicles?
Other than the release of the next book obvisously.
I was currious since there is a different publisher publishing the Final Chronicles...are they able to promote a 30th Anniversary, or would if have to be DelRey?

As far as I know, "Fatal Revenant" will be the only "celebration" of the 30th anniversary of the original "Chronicles".  But it's still way too early in the process for my publishers to have made decisions about things like that.  And the situation is complicated by the fact that "The Last Chronicles" has a different publisher (in both the US and the UK) than the first six books.  Del Rey and HarperCollins may feel that celebrating the first six books can only benefit Putnam's and Gollancz.  Or not.  Conversely, Putnam's and Gollancz may feel that celebrating their mere two "Covenant" books will primarily benefit Del Rey and HarperCollins.  Or not.  We'll all have to wait and see.

(04/13/2007)

Stephen Trimble

The Gap books have been optioned? That's great, right? I hope it means some remuneration for you.

For one thing, it means we can start speculating about a cast for the movie again, right? *grin*

Angus: Paul Giamatti
Nick: Christian Bale
Morn: Kirsten Dunst
Warden: Gary Oldman
Holt: Christopher Plummer

Have fun with it.  Personally, I can't see Paul Giamatti as Angus.  And I actively dislike Kirsten Dunst.  But Famke Jansen (sp?) as Sorus?  That works for me.

(04/13/2007)

Adam

I am a big fan and have read most everything you have written.  From this web site, I see that it appears unlikely that a Thomas Covenant movie will be made.  Perhaps it would be more feasible as a T.V. series?  I could see it on the Sci-Fi channel.  Has anyone considered that?

Also, has anyone considered making a video game based on Thomas Covenant?  I do not know if that is something that would please or displease you, or whether you still own the rights to a video game version of the Covenant characters.  Obviously, if one was made, it would sell better if it had the publicity associated with a movie, but it could still sell well.

Just curious.

The producers who wanted to make a "Covenant" film (or films) pursued every conceivable variation, including tv/cable movies/mini-series/series.  The Sci-Fi channel was among the dozens of companies that rejected the project.

"Covenant" games have been discussed off and on ever since the PC/internet revolution took hold.  As far as I know, no "authorized" games have ever been produced.  ("Authorized" by Del Rey/Ballantine, that is:  I don't hold those rights.)  However, I suspect that a number of "personal use" games have been created over the years.  Perhaps some still exist.

(04/13/2007)

Mickie Turner

I truly was not going to ask a question and I researched your previous comments regarding lack of progression in the Land.  Life for the people of the Land has changed but not developed.  There has been no Industrial Revolution in the Land.

[some pruning here to save space]   

In the past, the people of the Land had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the Land.  Stone or wood lore had to be learned, but the history of the events since the creator set the Arch of Time seemed almost to be a gift of Earthpower.  For the most part, only the Haruchai retain the knowledge and that knowledge is tainted by the Haurchai's disdain for the errors made by mortals and their inherent weaknesses.

This seems the ultimate in Despair!

I guess my question is whether the people of the Land have developed any compensations to the crippling loss of Earthpower and Lore?  

Do they till have a strong sense of community and their place within it or is Liand the only renegade Stonedownor who questions the arbitrary authority of the Masters and seeks to know more about life, the universe and everthing?  

   

I've been over this in one form or another.  I won't repeat what I've already said.

But I will observe that the Middle Ages in our "reality" lasted for a thousand years without any obvious forms of progress.  And if it weren't for various outside invaders, India might well have had 3000+ years of essentially static culture.  As far as I can tell (just spinning this off the top of my head), there are only two requirements for a society that tends to preclude progress.  1) Ordinary survival has to be significantly labor-intensive.  Without leisure (in other words, without more energy than they need to survive), people don't get creative very often.  2) There has to be some form of "authority" that actively seeks to promote the status quo.  In our history, that authority has usually been based on religion, or on some other version of a caste system.  But it's not hard to imagine other forms of authority (e.g. the Haruchai) that strive to achieve the same ends.

When those two requirements are satisfied, progress usually grinds to a halt.

Of course, people always have their compensations.  Some find numbness in endless labor.  Some find validation in the ruling authority (religion is especially good at this).  Some develop strength of community (at times, this has been carried to amazing extremes).  And some (the "renegades") get creative in spite of everything:  they think outside the boundaries of survival, community, and authority.

In a place the size of the Land, it is inconceivable that Liand is the only renegade.  (Stave is a renegade himself.)  But the story I'm trying to tell doesn't allow me the luxury of getting know very many of the Land's ordinary inhabitants.

