Beyond the Gap

Last updated
Beyond the Gap
Beyond the Gap.jpg
Author Harry Turtledove
Cover artistJustin Sweet
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Series The Opening of the World
GenreFantasy, Alternate History
PublisherTor Books
Publication date
February 2007
Media typeHardcover, Paperback, Audible
Pages336 Hardcover
ISBN 0765317109
Followed byThe Breath of God 

Beyond the Gap is a fantasy novel by Harry Turtledove, published in February 2007. It is the first book of the Opening of the World series . The book centers on several citizens of the fictional Iron Age Empire of Raumsdalia, a land whose inhabitants have North Germanic names. Raumsdalia is situated south of a great steppeland which is bordered on the north by a vast, seemingly unending glacier.

Plot summary

When a gap opens in the glacier, Count Hamnet Thyssen and Ulric Skakki are dispatched by Emperor Sighvat II of Raumsdalia to explore the other side. Together with Earl Eyvind Torfin and a wizard, Audun Gilli, they team up with Trasamund, a chieftain of the nomadic, mammoth-herding Bizogot nation. Crossing through the gap, the explorers discover that a powerful tribal confederation, who call themselves "the Rulers," are preparing to burst through the gap and seize the lands to the south for their own.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kangchenjunga</span> Third highest mountain in the world

Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, Kanchanjanghā and Khangchendzonga, is the third-highest mountain in the world. Its summit lies at 8,586 m (28,169 ft) in a section of the Himalayas, the Kangchenjunga Himal, which is bounded in the west by the Tamur River, in the north by the Lhonak River and Jongsang La, and in the east by the Teesta River. It lies in the border region between Nepal and Sikkim state of India, with three of the five peaks, namely Main, Central and South, directly on the border, and the peaks West and Kangbachen in Nepal's Taplejung District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernese Alps</span> Part of the Alps mountain range in Switzerland

The Bernese Alps are a mountain range of the Alps, located in western Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Berner Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Fribourg and Vaud, the latter being usually named Fribourg Alps and Vaud Alps respectively. The highest mountain in the range, the Finsteraarhorn, is also the highest point in the canton of Bern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Passaic</span> Former proglacial lake in New Jersey, U.S.

Lake Passaic was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed in northern New Jersey in the United States at the end of the last ice age approximately 19,000–14,000 years ago. The lake was formed of waters released by the retreating Wisconsin Glacier, which had pushed large quantities of earth and rock ahead of its advance, blocking the previous natural drainage of the ancestral Passaic River through a gap in the central Watchung Mountains. The lake persisted for several thousand years as melting ice and eroding moraine dams slowly drained the former lake basin. The effect of the lake's creation permanently altered the course of the Passaic River, forcing it to take a circuitous route through the northern Watchung Mountains before spilling out into the lower piedmont.

Lillie Glacier is a large glacier in Antarctica, about 100 nautical miles long and 10 nautical miles wide. It lies between the Bowers Mountains on the west and the Concord Mountains and Anare Mountains on the east, flowing to Ob' Bay on the coast and forming the Lillie Glacier Tongue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skykomish River</span> River in northwest Washington, United States

The Skykomish River is a 29-mile (47 km) long river in the U.S. state of Washington which drains the west side of the Cascade Mountains in the southeast section of Snohomish County and the northeast corner of King County. The river starts with the confluence of the North Fork Skykomish River and South Fork Skykomish River approximately one mile west of Index, then flowing northwesterly towards Puget Sound. It is joined by the Sultan River and the Wallace River at Sultan. It then meets the Snoqualmie River to form the Snohomish River at Monroe. The Snohomish River continues along the river valley eventually dumping into Port Gardner Bay on Possession Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kittatinny Mountain</span> Ridge in northwestern New Jersey

