Best Selling Books by Stephen R. Donaldson

“Covenant is [Stephen R.] Donaldson''s genius!”—The Village Voice He called himself Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, because he dared not believe in this strange alternate world on which he suddenly found himself. Yet the Land tempted him. He had been sick; now he seemed better than ever before. Through no fault of his own, he had been outcast, unclean, a pariah. Now he was regarded as a reincarnation of the Land''s greatest hero—Berek Halfhand—armed with the mystic power of White Gold. That power alone could protect the Lords of the Land from the ancient evil of the Despiser, Lord Foul. Except that Covenant had no idea how to use that power. . . .

With The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Stephen R. Donaldson changed the face of fantasy fiction forever. In The Mirror of Her Dreams, the astonishing first novel in the two-volume Mordant’s Need series, Donaldson shows us a world of wondrous beauty and seductive illusion, where mirrors hold the deadliest of magics and nothing is what it seems. . . . The daughter of rich but neglectful parents, Terisa Morgan lives alone in a New York City apartment, a young woman who has grown to doubt her own existence. Surrounded by the flat reassurance of mirrors, she leads an unfulfilled life—until the night a strange man named Geraden comes crashing through one of her mirrors, on a quest to find a champion to save his kingdom of Mordant from a pervasive evil that threatens the land. Terisa is no champion. She wields neither magic nor power. And yet, much to her own surprise, when Geraden begs her to come back with him, she agrees. Now, in a culture where women are little more than the playthings of powerful men, in a castle honeycombed with secret passages and clever traps, in a kingdom threatened from without and within by enemies able to appear and vanish out of thin air, Terisa must become more than the pale reflection of a person. For the way back to Earth is closed to her. And the enemies of Mordant will stop at nothing to see her dead.

Running away from yourself never works. You''ll always catch up. "Donaldson, at his trademark best, fleshes out the characters to the max...and it''s all wrapped around a well-paced, cleverly-plotted mystery that will leave readers wanting more." --Charleston Post on The Man Who Killed His Brother Mick "Brew" Axbrewder was once a great P.I. That was before he accidentally shot and killed a cop--worse, a cop who happened to be his own brother. Then Mick''s partner, Ginny Fistoulari, blew off her own hand protecting him from a confrontation brought on by his alcoholism. Unsurprisingly, Mick and Ginny aren''t on great terms any more. Now, a week after an incident in which he was shot, barely back on his feet, Mick has agreed against his better judgement to join Ginny in providing security at a "murder mystery camp", where a dozen people stay in an isolated, snowbound lodge to play at being detectives. Then a real killer starts bumping people off, one by one... As ever, Stephen Donaldson shows why he''s regarded as one of America''s greatest storytellers, with a tale of human pain and human triumph in The Man Who Tried to Get Away. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

“The Thomas Covenant saga . . . will certainly find a place on the small list of true classics in its specialized field.”—The Washington Post Book World After scant days in his “real” world, Thomas Covenant finds himself again summoned to the Land. There, forty bitter years have passed, while Lord Foul, immortal enemy of the Land, moves to fulfill his prophecy of doom. The Council of Lords find their spells useless, now that Foul the Despiser holds the Illearth Stone, ancient source of evil power. At last High Lord Elena turns in desperation to Covenant and the legendary white gold magic of his ring. . . .

“The hottest fantasy writer since J.R.R. Tolkien!”—The Washington Post Thomas Covenant, accompanied by Linden Avery, begins his search for the One Tree aboard the giantship Starfare''s Gem. Armed with the knowledge given to him in Andelain by his trusted friend, the Forestal Hile Troy, Covenant was determined to succeed. He was the last hope for the salvation of the Land. Only he had the power to forge a new Staff of Law and return to the Land to stop the encroaching desecration of the Sunbane and the bloody sacrificial rites of the Clave. But fate decreed that the journey was to be long, arduous, and fraught with danger as Covenant and his companions are assailed by powerful forces whose sole purpose is to ensure the failure of their quest.

A new-cover reissue of the first book in the bestselling five-volume sf series created by the world-famous author of the Thomas Covenant chronicles -- and acclaimed as the ''best work of his career''. Crossing the Gap -- faster-than-light travel -- has become commonplace throughout explored space, and all of it is controlled by a single monolithic corporation, the United Mining Companies. At the farthest reaches of the UMC''s fiefdoms The Real Story unfolds. The story starts small, with a simple case of ore piracy, and focuses on three individuals: Angus Thermopyle, a pirate and murderer who will stop at nothing for personal gain; Morn Hyland, a brilliant young policewoman who has committed a horrifying act and who falls prey to Thermopyle; and Nick Succorso, a legendary star captain who may be the key to Morn''s salvation... or her worst nightmare. But The Real Story is not that simple. Through the lives of Angus, Morn and Nick, an entire world begins to unfold -- a world of politics and betrayal, extraordinary developments, and a shadowy alien presence that lies on the other side of the Gap.

