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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shorter work from a master of the fantasy epic, April 22, 2000
Stephen R. Donaldson, probably best known for his fantasy epic "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever", delivers his second collection of shorter work in "Reave The Just And Other Tales". Although uneven in quality, there are a lot of goodies here for Donaldson fans.Apart from the duology "Mordant's Need", Donaldson's work is often serious in tone, dealing with moral/ethical questions. Likewise, the stories in this collection seem to focus mostly on themes like justice, sin and redemption. Donaldson likes to draw his moral dramas with broad strokes and wide settings. When using the shorter form, the intensity of the moral drama becomes so strong that the tales resemble parables rather than short stories. Specifically in "The Djinn Who Watches Over The Accursed" and in the title story, the protagonists resemble incarnations of ideas, not so much real people. Combined with Donaldson's formal, stately prose style, this often leads to a "processional pace and mood", to quote another reviewer. Favorite stories are "Penance", one of the most moving and psychologically insightful vampire stories I ever read, and "The Djinn Who Watches Over The Accursed", an interesting and fable-like meditation on being cursed. Other very strong entries: "The Kings of Tarshish Shall Bring Gifts" and "The Woman Who Loved Pigs". The only real clunker in this collection is "What Makes Us Human". It's the only science fiction story in this predominantly fantasy collection. Apart from that, the lighter style makes it seem a bit of a throw-away story. Not surprisingly, this is the oldest story in the collection. Over all, this is a strong collection. Donaldson, a master of the long form, demonstrates that he can condense his style effectively in shorter works.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not disappointed, June 30, 2000
I had not read a Donaldson book in years, but decided to buy this one after reading the author's preface.In the preface the author points out when he wrote the stories, mentions how a few of them were written during important times of his life, and even notes that at least one of them really isn'tthat good. I wanted to read for myself just how an author's craft influenced his own life, and perhaps wonder how his life influenced his written word. I was not disappointed. Some reviewers have moaned how the stories are slow or boring. Look elsewhere on Amazon and note how often that charge is leveled. I charge those reviewers with forgetting how to enjoy buildup, foreshadowing, and anticipation. Few others have mentioned The Woman Who Loved Pigs. I thought, at first, it was very slow, but then got caught up in wondering where it was all going. I grew more interested in it as I went along. Most reviewers probably think the payoff was the confrontation near the end of the story. That is not the payoff---that is the climax. The payoff, which is pure Donaldson, is at the very end, when he describes how things slowly returned to the way they were at the beginning. Some have charged That Which Makes Us Human as not being very good. Well, Donaldson himself beats you to the punch. Look in the preface. He practically admits it is not very good. I still liked the story. I liked how two people beat a beserker; I liked how they refused to surrender int he face of overwhelming odds. I especially liked how they turned back at the end. As the cover notes mention, these aren't action stories; these are human stories, tales about the power and might of the individual. If you want to race to/from work, race to/from vacation, and are hooked on fast-paced computer games, then this book is not for you. If you want to experience story-telling and the fine art of short stories, then this book IS for you.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
To My Mind Donaldson's Best Work Since Covenant, January 20, 2001
For those of you unfamiliar with Stephen Donaldson (and you should be), he is perhaps best known for "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant," written in the late 70' and early 80's, and widely regarded as a classic of fantasy fiction. Since then he has written "Mordant's Need," and "Daughter of Regals," both fantasy, the latter also a collection of short stories, though neither work possesses the strength or import of the earlier "Chronicles." His more recent work, the dark scifi quintet "Gap" series, remains problematic, and I found myself abandoning the series midway through due to a plot that seemed uncertain as to its heading and a bevy of essentially unsympathetic characters who were unable to capture either my interest or much sense of identification. I was therefore very pleased to read this collection of tales, as once again they amply display the author's talent at using fantasy as a means to explore larger and more existential issues, without the spiraling downward into depravity and cynicism that seemed to dominate the "Gap" series. This collection of stories is as much a literary effort as an expression of fantasy, the latter used as a backdrop to explore themes of morality and redemption common to all Donaldson's work, as well as what it means to be human. Many of these explorations take place at a metaphoric and symbolic level, demanding close attention and probably benefiting from more than one reading. Unlike the simple storytelling that dominates most fantasy, Donaldson's plots and characters more often than not serve as a vehicle to question and explore larger, at times less obvious issues regarding identity and personal responsibility, the crisis, when it comes, most often a confrontation that tests the character's acceptance or assumptions of his or her personal reality, rather than overcoming some dire or portentous obstacle so usual to most fantasy. These tales are quests of the self, the rewards most often ones of insight rather than treasure or ennobling conquests. For this reason it is doubtful that those seeking ordinary entertainment, the more common fare of swords and sorcery, will find this to their delight. Here Donaldson once again shows himself in mastery of both language and his prose. Except for the odd inclusion of the solitary science fiction entry, "What Makes Us Human," odd not only because of its differing format but also because of the relative weakness and direct simplicity of the tale, all eight stories or novellas included here use fantasy as the setting for meditations upon existence not normally expected in the genre. At times moral and perverse parables, the author displays his ability to stretch his style, "The Kings of Tarshish Shall Bring Gifts," unlike his usual, more formal approach, lyrical in a way entirely appropriate to the expression of his tale, a twist upon dreams and the nighttime stories of Scheherazade. "Reave the Just" seems the most typical and traditional, its setting and characters familiar to all who read fantasy, and yet the actions and instructions of its hero are well outside the realm of normal fantasy, driven by a message more contemporary than medieval. In "The Killing Stroke" borrows elements from oriental martial arts in a way at once familiar yet original to explore the nature of truth and self, and elsewhere the author blends and reworks vampirism in "Penance" to explore redemption. Without doubt my favorite tale in this collection is "The Woman Who Loved Pigs," capturing both the tone and admonishment of the traditional fairy tale, yet taking it places the Brothers Grimm have never gone. Even though many of Donaldson's characters are fatally flawed, even at the end they retain a very human if tarnished dignity. The author is to be applauded in these tales for taking fantasy where it rarely goes, and exploring themes well beyond the ordinary hero or quest attained. Along with Patricia McKillip, and maybe certain earlier authors such as Mervin Peake, I can think of no other author currently writing that so stimulates one's thoughts. Highly recommended and, without the unfortunate inclusion of "What Makes Us Human," easily one of the best collections of short stories fantasy has ever had published.
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