Kevin's Watch

I thoroughly enjoyed The Gap series. Donaldson is a master at creating characters of such depth that you just can't help but be drawn to them....feel what they feel.......actually participate in the adventures as you walk through the books.

Another book that does just that for me is
A Miracle of Rare Design by Mike Resnick.

Without giving anything away to those who may not have read it, the experiences of Xavier William Lennox are amazing, and draw the reader right into Xavier's worlds.
It is a short, easy read, but well worth it.

GullibleJohnny wrote:Has anyone mentioned the Ringworld series by (I think) Niven & Pournelle. That is also some fantastic Sci-Fi.
Also, how about Alastair Reynolds Redemption Ark series including Chasm City? sorry, no Revelation Space series (including Redemption Ark, Chasm City and Absolution Gap)

I love Reynolds' work to date, it's much harder SF than the Gap but although very dark, isn't quite as nasty as it. If anyone gets the opportunity to read the series, I strongly suggest starting with Chasm City (then Revelation Space, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap) as this was intended to be the first book by Reynolds, but his publishers wanted to get Revelation Space out there first, as they felt it was a stronger standalone novel. I disagree with this decision entirely, as Chasm City rocks IMO.

While it could be said that some of Reynolds' characters are a bit one-dimensional, others (Skade, Clavain, Khouri and Ilia) have plenty of depth and recieve a lot of development. Reynolds' appears to have a gift for storytelling and invention, and I'm eagerly looking forward to his next book Century Rain, which is out in November.

Note I just finished GAP today, but here is where it stands in my top 5.

1) Gateway
2) Speaker For the Dead
3) The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
4) Gap
5) Foundation

Not enough people have read Gateway. READ IT! It's definatley Frederick Pohl's greatest work, and it's an absolute masterpiece.

The Gap is the only real sci-fi series I've ever read, so... I have to say yes.

I've only read two sci-fi series' - Night's Dawn and the GAP - and I thought the Gap was better.

Gap is right up there, if not the best.

The other science fiction novels that stand out about as strongly are:

Orson Scott Card's: Ender's Game

Vernor Vinge's: A Fire Upon the Deep

John Steakley's: Armor

The gap series does hold my personal favorite Space battle description between Punisher, The Amnioni dreadnought, and Soar. Gripping, like and unlike the dreat naval battles of Jutlan, Leyte Gulf, and others of a bygone age.

Personally, my favorite sci-fi author is Phillip K Dick. I haven't read all of his (nor even some of his most acclaimed) but the highlights of what I have read:

A Scanner Darkly
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (AKA "Bladerunner")

As far as series go, the Gap series is the best I have read- hands down. Better than Dune- better than Foundation- better than Ender's Game etc.- Better than The Martian Chronicles- Better than Ringworld.... Just better.

But I do have to say that it's a good thing that "The Real Story" was short, because I can honestly say that if it had been the first SRD book I ever read, it also would have been the last (I hated it!).

-tb

Welcome to the Gap forum, thinbuddha.

I'm a big Donaldson fan but I just couldn't get into the Gap at all.

Just did nothing for me I'm afraid.

Maybe I should try again.

John Wyndham is the best I've read - Day of the Triffids and the Kraken Wakes to name but a couple.

I rank The Gap Series as number 1.

I've read alot of the works by the authors noted previously and agree that most are worthy reads !

I'm somewhat surprised that The Lensmen Series by E.E. "Doc" Smith hasn't been mentioned. Sure, it's simplistic and doesn't compare to the intricate SF of today, but the "First One" deserves a mention. I'll have to rank it at number 2.

Welcome to the Gap forum, ManInTheMiddle.

ManInTheMiddle wrote:I rank The Gap Series as number 1.

I've read alot of the works by the authors noted previously and agree that most are worthy reads !

I'm somewhat surprised that The Lensmen Series by E.E. "Doc" Smith hasn't been mentioned. Sure, it's simplistic and doesn't compare to the intricate SF of today, but the "First One" deserves a mention. I'll have to rank it at number 2.

cool .. I really liked the GAP series but have just discovered after many years of being encouraged to read Zindell .. the Neverness series .. Zindell is absolutely brilliant.

Conceptually his work is way out there!! He has an absolutely brilliant mind .. I am going to act out of character here and rate Neverness as my number one! With the Gap a close second.

I would never have thought I would hear myself say it .. but heh .. i did

I must read Neverness again.

Having grown up with a (probably unhealthy) addiction to Star Trek, I have always been hard-pressed to enjoy other sci-fi because it challenges the Trek-influenced perceptions I developed as a child. The Gap series pulled me out of that hole, though. I think that no matter what other sci-fi series I read, it will always be my favorite.

Hello All....

Just found / joined this site today. I'm pleased to find a SRD community! One of my favorite authors.

I have found The Gap series to be my favorite SF *series*, and have read it three times. However, my favorite standalone SF novel is still Battlefield Earth.

The Gap was a series I stumbled across a few years ago and never knew existed, but bought purely because of SRD being the author after reading through Thomas Covenant countless times. I was extremely pleased with the books and felt it to be very *pure* science fiction.

Perhaps it is just me, but it seems like The Gap series never got much exposure, either in advertising of through prominent bookstore displays.

Tom

That's funny, because almost every bookstore here (Brisbane) has the Gap books for sale.

Welcome to the Gap forum, Tom.

...it's close. What I liked about the Gap books is how SRD redefines some standard "space opera" (Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Star Wars, etc.) cliches, like space pirates, asteroid miners, body-snatching aliens, FTL travel, and the concept of a "space police" force (clearly he had Smith's Lensmen in mind here). What were standard and hokey concepts become much more significant (and much, much darker). It's no surprise that the story is a retelling of Wagner's "Ring Cycle" - what better way to jump start the space opera than basing it on that apocalyptic uber-melodrama. As they say, intelligence borrows, and genius steals.

My vote for Best. Sc-fi. Novel. Ever. would be David Brin's "Startide Rising". The various prequels and sequels to that particular book were shite, but "Startide Rising" is a fantastic blend of hard science, great characters, and action.

Startide rising was indeed an excellent book.

I would have to say, that without a doubt, the Gap series are hands-down the most incredible Sci-Fi books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I WILL admit to the fact that getting through The Real Story was a bit of a chore, particularly since I did not know what was to follow in the books to come. But, being a die-hard SRD fan due to reading TCTC in my youth, I continued reading The Real Story to its conclusion and into Forbidden Knowledge and WOW did the story take off from there! It is an outstanding example of great of story-telling.
That being said, I thought I would mention another favorite author of mine and try to poll the opinions of others as to why we hear so little of him when it comes to "favorites" - L. Ron Hubbard....Battlefield Earth is a fantastic book! The Mission Earth 10 book series was wildly entertaining. Why is it, do you think, that so few users of this site make mention of this author? Is it due to the "Dianetics" stigma? Just curious.

I haven't read BE (I read Dianetics, though, in the dim past of my silly youth), I only saw the film Battlefield Earth which is imho one of the Worst Films Ever Made.