Stephen Donaldson was born in 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. From the age of three until he was sixteen he lived in India, where his father worked as an orthopaedic surgeon. He lives in New Mexico.

His first fantasy trilogy, 'The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever', was published in 1977 and rapidly became a classic, establishing Stephen Donaldson as one of the most important figures in modern fantasy. It was named Best Novel of the Year by the British Fantasy Society, and earned the author the John W. Campbell Award as best new writer. In 1980, his success continued with the publication of the first volume in his equally popular second trilogy, 'The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant'. His other bestselling work includes his first collection of short stories, 'Daughter of Regals', which has recently been reissued, and the two books in the bestselling Mordant's Need series, 'The Mirror of Her Dreams'and 'A Man Rides Through'.

His most recent work is the acclaimed Gap series, an epic five-volume science-fiction adventure that begins in 'The Real Story' and continues in 'Forbidden Knowledge', 'A Dark and Hungry God Arises', 'Chaos and Order' and, most recently, 'This Day All Gods Die', the latest in a long line of 'Sunday Times' top-ten bestsellers.

It was after hearing one of his father's speeches on leprosy that he conceived the character of Thomas Covenant. He has recently completed the bestselling 'Gap' series, a five-volume sf epic that has been hailed as 'the best work of his career'.