Conference noted::sf

                Cool!

                (you can always change the name of a note you created)

                'Bout time for another Donaldson book.

                - Rob who has never read anything by S. King, but
                decided that book that's been rereleased with 350
                extra pages looks sort of neat and just saw the
                worst SF movie ever on TV the other night, "YOG:
                Monster from space".  -

                :')

    Re: .1
    
    You MUST be talking about THE STAND... a fantastic book either in the
    original form or in the extended version (I, myself, am in the middle
    of the new, extended version, but have read just about everything else
    by him INCLUDING the original "Stand")
    
    READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT !!!!!!!!
    
    K.C.

    
    Finally!
    
    I've been waiting for three years for a new Donaldson novel to come
    out, and conveniently enough have been shifting towards more Science
    Fiction during those three years also.  Does anyone know the U.S. release
    date?
    
    Joe

    
    Saw this in hardback last night. Read the first page and the Epilogue
    (which is basically an Author's Note) in the shop. From the first
    paragraph, I could tell I was reading Donaldson; I found myself
    smiling, almost laughing, in admiration of his distinctive writing
    style. But ...
    
    	This book is SHORT. The hardback edition was 170 odd pages,
    including the Author's Note, which in itself is not short. In his Note,
    Donaldson explains that The Real Story (which is the first book in his
    "The Gap into Conflict" series) began as a novella, but he decided to
    make it part of a series. I was disappointed that it was so short, not
    so much because I think long books are better than short ones (I
    don't), or because I don't like Donaldson's short stories (I do).
    
    	The thing I like most about Donaldson's books is that one can
    become completely involved in them. The longer the book, the more time
    you spend in his worlds. So I was hoping that this new series would
    start with a nice long book.
    
    	Hopefully it won't be long before he brings out the next one in the
    series. I haven't read _The Real Story_, and will probably wait for the
    paperback; $24.95 is too much to pay for a novella!!
    
    	Peter.
    

    
    	re. -1
    
    	 Did you find the hardcover edition in the U.S. ? If so can you
      tell me what the ISBN is, I have been searching for this book and 
      none of the bookstores in the Detroit area have it nor do they have
      any knowledge about it.
    
    			jim

> Did you find the hardcover edition in the U.S?

I just saw this book in The Pheasant Lane Mall last night.  Must have just
been released here.  I think it was listed for $18.95.

John Piekos

    
    	John,
    
    	  I checked over the weekend at Border's Books (one of the best book
     stores in the Detroit area) but was unable to locate it. I asked at
     their reference desk but they could not locate get on any of their new
     release lists (though they did find one that is to be released in
     Feb.). Next time you see the book could you get the ISBN number ?
    
    					Thanks,
    
    						Jim

> Next time you see the book could you get the ISBN number ?

Sure.  I plan on buying it sometime this week.  When I do, I'll post it.

John Piekos

ISBN 0-553-07173-4
The Real Story
By Stephen R. Donaldson

I've heard, but not seen, that the next book in this series is out already.
Anybody pick it up yet?  

John Piekos

    I'm not following this series, but I saw the second book 
    (hardcover) yesterday.  It is titled "Forbidden Knowledge", 
    and they were marketing it so that you could also buy the 
    hardcover first book for $6.00 if purchased as a set with 
    this one.
    
    I wonder if they have that many extras of the first book?  :)
    
    
      Scott

    	I was very disappointed with the "Gap". SD and the Covenant series
    was great so I had high expectations for his newest series. But even
    though I didn't care for the Gap I enjoyed the Covenant seriers so much
    I will buy Forbidden Knowledge and hope the story improves. I called my 
    local bookstore to get Forbidden Knowledge they told me that they had 
    some on order but that they would not be available until the end of July 
    per info from their publisher. The price is about $20.00.

Yup, $20.00. I picked it up last night in The Pheasant Lane Mall.

Lousy cover, as usual, but it's about twice as thick as "The Real Story".

John Piekos

    	Well I am half way through Forbidden Knowledge and I really like
    it. I didn't even really care for the first book but I do not think
    that the FK would be as good without the first one. This series is
    definitely science fiction. Last night I was getting tired but I just
    could not put the book down. My recommendation is buy it. About 3 weeks
    ago I was in NYC and I noticed that they the special describe in an
    earlier reply, that is but FK and get The Gap in hardcover for $6.00.

    					jim

I'd have to agree.  I couldn't put it down.  I think SD should have packaged
the first book in with this book.  In my opinion, many people will read the
first book and not want to read the rest...  SD's developing a good story
and I can't wait to see where it goes.  It also seems that there is minimal
time between each hardcover release (unlike others such as Eddings, SK, ...)
so it is a little easier remembering where the story left off.

John Piekos

    
    Well I finished last night and I think Forbidden Knowledge was just
    great.  Any word when the next one will be out ?
    
    					Jim
    

	Well, it's been almost 18 months since Forbidden Knowledge came out
in hardback, and I've read TRS and FK recently in preparation for the third.
I really like this series, although the characters aren't exactly likable.
Talk about Donaldson showing us his dark side! But the characters and plots
are and complex as ever - I 'm loving it!

	Has ADAHGA come out in the US/UK yet? I've been visiting the local
bookshop in increasingly shorter intervals since about September.