Thus endeth today's lecture.  <rueful smile>

(04/13/2007)

Ed from Phoenix

Hello Steve,

[pruned to save space]

Of all the amazing things that great writers of epic stories accomplish, the ability to write solid, believable, internally consistent characters that are so different from one's own personality amazes me the most.  As a reader, I feel I can identify believable, consistent behavior from a personality type very different from my own, but if I were to try to write it over the course of an epic story?  You might as well serve me up a tossed amanibhavam salad now; I would be finished.  

I understand that your subconscious plays a big part in your inspiration for stories.  But what about the "nuts and bolts" dialog and interactions of characters that fill in the spaces between major plot points?  Do those character interactions, thoughts, words etc. flow seamlessly from that same story inspiration, or do you find yourself having to do a lot of conscious analyzing of what a character's proper actions/reactions should be based on who they are?  

I hope these questions make some sense and that I 'm not repeating an earlier question from the GI I just don't remember.

Look forward to October!

Thanks,

Ed

There are three things I want to say about this.

First, this is a version of the oft-repeated "How do you do what you do?" question.  And the answer is that I have no earthly idea.  If I could explain how talent works, or how imagination works, or how the unconscious mind works, I would be...well, a whole lot wiser than I am now.  <rueful smile>  This is one reason why I firmly believe that a human being is greater than the sum of his/her parts.  There appears to be something in all of us that has the potential to "go beyond," in one form or another.  And I've never heard a rational materialist explain this potential in a way that sounds rationally or materialistically convincing.

Second, I've been fascinated by human psychology my whole life.  I mean empirically rather than theoretically fascinated.  I've always wanted to know why specific people do what they do.  I've always wanted to know why *I* do what I do.  So I've been paying close attention for decades, looking for patterns and (for lack of better term) logic that I can understand.

Third, when I'm doing original writing (my first draft), I pretty much "feel" my way through the story.  I trust my instincts, my intution, my unconscious mind, and I just forge ahead.  But when I'm rewriting (second draft onward), I become very analytical.  That's when I try consciously to draw on everything I've ever learned.  And I've discovered that there's a kind of synergy between these two facets of my creative process.  The harder I work when I'm rewriting, the better my original writing later becomes.

If I could tell you more than that, I would.

(04/16/2007)

Michael

Mr. Donaldson,

I'm in a creative writing class and my professor is giving me hell over the distinction between literary/genre fiction. She's basically told us in no uncertain terms that genre fiction of any kind neither gets nor deserves serious appreciation by the academic community. This might not be so bad if she didn't seem bent on reinforcing this bias by foisting it onto the class. After looking at various short story competitions that have a "no genre fiction" rule, I'm quite upset. Did you encounter this bias when you were an undergraduate and if so, how did it affect your early years before you became established?

In Consternation and Fury,
Michael

The blind prejudice of people who put themselves forward as discerning intellectuals makes me crazy.  Any genuinely discerning intellectual knows two things:  1) the oldest and most enduring forms of literature on the planet are all fantasy; and 2) the only valid test of art is *time*.  Work that continues to speak endures.  Everything else slips away.  That's why we continue to read Shakespeare and Tolkien rather than, say, Galsworthy and Eric Segal (sp?).  In the meantime, to pre-judge work on any basis other than intelligence, skill, imagination, and emotional resonance is anti-intellectual folly.

While I was in college (mid-60s), Tolkien was dismissed as "adolescent wish-fulfillment".  Even respected sf writers at that time asserted that LOTR would be utterly forgotten in 10 years.  Classes on "the modern epic" *ended* with Tennyson.  Meanwhile I was required to study Bernard Malamud as an outstanding example of "literary fiction".  But I defy you to find a scholar today who is still studying Malamud.  In fact, I'll be astonished if you can find a Malamud book that's still in print.  Tolkien, in contrast, remains a vital part of modern literary life--and many scholars are hard at work on the subject.

I wrote "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" for many reasons, one of which was to find my own answer to the people who dismissed LOTR as adolescent wish-fulfillment.

(04/16/2007)

Perry Bell

Hello Stephen,
 The Haruchai remember everything. They have also witnessed the past and I am certain heard much concerning earthpower and the former lords use of it. Could Stave teach Linden anything concerning earthpower and the lords abilities (i.e. 7 words)?

Thanks for everything you do.
Perry Bell

Well, you have to keep in mind that the Haruchai didn't venture into the Land until sometime during Kevin's High Lordship.  That places a certain limit on what the Haruchai could have heard/witnessed--and understood.

And then there's that peculiar Haruchai pride (arrogance?), which places a different kind of limit on their recollections.  Did they ever bother to *listen* when the Lords exerted their lore?  That's an open question.

And then there's the general nature of magic in "The Chronicles".  No matter how power is evoked or deployed in practice, the ability to use it is a function of the identity/character/strength of its wielder.  Stave might conceivably be able to tell Linden some of the things that the Lords were able to do, but he couldn't teach her *how* they did those things.

