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mees462's review against another edition
The darkest and most inhuman actions, emotions and experiences of mankind are something writers seem to like to tackle. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell explored (among other things) the nature of oppression, torture and betrayal; what it takes to break a person. In many of his stories, Lovecraft explored insanity and forbidden knowledge mankind simply isn’t able to comprehend. Stephen Donaldson follows this slightly sadistic trend of making his characters do and experience horrible things in The Real Story. The first in a series of five novels called The Gap Cycle, it is a harrowing tale of science-fiction that is hard to read, but just as hard to put down.
Let me set the stage in a relatively spoiler-free manner (using mostly the book’s cover text and a few details I know having read the book): We have Angus Termopyle, a pirate and a killer; we have Morn Hyland, a policewoman; and we have Nick Succorso, another pirate with less of a horrid reputation than Angus. One day, Angus walks into a bar with Morn as his companion (in more ways than one), drawing more than a few confused looks. From this premise, a series of events is described that is hard to describe without giving away details of the plot you don’t want to know if you have any intention of reading the novel. Some of the worst and most disgusting examples of cruelty and injustice. And, admittedly, some absolutely great examples of characterization, word-building and plot-twists.
The characters and their development are the most shocking, but also the most impressive part of the story: Little by little you begin to understand them and their actions. You begin to see what drives them and what brings them to do what they do. It’s a clever and gradual process that left me quite astounded. Take Angus Termopyle, for example. He commits crimes that cross more lines than I’m going to name here, but by the end of the story you sort of understand how he became the monster that he is. And it’s like this for the other two main characters as well: By the end, it’s not hard to see how things came to be as they did. That's not to say they're redeemable or likeable, though. To quote my mother, who recommended the novel to me: “It’s a search for the ‘dark side’ of humanity.”
Another strong point of the novel is its world-building. Science-fiction is genre that’s easily botched, but Donaldson manages to portray a dark, not entirely unrealistic future of mankind quite skilfully. I’ll put down the basics here: Mankind has developed space-faring technologies. Miners gather resources across space. Pirates hinder this process. There is some kind of government present that is hinted to at least have some issues with corruption. To make things more interesting, FTL Travel (‘gap drive’) is a rather nasty thing that in one-tenth of the people using it unlocks a hidden ‘trigger’ in their brain, driving them , simply put, insane. To suppress this insanity, a tool called a ‘zone implant’ has been invented. It can suppress things like pain, and the insanity brought on by this so-called gap sickness. However, it can also reduce people to slaves. Therefore, they’re illegal unless people really need them. But how does one prove it was really needed? You probably get the point.
It’s hard to say more about The Real Story without heading into definite spoiler territory. Let’s keep it simple: The novel is most definitely worth reading. It’s a great story filled with great characters and an interesting world. Some incredibly dark events will need to be stomached, but thankfully the descriptions don’t go into too much detail in that area. Just don't read it if you're sensitive to the direct implications of sexual violence. It’s safe to say that Stephen Donaldson has written an interesting introduction to a series full of intrigue and darkness.
Let me set the stage in a relatively spoiler-free manner (using mostly the book’s cover text and a few details I know having read the book): We have Angus Termopyle, a pirate and a killer; we have Morn Hyland, a policewoman; and we have Nick Succorso, another pirate with less of a horrid reputation than Angus. One day, Angus walks into a bar with Morn as his companion (in more ways than one), drawing more than a few confused looks. From this premise, a series of events is described that is hard to describe without giving away details of the plot you don’t want to know if you have any intention of reading the novel. Some of the worst and most disgusting examples of cruelty and injustice. And, admittedly, some absolutely great examples of characterization, word-building and plot-twists.
The characters and their development are the most shocking, but also the most impressive part of the story: Little by little you begin to understand them and their actions. You begin to see what drives them and what brings them to do what they do. It’s a clever and gradual process that left me quite astounded. Take Angus Termopyle, for example. He commits crimes that cross more lines than I’m going to name here, but by the end of the story you sort of understand how he became the monster that he is. And it’s like this for the other two main characters as well: By the end, it’s not hard to see how things came to be as they did. That's not to say they're redeemable or likeable, though. To quote my mother, who recommended the novel to me: “It’s a search for the ‘dark side’ of humanity.”
