The Gap Cycle

Last updated

The Gap Cycle is a series of science fiction novels by Stephen R. Donaldson, more usually known for his works of epic fantasy. The series was originally published between 1991 and 1996 by Bantam Books and was reprinted by Gollancz in 2008 in the UK. [1] Here, Donaldson gave a loose retelling of Wagner's Ring cycle.

Contents

Premise

It is an epic work set in a future where humans have pushed far out into space in the name of commerce. The series follows two concurrent story arcs. The first concerns an ensign in the United Mining Companies Police (UMCP), Morn Hyland, who is attempting to stay alive after being captured by a marauder named Angus Thermopylae. The second follows the fate of three people who are affected by the Byzantine political maneuvering of the head of the UMCP, Warden Dios, as he attempts to thwart the machinations of his boss, the CEO of United Mining Companies (UMC) itself, Holt Fasner.

Books in series

  1. The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story , Bantam/Spectra, 1990
  2. The Gap into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge , Bantam/Spectra, 1991
  3. The Gap into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises , Bantam/Spectra, 1992
  4. The Gap into Madness: Chaos and Order , Bantam/Spectra, 1994
  5. The Gap into Ruin: This Day All Gods Die , Bantam/Spectra, 1996

The Victor Gollancz Ltd (UK) reprints combine the first two books into a single volume. This was, according to Donaldson's official website, at his request.[ citation needed ]

Origins

According to the author's afterword in The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story (1990), the series was originally envisioned as a novella in which characters representing villain, victim, and rescuer would switch places during the course of the narrative. When Donaldson found the result unsatisfying, the book was shelved until he thought of now retelling of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen in the same universe and casting the characters from the first novel in roles based on those from Wagner's opera.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen R. Donaldson</span> American novelist (born 1947)

Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist, most famous for The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, his ten-novel fantasy series. His work is characterized by psychological complexity, conceptual abstractness, moral bleakness, and the use of an arcane vocabulary, and has attracted critical praise for its "imagination, vivid characterizations, and fast pace". Donaldson earned his bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster and a master's degree from Kent State University. He currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alastair Reynolds</span> Welsh science fiction author (born 1966)

Alastair Preston Reynolds is a Welsh science fiction author. He specialises in hard science fiction and space opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doc Savage</span> Fictional character in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s

Doc Savage is a fictional character of the competent man hero type, who first appeared in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. Real name Clark Savage Jr., he is a polymathic scientist, explorer, detective, and warrior who "rights wrongs and punishes evildoers." He was created by publisher Henry W. Ralston and editor John L. Nanovic at Street & Smith Publications, with additional material contributed by the series' main writer, Lester Dent. Doc Savage stories were published under the Kenneth Robeson name. The illustrations were by Walter Baumhofer, Paul Orban, Emery Clarke, Modest Stein, and Robert G. Harris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael A. Stackpole</span> Science fiction author

Michael Austin Stackpole is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for his Star Wars and BattleTech books. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, but raised in Vermont. He has a BA in history from the University of Vermont. From 1977 on, he worked as a designer of role-playing games for various gaming companies, and wrote dozens of magazine articles with limited distribution within the industry. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Lynn Flewelling is an American fantasy fiction author.

Wild Cards is a series of science fiction superhero shared universe anthologies, mosaic novels, and solo novels. They are written by a collection of more than forty authors and are edited by George R. R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass. Set largely during an alternate history of post-World War II United States, the series follows humans who contracted the Wild Card virus, an alien virus that rewrites DNA and mutates survivors. Those who acquire crippling and/or repulsive physical conditions are known as Jokers, while those who acquire superhuman abilities are known as Aces, and those few who acquire minor, insignificant powers not worthy of being called aces are known as Deuces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Aickman</span> British writer and conservationist (1914–1981)

Robert Fordyce Aickman was an English writer and conservationist. As a conservationist, he co-founded the Inland Waterways Association, a group which has preserved from destruction and restored England's inland canal system. As a writer, he is best known for his supernatural fiction, which he described as "strange stories".

Mary Rosalyn Gentle is a British science fiction and fantasy author.

<i>Malazan Book of the Fallen</i> Fantasy book series by Steven Erikson

Malazan Book of the Fallen is a series of epic fantasy novels written by the Canadian author Steven Erikson. The series, published by Bantam Books in the U.K. and Tor Books in the U.S., consists of ten volumes, beginning with Gardens of the Moon (1999) and concluding with The Crippled God (2011). Erikson's series presents the narratives of a large cast of characters spanning thousands of years across multiple continents.

David R. Palmer is an American science fiction author. His works have been nominated three times for Hugo Awards.

<i>The Castle of Iron</i> Novel by Fletcher Pratt and L. Sprague de Camp

The Castle of Iron is a fantasy literature novella by American authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, and of the novel into which it was later expanded by the same authors. It was the third story in their Harold Shea series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic ring</span> Fictional or mythological piece of jewelry with supernatural powers

A magic ring is a mythical, folkloric or fictional piece of jewelry, usually a finger ring, that is purported to have supernatural properties or powers. It appears frequently in fantasy and fairy tales. Magic rings are found in the folklore of every country where rings are worn. Some magic rings can endow the wearer with a variety of abilities including invisibility and immortality. Others can grant wishes or spells such as neverending love and happiness. Sometimes, magic rings can be cursed, as in the mythical ring that was recovered by Sigurð from the hoard of the worm Fáfnir in Norse mythology or the fictional ring that features in The Lord of the Rings. More often, however, they are featured as forces for good, or as a neutral tool whose ethical status in the narrative derives from the character that uses it.

The Amnion are a fictional alien species in Stephen R. Donaldson's The Gap Cycle. They are shown to be the only alien race humanity has made contact with and play a major role in the series from Forbidden Knowledge onwards.

<i>Star Trek</i> (Bantam Books)

In 1966, Bantam Books acquired the license to publish tie-in fiction based on the science fiction television series Star Trek.

<i>This Day All Gods Die</i> 1996 novel by Stephen R. Donaldson

This Day All Gods Die, officially The Gap into Ruin: This Day All Gods Die, is a 1996 science fiction novel by the American writer Stephen R. Donaldson, being the final book of The Gap Cycle.

<i>Chaos and Order</i> 1994 novel by Stephen R. Donaldson

Chaos and Order is a science fiction novel by American writer Stephen R. Donaldson, the fourth book of The Gap Cycle series. It was published in 1994.

<i>The Real Story</i> (novel) 1991 novel by Stephen R. Donaldson

The Real Story is a science fiction novel by American writer Stephen R. Donaldson, the first book of The Gap Cycle series.

Paula Volsky is an American fantasy author.

The Revelation Space series is a book series created by Alastair Reynolds. The fictional universe it is set in is used as the setting for a number of his novels and stories. Its fictional history follows the human species through various conflicts from the relatively near future to approximately 40,000 AD. It takes its name from Revelation Space (2000), which was the first published novel set in the universe.

References

  1. "Bestselling Fiction & Non-Fiction Authors". The Orion Publishing Group. Retrieved 27 June 2016.