Author of The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, one of the most acclaimed fantasy series of all time, master storyteller Stephen R. Donaldson retums with the second book in his long-awaited new science fiction series--a story about dark passions, perilous alliances, and dubious heroism set in a stunningly imagined future. Beautiful, brilliant, and dangerous, Morn Hyland is an ex-police officer for the United Mining Companies--and the target of two ruthless, powerful men. One is the charismatic ore-pirate Nick Succorso, who sees Morn as booty wrested from his vicious rival, Angus Thermopyle. thermopyle once made the mistake of underestimating Morn and now he''s about to pay the ultimate price. Both men think they can possess her, but Morn is no one''s trophy--and no one''s pawn. Meanwhile, withing the borders of Forbidden Space, wait the Amnioin, an alien race capable of horrific atrocities. The Amnion want something unspeakable from humanity--and they will go to unthinkable lengths to get it. In Forbidden Knowledge, Stephen R. Donaldson spins a galaxy-wide web of intrigue, deception, and betrayal that tightens with inexorable strength around characters and readers alike.

In The Mirror of Her Dreams, the dazzling first volume of Mordant’s Need, New York Times bestselling author Stephen R. Donaldson introduced us to the richly imagined world of Mordant, where mirrors are magical portals into places of beauty and terror. Now, with A Man Rides Through, Donaldson brings the story of Terisa Morgan to an unforgettable conclusion. . . . Aided by the powerful magic of Vagel, the evil Arch-Imager, the merciless armies are marching against the kingdom of Mordant. In its hour of greatest need, two unlikely champions emerge. One is Geraden, whose inability to master the simplest skills of Imagery has made him a laughingstock. The other is Terisa Morgan, transferred to Mordant from a Manhattan apartment by Geraden’s faulty magic. Together, Geraden and Terisa discover undreamed-of talents within themselves—talents that make them more than a match for any Imager . . . including Vagel himself. Unfortunately, those talents also mark them for death. Branded as traitors, they are forced to flee the castle for their lives. Now, all but defenseless in a war-torn countryside ravaged by the vilest horrors Imagery can spawn, Geraden and Terisa must put aside past failures and find the courage to embrace their powers—and their love—before Vagel can spring his final trap.

Deprived of all human contact and in a state of moral isolation, Thomas Covenant is transported to the mysterious, magical world known as the Land, where he becomes the tool of the Land''s immortal enemy, Lord Foul the Despiser.

Compelled step by step to actions whose consequences they could neither see nor prevent, Thomas Covenant and Linden Avery have fought for what they love in the magical reality known only as "the Land." Now they face their final crisis. Reunited after their separate struggles, they discover in each other their true power--and yet they cannot imagine how to stop the Worm of the World''s End from unmaking Time. Nevertheless they must resist the ruin of all things, giving their last strength in the service of the world''s continuance.

The New York Times bestselling author of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant presents a collection of stories and novellas spanning fourteen years, including dark fables and lush fairy tales, featuring legendary heroes, lowly beggars, and immortal beings.

White Gold Wielder: the stunning conclusion to Stephen Donaldson''s extraordinary fantasy saga Thomas Covenant realized that despite their awful failure on the Isle of The One Tree, there was no alternative but to return to the Land and fight. Mhoram had warned him: “. . . In the end, you must return to the Land.” After a long and arduous journey overland, the company reaches Revelstone. Following a fiery showdown with Gibbon Raver, Covenant discovers that he can come to terms with—and control—his awesome power. As he readies himself for the final showdown with Lord Foul, the Despiser, Thomas Covenant knows he has the answer at last.

The Gap series comes to a shattering climax in a cataclysmic showdown that will mean either the survival of all humankind . . . or its absorption and annihilation. Drifting in space, sabotaged by a crewman tainted with an alien mutagen, the starship Trumpet broadcasts to any ship in range the formula of the mutagen’s antidote—a drug the United Mining Companies has suppressed for its own sinister purposes. Aboard the crippled ship, the fugitives and survivors—Morn Hyland, an ex-UMCP cop, Angus Thermopyle, a newly freed cyborg, and unwilling saboteur Ciro Vasaczk—must make a desperate gamble. Pursued by the UMCP ship Punisher, threatened by the return of an Amnion combat vessel, they will hijack the police craft by any means necessary—and take it back to Earth.