Another strong point of the novel is its world-building. Science-fiction is genre that’s easily botched, but Donaldson manages to portray a dark, not entirely unrealistic future of mankind quite skilfully. I’ll put down the basics here: Mankind has developed space-faring technologies. Miners gather resources across space. Pirates hinder this process. There is some kind of government present that is hinted to at least have some issues with corruption. To make things more interesting, FTL Travel (‘gap drive’) is a rather nasty thing that in one-tenth of the people using it unlocks a hidden ‘trigger’ in their brain, driving them , simply put, insane. To suppress this insanity, a tool called a ‘zone implant’ has been invented. It can suppress things like pain, and the insanity brought on by this so-called gap sickness. However, it can also reduce people to slaves. Therefore, they’re illegal unless people really need them. But how does one prove it was really needed? You probably get the point.
It’s hard to say more about The Real Story without heading into definite spoiler territory. Let’s keep it simple: The novel is most definitely worth reading. It’s a great story filled with great characters and an interesting world. Some incredibly dark events will need to be stomached, but thankfully the descriptions don’t go into too much detail in that area. Just don't read it if you're sensitive to the direct implications of sexual violence. It’s safe to say that Stephen Donaldson has written an interesting introduction to a series full of intrigue and darkness.
kake's review
DNF: Got to the end of the Kindle sample and everything so far had consisted of rather cliched rape fantasy, which I don't find incredibly interesting.
ineffablebob's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The main character of this short book is an awful person who does terrible things, and very little happens in the book that's not focused on him. I've read the Covenant books, so I was expecting a somewhat awful protagonist, but I thought Angus was way worse. And I don't think that Donaldson gave him much in the way of redeeming qualities...I recognized some places where there was an attempt to do so but it didn't feel like he succeeded to me. If I thought it was all going to be like this, I'd not go on to read the rest of the Gap series, but I've been told otherwise so I'm going to give it a shot.
ewolf's review against another edition
1.0
Book was too full of rape, abuse, and narcissistic demented characters with the treatment and veiw of females as things to be own and controlled.
faeden's review against another edition
4.0
I read this 25-30 years ago. I didn't remember much about this book when I created my GR account, and rated it. What came to mind was that it was f***** up, and so incredibly well done that I'd been captivated, couldn't put it down, and kept picking up the next one. I shared some book covers this week on FB, including this one, which is what prompted my reread. Instead of reviewing this directly, I will just share what I wrote there.
May 5: This series has been on my mind a lot recently. I was so into it way back when I read it. I wonder what I'll think of it when I read it again. If I'm thinking about it as much as I have been, I'd better listen and read it soon.
May 8: It was so long ago when I read this that I remembered little about it. I certainly had forgotten how deeply abhorrent Angus Thermopyle was. I wonder, if I was first reading this, or even moreso, first reading Donaldson, today, would I continue, or would I abandon? I have to keep reminding myself that this first book is setting the stage for a greater story. The Gap is brutal, and not easy to read. I can say that as awful as this character is, I am engaged. This book is certainly not for everyone, or probably, even most people.
When I read the Thomas Covenant books, I was very close to abandoning Lord Foul's Bane (never abandoned at the time) because the main character was despicable, and I hated him. I learned from Donaldson that it is possible to write an excellent book with a hateful main character. Donaldson has an uncanny ability to write loathsome characters, and detestable behaviors, but also brings so much more to the table.
May 9: I finished rereading this, and as I wrote in my previous comment, was a little uncomfortable with the level of Angus's vileness, but very much engaged in the story.
Interestingly, there is an afterword by Donaldson that I don't recall from my long-ago reading. It was so intriguing that not only am I fully invested in rereading the rest of this series, this new perspective reshapes the atrocities of this book for me, but also, I've gained a strong curiosity regarding Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).
Just read that limited loan services are about to resume at some of the libraries, so I will order the opera in a couple of days.
May 5: This series has been on my mind a lot recently. I was so into it way back when I read it. I wonder what I'll think of it when I read it again. If I'm thinking about it as much as I have been, I'd better listen and read it soon.
May 8: It was so long ago when I read this that I remembered little about it. I certainly had forgotten how deeply abhorrent Angus Thermopyle was. I wonder, if I was first reading this, or even moreso, first reading Donaldson, today, would I continue, or would I abandon? I have to keep reminding myself that this first book is setting the stage for a greater story. The Gap is brutal, and not easy to read. I can say that as awful as this character is, I am engaged. This book is certainly not for everyone, or probably, even most people.
When I read the Thomas Covenant books, I was very close to abandoning Lord Foul's Bane (never abandoned at the time) because the main character was despicable, and I hated him. I learned from Donaldson that it is possible to write an excellent book with a hateful main character. Donaldson has an uncanny ability to write loathsome characters, and detestable behaviors, but also brings so much more to the table.
