The Great Gap Reread

[kevinswatch]

God I am a slow reader.

Halfway through Chaos and Order. Just past the part where Angus gave Davies his access codes. I love that scene.

Savoring every page. What an amazing book.

-jay

[Skyweir]

Haha .. well youre in good company .. I am also a slow reader. But youre way ahead of the group reread

[Avatar]

Oh, that will overtake him soon enough.

--A

[kevinswatch]

Damn, I am a slow reader. 2 years???

Almost done with Chaos and Order!!! Haha.

-jay

[wayfriend]

Your daughter is probably reading it aloud to you by this point.

[StevieG]

[Skyweir]

Your daughter is probably reading it aloud to you by this point.

Shes a smart cookie ... the force is strong with this one . ... and yet I hope she never reads the Gap series .. maybe as an adult

[kevinswatch]

I'm making ground! A quarter of the way through THIS DAY ALL GODS DIE (my favorite book title ever).

By the way, has there ever been a topic (and I'm sure there has) on what I feel like is the biggest (or at least most annoying) plot hole of the Gap? The fact that they are (1) obsessed about getting the immunity drug out and into the public for as many people to access as possible through their broadcast but also (2) obsessed about the fact that if one Amnion warship (Calm Horizons) finds out about the immunity drug (through Morn's blood or their broadcast) that it's all over, because the Amnion would be able to counter-act it.

WON'T THE AMNION FIND OUT ABOUT THE IMMUNITY DRUG AT SOME POINT??? Like, as soon as they capture SOMEONE with the drug in their system? Like, really soon? I wouldn't take long! They aren't stupid! Why all the obsession about making sure Calm Horizons won't find out???

Was this ever addressed in the book? Or is it just a huge ass plot hole?

-jay

[lucimay]

I'm making ground! A quarter of the way through THIS DAY ALL GODS DIE (my favorite book title ever).

By the way, has there ever been a topic (and I'm sure there has) on what I feel like is the biggest (or at least most annoying) plot hole of the Gap? The fact that they are (1) obsessed about getting the immunity drug out and into the public for as many people to access as possible through their broadcast but also (2) obsessed about the fact that if one Amnion warship (Calm Horizons) finds out about the immunity drug (through Morn's blood or their broadcast) that it's all over, because the Amnion would be able to counter-act it.

WON'T THE AMNION FIND OUT ABOUT THE IMMUNITY DRUG AT SOME POINT??? Like, as soon as they capture SOMEONE with the drug in their system? Like, really soon? I wouldn't take long! They aren't stupid! Why all the obsession about making sure Calm Horizons won't find out???

Was this ever addressed in the book? Or is it just a huge ass plot hole?

-jay

wow!!! I totally didn't catch that!!! I may have to listen to The Gap Cycle when i'm finished with jack reacher!!!!! i'll keep you posted regarding this gaping plot hole, J!!

[kevinswatch]

Haha. But seriously this huge plot hole has always really bothered me. It's a paradox. They can't be obsessed with trying to get the immunity drug out to as MANY humans as possible while at the same time be obsessed with stopping ONE Amnion from learning about the immunity drug. If every single human knows about it, very quickly the Amnion will find out too! They just have to capture one idiot with the drug in their system.

-jay

[Savor Dam]

They did. They took blood samples from both Nick (FK) and Morn (ADAHGA) while they had the drug in their systems. Morn's sample probably got destroyed with Billingate, but Nick's should be at Enablement.

[kevinswatch]

I know, so why are they so obsessed then with stopping Calm Horizons to prevent them from getting access to the drug?

-jay

[Sorus]

"It's not an organic immunity. It's more like a poison - or a binder. It ties up mutagens until they're inert. Then they get flushed out - along with the drug. The immunity is effective for about four hours.

I'm not going to take it until after they sample my blood. That way they won't learn anything. The drug won't be in my system yet."

That's from FK. Trying to find the right scene from ADAHGA.

[Cord Hurn]

"It's not an organic immunity. It's more like a poison - or a binder. It ties up mutagens until they're inert. Then they get flushed out - along with the drug. The immunity is effective for about four hours.

I'm not going to take it until after they sample my blood. That way they won't learn anything. The drug won't be in my system yet."

That's from FK. Trying to find the right scene from ADAHGA.

Sorus is correct. The Amnion never got any of his blood when the immunity drug was in his system.

[kevinswatch]

K, but that still doesn't solve my plot hole.

-jay

[IrrationalSanity]

I think there's an implied idea that they can't build from a "formula". They need the drug physically in order to analyze and replicate it.

However, there is also the fact that they already have a form of the drug which can postpone transformation. I think we can be pretty sure that they already know how to block it permanently. However, what they don't want is that knowledge to become common among the humans, otherwise they'll be out of business.

[kevinswatch]

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that I finally finished my Gap reread. Finished This Day All Gods Die (which is still by far my favorite book title of all time) on June 30th, 2019. 5 books in almost 3 years, not too bad if I say so myself.

I'm pretty sure I read all 5 books originally back in college in a summer. I'm really getting bad.

Starting SRD's new series now. Let's see how I do, heh.

-jay

[kevinswatch]

Oh yeah, final thoughts on the series:

-The Gap is still by far my favorite series of all time.

-I tried to get my wife to read it without any luck. She got past The Real Story but lost interest in Forbidden Knowledge. I couldn't convince her it gets better as it goes on. She just got tired of all the, you know, rape and stuff.

-I love the progression of Angus as a character. Even better then I remembered it. His redemption by the end of the series is just so well done.

-I totally forgot that Mikka lived. For some reason I remembered her dying in a blaze of glory.

Overall, still the best.

Maybe I'll read it again in another 20 years, ha.

-jay

[Savor Dam]

I tried to get my wife to read it without any luck. She got past The Real Story but lost interest in Forbidden Knowledge. I couldn't convince her it gets better as it goes on. She just got tired of all the, you know, rape and stuff.

This dynamic (not just the flat-out rape of TRS, but the intentional manipulation of Nick through zone implant simulation of passion) is both the strongest and weakest of SRD's ways to set up the rest of the series...but what a ride through the last three books!

There is no sex, consensual or otherwise (OK, excepting Free Lunch, which was the most true-to-life sex in any of his writing) in the rest of the Gap once the first two books are finished. I don't know another way SRD could have convincingly set up the story he was telling without what the first two books contained.

[Sorus]

There is no sex, consensual or otherwise (OK, excepting Free Lunch, which was the most true-to-life sex in any of his writing) in the rest of the Gap once the first two books are finished.

I never thought about it, but that's true.

I don't know another way SRD could have convincingly set up the story he was telling without what the first two books contained.

Also true.

Wow. Not every day you get a new perspective on something you've read a zillion times.