"A trilogy of remarkable scope and sophistication."--Los Angeles Times Twice before Thomas Covenant had been summoned to the strange otherworld where magic worked. Twice before he had been forced to join with the Lords of Revelstone in their war against Lord Foul, the ancient enemy of the Land. Now he was back--to a Land ravaged by the armies of Lord Foul. The Lords were besieged and helpless. No place was safe, and Foul''s victory seemed certain. Only Covenant could avert it. Desperately and without hope, he set out to confront the might of the Enemy. Along with him traveled a Giant, a Bloodguard, and the madwoman he had wronged. And in Foul''s Creche, Lord Foul grew in power with each new defeat for the Land. . . .

''Comparable to Tolkien at his best'' WASHINGTON POSTReturning millions of readers to the Land and continuing the epic story of the anti-hero fated to be its saviour, THE SECOND CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT secured Stephen Donaldson''s reputation as a master of modern fantasy. Knowing that the fabled One Tree may hold the only means of breaking Lord Foul''s power, Thomas Covenant and Linden Avery embark on a perilous voyage to discover its location. On their journey, Covenant and Avery will explore new realms and meet new peoples. Even far from the Land, however, the grip of evil is strong and there are many who would see them fail. Soon, Covenant and Avery''s quest becomes a desperate fight for survival.

“Wounded Land is . . . a deeper, richer world than that presented in the previous volumes. . . . [Stephen R.] Donaldson is extending himself, creating a fuller, more mature world of imagination.”—Seattle Post-Intelligencer Four thousand years have passed since Covenant first freed the Land from the devastating grip of Lord Foul and his minions. The monstrous force of Evil has regained its power, once again warping the very fabric and balance of the Land. Armed with his stunning white gold, wild magic, Covenant must battle not only terrifying external forces but his own capacity for despair and devastation. His quest to save the Land from ultimate ruin is exciting and heroic as ever.

Recovering alcoholic Mick "Brew" Axbrewder mends from a gunshot wound that nearly killed him. His working partner Ginny seems to want little to do with him. Now Brew is trying to make his way back to self-respect. They''ve moved to the heartless city of Carner. At least Brew has work handling security for the city''s booming martial arts industry--a world with hidden stakes over which someone is willing to kill.

Stephen R. Donaldson is one of America''s acclaimed storytellers. But in the 1980s, he published three novels about private investigators Mick Axbrewder and Ginny Fistoulari, as paperback originals under the pseudonym "Reed Stephens." In 2001, Tor published a fourth novel about these characters, The Man Who Fought Alone, this time in hardcover under Donaldson''s own name. Now Donaldson has returned to the first three novels in the sequence, rewriting and expanding them. The Man Who Killed His Brother was the first, and The Man Who Risked His Partner is the second of the three. Mick "Brew" Axbrewder is a P.I. who''s seen better days. Deeply into alcoholism, some time back, he accidentally shot and killed a cop. Worse, the cop turned out to be his brother. Even worse, in a case not long after that, his partner Ginny Fistoulari blew off her own left hand, protecting him and others. Now Mick works mostly as hired muscle for Ginny. They don''t talk much. But their latest client''s story doesn''t add up. They''re going to have to start working better together. And Brew''s going to have to face some of his own worst fears. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

New York Times bestselling author Stephen R. Donaldson presents the first novel of the four-volume finale to the series that’s become a modern fantasy classic: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Thomas Covenant lost everything. Abandoned by his wife and child, sick and alone, he was transported while unconscious to a magical, dreamlike world called the Land. Convinced it was all a delusion, Covenant was christened The Unbeliever by the Land’s inhabitants—but gave his life to save this new-found world he came to regard as precious. Ten years after Covenant’s death, Linden Avery still mourns for her beloved companion. But a violent confrontation with Covenant’s son, who is doing the evil Lord Foul’s bidding, forces her into the Land, where a dark malevolence is about to unmake the laws of nature—and of life and death itself. It is here that she comes upon Esmer, son of the Dancers of the Sea, a creature of strange powers who draws Linden backwards through time to witness Thomas Covenant’s return to life, and to reinvent the mysterious, dangerous, and violent history of the Land.

A cause for celebration among Stephen R. Donaldson’s many fans: two original novellas—his first publication since finishing the Thomas Covenant series. In “The King’s Justice,” a stranger dressed in black arrives in the village of Settle’s Crossways, following the scent of a terrible crime. He even calls himself Black, though almost certainly that is not his name. The people of the village discover that they have a surprising urge to cooperate with this stranger, though the desire of inhabitants of quiet villages to cooperate with strangers is not common in their land, or most lands. But this gift will not save him as he discovers the nature of the evil concealed in Settle’s Crossways. The “Augur’s Gambit” is a daring plan created by Mayhew Gordian, Hieronomer to the Queen of Indemnie, a plan to save his Queen and his country. Gordian is a reader of entrails. In the bodies of chickens, lambs, piglets, and one stillborn infant he sees the same message: the island nation of Indemnie is doomed. But even in the face of certain destruction a man may fight, and the Hieronomer is utterly loyal to his beautiful Queen—and to her only daughter. The “Augur’s Gambit” is his mad attempt to save a kingdom.

