The Real Story: The Gap into Conflict

The Gap Cycle, Book 1

By: Stephen R. Donaldson

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's Summary

Author of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, one of the most acclaimed fantasy series of all time, master storyteller Stephen R. Donaldson returns with this exciting and long-awaited new series that takes us into a stunningly imagined future to tell a timeless story of adventure and the implacable conflict of good and evil within each of us.

Angus Thermopyle was an ore pirate and a murderer; even the most disreputable asteroid pilots of Delta Sector stayed locked out of his way. Those who didn't ended up in the lockup - or dead. But when Thermopyle arrived at Mallory's Bar & Sleep with a gorgeous woman by his side, the regulars had to take notice. Her name was Morn Hyland, and she had been a police officer - until she met up with Thermopyle.

But one person in Mallorys Bar wasn't intimidated. Nick Succorso had his own reputation as a bold pirate and he had a sleek frigate fitted for deep space. Everyone knew that Thermopyle and Succorso were on a collision course. What nobody expected was how quickly it would be over - or how devastating victory would be. It was common enough example of rivalry and revenge - or so everyone thought. The REAL story was something entirely different.

In The Real Story, Stephen R. Donaldson takes us to a remarkably detailed world of faster-than-light travel, politics, betrayal, and a shadowy presence just outside our view to tell the fiercest, most profound story he has ever written.

©1991 Stephen R. Donaldson (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Your So Vain, You Probably Think This Book is

ABOUT YOU, DON'T YOU.
I'm not sure dark is the way to describe this. The whole book is just sad. Some woman must have dumped Donaldson pretty hard. He can't write music, so he wrote this.

There is nothing to like about any character in this book. It's not a flawed character typed book, it is everybody is evil type book. I have racked my brain trying to figure out why this book was even written. It has no redeemable value at all.

The only thing this book is good for is the style of Scott Brick. He fits it like a glove.

Unique concept for sci-fi; but a bit dramatic.

This is an interesting story: it goes beyond the common plots and ideas of sci-fi: alien race invades earth, or youth struggles to survive in a post apocalyptic dystopia, etc. He introduces three main characters and weaves them together in a deranged mixture of treachery, avarice and corruption that slowly changes over the course of the series: he teaches that appearances can be very, very deceiving.

Donaldson grabs you and then hurls you deeply into the twisted and damaged souls of his characters.

I love it...but it got to be just too much: too much angst, too much navel gazing, too much self recrimination; it almost became like a soap opera: a really deep soap opera, yes...but still....

Scott Brick did a great job at narrating; he captured the emotions so well, that I actually got tired just listening to two of the books...not bored by any means: just tired. I still would recommend the book for a sci fi lover: but if you have read the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, then you might know what I'm talking about.

The Real Story

I'll preface my review by saying I haven't read the rest of the series yet, but I'll be purchasing book two right after I submit this review.

This is a very raw and gritty story. It's not a pretty one either. If you've read Stephen R. Donaldson before, see Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, you'll know he doesn't shy away from uncomfortable topics. Rape, physical and mental torment, and questioning the grey area sanity are all things he exposes the reader to and this "short" novel contains them all.

You won't feel comfortable listening to portions of this book but I do think you will come to the same conclusion I have. If this book's quality is indicative of the series to come I think you're going to be in for a great ride.

Scott Brick's narration as always was great, no complaints there.

Author's conflict with women

Wow. The entire book is about sexual abuse of a lady police officer by a coward. Something seriously wrong with the author. Graphic descriptions of sexual abuse and assault is all over. Just because it happens in space, this is a sci-fi novel. Don't waste your credit on this garbage. Scott Brick as usual does a good job. But garbage is garbage even if it was read by Scott Brick.

Had to quit when I got to the rape

Any additional comments?

I loved the Thomas Covenant and the Mirror series. This one was written from the first person perspective. I really dislike that type of writing, but it was Donaldson and decided to stick to it, hoping that I would come to like it. Two and a half hours into the story and the main character starts talking about how he raped the woman he took captive. Raped and brutalized her to the point where (paraphrasing) "it took three days before she could start learning how to help him" - I had to quit at that point. I'm going to request my credit back because I simply will not support anyone who thinks that rape is an appropriate part of any non-fiction story. Donaldson did it in the first book of the Covenant series and I found it difficult then. To think that he does it in an even more brutal way and then portrays the woman as 'helping' later puts a spin on rape that is irresponsible at best and criminal at worst.

Annoying narrator, good characters, thin story

I am not a fan of narrator Scott Brick, he is melodramatic. Donaldson is perhaps over-enamored with his connection to Wagner, but the character development is satisfying as far as it goes. This series should perhaps be collapsed into three books instead of 5. This feels like a novella.

victimization is not entertainment

I couldn't finish this. I enjoy a lot of sci fi and loved his series that started withLord Fouls Bane when I read it in college but I have no time for this kind of extreme violence against women which was all the first few chapters were about. I guess I should have found out more about the story.

No likable character

I read the Thomas Covenant books when I was in high school and liked them then. I have always wanted to read this series too. Well, I don't know if I matured or this book just sucked. But I don't think I will read any more in this series.

All Tell, No Show

This felt like an essay. The viewpoint of the story is the authors, not the characters. The narrator was over dramatic and annoying.

Obscene and Vulgar

A very poor excuse for gratuitous sexual violence. Very little plot and way too much garbage- as if the author were living some sick fantasy through his characters - wholly without any redeeming value - just - YUCK