The Gradual Interview

[Rigel]

In French it would be "Ella-Mayna-Dean", no?

That's how I always thought it was, but people look at me funny when I say it that way.

[Lord Foul's Breath Mint]

Wow, after all these years, to find out I got it right!

[Barnetto]

(And how come no one objects to "Trevor"?)

Maybe it's because Lord Trevor just wasn't an important enough character to occupy readers' thoughts.
(Introducing Elena, Mhoram and Hyrim...and in the back, Trevor, Nigel and Henry on bongos...give them a hand!)
But SRD's point stands, all the same.

Well, if I'd gotten far enough in my rereading to come across Trevor when I asked the question, I would undoubtedly have objected to Trevor as well Marvellous comic imagery, Matrixman

[CovenantJr]

I objected to 'Lord Foul' when I first saw the title, but as I began reading I soon changed my mind. There's no reason that Foul would introduce himself by his real name to the people he intends to destroy - indeed, there's no reason to believe he even has a name. And if the people of the Land are going to label a malevolent force, they're not going to come up with a catchy, person-like name, hence 'Corruption', 'The Grey Slayer', 'Lord Foul', etc. It's one of the things that quickly sold me on Donaldson's attention to detail and focus on being convincing and realistic rather than just grandiose.

[Menolly]

2009 Kevin's Watch Awards (the Watchies) are underway!

As wayfriend is encouraging in the NOM-inate! It's Your Civic Duty! thread, it is time to make your nominations for the Watchies!

There are a lot of categories this year (48!), and we need at least two seconded nominations in each category for them to proceed on to the ballots. But don't feel overwhelmed; feel free to weigh in only in those categories you are comfortable with.

You can nominate or second the Best Question in the Gradual Interview even.

So head on over to the Watchy Awards forum and start nominating and/or seconding.

[Zenlunatic]

Zenlunatic, take a bow:

Michael from Santa Fe: OK, you're starting to scare me. As we all know it was discovered that Stephen Donaldson is an anagram for LAND NEEDS PHOTONS - thus giving us a clue on the direction of the Last Chronicles and the scourge of Kevin's Dirt. I decided to see how far you were going to push this, so I took the first letters of all the titles of the Last Chronicles: TROTEFRAATETLD and got:

LOFTED TARTRATE

My first thought was geez, the guy is even throwing his obscure words at us even through his anagrams! "LOFTED", of course, would refer to the fact that Kevin's Dirt has been lofted into the air. Looking up what tartrate is and I find out that it's: a salt or ester of tartaric acid. Tartaric acid turns out is one of the main acids found in wine! Excellent! Good job on this, I like the fact that Kevin's Dirt is composed of one of my favorite beverages. Perhaps I'll order a "Kevin's Dirt" next time I'm at a bar and see what I get. Other than thrown out. Keep hidin' the clues and we'll keep findin' them.

<sigh> Now why didn't *I* think of using an anagram-generator instead of trying so hard to come up with my own names?

(01/11/2010)

I would but I've had one too many "Kevin's Dirt"'s...hic...hic

[danlo]

HAHA! Good to see you around! Getting any snow up the road??

[Zenlunatic]

Had a few inches, it's all melting now, and some this afternoon, but just on and off, it's not accumulating though. Which I'm glad for...I'm ready for spring...

[StevieG]

Interesting...

Tim Koupe: Not sure if you're aware of this or not, but curiously, many of us see Hile Troy as a black man. Reviewing the text, there doesn't appear to be any description that overtly suggests this, yet roughly half of us (at the Watch) just assumed he was a black fella.

There are a few theories floating around, like a subconscious association to Geordi, from Star Trek, for obvious reasons.

Race, as opposed to culture, would seem to have little consequence to the Chronicles, but many of us just find it kind of fascinating how this character appears to our mind's eye, contrary to the rest of the cast. And we all seem to like him better that way.

