The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story (Gap #1) by Stephen R. Donaldson

[gilda_elise]

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 Mallorys Bar & Sleep with a gorgeous woman by his side, the regulars had to take notice. She was too beautiful, too obviously from a different class. Her name was Morn Hyland, and she had been a police officer—until she showed up with Thermopyle.

One person in Mallorys Bar wasn’t frightened. Nick Succorso had his own ship, a sleek frigate fitted for deep space. He had a reputation as a bold pirate, but not a bloodthirsty one. And he had the kind of charisma that made men follow him and women want him. Only the scars beneath his eyes—brutal knife cuts that darkened when his blood rose—indicated that he’d ever known defeat. You could almost feel the tension when he first saw Morn Hyland.

Everyone knew that Thermopyle and Succorso were on a collision course. What nobody expected was how quickly it would all be over—or how decisive the victory would be. It was common enough example of rivalry and revenge—or so everyone thought. But the real story was something entirely different…something none of them would have believed. Here is that story.

The concept is an interesting one, but one I had trouble getting into, as the author “tells” most of the story instead of “showing” it. The plot gets lost in the “and then this happened,” and “then he thought this,” and “then she thought that.” What little dialogue there is isn’t enough for me to be able to work up much interest in the characters.

And, god, the characters. Three of the weakest, low-lifes one can imagine. Even Morn, who is supposed to, I think, be the upstanding character of the story, comes across as whiny. Which, I suppose, is part of her victim status, but it makes it hard to have much sympathy for her.

Angus, on the other hand, is a fearful, self-pitying criminal who has so much emotional and mental baggage that he’s not much of a villain. And Nick, well, you don’t get to see much of Nick, which adds lop-sidedness to the books other flaws. The author does mention in the notes that the book did become more Angus’s story, which would have been okay if, written from Angus’s POV, we were “shown” more of his story, rather than being “told” it.

I’m going to give the second book a try, only because I have enjoyed Donaldson’s other books. We’ll see where it goes from there.





Mount TBR 2018 Book Links

Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.


1. ReDeus: Divine Tales
2. 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created
3. The Exodus Quest
4. Troy: Shield Of Thunder
5. Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph
6. Hyperion
7. Thin Air
8. Gods and Generals
9. White Seed
10. The Killer Angels
11. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
12. Troy: Fall of Kings
13. The Last Full Measure
14. Gwendy's Button Box
15. We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy
16. Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition
17. The Mists of Avalon
18. In The Shadow of FDR: From Harry Truman to Barack Obama
19. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
20. The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos #2)
21. The Lost Labyrinth
22. Autumn of the Black Snake: The Creation of the U.S. Army and the Invasion That Opened the West
23. A Brief History of Phoenix
24. Point of Contact
25. Gone for Soldiers: A Novel of the Mexican War
26. The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story

Comments

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I read crime a lot (though I'm not widely read in that genre) but I don't think I've even heard of this author let alone tried him, so thanks for the rec!

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

He's really a science fiction writer, who has dipped his toe into crime from time to time, mostly with his The Man Who Fought Alone, and its sequels. I found my way to him in the late 70's through his Thomas Covenant series. The Gap series is only nominally a crime series, being, I think, more in the science fiction genre. So far, it's his only work that I haven't loved.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I meant to reply and thank you yesterday for the further information. Thomas Convenant rings a bell.... maybe I've heard of him through you? Can't remember.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

You may have, though I haven't recced any of the series. Maybe when talking about the author, in general. Though, you know, after being so disappointed with this reread (I read the first three of the Gap series when they first came out,) I'm almost afraid to try rereading the Thomas Covenant series!