Kittatinny Mountain is a long ridge traversing primarily across Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey, running in a northeast-southwest axis, a continuation across the Delaware Water Gap of Pennsylvania's Blue Mountain. It is the first major ridge in the far northeastern extension of the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian Mountains, and reaches its highest elevation, 1,803 feet, at High Point in Montague Township. Kittatinny Mountain forms the eastern side of Wallpack Valley; the western side comprises the Wallpack Ridge (highest elevation: 928 feet above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaliakra Glacier</span> Glacier in Antarctica

Kaliakra Glacier is a glacier in northeastern Livingston Island, Antarctica extending 3.8 nautical miles in east-west direction and 4.3 nautical miles in north-south direction, and situated southeast of Saedinenie Snowfield, southwest of Panega Glacier, north of Struma Glacier and upper Huron Glacier, and northeast of Perunika Glacier. It is bounded by Melnik Ridge and Bowles Ridge to the south, by Hemus Peak, Gurev Gap, Gleaner Heights, Elhovo Gap, Leslie Hill, Leslie Gap and Radnevo Peak to the west, and Miziya Peak and Samuel Peak to the north. The glacier drains eastwards into Moon Bay south of Perperek Knoll and north of Sindel Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pautalia Glacier</span> Glacier in Antarctica

Pautalia Glacier is a small glacier on Burgas Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica situated northeast of Strandzha Glacier and south of Sopot Ice Piedmont. It is bounded by Petko Voyvoda Peak to the west, Sozopol Gap to the northwest, Kaloyan Nunatak to the north and Shabla Knoll to the east. The glacier extends 700 m in northwest-southeast direction and 1.1 km in southwest-northeast direction, and flows southeastward into Bransfield Strait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perunika Glacier</span> Glacier in Antarctica

Perunika Glacier is an 8 km long and 3 km wide (average) roughly crescent-shaped glacier in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica situated east of Pimpirev Glacier, south of Saedinenie Snowfield, southwest of Kaliakra Glacier, west of Huron Glacier, and north of Balkan Snowfield and the head of Huntress Glacier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Struma Glacier</span> Glacier in Antarctica

Struma Glacier is a glacier in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica situated south of lower Kaliakra Glacier and north of Huron Glacier. Bounded by Melnik Ridge to the north, Yankov Gap to the west and Bowles Ridge to the south, it is 4.8 km long and 1.5 km wide, and flows eastwards into Moon Bay south of Sindel Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Rafael Lake</span> Lake in Chile

San Rafael Lake is an arc-shaped coastal lake located in the Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region of Chile, within the national park that bears its name. To the north the lagoon is connected to the Moraleda Channel, to the south lies the Ofqui Isthmus. To the west and east lie the Taitao Peninsula and the Northern Patagonian Ice Field respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erebus Glacier Tongue</span>

The Erebus Glacier Tongue is a mountain outlet glacier and the seaward extension of Erebus Glacier from Ross Island. It projects 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) into McMurdo Sound from the Ross Island coastline near Cape Evans, Antarctica. The glacier tongue varies in thickness from 50 metres (160 ft) at the snout to 300 metres (980 ft) at the point where it is grounded on the shoreline. Explorers from Robert F. Scott's Discovery Expedition (1901–1904) named and charted the glacier tongue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Glacier (Transantarctic Mountains)</span> Glacier in Antarctica

The Scott Glacier is a major glacier, 120 nautical miles long, that drains the East Antarctic Ice Sheet through the Queen Maud Mountains to the Ross Ice Shelf. The Scott Glacier is one of a series of major glaciers flowing across the Transantarctic Mountains, with the Amundsen Glacier to the west and the Leverett and Reedy glaciers to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liv Glacier</span> Glacier in Antarctica

Liv Glacier is a steep valley glacier, 40 nautical miles long, emerging from the Antarctic Plateau just southeast of Barnum Peak and draining north through the Queen Maud Mountains to enter Ross Ice Shelf between Mayer Crags and Duncan Mountains. It was discovered in 1911 by Roald Amundsen, who named it for the daughter of Fridtjof Nansen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sestrimo Glacier</span> Glacier in Antarctica

Sestrimo Glacier is the 11 km long and 4 km wide glacier on the northwest side of Trinity Peninsula in Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula. Situated southwest of Ogoya Glacier, west-northwest of Broad Valley and north of Cugnot Ice Piedmont. Draining the north slopes of Windy Gap, and flowing northwards east of Mount D'Urville and west of Argentino (Guerrero) Peak to enter Lafond Bay in Bransfield Strait south of Cockerell Peninsula.

