Phoenix Rising (Daughter of Regals - Stephen Donaldson)

Member Name: mattygroves10

Product:	Daughter of Regals - Stephen Donaldson
Date:	15/12/05 (212 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some truly gripping tales from a master of epic fantasy

Disadvantages: Some less than gripping tales. Donaldson struggled to write believable, likable women characters

Stephen R Donaldson is probably best known for his two main epic fantasy trilogies: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever and The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (which is nowhere near as good as the first three). He has started The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (one book of that has so far been published). He as also written a two book fantasy series (would that be a 'duolgy'?) collectively entitled Mordant's Need, AND a five volume space opera series collectively known as The Gap. So, clearly, Donaldson likes long and epic. (As an aside, I liked the first Covenant series, the Mordant series, but couldn't get into the Gap - the jeans don't fit boom boom).

However, Donaldson has also written a clutch of short stories, which vary in length from novella to vignette.

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Overview
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There are eight stories in this collection, all originally written, as Donaldson explains in his introduction to the collection, either in the spring and summer of 1977, between the two Covenant series, or in mid to late 1982, after the Second Chronicles were pretty much finished. He therefore truly had Covenant on the mind - remember, Covenant is epic - six volumes in total, creating an entire world, and a main character who is a leper. But I digress.

In the ***Introduction*** , Donaldson explains the genesis of the stories - generally a couple of sentences on each. He also discusses his love for short stories, and the difficulty he has writing them. I always like a bit of explanation in short story collections, but you won't miss much if you choose not to read it. Not everyone cares about why or how a story was written.

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"Daughter of Regals"
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At 86 pages in my copy of the collection, this is easily the longest of the eight stories - truly a novella rather than a short story. On the face of it, it is typical fantasy. There are Kings and Lords, politics and intrigue.

Plot Summary
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The story is written in the first person - the 'Daughter of Regals' herself, Chrysalis. She is approaching her 21st birthday, when she will be tested for Magic and Reality. In this world, "only the ancient Creatures were Real - the Cockatrice, Basilisk, and Gorgon, Phoenix, Wyvern and Banshee - only the Wood of the Ash...only the Fire...only the Wind...[and] the [Regals] who were somehow Creatures themselves..."

It appears Chrysalis will fail this test. Ultimately, if Chrysalis herself is not a Creature, she will likely be forcibly married in order to produce a Creature.

The novella therefore tracks the efforts of the three rulers, of Chrysalis and of the wizard Ryzel to achieve their own ends - to take over the Kingdoms, to pass the test, and to hold the Kingdoms together respectively. Who achieves his or her goal(s)?

Opinion
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There is quite a bit of early exposition to explain and set-up the world and its characters. This can get a bit tedious at times, since it is written in the first person.

Donaldson still hadn't, as of this novella, perfected the art of writing for, or in the voice of, women characters. He's not misogynistic, exactly. He's just struggling to understand how a strong woman might think and act. For example, he goes on regularly and at some length regarding Chrysalis's 'plainness', rather than out and out describing the woman. He suffers the same problem in the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, but improves for Mordant's Need.

On the plus side, the concept of Magic and Reality that Donaldson creates is imaginative and fun. Who wouldn't like to see a Phoenix rise? Chrysalis is a strong female character who grows and learns during the tale, and ultimately doesn't need to rely on anyone but herself (in fact, she discovers she cannot trust anyone else - due as much to her uncomfortable position rather than anything else). She 'solves' the mystery, she is the author of the resolution, when it comes. She knows things that even her Mage and mentor does not.

All in all, I'd give this novella a 7½ out of 10.

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"Mythological Beast"
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This is really an allegory. It is a very short, seemingly simple story about Norman, a worker in the library. He lives in a world where everything is safe and sane and controlled.

The story is written using short sentences and simple words - almost childlike. The theme, however, is anything but childlike. Although simple, and the 'moral' is also simple, everything is charged with meaning - even Norman's name (Norman/normal).

