The Real Story - Stephen Donaldson

Do not buy this book because you liked the stories in previous works by Donaldson; buy it because you saw genius in both his fluid writing style and unusual imagination. Unlike previous works this novel is gritty, harsh, full of foul language, violent and contains copious X rated material. However, all of this ugliness is required to substantiate the characters and society that Donaldson has created. The Real Story is a masterpiece of irony. The one thing this book, which is the first of five volumes, does not provide, is the real story. It provides plenty of information on what takes place - but only hints at why. The author provides the surface ...  Read the complete review

I really liked the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, so don't get me wrong, its not the style I'm unhappy about, but this series is so full of what appears to be unremitting darkness that I found it just a bit hard to stomach! The writing styles good- Donaldson's usual flair for drama shows through still, the characterisation I did find a little empty in comparison to his previous novels though. The main character is quite well developed, deeply enough so you can empathize with the her feelings and strengths in the sheer hell she gets put through. This book may leave you asking the question- so why don't you like women very much Mr. ...  Read the complete review

The Real Story, by Stephen Donaldson, is the first book of the epic series known as the Gap Series, consisting of five books. The Real Story may at first appear to be quite a small book, being relatively thin. However, this does not spoil the depth or detail of the story at all. Not wanting to spoil the plot, The Real Story revolves around three main characters -a vicious pirate, a daring space captain, and a cop. The story of how their lives become interconnected is very compelling and interesting, with a very 'adult' writing style being used in some places. Because this is the first of five books, it as well as being a story in its ...  Read the complete review