Clifford Glacier is a broad glacier, about 40 nautical miles (70 km) long, flowing in an east-northeast direction to the gap between Mount Tenniel and the Eland Mountains, and then east to Smith Inlet on the east coast of Palmer Land. The upper part of this glacier was charted in 1936 by the British Graham Land Expedition under John Rymill; the seaward side by the United States Antarctic Service survey party which explored along this coast in 1940. During 1947 it was photographed from the air by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition under Finn Ronne, who in conjunction with the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) charted it from the ground. It was named in 1952 by the FIDS for Sir G. Miles Clifford, at that time Governor of the Falkland Islands. A geologist and a surveyor reached the middle section, north side, of the glacier on December 2, 1966, having travelled by dog sledge from the British Antarctic Survey's Base E on Stonington Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell East Glacier</span> Glacier in Antarctica

Russell East Glacier is a glacier, 6 nautical miles (11 km) long and 3 nautical miles (6 km) wide, which lies at the north end of Detroit Plateau and flows from Mount Canicula and Verdikal Gap along the south slopes of Erul Heights eastward into Smokinya Cove in Prince Gustav Channel on the south side of Trinity Peninsula. This glacier together with Russell West Glacier, which flows westward into Bone Bay on the north side of Trinity Peninsula, form a through glacier across the north part of Antarctic Peninsula. It was first surveyed in 1946 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS). Named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) for V.I. Russell, surveyor and leader of the FIDS base at Hope Bay in 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell West Glacier</span> Glacier in Antarctica

Russell West Glacier is a glacier, 11 nautical miles (20 km) long and 4 nautical miles (7 km) wide, which lies immediately north of Detroit Plateau and flows from Mount Canicula, Verdikal Gap and Trajan Gate westward into Bone Bay on the north side of Trinity Peninsula. This glacier together with Russell East Glacier, which flows eastward into Prince Gustav Channel on the south side of Trinity Peninsula, form a through glacier across the north part of Antarctic Peninsula. It was first surveyed in 1946 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS). Named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) for V.I. Russell, surveyor and leader of the FIDS base at Hope Bay in 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition</span> First attempt to find a route to climb Mount Everest

The 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition set off to explore how it might be possible to get to the vicinity of Mount Everest, to reconnoitre possible routes for ascending the mountain, and – if possible – make the first ascent of the highest mountain in the world. At that time Nepal was closed to foreigners, so any approach had to be from the north, through Tibet. A feasible route was discovered from the east up the Kharta Glacier and then crossing the Lhakpa La pass north east of Everest. It was then necessary to descend to the East Rongbuk Glacier before climbing again to Everest's North Col. However, although the North Col was reached, it was not possible to climb further before the expedition had to withdraw.

McGill Arctic Research Station (Expedition Fiord) (MARS) is a small research station operated by McGill University located near the centre of Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut. It is located approximately 115 km (71 mi) southwest of Eureka, a weather and research station. It was first established in 1959 after scientists explored South Fiord (Expedition Fiord). The station contains a small hut, a cook house and two temporary structures. It can support 8-12 people and gives them access to the research activities. The current activities are glaciology, climate change, permafrost, hydrology, geology, geomorphology, limnology, planetary analogues, and microbiology. Today, the station is only used in the summer months so there would be enough power generated from the solar panels.

References