And this, of course, leads to further discussion about how we associate characters to what we are familiar with. If an author does not imply any racial description in text, then are we predisposed to subconsciously visualize what we are immediately familiar with? (Not to be confused with preference)

Don't misunderstand. Race, on its face, just isn't that important and is about the least interesting thing about a person. However, the thought exercise on how we think and draw conclusions, given minimal information, can be somewhat compelling.

Your thoughts on this subject would be very interesting to me.

Anyway, just thought you might get a kick out of the whole Hile Troy thing, if you didn't already know...or did you pull something sneaky on us?


I really don't know what to say. In the vaguest possible terms, I have thought of the Haruchai as Asian; and the Ramen look like they might come from India. Occasionally I have imagined the Giants as black (possibly an effect of over-exposure to "Fantasy Bedtime Hour" <grin>). But Hile Troy...? Well, you surprise me.

Naturally the whole subject of how readers' imaginations are triggered is both fascinating and mysterious. I wish I could explain it. (If I understood it myself, I would be a whole lot better writer than I am now.) I know that things like diction, cadence, and imagery can have oblique effects--as can associations in the reader's mind, associations over which the writer has no control. But in the particular case of Hile Troy, I wonder....

Could it be that he seems black because he has no eyes--and so do the ur-viles (who are also--duh--black)? After all, the reader is introduced to the ur-viles rather vividly long before Troy appears in the story.

(02/04/2010)

[matrixman]

many of us see Hile Troy as a black man

Really?

There are a few theories floating around, like a subconscious association to Geordi, from Star Trek, for obvious reasons.

Never mind that "many of us" read the books far before Geordi Laforge was a twinkle in Roddenberry's eyes.

People are entitled to their opinions, but I don't like it when someone steps on a pedestal and presumes to speak for the KW membership.

[sindatur]

many of us see Hile Troy as a black man

Really?

There are a few theories floating around, like a subconscious association to Geordi, from Star Trek, for obvious reasons.

Never mind that "many of us" read the books far before Geordi Laforge was a twinkle in Roddenberry's eyes.

People are entitled to their opinions, but I don't like it when someone steps on a pedestal and presumes to speak for the KW membership.

Well, in the thread discussing it, it did appear that about half do really see Hile Troy as Black. I personally never did, and didn't reply in the thread, but, alot of the responders did say "wow, I always saw him as black as well". So, I don't really think Tim was out of line in using that information in a post to the GI.

[dlbpharmd]

Great Q&A:

Brian Brewer: Thanks so much for this interview, I wish more artists I admire could find the time to do this. Many of my questions have been answered through it. Thank you, btw, for a series which has meant the world to me and that has been a part of my life literally from boy (15 or 16) to man (47). I consider White Gold Wielder to be among the finest works of fiction I've ever read of any genre, and one that easily brought me to tears several times reading it.
My question: I remember that (forgive me if this is a misquote, I need to get another copy of Gilden-tree and it's been perhaps 25 years) that in GT you said something to the effect of that you had little patience for those to whom the fidelity of the Bloodguard and the fate of the Unhomed held no interest. But in your series the fidelity of the Haruchai seems to commonly be a great weakness, as much as it ever is a great strength. They seem to come to ill through it through their belief in its enduring nature, the inability of what they serve to be worthy of it, and it (I'm assuming) leads them many times to ruin. In the current tale it seems to have made them into oppressors. I'm just wondering if there is some aspect of it that you think initiates all this, like a shield will shatter due to its inflexible nature or something. Some inherent weakness in such a inflexible nature. Or is redemption a possibility for them, since it does seem to be their nature? I ask because the fidelty of the Haruchai means a great deal to me, and I ask in the name of the tears I wept when Saltheart Foamfollower said "I am the last of the Giants, I will give my life as I choose" before he waded into molten lava to give Covenant a fighting chance. Thanks again.