May 9: I finished rereading this, and as I wrote in my previous comment, was a little uncomfortable with the level of Angus's vileness, but very much engaged in the story.
Interestingly, there is an afterword by Donaldson that I don't recall from my long-ago reading. It was so intriguing that not only am I fully invested in rereading the rest of this series, this new perspective reshapes the atrocities of this book for me, but also, I've gained a strong curiosity regarding Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).
Just read that limited loan services are about to resume at some of the libraries, so I will order the opera in a couple of days.
czillla's review
4.0
This novel had a lot of mixed reviews, so I had low expectations going into it. That being said; I loved it! It's a short, simple story with a very focused plot that revolved around a few characters.
This was my first Stephen Donaldson novel and I was very impressed with his writing style. Direct, descriptive and just enough exposition to bring his wonderful story to life. I would like a little more description, however, from what I have heard the later novels in this series improves upon this. I will be reading the other Gap novels shortly!
This was my first Stephen Donaldson novel and I was very impressed with his writing style. Direct, descriptive and just enough exposition to bring his wonderful story to life. I would like a little more description, however, from what I have heard the later novels in this series improves upon this. I will be reading the other Gap novels shortly!
cproz's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zade's review
4.0
Donaldson can write like nobody's business and this excursion into space opera is no exception. It is fast-paced and intricately plotted. There are a few reasons, however, that I cannot give it five stars. First of all, the level of violence, particularly sexual violence, is off the charts. It's excruciating to read and there are scenes you wish you could scrub from your brain. This violence is not gratuitous--it is key to understanding the actions and thinking of the characters, but it is definitely disturbing and not at all for the sensitive. To his credit, Donaldson forces the reader to face the uncomfortable fact that human monsters are created, not born. The most despicable character in the book is also the saddest. Donaldson makes sure the reader can never settle comfortably into a bad guys vs. good guys mindset.
The second detractor of this book may actually be a plus for some readers. The book, hardly more than a novella, is merely the prelude for a much longer series of books. As tempting as it might be to skip this small introduction, you really must read it if you hope to understand what is happening in the second novel. Furthermore, in order to get the whole story, you must read all five books of the Gap Cycle. Each novel ends without any kind of resolution to the problems developed therein.
Having covered the negatives, let me make clear that Donaldson is a first-class world builder. Although his style is nothing like Herbert's, he has created a universe that is arguably as complex as that of the first three Dune novels. These books are easily fascinating enough to make you read each book in one (long) sitting, but if you do that, you'll have to go back and read them again because there's so much there.
I first read these books in the 1990s, when the last couple in the series first came out. They've stuck with me at least 20 years, in ways both positive and disturbing. I am rereading them now in anticipation of posting them on paperbackswap.
I rate books by whether or not I'm willing to give them space on my limited shelves. In terms of quality, the Gap Cycle merits a place. I won't be keeping my copies, though, because I don't want to risk my children picking them up.
The second detractor of this book may actually be a plus for some readers. The book, hardly more than a novella, is merely the prelude for a much longer series of books. As tempting as it might be to skip this small introduction, you really must read it if you hope to understand what is happening in the second novel. Furthermore, in order to get the whole story, you must read all five books of the Gap Cycle. Each novel ends without any kind of resolution to the problems developed therein.
Having covered the negatives, let me make clear that Donaldson is a first-class world builder. Although his style is nothing like Herbert's, he has created a universe that is arguably as complex as that of the first three Dune novels. These books are easily fascinating enough to make you read each book in one (long) sitting, but if you do that, you'll have to go back and read them again because there's so much there.
I first read these books in the 1990s, when the last couple in the series first came out. They've stuck with me at least 20 years, in ways both positive and disturbing. I am rereading them now in anticipation of posting them on paperbackswap.
I rate books by whether or not I'm willing to give them space on my limited shelves. In terms of quality, the Gap Cycle merits a place. I won't be keeping my copies, though, because I don't want to risk my children picking them up.
zombiemaster's review
4.0
I have always been a fan of Donaldson's Thomas Covenant fantasy books so I decided to delve into his Sci-fi works. I was not disappointed.
avadore's review
3.0
Not sure what to think of this series yet, I'm hooked I'm going to keep reading but there is a lot of stuff to be extremely troubled by. Sexual violence is something I really struggle to read but I am very into the world building going on and I am starting to get that desperate feeling of needing to know everything that is going to happen to a character that I experienced while reading Game of Thrones. Definitely going to read the next book but not sure whether I would recommend the series to anyone just yet.