[TXT]∎ [PDF] Reave the Just and Other Tales Stephen R Donaldson 9780553580143 Books

Reave the Just and Other Tales Stephen R Donaldson 9780553580143 Books

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Reave the Just and Other Tales Stephen R Donaldson 9780553580143 Books

Stephen R. Donaldson is, in my opinion, certainly the greatest fantasy writer ever to set pen to paper. I feel a little guilty saying this, because of course I love Tolkien. But Donaldon's works are deeper, more moving, and - despite often being harsh and burtal in spots - more positive and optimistic. Where Tolkien revels in the glory days of the past, Donaldson looks to the future.
I enjoyed the short stories in Reave the Just because they are thematically and stylistically closest to his early works, mainly the Thomas Covenant books which I still think are by far his best. If you liked Covenant, these give you a sort of condensed shot of many of the things that make his earlier novels appealing. From the fool who falls in love with a lady and looks to the legendary Reave the Just to save him - only to find out that Reave's power is rather unusual and in the end he has to save himself; to the man who is cursed by a genie to have all the people close to him die horribly, this is classic Donaldson, but with a cleaner style honed by experience. I also liked the variety; the stories in this collection are not cookie-cutter fantasy but explorations of a variety of different themes and ideas, approached in different ways with real imagination.
Also worthy of note, what made the Gap and Covenant series hard to read for many people was not so much the violence, which could be frequent and graphic, but the rape - which was neither, but obviously could still be rather difficult to tackle. There is no sex of any kind in any of these stories, which should make them much more accessible. While I "enjoyed" his most recent Gap series, in many ways those books reached a level of brutality I can't deal with repeatedly. These stories have backed off to being more typical fantasy fare with the Donaldson trademarks of un-heroic, often disadvantaged characters trying somehow to come to terms with difficult situations or tortured existances. Aragorn son of Arathorn, heir to Elendil they most certainly are not.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit and highly reccomend it.


Tags : Reave the Just and Other Tales [Stephen R. Donaldson] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Stephen R. Donaldson's unique talents have placed his work alongside that of J.R.R. Tolkien and established him as a writer with the rare ability to expand readers' imaginations. Now he presents a magnificent new collection of eight stories and novellas-three of which have never before been published. This outstanding volume commences with the fablelike title story,Stephen R. Donaldson,Reave the Just and Other Tales,Spectra,0553580140,Fantasy - General,Fantasy fiction, American.,Fantasy fiction.,Short stories.,Fantasy,Fantasy - Short Stories (Single Author),Fantasy fiction,Fantasy fiction, American,Fiction,Fiction - Fantasy,Fiction Fantasy General,Fiction : Science Fiction - General,Science Fiction - General,Short stories

Reave the Just and Other Tales Stephen R Donaldson 9780553580143 Books Reviews

Make no mistake about it... Donaldson is a dark, dark writer. In this collection of eight short stories, he covers topics ranging from demonic possession to unjust imprisonment to soulless machinery. Some of these stories have been published before, mostly in other science fiction anthologies. Most of them are set in the realm of fantasy; only one can truly be called science fiction. Despite their dark and sometimes disturbing themes, I thought these stories were interesting. This may have been due, in part, to the fact that they were not each a full-length novel. Extended doom and gloom may have been too much, but in short bursts, I found Donaldson to be manageable.

Quite a few of these stories have an Arabian Nights-type of feeling to them. Many are set in Mid-Eastern or medieval styled countries. I especially enjoyed "The Djinn Who Watches Over the Accursed" and "Penance." Few of Donaldson's stories seem to have unqualified happy endings, but there is usually a lesson to be learned or a point to be made so the ending is usually appropriate, if not always the one the reader might wish for. Donaldson is definitely not the kind of writer who throws his main character into all sorts of trouble and then waves a magic wand to rescue him or her and make things completely better. Instead, there are issues to be worked through and flaws to be dealt with. The main character in Donaldson's tales generally walks away a different person from the individual s/he was initially.
I'm not usually huge into the fantasy/sci-fi genre, but in recent years I've been more open to reading recommendations from friends and family, hence how I chanced across this author and this particular book. Love it, having never read anything else from this author. Absolutely well written and engaging! Each story appealed to me and there wasn't one I disliked. "Penance" may be my favorite, though I also really appreciated "Reave the Just," "The Djinn Who Watches Over the Accursed," and "By Any Other Name." But like I said, all the stories were excellent. Very captivating. I finished this book very quickly relative to the nonfiction selections I typically am drawn toward. Definitely got my imaginative juices flowing. I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this author prior to a couple months ago.
Donaldson never fails to deliver. This is a collection of stories that aren't really connected by characters or events, but feel somewhat connected by story type and the way they are told. Each one is a gem. No one crafts heroes like Donaldson, and few authors have his insightfulness into the working of the worlds and characters they create.
Eight short stories from a master of modern fantasy. A few, such as "Reave the Just" and "The Djinn who Watches Over the Accursed," are up there with his best stuff. The rest are good but not great.
Stephen R. Donaldson is, in my opinion, certainly the greatest fantasy writer ever to set pen to paper. I feel a little guilty saying this, because of course I love Tolkien. But Donaldon's works are deeper, more moving, and - despite often being harsh and burtal in spots - more positive and optimistic. Where Tolkien revels in the glory days of the past, Donaldson looks to the future.
I enjoyed the short stories in Reave the Just because they are thematically and stylistically closest to his early works, mainly the Thomas Covenant books which I still think are by far his best. If you liked Covenant, these give you a sort of condensed shot of many of the things that make his earlier novels appealing. From the fool who falls in love with a lady and looks to the legendary Reave the Just to save him - only to find out that Reave's power is rather unusual and in the end he has to save himself; to the man who is cursed by a genie to have all the people close to him die horribly, this is classic Donaldson, but with a cleaner style honed by experience. I also liked the variety; the stories in this collection are not cookie-cutter fantasy but explorations of a variety of different themes and ideas, approached in different ways with real imagination.
Also worthy of note, what made the Gap and Covenant series hard to read for many people was not so much the violence, which could be frequent and graphic, but the rape - which was neither, but obviously could still be rather difficult to tackle. There is no sex of any kind in any of these stories, which should make them much more accessible. While I "enjoyed" his most recent Gap series, in many ways those books reached a level of brutality I can't deal with repeatedly. These stories have backed off to being more typical fantasy fare with the Donaldson trademarks of un-heroic, often disadvantaged characters trying somehow to come to terms with difficult situations or tortured existances. Aragorn son of Arathorn, heir to Elendil they most certainly are not.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit and highly reccomend it.