The Real Story: The Gap Into Conflict

i have had all five GAP books sitting on my shelf for a few years, awaiting the time when i could launch into them. i finally did. i sailed through book one in an evening, and thought "hmmmm, this is perty easy for a donaldson read!", having read the covenant and mirror books.... i should have known. donaldson was just hooking me with the start of his tale. having completed them all in three weeks, i just shake my head at this guy's amazing ability to weave a tale. as a lord of the rings fan from way back, i tend to compare writers with tolkein's brilliance at story telling. donaldson is right up there with tolkein. the bitchy reviews i have seen here about how "the real story" doesn't do this and isn't that, bla bla bla, is just lame tripe by reviewers who haven't had the ballz or time to slog through all five books. and a worthy slog it is. and no, they aren't 'five books' --- it is one book just broken up into five volumes, duh. and as far as the very "raw" stuff, get over it. he's not afraid for his characters to be real, fully human, warts and all. at least his use of the 'raw' isn't the gratuitous kind of junk that fills the tv screen your average evening. it is just one of the things that makes his books so compelling to read. i am delighted to see that donaldson is now in the process of adding three more books to the 'covenant' series.

This is the first of five books centering around three central characters, each balanced and very well developed (with serious weaknesses, as all of Donaldson's characters seem to have). At times, you might find yourself sympathizing for the antagonist, and feeling unsure of who you want to "root" for. While each book is separate on its own (and each has a prologue summarizing prior books, like Covenant), it is best treated as a single story. There is sexual content in the series that some may find offensive, especially in the first book. It definitely adds to the story, and the emotional ride Donaldson delivers. If you read the "Thomas Covenant" series, you know how his books sometimes make you feel like you were run over by a Mack-Truck, and this series will definitely do that to you - but there are highs as well as lows (compared to Covenant, which was mostly depressing to me). The story line of the series is fascinating - much like Strachzynski's "Babylon 5" series, the characters are greatly influenced by political events, maneuvered like pawns until they move in unexpected manners. The first book is a "quickie", more of an introduction to the series. As the series progresses, it becomes increasingly complicated (in a delicious way). It's not hard-core sci-fi, in that the technology is not the focus of the story - it could take place in submarines or pirate ships in the ocean almost as easily. I enjoyed this series a lot more than The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Another good read by Donaldson is his collection of short stories, "Daughter of the Regal", which I'd highly recommend.

Fair warning, this series is, at times, sadistic to both characters and readers as both are forced through some hideous trials whose endings are unforeseen. But, if you are able (like the characters) to be shaped by these trials you will find by the end a marvelous story rich in detail and insight. Many reviewers are put off by the starkness of this first novel, but as you read on you will find that each novel will in turn open up more and more of the universe to you, like looking at a small detail of a picture and then pulling back a bit at a time to see the whole thing. Starting with the first novella, a theme of never knowing the full story begins and with each book more of the truth, the story, and the universe are seen. It will take some time to get there but the final picture is well worth the intial investment of time. Bravo, Mr. Donaldson!

As many other readers have noted, this book starts slow, is a difficult read, and implies some racy deviations where the Moral Majority is concerned. However, one must Keep in mind that this story is set way forward in the future, and appears quite believable as a possible direction of our society in general. Like all good books with a complicated plot, one must take the time to learn the players in the story, and Donaldson has his hands full developing a believable plot around:1: a Technologically Superior Alien Race bent on Destroying the Human Race, 2: a female who is primarily the victim, but plays a key role in the conclusion of the story.3: a Weak Earth Government Ruling Class.4: a corrupt Space Faring Police Force.5: a Space Pirate Black Market Organization.6: and many more characters as the Gap Series Develops.My point being that; like most good books you have to carefully read your way through the first 25-50 pages or so before the story starts to Really Get Good! Well, this story is REALLY GOOD! However, in this case: "The Real Story"(the whole first book of the Gap Series) is that hypothetical first 25-50 pages. Do youself a favor... If you like Donaldson's story telling style, plan on reading the whole Gap Series, and don't expect anything more than an introduction out of "The Real Story". It is the BEGINNING of a truly great story and is well worth the time to read it.I am currently reading the Gap Series for the third time and am still surprised at almost every turn of the page. The depth of plotting and interweaving of all the key players is truly a work of art on Mr. Donaldson's part. He has OUTDONE himself this time!

Stephen R. Donaldson hooked me with the Covenant series, and when this book came out, I bought it because the blurb on the back intrigued me. The content is pretty strong stuff, and the book reads poorly as a stand alone. But, if one reads the rest of the Gap series, the events of the Real Story are explained, and the content more acceptable. The Gap series was one of the best pieces of fiction I have read. The most impressive thing about it was that each chapter was from a different person's perspective, skewing events previous covered in other chapters. It amazed me that Donaldson could keep it all sorted out. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes gritty sci-fi (Moorcock or Herbert, for example).