Hmm. As I see it, both the Giants and the Haruchai exemplify fidelity. As do the Ranyhyn and the Ramen. The issue, as Foamfollower almost said to Covenant in LFB, is, "What are you being faithful *to*?" The Haruchai, it seems to me, are faithful to an image of *themselves*--as were the Unhomed who perished in The Grieve. Foamfollower, in contrast, is faithful to--the Land? to life? to the struggle against Despite? This distinction, I think, is crucial. If the value of the fight lies in what you're fighting *for*, not in whether or not you can win, then Foamfollower's fidelity is of a fundamentally different kind than that of, say, the Masters.

So is redemption possible for the Masters? Look at Stave. His image of himself is effectively shattered in the horserite (TROTE)--yet there he stands, as faithful as ever. Only what he is being faithful *to* has changed.

Does that help?

(02/04/2010)

[wayfriend]

Who's Brian Brewer? Your question got a great answer. It's one of those ones that shifts all the pieces around in your mind and makes you think about everything anew.

[dlbpharmd]

mick walker: Mr Donaldson, im a Psychiatric Nurse and I find it strange that one of the first things you do in Runes is to destroy Kevins Watch! could this be a latent desire to destroy your fan site 'kevins watch?' you know the old saying 'we always hurt the ones we love' bet you dont answer this one

Tsk, tsk. How little you know me. I wrote the destruction of Kevin's Watch years before I knew that a website by that name even existed.

(02/06/2010)

[aliantha]

Oh sure. Nice try at a cover story, SRD.

[DirectorDios]

Is it my imagination or does Tom York seem to be just a tad bit sensitive and over-reactive to a few words on a page in a book of fiction? Dang!

[Vraith]

Is it my imagination or does Tom York seem to be just a tad bit sensitive and over-reactive to a few words on a page in a book of fiction? Dang!

Heh...yea, just a tad.
At least it wasn't a book burning though.

[Avatar]

Oh sure. Nice try at a cover story, SRD.

I gotta say, the destruction of the watch was one of those "punch to the stomach" moments that SRD often does so well. And to have it as an intro...

Damn...I think it's nearly time for a re-read.

--A

[Kaydene]

Is it my imagination or does Tom York seem to be just a tad bit sensitive and over-reactive to a few words on a page in a book of fiction? Dang!

Heh...yea, just a tad.
At least it wasn't a book burning though.

Tom York? As in Thom Yorke? I've missed something, I'm afraid.

[Menolly]

Is it my imagination or does Tom York seem to be just a tad bit sensitive and over-reactive to a few words on a page in a book of fiction? Dang!

Heh...yea, just a tad.
At least it wasn't a book burning though.

Tom York? As in Thom Yorke? I've missed something, I'm afraid.

No, I don't think so.
It was a new question and answer posted in the GI on the 16th...

Tom York: Been a huge fan since the early 80's, used the "you are the white gold" analogy to friends with low esteem countless times; encouraged friends to read the Thomas Covenant series.

How sad it was then to read on page 146 of "The Man Who Risked His Partner" the phrase "Mongoloid idiot". My 5 year old has Downs syndrome. All my SRD books are in the garage sale now. A huge loss to me. I hope
you reconsider this enormously painful choice of words, and the thought that spawned it.

-Tom york

****************************
I don't usually respond to messages like this one in public. But in this case, I feel constrained to ask: have you considered the possibility that I was simply ignorant? After all, I was much younger when I wrote that book. I've learned a lot in the intervening decades. In particular, I have a close friend with a Downs Syndrome son. He's educated me in ways that I could not have imagined on my own. Authors are human. Sometimes they make mistakes. And EVERYBODY is ignorant about SOMETHING.

(03/16/2010)

In SRD's defense, I must admit I do believe he has grown in regards to things like this. As the mother of a son on the autism spectrum, I was very hesitant to see what was coming in regards to Jeremiah after reading RotE, even though SRD himself has said over and over what is affecting Jeremiah is not autism. At the time, it just struck very close to home, and I will admit to initial apprehension, even though Beorn is not what is thought of as classically autistic. I can only imagine what a fan who is the parent of a classic autistic may have thought at the time.

But, I did trust him despite my apprehension. And so far, I am glad I did...