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Amazon.co.uk Review
Stephen Donaldson is best known for immense and doom-laden genre sagas, in particular his debut fantasy epic The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever and the SF "Gap" sequence. His first book of short stories Daughter of Regals (1984) was uneven--muddied by an early weakness for unwieldy language. Reave the Just is a far stronger collection, with five powerful pieces, two adequate ones and just one dud. Donaldson's fantasies show a scarifying intensity of moral concern and complication. The title character Reave works towards justice through deep pain, not least to himself. Elsewhere we find the agonies of a sympathetic and even pious vampire who's denied the easy option of feeding on animals; a Dark Lord who reasonably protests that his researches into black magic have harmed no one and shouldn't attract persecution from self-righteous White mages; an exploration of the peculiar honour of ninja-style warriors; and another wizard who helps a filthy idiot girl towards beauty and self-reliance for very bad reasons indeed. Effective and sometimes harrowing tales, clearly told: Donaldson has abandoned the oversized thesaurus he once relied on, and now writes with a quieter conviction that hits hard. --David Langford
Review
‘If there is any justice in the literary world, Donaldson will earn the right to stand shoulder to shoulder with Tolkien.’
Time Out
‘A writer of central significance as an author of demanding and exploratory fantasy.’
JOHN CLUTE
‘The most individual of the Tolkien successors.’
Guardian
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Most of these tales are engaging and focused, with a definite point to make. If the martial-arts one is rather laboured and contrived, and the vampire one excessively hand-wringing, still none are without interest, and unlike the "Daughter of Regals" collection each is different unto the next. The Reave tales in particular are forthright and challenging. Donaldson has never been one to tell a story just for the sake of it, and you come away from these stories with a clear impression that Something Has Been Said, usually about responsibility and moral courage.
Format:Paperback
This is a very good collection of short stories, all of them interesting and engaging, with the possible exception of the martial arts story. It's a better collection than Daughter of Regals in my opinion. However I think Donaldson produces better novels when he has a wider canvas and I would recommend the Gap and Mordants Need series ahead of this.
Format:Paperback
Stephen Donaldson has a reputation for an tortuous script and vast detail, in his well known fantasy and SF series. This collection of shorts, however, demonstrates a maturity not seen in 'Daughter of Regals' with a group of tight knotted and well written tales, each with a (sometimes rather obscure) message.
A must for fans and newcomers alike. Some of the tales are weaker than others, but certainly all capture the imagination, and every reader will have a favourite. For me it was the title story, Reave the Just.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent service, received quickly.
Excellent service, received quickly. Excellent service, received quickly. Excellent service, received quickly. Sorry for repeat. amazon insist on 20 words.
Published 9 months ago by mogwilover
Donaldson, as ever, produces a masterpiece
This collection of short stories is breathtaking in diversity, and yet they are all magnificent. The best is a story of a wronged vampire, which is a truly great short piece.
Published on 13 Sep 2000
Very enjoyable
After months of crawling through some really su-standard fantasy fiction, Stephen Donaldson's latest release is a return to some excellent reading. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 1999 by jason@gmedia.net
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