The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story (1990) (The Gap Cycle, #1) by Stephen R. Donaldson

I came into this one pretty free of any prior expectations, going only off of a set of solid recommendations from Redditors who praised the series as a well-written space opera. I was pleasantly surprised with a relatively straightforward story, propelled forward by Donaldson's strong prose and excellent characterization. After a few of the early chapters I peeked at the top reviews on Goodreads and was surprised to see that several reviewers indicated shock and disgust at where Donaldson went with the story.

I continued. It's true that Donaldson doesn't hold much back in his characterization of a sociopathic, sadistic protagonist whose qualities as a survivor don't come so much from innate intelligence as they do from instincts honed by years of survival via selfish cowardice. Angus is a weakling who happens to be good at surviving and when handed power he uses it without conscience. This is certainly not a book for children. Or teenagers. Or even adults with sensitive stomachs. I was glad to have steeled myself beforehand.

I've seen some claims of misogyny targeted at the character of Angus Thermopyle but I tend not to agree with them. Angus strikes me as more of a sadist; an insecure, weak man who assures himself of his own superiority by hurting and humiliating his adversaries... And anyone else unfortunate enough to find themselves in his way. That the particular person this barrage of misery happens to fall upon is female seems inconsequential. Angus doesn't hate her because of her gender, he simply uses her gender as an opportunity to inflict more pain upon her. In this case it seems the severe physical and sexual abuse depicted in the novel is more about the offender than the victim. Angus, though obviously a reprehensible human being, is not less interesting to read for all his despicable actions in The Real Story. I imagine my fascination with his character is not unlike those who can't get enough of the numerous works written examining the psychology of a Manson or a Dahmer, or a Hitler or Pol Pot.

This could be a difficult read for those not well-briefed on what type of book they're about to read. There are no bright lights at the end of this tunnel, but there is excellent writing and a superbly interesting character study if that's your type of thing.

I found it well worth the read, if a bit lacking in meat. At just over 200 pages this felt more like a novella (which I later learned it actually is), and though I enjoyed it, I felt a bit disappointed that there wasn't more to chew on. I came into this expecting a space opera but was pleasantly surprised at the limited scope and more narrow focus. I look forward to continuing the series just to see where Donaldson takes these characters. There's real potential for some great growth and development.

Further note: I've since learned that there exist editions of this novella that are combined with the second book to form a single novel. If you can find it, go for that one.

⭐⭐⭐