Linden Avery returns to the Land in search of her kidnapped mentally ill son, whom she discovers fully healed and at the side of her believed-dead beloved, Thomas Covenant, leading an attack on Revelstone.

Desperate for help to find her adopted son, Jeremiah, Linden Avery has resurrected Thomas Covenant in a cataclysmic exertion of Earthpower and wild magic. But the consequences of her efforts are more terrible than she could have imagined. Sorcery on that scale has awakened the Worm of the World''s End: the ultimate end of all Time, and therefore of all life, has been set in motion. And on a more personal level, the results are no less extreme. The stress of reincarnation so many centuries after his death has fractured Covenant''s mind. He cannot tell Linden where to find her son. And his leprosy has renewed its grip on him, inexorably killing his nerves. The Ranyhyn had tried to warn her. Now, plunged to depths of desperation and despair for which she is entirely unprepared, Linden seeks radical responses to the dilemmas she has created. Searching for Jeremiah, and accompanied only by a few friends and allies - some of them unwilling - she takes chances that threaten her sanity, forcing her to confront the Land''s most fearsome secrets. Dreadful futures hinge on all of her choices, and she and her companions are driven beyond the limits of their endurance. Yet she still walks paths laid out for her by the Despiser, and his forces are ready . . .

A new-cover reissue of the fifth and final book in the bestselling sf series created by the world-famous author of the Thomas Covenant chronicles -- and acclaimed as the ''best work of his career''. One of the most exhilarating space epics ever told comes to a shattering climax in a thrilling tale of high adventure, powerful emotion and labyrinthine intrigue. As the conflict between humankind and the Amnion aliens heads for crisis, Morn Hyland, cyborg Angus Thermopyle and the survivors on board the crippled starship Trumpet must return from deep space to Earth. Only they can prevent the titanic struggle between UMCP director Warden Dios and Holt Fasner, the corrupt head of the UMC, from precipitating all-out war with the Amnion -- and leaving humanity to pay a terrible price. As Dios in Earth''s orbit and Morn in deep space both make far-reaching decisions, the Amnion act with swift fury, and suddenly Earth stands threatened with fiery destruction...

A short story collection from the New York Times bestselling author—available in trade paperback for the first time. “Donaldson proves that he is as adept at the short story as he is at the novel" (Denver Rocky Mountain News), in this superb collection. The famous outtake from The Illearth War, “Gilden-Fire,” headlines eight tales of mystics and unicorns, angels and kings—all written with the dazzling style and imagination that have made Stephen R. Donaldson one of the top fantasists of the day.

A new-cover reissue of the third book in the bestselling five-volume sf series created by the world-famous author of the Thomas Covenant chronicles -- and acclaimed as the ''best work of his career''. On a lonely planetoid in forbidden space, the players in a power game of mind-shattering proportions were heading for an explosive confrontation. After a terrifying encounter with the Amnion aliens, Nick Succorso had made for the safety of Thanatos Minor, the infamous bootleg shipyard where illegals from all over the galaxy came to repair their ships and indulge their exotic tastes in entertainment. But the Amnion were waiting, and for Nick, Morn Hyland and her force-grown son Davies, the safe haven would become a vision of hell. Meanwhile, Angus Thermopyle had been captured by the UMCP and turned into a deadly cyborg. Now, as the UMC controllers looked on from the sidelines, he was heading for Thanatos Minor, programmed to carry out a secret mission that could have nightmarish consequences for them all...

Author of "The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant," one of the most acclaimed fantasy series of all time, master storyteller Stephen R. Donaldson retums with this exciting and long-awaited new series that takes us into a stunningly imagined future to tell a timeless story of adventure and the implacable conflict of good and evil within each of us. Angus Thermopyle was an ore pirate and a murderer; even the most disreputable asteroid pilots of Delta Sector stayed locked out of his way. Those who didn''t ended up in the lockup--or dead. But when Thermopyle arrived at Mallory''s Bar & Sleep with a gorgeous woman by his side the regulars had to take notice. Her name was Morn Hyland, and she had been a police officer--until she met up with Thermopyle. But one person in Mallorys Bar wasn''t intimidated. Nick Succorso had his own reputation as a bold pirate and he had a sleek frigate fitted for deep space. Everyone knew that Thermopyle and Succorso were on a collision course. What nobody expected was how quickly it would be over--or how devastating victory would be. It was common enough example of rivalry and revenge--or so everyone thought. The REAL story was something entirely different. In "The Real Story," Stephen R. Donaldson takes us to a remarkably detailed world of faster-than-light travel, politics, betrayal, and a shadowy presence just outside our view to tell the fiercest, most profound story he has ever written. "From the Paperback edition."