	... and really enjoyed it. This series is shaping up to be a very
exciting and complex one, in my opinion. Okay, the characters are still
pretty unlikable, but the plot twists really keep you guessing.

	In fact, I liked it so much, I wrote a review. Minor spoilers, but
mostly general comments about the nature of the book follow.


			A Review of Stephen Donaldson's
		The Gap Into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises
			(c) 1993	Peter Hunt

	This book is the third and most recent volume in Donaldson's new
Gap series. I found the book to be every bit as good as its predecessors; for
myself, this means I thought it was excellent. For others who have not liked
the Gap series so far, this episode will most likely not change your minds.

	This series is Donaldson's first in an SF setting, rather than
the fantasy setting of the Covenant trilogies and the Mordant's Need series.
It's also a departure from Donaldson's traditional style; the prose is more
abrupt and immediate. The long, flowing descriptions have been replaced with
short, punchy, matter-of-fact statements. The characters themselves are
unlikable for the most part, and have psychological aberrations which are
extreme, even by Donaldson's standards.

	Many of the events of A Dark and Hungry God Arises take place on
Thanatos Minor, where Angus Thermopyle, Morn Hyland, her son Davies, and
Nick Succurso converge to settle scores and carry out plans. There they
have to deal with the Amnion, who will threaten their humanity, and the
Bill, who controls the bootleg shipyard of Billingate. Deals are struck
and alliances made, but the story is really about the characters and their
changing relationships. The characters' actions are nothing unless you
understand their motives, and to understand THOSE you have to understand
what they believe to be their enemies' motives.

	This leads to a book full of characters trying to figure out
each others' intentions, and trying to manipulate each other with what
power they have. It's definitely more a book of intrigue than of action,
but the intrigue is so, well, intriguing, that you hardly notice the pages
turning.

	Having said that, I should add that this IS a book of revelations.
The previous book, Forbidden Knowledge, tended to raise two questions for
every one it answered. A Dark and Hungry God Arises does reveal a lot
about the major characters, and I felt I knew more about what was really going
on than I did while reading Forbidden Knowledge.

	I do have two criticisms of the book, and they both have to do with
plot. Firstly, there are discrepancies between how A Dark and Hungry God Arises
refers to past events, and how previous books have described them. Some are
discrepancies in the ordering of events, and some are discrepancies in their
detail. Unfortunately, a couple of these were blindingly apparent.
Secondly, the pacing of events was too sporadic. For four-fifths of the
book, Donaldson concentrated on the characters motives and perceptions of
each other, and events moved slowly. The final fifth of the book was a
rollercoaster ride of action. It made for an exciting finish, but the change
was too sudden, and the events' effects on the characters weren't explored
in any detail. I knew that Donaldson had picked up the pace for the sake of
a big finish, and it worked, but it left me feeling he'd neglected his
characters.

	But these are nit-picks. The latest volume of the Gap series
is no let-down. It develops the story and the characters nicely, and while
Donaldson's style has changed, his standard of writing has not. There are
some threads left hanging, but enough is resolved for the reader to turn
the final page feeling satisfaction rather than regret or frustration.

	The next book in the series is entitled The Gap Into Madness:
Chaos and Order.


The Gap Into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises
Stephen R. Donaldson
(c) 1992
HarperCollins Publishers
Hardback, $A25.00
477pp

    I've read and enjoyed the first three books, and am, in fact re-reading
    the series (I'm on book number 2) in the hope that book 4 will come out
    soon.
    
    Has anyone heard?
    
    I think the interplay between Morn and Nick in the 2nd book is just
    like a game of chess, the tables turn so many times!
    
    Mark.

    
      I just finished the 4th book:

    		The Gap into Chaos: Chaos and Order (I think was the full
    						     title)

       I believe that this one has been the best of the series. According
    to the dust cover there is only one more to go. The last one has been
    titled but I don't remember the name.

    			Jim

    Just finished the 4th one as well; hard to put down...
    
    Blast it, now I have to wait for the conclusion... I think I'm going to
    take a vow to never buy any books of a series until they are all out...
    
    Waiting for "The Gap into Ruin - This Day All Gods Die"
    
    Dave

    The May SFBC booklet features the finale to the Gap series.
    My order goes out today...
    
    Dave

    
    
    
    Finished the last book yesterday. A fine ending to a great series.
    
    

I just finished it over the weekend. I'd read the first four books over
the last few weeks, so it was a bit of a marathon.

In _The Gap into Ruin: This Day All Gods Die_, events move quickly:
much more quickly than in _Chaos and Order_. But it's not at all rushed;
Donaldson takes the time to tie thing up nicely.

While a lot of people don't like Donaldson's writing style for one reason
or another, I'm glad to say that he is VERY good at endings. A nice change
from some of my other favourite authors who, while their ideas and
expression are brilliant, have trouble bringing it all together.

And I just LOVE Donaldson's titles for this series. They're so cool.

Get it. Read it.

    I agree; there was a LOT packed into this book, with quite a few surprises.
    
    An excellant conclusion to the series (though I wonder if he'll really
    stop where he left things, given the possibilities in his 'universe')
    
    Dave

    
    
    
    I think he has plenty of room to continue writing stories for this
    universe.