The Plot
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“Perfectly safe, perfectly sane Norman" doesn't stay either safe or sane for long. A lump appears on his forehead. His biomitter - a diagnostic device worn on his wrist which is designed to eliminate fear, worry and any other strong, disruptive emotion - reassures him "You are OK,", but he is clearly not OK.

And boy, does he change. The lump, which is clearly a horn, grows and grows. His feet turn into hooves...he is changing into something...

Opinion
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I like this story. The moral is a bit on the obvious side, but nevertheless, it works. And it works largely because of the language. It's simple, safe and sane. Implying, of course, that simple GOES with safe and sane - one cannot be complex, safe and sane all at the same time. Perhaps it is a bit trite, but effective all the same.

Again, I'd give this a 7 ½ out of 10 - maybe an 8, depending on my mood.

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"Animal Lover"
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At first sight, this story appears to be a re-working of "The Most Dangerous Game", where a hunter discovers himself to be the hunted. It isn't, exactly. Whilst a man is indeed the prey, the hunters are definitely not human. Given that this was originally published in 1978, it presages the concerns around at the moment regarding the genetic and mechanical manipulation of animals.

The Plot
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This is another story written in the first person. Sam Browne, our narrator, is a special agent (with some nifty robotic implants) who also happens to be an animal lover

Sam is sent to investigate Sharon's Point, a very exclusive and expensive hunting preserve. Why are so many people getting killed, and why won't the preserve release their bodies?

Opinion
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Another one I like quite a lot. Again, it suffers a bit from some initial exposition, to set up the social conditions of this future, but that is considerably shorter than in “Daughter of Regals". Having said that, the story is shorter than “Daughter of Regals".

Like many of Donaldson's stories, it has a 'point'. It teaches a 'lesson'. Again, though, it works. It's an exciting action/sf/adventure on the one hand, and the fable on the other. I found this one to be a real page-turner - the one I pick up for a quick, exciting read.

Verdict - 9 out of 10.

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"Unworthy of the Angel"
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As Donaldson himself admits, this story is more 'overt' than usual. It helps to remember that he grew up largely in India, where his father was either a missionary or an orthopaedic surgeon - I've read both. In any case, he does have a strong belief. Donaldson explains in the introduction, "'Unworthy of the Angel' was produced for Nine Visions, an anthology billed as 'religious fantasy.'"

However, this is a gripping story, both, I feel, for the religious and the secular. It isn't preachy, but it, again, does have a kind of moral.

Like many of his stories, it is told in the first person. But this one kind of has to be.

Opinion
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Another one I like (do you see a trend here). The themes are well executed, and the morality is apparent but not overbearing. This tale has one of the most interesting treatments of good vs evil I've seen in a short story.

Although the 'angel' idea of the title is treated in a somewhat Christian manner, it is not a story that would appeal only to Christians. After all, good versus evil is a pretty universal concept - even in fantasy.

Verdict - 8 ½ - 9 out of 10

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The Other Stories
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I haven't gone through all the stories in the collection - it would take too long to both write and read. The omitted stories are (with ratings):

"Gilden-Fire" - an outtake, as it were, from The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. Interesting if you've read the Chronicles, pointless and confusing if you haven't.
"The Lady In White" - 6 out of 10
"The Conqueror Worm" - 6 out of 10
"Ser Visal's Tale" - 8 ½ out of 10 - this is another of my favourites, with a vaguely Eastern fantasy setting - another story of good versus evil, but this time the witch is one of the good guys, and the High Templeman is the baddie (for his character, think Vorbus from Terry Pratchett's Small Gods.)

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Overall Opinion of the Collection
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I like it, mostly. The stories are thought provoking and exciting to read. Although Donaldson tends to get a bit too involved with exposition, and his female characters aren't drawn as well as his male, he writes imaginative, exciting and thoughtful stories. He is not limited to just the epic tale.

Verdict for the collection - 8 out of 10.

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If you liked this, try this...
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Unicorn Variations - Roger Zelazny (or any of his other collections - The Last Defender of Camelot is also good)
Reave the Just and Other Tales - Stephen R Donaldson

Summary: A superior collection of short stories from the author of the Thomas Covenant series