The Real Story: The Gap into Conflict
by Stephen R. Donaldson

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Book Reviews of The Real Story: The Gap into Conflict

Book Review: This is mature, character-driven science fiction.
Summary: 5 Stars

What I see in Donaldson's series is a story that utilizes the basic flaws in its central characters, lays them bare, and builds upon them to tell a story that does not rely upon the description of technology to get the message across. There are no noble, infallible captains ready to take the helm and save the universe. There are no transporters (the ultimate deus-ex-machina) with which to fashion the perfect solution. Every problem that arises is dealt with in a thoroghly human manner, not always (or often) with much success. We learn to accept the characters, flaws and all, for what they are, even when their actions make us cringe. For example, many reviewers note the sadistic treatment of Morn Hyland by the anti-hero Angus Thermopyle as a reason not to read the book. Granted this can be a bit unsettling. I even found myself hating Angus by the end of "The Real Story." But by the middle of the third book, I was strangely sympathetic, even felt compassion for this twisted rogue, forced to undure the remote whims of a power greater than himself, Hyland, and Succorso combined. It takes a collossal writer to make a character like Thermopyle sympathetic, but Donaldson does so admirably. The same can be said of the way he turns Nick Succorso from a hero icon into a selfish savage. This is indicative of the way Donaldson has mastered the art of character development. He honed it in the Thomas Covenant cycle (another brutal character who eventually becomes a hero,) and he has now polished it perfectly.

But I digress. I have to agree with those who say that the first book feels like a setup, like a mere prologue to a greater play. It is. The fact that it is so quickly read proves as much. It took me two and a half books to really sink into the story, but once I got there, I found the Gap series had taken its place on the top of my list of greatest sci-fi series, alongside Foundation and the Hyperion Cantos. I mention Hyperion as the another shining example of character-driven sci-fi. If you've read it, you should understand.

Properly reviewing this book, much less the series, in 1000 words is nearly impossible. Nevertheless- long story short: if you are a weekend sci-fi fan, more interested in the picture perfect futures and technology oriented epics of the Star Trek genre, stay away from the Gap. If you are a militant feminist, stay FAR away. If, however, you are a lover of character development, if you enjoy the theatre, and if you want a change of pace, you must read this series. And if you liked Dan Simmons' Hyperion, please, please, enter the Gap.

Summary of The Real Story: The Gap into Conflict

Through a strange turn of events, one particularly nasty perpetrator ends up with Morn as his companion--or at least that's the way it appears to the folks at the space station's bar. Why would a young, strong, beautiful police officer associate with a crusty, murdering pirate? People watch with interest as Morn appears to fall in lust with another racy illegal, Captain Nick Succorso. Morn and Nick must have plotted together to frame Angus and escape together, right? But the real story was quite different.

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