Rating: 
Summary: Disturbing, violent, nightmarish, and occasionally revolting
Review: ...but also an extremely well written beginning to an excellent series. Make no mistake, this book is not for the faint-hearted. There are scenes in here that'll make the blood boil and the stomach turn. And most of the book deals with the relationship (if you can call it that) between Angus Thermopyle and Morn Hyland, with Morn acting as little more than a toy of Angus, who gets most of the character development. Donaldson takes us deep into the recesses Thermopyle's twisted soul, and makes the reader wallow with Morn in those festering sewers. This is actually necessary to understand her motivations later in the series, since The Real Story is mostly set-up for what follows later.Really, it's well-written stuff that stays with you long after you put the book down (whether you want it to or not). If you can get through it, it's worth the read. But make sure you continue the series. But if you're looking for an uplifting, mind-expanding story with a happy ending, look somewhere else.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing, violent, nightmarish, and occasionally revolting
Review: ...but also an extremely well written beginning to an excellent series. Make no mistake, this book is not for the faint-hearted. There are scenes in here that'll make the blood boil and the stomach turn. And most of the book deals with the relationship (if you can call it that) between Angus Thermopyle and Morn Hyland, with Morn acting as little more than a toy of Angus, who gets most of the character development. Donaldson takes us deep into the recesses Thermopyle's twisted soul, and makes the reader wallow with Morn in those festering sewers. This is actually necessary to understand her motivations later in the series, since The Real Story is mostly set-up for what follows later. Really, it's well-written stuff that stays with you long after you put the book down (whether you want it to or not). If you can get through it, it's worth the read. But make sure you continue the series. But if you're looking for an uplifting, mind-expanding story with a happy ending, look somewhere else.
Rating:
Summary: Worth overcoming reluctance to read
Review: As a fan of Donaldson's fantasy novels I was disappointed when he turned to science fiction, a genre I've not often liked as much. I finally began to miss the guy after almost ten years. This first book was a rough ride considering all the ugliness, but I fell in love with his writing style all over again and persevered to find all the wonders held in the sequels. 'The Real Story' is exactly that, stark realism, gritty and in your face. The advantage for the reader is the pleasure of seeing characters who, rising from their latest beating to perform a feat of determination to survive, extraordinary under normal circumstances, are made all the more admirable given these - I hope you follow that! Donaldson absolutely shines at writing himself into and back out of corners when you'd think there's no way out for him, and it is all totally believable. I'd rank this series on par with his other work and won't be nearly so reluctant to follow him into whatever genre he chooses to pursue next.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy, and read the whole series
Review: I have never encountered a more repulsive set of characters than those within the pages of this series, but the books are impossible to put down. The "Gap" series and the "Mirror" dualogy are some of my favorites, ever! It has been a few years since I read them but I don't recall being put off by the first book at all. I bought them all as soon as they were published. A great read - twisted (what else would you expect), surprising and original. Donaldson is tops!
Rating: 
Summary: A Solid Introduction to a Supposedly Grand Series
Review: I picked up this book not because I was a fan of Donaldson's Thomas Covenant series (I wasn't,) but because the controversy shrouding the book intrigued me, not to mention the fact that I'm a fan on the genre. Upon completion of the book, I was more impressed than I thought I'd be, though I hope the series picks up after The Real Story.
The book almost exclusively revolves around two characters (the sadistic pirate Angus and helpless ex-cop Morn) with Nick, a pirate possibly as devious yet infinitely more charismatic than Angus, making appearances here and there. These three characters form a classic victimizer/victim/rescuer trio, though they switch roles somewhat throughout the plot. I thought this a fairly interesting concept, though executed poorly--too much of the book focused on Angus and the atrocities he inflicted upon Morn. The majority of The Real Story was from Angus's point of view, establishing him as a diabolic yet cowardly captor, Morn his anguished captive.
I wanted to keep reading only to learn about Nick, the third main character that isn't a main character. Hopefully, he'll be more developed in the forthcoming books.
As for the brutality that's getting so much attention, it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd imagined it'd be--Donaldson did more telling than showing, as one reviewer mentioned. While this is generally a big no-no in professional writing, it spares us readers the really graphic descriptions. The infamous rape scenes are generally composed of a sentence from Angus's point of view, neglecting to delve into the agony it must have been for Morn.