And on a purely practical level, how do we know what forms of lore the Lords ever used within sight or hearing of the Haruchai?  We know that Kevin sent them out of harm's way before the final crisis of his war with the Despiser; but that's about all we know.  (Of course, the new Lords are a different issue.  But the knowlege available to them was only a small portion of Kevin's lore.)

In short, don't expect the author to pull any "deus ex machina" rabbits out of his hat--or out of Stave.  <grin>

(04/16/2007)

Ted

I never was clear on this point, but what ws the story behind Hile Troy?  Was he really from this world?  If so, why was it when TC called the DOD he got a negative response?  I humbly apologize if this question has been answered before, but I have truly searched as thoroughly as possible through the archives and can't find the answer.

It's important that Covenant is unable to confirm Hile Troy's existence as a "real" person.  (And why in the world would the DOD *ever* confirm that someone was a member of one of their secret think-tanks?  The Freedom of Information Act takes a long time to kick in.)  But it's a safe "working assumption" that Troy did indeed come from Covenant's world--as long as you don't try to draw too many conclusions from that assumption.

(04/16/2007)

Farm Ur-Ted

Stephen,

I just finished the Gap series, which I loved.  I've got two quick questions for you.

1.  Who do you think is the hottest babe in the series?  Be honest.  Personally, I really dug Lane Harbinger.  If the movies are ever made, I'm hoping Ally Sheedy gets the part.  I picture the character kind of like a grown-up version of Sheedy's character in The Breakfast Club.

2.  At the end of TDAGD, did Angus kill Holt?  Or did Angus give Holt a zone implant and make Holt become his personal butler?

Thanks and good health.

1) Well, as long as we're playing this game:  my personal vote goes to Koina Hannish.

2) Gee.  Are those my only choices?  How about selling Holt to the Amnion?  How about torturing him just for the hell of it? or to extract information that might not be contained in Holt's files?  Personally, I suspect that Angus has developed something of a revulsion for zone implants.

(04/16/2007)

dlbpharmd

In 2nd Chronicles, Linden's health sense surpasses the Land sight of the Haruchai, but in ROTE (and again in the cruelly truncated preview chapter of FR) the opposite is true.  Is there a reason for this difference?

The obstacles to health-sense have changed.  The Sunbane *fed* on Haruchai to a significant extent:  it was, in a manner of speaking, tuned to them.  And Lord Foul actively sought to make Linden as vulnerable as possible.  Kevin's Dirt is an entirely different form of hindrance:  it obscures rather than corrupts Earthpower.  Naturally Earthpowerful beings (the Haruchai, the Ranyhyn) "pierce the veil" more easily than ordinary humans can.

(04/18/2007)

Scott

Thank you for being so generous in both the GI and your "book" writings over the years.  I can not begin to sum up what your writing has meant to me.

My question:  When "Runes" came out, you had hand signed a thousand (?) copies that were eventually sold to the public; will you be doing the same for "Fatal"?  If so, how can an average member of the public get his/her hands on one?  I have heard/read comments from people that just found a signed copy in their bookstore.  Is it luck of the draw?  Can we (your loyal GI readers) request one that is signed by you(perhaps from the publisher)?  You do offer bookplates (very kind again), but I would really like to have a book hand signed by you (to go with my hand-signed Alan Paton "Cry the Beloved Country" in a place of honor in my home).

Do you even know anything about what happens to those books after they leave your hand?

Thanks in advance and eagerly awaiting all your future work.

Before "Runes" was published, I autographed closer to 7500 US "tip-in" sheets which were then bound into finished copies of the book.  (So just in case you were wondering:  no, my publisher did not send me 7500 *books* to sign.  They sent me 7500 pieces of paper.  The idea that I "hand signed" the actual books is something of an illusion.)  How these books were later distributed, I have no idea.  I can only hope that they weren't sent to the same cities I visited on my book tour(s).

Of course, when I *do* visit bookstores, I don't just autograph books for people who request that in person:  I also sign "store stock" so that the stores can continue to sell autographed copies after I leave.  Still, "luck of the draw" is as good an explanation as any.

At this stage in the publishing process, my publishers have hardly begun to think about how they want to market "Fatal Revenant".  I probably won't know for months whether they'll want to send me on the road--and/or to have me sign more tip-in sheets.

