Reading a complete series from cover to cover in consecutive sittings (i.e., without many books in between) is a rarity for me…either the series doesn’t hold my attention, the series is incomplete (i.e., I’d read George R. R. Martin’s Ice and Fire series straight through if they were all written and published) or something else gets in the way.
I read the five book Gap Cycle by Stephen R. Donaldson almost straight through, and truly enjoyed the series. The five books are:
- The Real Story
- Forbidden Knowledge
- A Dark and Hungry God Arises
- Chaos and Order
- This Day All Gods Die
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Ragamuffin is three books in one: a space opera, featuring a complex world with humans 
near the bottom of the socio-economic chain; a sequel to Mr. Buckell’s excellent first novel, Crystal Rain, featuring Pepper and John from that book as Nanagada evolves after the war from that book; and the bringing together of both story lines. All three are excellently described, well-paced and enjoyable, with my only consternation being in trying to keep the different alien and somewhat human species straight.
I moved Ragamuffin to the top of my reading stack, as I won an ARC of Mr. Buckell’s forthcoming third tome, Sly Mongoose, from Variety of Words. Based on what I now know, I would recommend that these books be read in order (Crystal Rain, Ragamuffin, Sly Mongoose) in order to have the full background of characters and plots. (more…)
Fifth and final book in the Gap Series
This concluding book brings all the players in the saga together on or around Earth, where the political and personal manipulations conclude in individual and mass space battles. The ending (spoilers below) is satisfying without being Disney-esque.
At the end of book 4, Morn and company aboard Trumpet had escaped the Amnion defensive battle cruiser Calm Horizons, the mercenary Free Lunch and Sorus by launching a singularity grenade (re: black hole in a box) that Angus detonated while attached to the outside of Trumpet. The black hole sucked Free Lunch into it. Soar (captained by Sorus) turned against the Amnion and Calm Horizons destroyed them (after Sorus had already shot and killed Nick, one of our main three players on Trumpet). The UMCP cruiser Punisher was also fighting Calm Horizons (whose incursion into human space was an act of war), but broke off to chase the fleeing Trumpet.
On Earth, Warden Dios was continuing his subversion of Holt Fasner, CEO of the UMC (and basically ruler of the world) through the GCES (Governing Council of Earth and Space). (more…)
Book 4 of The Gap Cycle
In every space opera series, there must be action;
there must be space battles; there must be high drama and adventure.
As far as Stephen R. Donaldson’s Gap Series goes, this, the fourth book in the series, is the one that gets the space warfare cranked up. He levels up the weapons, the obstacles, the treachery and the number of opponents deftly and with great reading pace.
The ship Trumpet has come to an illegal lab, set to make the anti-mutagen that the galactic police (UMCP) have had but have suppressed from the rest of humanity for so long, keeping the alien threat of the Amnion alive for profit. But Morn Hyland, Angus Thermopyle and Nick Succorso, and the others on board are stalked by many ships and factions: (more…)
Book 3 of The Gap Cycle
The classification of “space opera”can be interpreted in many ways:
- a soap opera in space;
- large-scale adventures in space whose outcome is global (or space wide) in affect;
- from Wiki, “a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing powerful (and sometimes quite fanciful) technologies and abilities.”
The Gap Cycle fits all of these definitions, with book three, A Dark and Hungry God Arises, expanding the players, the scope and the level of impact of the possible outcomes. (more…)
Matt at Variety of Words had a contest to give away an Advanced Reader Copy of Tobias 
Buckell’s upcoming novel, Sly Mongoose. Matt started my memorial day weekend off right by emailing me this morning that I had won the copy.
I’ve read Crystal Rain, Tobias’ first novel, but have not yet read Ragamuffin, his second which was nominated for a Nebula award. Looks like I better get cracking….according to Amazon, Sly Mongoose will be released in August. I’ll read and post a review before then.
I always thought that the Justice League would clobbe
r the Avengers in a cross-comic book brawl. But that is most certainly not the case when it comes to movies. In the last few years the Marvel Universe is just decimating DC. And the trend appears to be more in Marvel’s side of the ledger in the future.
Part of the reason is franchises / sequels. Where DC has Batman and Superman (which should be more than enough to take down anyone), Marvel has three Spidermans, two 
Fantastic Fours, three X-Men, three Blades and the beginnings of the Iron Man franchise. The three Spiderman movies are in the top 15 grossing movies of all time, seriously weighting the dollar battle towards Marvel.
Out of the top 150 (or so) movies of all time, DC has 5, Marvel has 8; DC’s gross take was about $1 Billion, Marvel’s was $2Billion (the Spiderman franchise thus far is $1Billion, X-Men $600 million).
Upcoming Justice League and Avengers movies will pit the franchises head-to-head. But with more Spiderman, Iron Man and an upcoming Thor movie facing off against more Superman and a possible Wonder Woman, it looks like Marvel will continue to take it to the bank.
List of highest grossing and recent/upcoming after the break. (more…)
My son and I watched the animated movie Superman Doomsday online through
NetFlix. The technology worked great and the movie (an animated PG-13 superhero flick?) was well done; wish it would have been longer than it’s 77 minutes, but it still tells the complete tale, based mostly around the comic book story line of The Death of Superman / World Without a Superman and Return of Superman. The stories were also novelized in Roger Stern’s excellent The Death and Life of Superman.
And a cameo by Kevin Smith. In an animated movie. Cracking wise.
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Book 2 of The Gap Cycle
Forbidden Knowledge is the second book in Stephen R. Donaldson’s The Gap Cycle (the 
Gap referring to faster-than-light drives jumping the gap). As promised in Donaldson’s author’s note in the first volume (The Real Story) it is radically different than the first novel, and an excellent read (as the first one was as well).
The first novel was little to no science fiction, almost completely interaction between three flawed humans who just happen to be in space, from the point of view of one of them, space pirate and all-around nasty man Angus Thermopyle.
This second novel still revolves around the same trio, but displays how they are flawed personality-wise and modified by technology. An alien species not discussed in the first novel plays a large role, as do several pieces of tech documented in the book by “Ancillary Documentation” interlude chapters. (more…)
Normally, I don’t fall for them, I inflict them. My wife and I had our combined bachelor/bachelorette party on April 1st, and some people didn’t show because they thought we were joking (we weren’t….at least I wasn’t, my wife some days reserves judgment).
But this year: Hakeem’s return and The Legend of Zelda…both nailed me (and my son, for the second one). (more…)
