Synopsis
Remember how the fairy-tale-ish The Hobbit morphed into a wide-lens The Lord of the Rings? Plots, counter plots, and intrigue galore await readers of the Gap saga, which is still picking up speed. Allusions to Wagner's The Ring Cycle in opening book The Real Story afterword now become clear as Earth politicians, Holt "Dragon" Fasner, and the rest of the United Mining Company Police bureaucrats enter the fray. Morn and company still teeter between exhilaration and desperation.... even readers who don't care for action or space opera may enjoy a story with this forceful a meld of character, cabal, and adventure.
Review
The Gap into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises" is a brutal novel. It focuses, at great length, on extreme suffering, pain, depression, isolation, defeat, violence, and insanity. Stephen R. Donaldson, of course, has never run away from aggressively dark and vicious literature. Even by his standards, however, "The Gap into Power" still stands out. This novel is frequently unpleasant, sometimes even painful to read. But those who have the guts to get through it will find a masterpiece waiting in here. This is no ordinary science fiction experience.
Nick Succurso recaptures Morn Hyland and reaches Thanatos Minor. But once there, he finds himself short on allies and facing a most unpleasant surprise. Angus Thermopylae travels through space, heading for the exact same outlaw's hangout, his brain still controlled by UMCP computers. Unpredictable developments are in store for him as well, however. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the political situation approaches boiling point, as every player tries to outmanoeuvre the others and emerge from the scenario on top. This truly is one of the most far-reaching and intricate plots of all time. Not a cheesy set-up where you can see all the twists and turns coming far in advance. Here everything is up in the air. You actually have to think about what each person is trying to accomplish, and more importantly, about which ones are actually good and which are evil.
First off, if you haven't read The Real Story and Forbidden Knowledge, don't even pick this book up. You'll spend too much time trying to figure out what's already transpired.
Where this book picks up, the sexually abused and psychologically debilitated Morn Hyland is captive, trying to keep herself and her (also captive) son from being sold/traded to the alien Amnion for genetic experimentation by Nick Succorso, her rescuer and eventual kidnapper. On the other end of the Galaxy, Warden Dios is working his machinations to bring down his boss, Holt Fasner, and part of this involves sending Morn's initial kidnapper and rapist, Angus Thermopyle to rescue her.
Have no idea what that is about? Read the first two books in the series. The series itself is dark, violent, graphically descriptive, and thoroughly nihilistic. Ironically Morn, the "heroine" of sorts throughout the series, continues to strive for some level of honour and morality amidst the depravity and betrayal resounding around her.
As far as writing, movement, style, etc., Donaldson has done an incredible job, not only with this book, but with the entire series. It is a "page turner" in the classic sense, always moving, with the conflicts continuing to evolve, twist, and even fold back upon themselves. But it seems to be written from a very dark perspective of human nature.
But behind all this, Donaldson is actually telling us something. He is showing us not just how technology changes the human experience, but how humans themselves will change the shape of the future. The characters we see, Nick Succurso, Angus Thermopylae, Holt Frasner, the Bill and all the rest, live in a world where morality is completely gone. In its place, these characters let their most raw emotions dominate them entirely, with no considerations for what is morally acceptable. Indeed, most of them don't seem to believe that there is any difference between right and wrong. And it is to show us the consequences of such beliefs, especially to those who hold them, that Donaldson delves into such brutal and painful detail regarding what happens in the story. The scenes of suffering and torture, even the ones that aren't strictly relevant to the plot, are not gratuitous. They make us understand the true meaning of what we are seeing. "The Gap into Power" is not a story for children, nor is it for squeamish adults. But for those willing to take it on, it is one of the most rewarding science fiction novels ever.
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