(04/18/2007)

Glenn Sisson

Dear Mr. Donaldson,
   I have always been amazed at the kind attentiveness you pay to your readers. I remember being astonished to receive two letters from you, back in the eighties, after I had written you. I was a teenager then; now an old geezer; forever a fan. I just began reading "The Runes of the Earth", and also, just visited your website for the first time. I'm delighted with what I've read so far;thrilled that there will be three more tomes in the Covenant saga.
    I'm also very intrigued by this GI feature. I just had a suspicion of a possible revelation, perhaps to occur in this saga. I know you can't reveal whether or not my thinking is way off, or dead-on, but, I present it anyway, for the sake of speculatory fun amongst my fellow fans, and perhaps to give you a chuckle:
   Imagine it turning out that, after all these books, and eons of Land-time, that, in some way, the "old man"(or "Creator"), IS, in fact...Thomas Covenant! I know. It's ludicrous. Just a crazy thought. Take care, sir, and thank you for an enormous amount of enjoyment you've given me!!

Hmm.  Sounds a bit "Harry Potter-ish" to me.  <grin>  Or, reaching a little further back in time, Alfred Bester-ish ("The Stars My Desination").

(04/18/2007)

John

Mr. Donaldson,

I really flubbed a question I asked which you answered regarding the website www.signedpage.com. 

Often, or at least sometimes, that web site offers not just editions of books signed by the author but by the cover artist as well. How possible would such a thing be for FR? I think it would be nice to own a copy signed by both you and the artist.

Thanks!

I really have no idea.  My publisher would have to decide that it's worth the cost to fly both of us to the location of The Signed Page, provide us with accomodations, and fly us home.  I don't know how--or even why--publishers make such decisions, so I can't predict what they'll do.

(04/19/2007)

Patrick

I think Giamatti would make a great Angus.  I see Gary Oldman as more of a Hashi Lebwohl, though...

And thank you for sharing all of your great stories!

This seems like as good a time as any to observe that you might have more fun discussing your ideas on kevinswatch.com.  My interest in the subject is pretty limited (although I must confess that I hope they can cast Jessica Alba in the movie as SOMEone <grin>).

(04/19/2007)

peter minister

why are you posting the first chapter of fatal revenant......this is unbearable. Im a starving man and you let me sniff the appetiser to a meal not served for six months. I do have a comment of sorts. After reading the chronicals many times over the years, one thing I notice is how my own personal perspective changes towards the characters and stories. Since having children of my own instances and elements in the book hit so hard on an emotional level that the books "keep on giving".

Personally, I dislike being a "tease."  But I've been receiving requests for years now.  And my editor(s) pushed me to do this--as well as to include a countdown.  (In fact, this web site wouldn't exist at all if my editors hadn't pushed me into it.)  To refuse to help my publishers market "Fatal Revenant" seems like a form of professional suicide.  So I decided to, well, grin and bear it.  I hope you can do the same.

(04/23/2007)

Ray

Is there a connection between the Descartes' Meditations and your writing process?? I won't give too much detail, because I'm sure you are familiar, but as I read through his 1st and 2nd Meditation I couldn't help but think of Covenant and Foul.

In fact, I haven't read the "Meditations"--or anything written by Descartes.  But his ideas have become part of our literary culture.  I must have encountered them through the filter of other writers. 

(04/23/2007)

jerry mcfarland

Not a question, just a cool picture that reminded me of THE ONE TREE

http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vp&pr=69868&b=vg2&st=0&la=808&ph=10&sid=13270&u=13270

I agree:  this *is* cool.

(04/23/2007)

Raymond Luxury Yacht

How was Kevin able to become so powerful and have so much personal lore and knowledge?  Later lords spent lifetimes trying to understand a small fraction of what he knew and was capable of doing.  Was Kevin basically a genius, or does the answer go deeper than that?  

Looking forward to the next book btw.  If I could only read one, I would pick yours over the new Erikson book, and that's saying a lot. 

In addition to what he learned on his own, Kevin inherited the accumulated lore of Loric and Damelon, both of whom added their own discoveries to what they inherited from Berek (who had his own distinctive sources of knowledge).  In addition, I think we can assume that other Lords from Berek's time to Kevin's made contributions to the Council's store of knowledge.  The mere fact that Kevin codified and then hid his lore doesn't imply that he acquired it all by himself.

(04/23/2007)

Vincent

I've been reading back over WGW to see if I might be able to gather an inkling of what you may have up your literary sleeve, and I have a guess to toss out:

-Nom didn't rend Sheol, it was possessed by him and, being that Nom was such an earth-powerful creature, Linden couldn't feel his presence. Sheol hid the fact that he was in control because, like all toadies, he yearned to overthrow his master, and didn't want Foul to get wind of his new power before he could figure out how to harness it.

So my guess is: The Scurge = Sheol

Do I get a signed copy of Fatal Revenant if I guess correctly? *hopeful grin*

Nice try.  I like to think that in theory anyone who wants to can estimate where this story is going, but that in practice no one can foresee how I intend to achieve my eventual aims.

I'm sure I'll hear about it if what I do along the way doesn't make sense.  <grin>

(04/26/2007)