What order should I read Stephen R. Donaldson's books in?

Read each series in its own order: start The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant with Lord Foul's Bane, The Gap Cycle with The Real Story and Mick Axbrewder and Ginny Fistoulari with The Man Who Killed His Brother. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.

What is Stephen R. Donaldson's most famous book?

The Real Story (1991) is Stephen R. Donaldson's most widely read book.

Are Stephen R. Donaldson's books connected?

20 books belong to 4 series (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Gap Cycle, Mick Axbrewder and Ginny Fistoulari and Mordant's Need); the other 14 books stand alone.

Does Stephen R. Donaldson write under a pen name?

Yes: Stephen R. Donaldson has also published as Reed Stephens.

Stephen R. Donaldson books in order

Novelist

Born: 1947
Country: United States
Books: 34
Series: 4
Also writes as: Reed Stephens

Stephen R. Donaldson has published 28 novels, 1 novella, 1 short story collection and 4 other books, beginning with Lord Foul's Bane (1977). The 4 series include The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (9 books, starting with Lord Foul's Bane), The Gap Cycle (5 books, starting with The Real Story) and Mick Axbrewder and Ginny Fistoulari (4 books, starting with The Man Who Killed His Brother). The best-known is The Real Story (1991). The latest is Seventh Decimate (2017).

Updated September 2026

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant books in order (9)Series page

Reading order: 1 Lord Foul's Bane (1977) · 2 The Illearth War (1978) · 3 The Power That Preserves (1979) · 4 The Wounded Land (1980) · 5 The One Tree (1982) · 6 White Gold Wielder (1983) · 7 The Runes of the Earth (2004) · 8 Fatal Revenant (2007) · 10 The Last Dark (2013)

1.
Lord Foul's Bane (1977)
394 pages★ 4.3 (7 ratings)
Buy
2.
The Illearth War (1978)
479 pages★ 4.2 (5 ratings)
Buy
3.
The Power That Preserves (1979)
531 pages
Buy
4.
The Wounded Land (Jun 1980)
497 pages
Buy
5.
The One Tree (Apr 1982)
479 pages★ 3.5 (8 ratings)
Buy
6.
White Gold Wielder (Jan 1983)
497 pages★ 4.1 (7 ratings)
Buy
7.
The Runes of the Earth (Oct 2004)
532 pages★ 3.7 (6 ratings)
Buy
8.
Fatal Revenant (Oct 2007)
610 pages
Buy
10.
The Last Dark (Oct 2013)
592 pages
Buy

The Gap Cycle books in order (5)Series page

Reading order: 1 The Real Story (1991) · 2 Forbidden Knowledge (1991) · 3 A Dark and Hungry God Arises (1999) · 4 Chaos and Order (1994) · 5 This Day All Gods Die (1996)

1.
The Real Story (1991)
224 pages★ 3.5 (10 ratings)
Buy
2.
Forbidden Knowledge (1991)
445 pages★ 3.4 (5 ratings)
Buy
3.
A Dark and Hungry God Arises (1999)
518 pages★ 3.6 (5 ratings)
Buy
4.
Chaos and Order (1994)
684 pages★ 3.6 (5 ratings)
Buy
5.
This Day All Gods Die (1996)
626 pages
Buy

Mick Axbrewder and Ginny Fistoulari books in order (4)Series page

Reading order: 1 The Man Who Killed His Brother (1980) · 3 The Man Who Tried to Get Away (1990) · 4 The Man Who Fought Alone (2000) · The Man Who Risked His Partner (2003)

1.
The Man Who Killed His Brother (1980)
254 pages
Buy
3.
The Man Who Tried to Get Away (1990)
316 pages
Buy
4.
The Man Who Fought Alone (Nov 2000)
463 pages
Buy
The Man Who Risked His Partner (2003)
285 pages
Buy

Mordant's Need books in order (2)

Reading order: 1 The Mirror of Her Dreams (1986) · 2 A Man Rides Through (1987)

1.
The Mirror of Her Dreams (Aug 1986)
642 pages★ 2.8 (5 ratings)
Buy
2.
A Man Rides Through (Nov 1987)
661 pages★ 3.0 (5 ratings)
Buy

Where to start with Stephen R. Donaldson

Start here
The Real Story
Stephen R. Donaldson's most-read book and the first of the 5 The Gap Cycle books.
Newest
Seventh Decimate
Published 2017.

Standalone novels in order

The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (1980)
497 pages
Buy
The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (1983)
1002 pages
Buy
The Gap into Power (1992)
480 pages
Buy
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (1993)
1120 pages★ 3.7 (6 ratings)
Buy
Fatal Revenant Stephen Donaldson (2008)
Buy
Against All Things Ending (2010)
596 pages
Buy
The King's Justice (2015)
313 pages
Buy
Seventh Decimate (2017)
322 pages
Buy

Novellas in order

Daughter of Regals (1984)
365 pages
Buy

Short story collections in order

Reave the Just, and Other Tales (1999)
370 pages
Buy

Other books in order

Gilden-fire (1981)
96 pages
Buy
Lord's Foul Bane (1981)
Buy
Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (Boxed) (1983)
Buy
Killing God (2022)
Buy

About Stephen R. Donaldson

Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist, most famous for The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, his ten-novel fantasy series. His work is characterized by psychological complexity, conceptual abstractness, moral bleakness, and the use of an arcane vocabulary, and has attracted critical praise for its "imagination, vivid characterizations, and fast pace". Donaldson earned his bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster and a master's degree from Kent State University. He currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Stephen R. Donaldson FAQ

How many books has Stephen R. Donaldson written?: Stephen R. Donaldson has published 28 novels, 1 novella, 1 short story collection and 4 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
What order should I read Stephen R. Donaldson's books in?: Read each series in its own order: start The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant with Lord Foul's Bane, The Gap Cycle with The Real Story and Mick Axbrewder and Ginny Fistoulari with The Man Who Killed His Brother. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
What is Stephen R. Donaldson's latest book?: Seventh Decimate (2017).
What is Stephen R. Donaldson's most famous book?: The Real Story (1991) is Stephen R. Donaldson's most widely read book.
Are Stephen R. Donaldson's books connected?: 20 books belong to 4 series (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Gap Cycle, Mick Axbrewder and Ginny Fistoulari and Mordant's Need); the other 14 books stand alone.
Does Stephen R. Donaldson write under a pen name?: Yes: Stephen R. Donaldson has also published as Reed Stephens.