Is the Gap the best Sci-fi you've ever read?

Post by **Revan** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 3:02 pm

It's minde. But I haven't read that many...

Post by **Ryzel** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 3:29 pm

No it is not, although I cannot now come up with a candidate for that title.

Post by **Revan** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 3:32 pm

Is it one of your favourites then?

Post by **dANdeLION** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 7:46 pm

I like Asimov's Robot and Foundation books the best, followed by Frank Herbert's Dune books. THe Gap is the darkest series, though.

Post by **Revan** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 7:46 pm

I also think it's the most realistic as well...

Post by **dANdeLION** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 8:02 pm

Funny how we think dark and gritty = more realistic, ain't it?

Post by **aTOMiC** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 8:04 pm

I still found H.G. Wells War of the Worlds among the top Sci Fi I've ever read. The Gap stands alone as the most brutal "realistic" if you will.

Post by **UrLord** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 3:48 am

well, considering that Dune involves a lot of magical powers, I wouldn't rank that as one of the more realistic ones, eh?

Asimov's just aren't as entertaining...he includes so many details that I just don't care about.

As for my favorite Sci-Fi...I'd rank them:

1. The Gap
2. The Hitchiker's Guide books
3. Dune
4. The Foundation Trilogy (yes, because the Trilogy is all that really matters)
5. 1984
.
. (several I don't feel like ranking go here)
.
129768. War of the Worlds
129769. Farenheit 451
.
. (another large gap to further make my point)
.
673124. What's the name of that crappy dystopic 1984 rip off? You know, the one that's exceptionally boring and doesn't really have much to say? Ah, yes...Brave New World

Post by **Baradakas** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 6:50 am

Yeah, it's my fav, but the only other sci-fi I've ever read was SRD's short stories, so I'm biased.

- B

Post by **Revan** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 9:05 am

dANdeLION wrote:Funny how we think dark and gritty = more realistic, ain't it?

No... It's not because it was dark and gritty that I thought it was realistic... but because the science behind most things ae included... Like G... and targ and many things more... It could be like what we could live like in the future... That's why I think it's realistic

Post by **dANdeLION** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 12:52 pm

UrLord wrote:5. 1985

I know of 1984, but not 1985. 2001 and its sequals are pretty good.

Post by **Revan** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 1:00 pm

It's settled then

Post by **Nav** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 3:07 pm

A year ago my answer would have been a resounding 'yes' but nowadays I'm not so sure. I've read a lot by Iain M. Banks and Alastair Reynolds lately and they both compare very favourably.

The Gap is the most consistently dark of the three authors sci-fi works, but Banks favours jarring transitions from happy and comfortable to grisly and dark, which are prehaps more shocking becuase of the change in context.

In terms of 'realism' I'd say the Gap would have be second to Reynolds' work. The movement of ships is portrayed very well bey SRD, as is the need for extreme acceleration and decceleration (bar the 0.9C snafu). The weaponry and practicalities of life in deep space have been well thought out, but the Gap itself is a touch fanciful for my liking, although I prefer it to ideas such as 'hyperspace' and 'warp' speed.

In terms of realism Alastair Reynolds simply cannot be beaten. In his books ships travel between systems the old fashioned way; by taking a bloody long time. A trip from Epsilon Eridani to Delta Pavonis took twenty years in a ship that slowly accelerated to fractionally below light speed (and by slowly I mean, 0 to 0.95C in two years). Reynolds is also an astrophysicist for the european space agency, so the physics are all bang on and are more than enough to make your head spin. On this twenty year journey the crew of the ship only experienced ten years of subjective time due to the time dilation effect of being so close to light speed. The time consumed by space travel meant the Revelation Space trilogy starts in 2551 and ends in 2727, one character present in all three books and she's only about fifty at the end.

In terms of characterisation I think that the Gap is still one of the best around, and I'd recommend it to anyone (well, anyone with a strong stomach). I'll need to reread it objectively before I can compare it properly though, and it will take a large chunk out of my reading schedule.

Post by **UrLord** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 5:42 pm

"I know of 1984, but not 1985"

Bah, that's a typo...I got it right when I was comparing it to BNW, at least!

Post by **amanibhavam** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 9:48 pm

I do not know if it's the best. My favourites are (without any particular order):
Gap
Pohl: Gateway
Herbert: Dune
Bradbury: Martian Chronicles
Gibson: Neuromancer and Count Zero

Post by **FaTeke** » Wed Jan 28, 2004 5:02 pm

For me The Gap series is one of the best written SciFi epics out there. So dark and gritty and so believable! Plus there's the must read factor for me, meaning once I start the book I'm obsessed and can't stop reading it! And the Gap series has that in abundance. I've read them 3 times now and during all three reads I found myself thinking about it all day and tapping my foot in anticipation of getting home so I could pick them up again. Not many books do that to me, but almost all of SRD's have that Must Read Factor! Which is why I love him of course.

Plus I love his realisim and his ability to go to the dark places that so many writers shy away from.

Although I must admit that's what turns some people off to his writing.

For another SciFi book I would highly recommend and would place in my top 5 SciFi books:

Greg Bear - Eon

Awesome book that sucks you in and keeps churning your brain to keep up! There are two sequels and you can read them if you want, but they don't even come close to Eon. He also wrote a Mars book that rocked but I can't remember its name.

And if you haven't read any Orson Scott Card then I highly recommend you pick up his Ender series. The first book freaked me out. LOL The rest rocked too. Plus for a trip out of the ordinary check out his Songmaster book. Its a stand alone (at least as far as I know) and totally unique. It even has a homosexual main character and doesn't shy away from the sex either. So many times when your lucky enough (assuming of course that you are looking for such a thing) to find a scifi novel with a gay character they are "Will & Graced" and sexless.

Okay, I've rambled on and on again! Sorry about that but hope that someone found it interesting.

Later all,
Matthew

Post by **danlo** » Wed Jan 28, 2004 6:36 pm

Now u need 2 read the Neverness series and u'll be fine!

Post by **FaTeke** » Wed Jan 28, 2004 6:50 pm

danlo wrote:Now u need 2 read the Neverness series and u'll be fine!

Who writes this and whats it about. I'll start searching for it right away!

Thanks,
Matthew

Post by **danlo** » Wed Jan 28, 2004 8:44 pm

David Zindell (4 books) very hard to find--click my www. to learn all about Neverness and my Neverness "themed" Sci Fi/Fantasy board!

Wed Jan 28, 2004 11:32 pm

Defnitely the best I have ever read, even beats Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy and Banks' Culture novels.

Spoiler

the last part where Morn read's Dios' message brought tears to my eyes

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

Is the Gap the best Sci-fi you've ever read?

Is the Gap the best Sci-fi you've ever read?