All in all, a decent, if overly simple, introduction to the series. I just hope the sequels are more encompassing--i.e., more than two characters every hundred pages.
Rating: 
Summary: Embarrassed to admit I read this
Review: I'm embarrassed to admit I read this. So why am I confessing? Maybe it's good therapy. Unbelievable characters. Trite dialog. Flat out stupid plot. And the worst thing is, the 4 book "series" that this begins isn't so much a series of 4 books, but 1 big lame book split into 4 installments. A real series would have distinct stories, a beginning and an end, with some sense of completion to each. This reads like a TV mini-series complete with a cliffhanger at the end of each night's episode.
So, if I hated it so much, why 2 stars instead of 1? Somehow the author managed to trick me into reading every book. I got to the end of the first and thought "oh that was awful, I have to read the next one."
Take my advice and avoid this like crack: it's easier never to start than to try to stop.
Rating:
Summary: Listen to the good reviews...
Review: most of them admit that this is a slow, but necessary, start to a brilliant series. Yes, the book is harsh. Yes, it includes abominable rape scenes, low cruelty and brutality. It also sets up the principle players for one of the greatest science fiction series of all time. Most of the people who can't get past the brutality or relative simplicity of this book freely admit that they have not gone on to read the rest of the series. It is the rest of the series that redeems the necessary evils of this book. The last 4 books in this series weave a startling tapestry of human struggle and grim determination in the face of staggering odds. Nobody in this series can afford to cast stones at any other, and all of the hands have blood on them. Again, if you are looking for an idyllic future or a perfect white Knight to save the day, this series is not for you. If you want a hard, cold beautiful story about and an ugly world with flawed human characters, then you've come to the right place. I also agree with on of the other reviewers here, if you've read the whole series and read the Real Story again, you'll be surprised at how different it looks.
Rating:
Summary: Start of a Good series
Review: One way to distinguish between good and bad authors is to examine the breadth of their career. Lesser authors often do one thing and then repeat themselves endlessly. Truly great authors take on a variety of projects, challenging themselves by seeking out new stories. Like most people, I was first introduced to Stephen R. Donaldson by the first Thomas Covenant trilogy, and I sort of expected "The Real Story" to be something similar only this time in a science fiction setting. Was I ever proven wrong. This little novel is a completely different animal, one that tackles different issues than the Thomas Covenant books and uses different strategies. The story takes place at some point in the future in DelSec, a region of space where police hired by the United Mining Company exercise only limited control. The events described on the jacket cover all take place within the first few pages; the majority of the book is spent returning and going over those events once again from the perspective of one character, thus letting us actually understand motivations and details. One notable aspect of the story is the incredibly fast pacing, with at least one new twist arriving every ten pages. In contrast to the Covenant series, "The Real Story" uses direct and unsophisticated language, quite appropriate for the direct and intense emotions that dominate the story. Character, of course, is at the heart of any great novel. Friends have complained that they can't understand the behavior of Donaldson's characters, and the above Publisher's Weekly review insists that they act irrationally. They're right. Real human beings, needless to say, are irrational and frequently difficult to understand. Donaldson has obviously studied our species carefully, and noted the ways in which guilt and fear play out inside people's heads. There are occasions in "The Real Story" where characters act counterintuitively, just as in real life, but there's always an explanation for it if you look carefully enough. I cannot crown "The Real Story" as the greatest science fiction novel of all time. It has some odd lapses in common sense. For instance, one character sneaks into an enemy spaceship from the outside. Has this futuristic society somehow forgotten the concept of locked doors? More significantly, it fails to build up that amazing force that you find at the endings of each book in the Covenant trilogy, and it isn't as compulsively readable. However, I can still recommend this book highly, and praise the authors for trying his hardest to break free from conventions in a world where cliché and formula often rule the day.
Rating: 
Summary: No Good
Review: There's a vein of rabid misogyny that runs through most of Donaldson's books. In some stories, such as the Mirror of her Dreams books, it's possible to overlook it. That is not the case in The Real Story. This book is basically a 300 page rape scene. I really can't recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Donaldson does what he does best
Review: This is the beginning of a new series by Donaldson, and without the draggy feel of Thomas Covenant. It has a good, solid science fiction feel to it (not fantasy passing itself off as SF as is so common these days). Donaldson focuses on the dark characters and inner turmoils of (mentally) damaged people (and they're all damaged in some way). Well done, this feels like the beginning of a great new series.
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