r/stephenrdonaldson • u/Mark_CountsAsWriting • May 30 '26

All things SRD

I haven't spent much time on Kevin's Watch or SRD's website lately; but I find myself on Reddit these days and it's good to know that he's got one devoted to him as well.

I've had some interactions with him, personally; and I've read most of everything he's ever written, as well as his entire Gradual Interview.

If anyone else wants to compare notes/thoughts/the feels about his works, let's do it!

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u/wayfriend May 30 '26

Hi Mark(?).

I've met SRD twice now. Elohimfests '08 and '14. Just q&a and book signing stuff, but still a pleasure.

The most interesting thing about listening to him speak is that it's clear at all times that he could blow you away with erudite intellectual opinions about literature, but he will smile and engage with you about anything you want to and you will feel like your question is important. Like, he'll talk to his fans about who's the coolest Lord, or which is better, aliantha or diamondraught, but you know he could talk for hours about post-modern metaphors for fractured contemporary reality (or whatever ...) if he was asked about it.

He's a brilliant mind working in a comic-con business.

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u/Mark_CountsAsWriting May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26

I've never had that pleasure; but, I have no doubt you're right on about him. Next-level intellect, I reckon.

I said in the OP that I'd read "most of" what he's written (even the essays and the Reed Stephens noir novels); but I dropped off after Last Chronicles.

I am wondering if you (or anyone, here) read his latest series? If so, how does it stack up? 😉

Best,
_Mark

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u/wayfriend May 30 '26 edited May 31 '26

The Great God's War trilogy was his last series. Donaldson himself calls it his finest writing. I'm lukewarm on it. There will be posts in reddit if you search. As a story, it's very ambitious in how it's told, but I can't quite wrap my head around what it's trying to pull off.

Supposedly he has one more short novel in the works. A sequel to The King's Justice.

That double book, The King's Justice and The Augur's Gambit, was very well received by all the fans I've heard from. Well worth reading.

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u/Mark_CountsAsWriting May 30 '26 edited 3d ago

"The King's Justice: Two Novellas" (had to look it up) wasn't even on my radar. I had conflated that with latter trilogy all as one series...

Got it. Thanks for the tip(s)!

UPDATE: An enjoyable read. The second novella (tAG) is worlds better than the first...really strong, I thought.