Interview 10-7-07 Fantasy Series Evolves Along With Author

[danlo]

Oct. 7th 2007-by Craig W. Chrissinger for the Albuquerque Journal
(Runes and (marked) Fatal Revanant spoilers blacked out)

Looking at a character he's spent 35 years with, Corrales novelist Stephen R. Donaldson says Thomas Covenant embodies one of the major themes in fantasy--how people sometimes feel they don't fit in.

"People often feel like outsiders or aliens in their own lives, even though everyone around them is feeling much the same way," Donaldson, a major fantasy writer, said in a telephone interview. "The metaphors of magic and monsters allow us to talk directly about those parts of being human that don't seem to fit in. In 'The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant' I've been addressing those issues directly. My protaganist is a literal outsider who finds his way into this world of magic and monsters, and he struggles to emotionally fit in."

Thomas Covenant originally journeyed to the Land in 1977's 'Lord Fouls Bane' while suffering from leprosy and being quarantined. Covenant found that the Land's magical energy, known as "Earthpower," cured him physically and allowed him to engage with the Land's evil ruler in a mystical battle for the world's heart and soul.

At the end of 'White Gold Wielder,' the sixth "Chronicles" book, Thomas Covenant sacrificed his life for the Land. Thus when the author returned to Covenant's world in 2004's 'The Runes of the Earth,' the first book of the "Last Chronicles," the story was told through the eyes of Linden Avery, the woman who loved him.

Donaldson ended 'Runes' with a shocking cliffhanger for his readers--

Spoiler

the sudden return of Thomas Covenant.

"He reappeared for no explained reason," the novelist said. "So much of this eight book

'Fatal Revenant,'

Spoiler

deals with how and why this is possible, and what the implications are."

Mysteries have long interested Donaldson, who has written four over the years. So it's not surprising to find an enigmatic element making it's way into his fantasy series."Mystery novels were a big part of what I read as a kid." Donaldson said. "For the first time in the "Chronicles,"

Spoiler

I have more than one villian, and they don't all have the same agenda. Different destructive forces are trying to accomplish different things. Linden, her friends and Thomas have to find ways to juggle the puzzle of what all these villians are doing and when they're going to do it next."

Donaldson said his longtime readers have received the "Last Chronicles" very well, though they have noted differences in his approach to the tale after the 20-year gap between the Covenant books.

"Some of the storytelling methodology I used in 'The Runes of the Earth' is a bit different than anything I've used before," he noted. "Some of my readers have been perplexed about the different ways in which I'm organizing the story and providing backgrounds. As the story goes along people will see that if I hadn't written "Runes' the way I did, I wouldn't be able to write the subsequent books."

Another element of change. said Donaldson, is internal: His perspective and abilities have evolved. "I like to believe that my ability to see into the heart of the characters has improved over the years. I've also gotten better as a designer of stories, and as a person who knows what needs to happen and when, so that everything will fit together. When I go back and reread the early books, which I do to keep it fresh in my mind, I'm pleased with how they were actually written."

"Also, I want to know that what happens in a book matters enough that it changes the characters," he continued. "If the characters don't change, that means that what happened didn't really matter. That has struck me as being one of the drawbacks in book series. The writers tend to create different circumstances, but the character basically remains the same from book to book."

[dlbpharmd]

Thanks, Danlo.

[Baradakas]

Good stuff.

B