Kevin's Watch

Well, it's been a few months since I finished The Gap, but lets see if I can remember anything. But I was just wondering if anyone saw a possibility in a sequal. If they wanted to see anything else explained or explored. Like, I still want to know what happens to Angus. And Davies for that matter. They're both cool and screwed up characters that SRD just leaves hanging in the end. At least with Morn she had some conclusion.-jay

The series left off at the point where a full scale war with the amnion appeared to be imminent. The amnion stated themselves that they could not when a war against the humans, but their technological superiority would mean that there would be high losses on both sides. This in itself would provide plenty of scope for a sequel.

Min Donner, Hashi Lebwohl and Dolph Ubikwe would feature heavily due to their positions, but it's harder to see where the other survivors would fit in. Angus is out there somewhere, and could conceivably be caught up in the conflict quite easily.

I always thought that Davies would either go back to the academy and train to be a cop, or just become a cop (he has Morn's training after all) and could be involved in that respect. The idea of Mikka getting a ship of her own has always appealed to me, and perhaps she'd be working for the cops in the same way that Nick did. Morn's return would probably be the most problematic, as there's obviously very little she could do in space with her Gap-sickness. I can only think that Min might have taken her under her wing and given her a postion in SDPHQ. I don't think that would be doing the character justice though.

Having said all that, I seem to recall SRD saying that the Gap series was a finished work, and that he has no plans to add to it.

i haven't read the books in three years. can someone write out the last couple of pages for me.

Yes, the end of the Gap series left a lot of open questions. It would be interesting to see them answered, and to know what happens to all the characters next.

The idea of a war with the Amnioni is a scary thought, to me. How do you fight aliens who want to turn everyone into themselves, don't think it's immoral to do so, and have the means to do it?

~MsMary~

I think the implication was that the SDP would fight the amnion the old fashioned way, i.e. with fire, and lots of it!
I recall Warded Dios musing on what the actuality of open war would be and I suspect that initially the amnion would come out fighting and the humans would take quite a kicking. I suspect that they'd lose some of the outlying stations that were less equipped to defend themselves (not Valdor industrial obviously, as we were told that it was 'massively armed' and that Calm Horizons may not have been capable of destroying it).

I'd hoped that Trumpet would head for Valdor, as it sounded like an interesting place and it would have been nice to see some of the place where Mikka and Sib grew up. Maybe a sequel could have Mikka's merchanter vessel flying out of V.I.

I don't see any need for a sequel. A war between humanity and the Amnion would probably be pretty easily won by Humanity since it takes so many years for the Amnion to replenish their ships. The Amnion HAD superior technology, but take a look at those singularity bombs. Something tells me that whoever figures out how to include a singularity grenade into a projectile device is going to win any war.

One of the undercurrents to The Corporation was that they existed because people were so afraid of The Amnion that they needed a huge totalarian army to keep them safe. I don't believe The Amnion are as big a threat as humanity thinks they are. If they were, why was there a treaty between them? Why "Forbidden Space"? Why didn't the Amnion simply walk over humanity? USMP needed the Amnion to stay in business and in power. The people of Earth were so afraid of The Amnion, that they sacrificed their freedom and liberty for safety. (Where have I heard that before?)

You make some good points, GSG.

It's true that, although the Amnioni had superior technology, they did not have an efficient means of production. But didn't they acquire some production technology from humans? Or am I remembering incorrectly (been a while since I read the books)?

~MsMary~

Over the course of the last 3 books, the Amnion lost two of their best warships. The humans, meanwhile, were cranking out ships like Sledgehammer with thier mass production.

Chances are the humans would win a war with moderate to heavy losses. Of course, that all hinges on whether the Amnion can develop a counter to the anti-mutigen drug....

A war between humans and the Amnioni would be difficult for both sides.

Humans have very fast production of inferior ships given them an advantage of attacking a lot of targets simultaneously. But all of the planets humans are located on are know to the Amnioni. Giving the Amnioni the advantage of knowing were to concentrate their forces. Humans on the other hand have no idea where to attack the Amioni, how large forbbidden space is or which planets the Amnioni inhabit and where there production facilities are located. They could send there ships to the wrong planets leaving there bases open for counter attacks.

hmmm...can anyone say "Real Time Strategy Game"?

Haha, I wonder if SRD would collaborate with someone (like, I don't know, BLIZZARD, the company with a reputation for great RTS games and great cinematics...) to make a PC game sequel to The Gap.

Probably not...but that would certainly be cool!

GapCraft: Amnion and Humans...with the story written by Donaldson...ah well, I can still dream

and I always thouth that the setting of The Real Story would be perfect for a Privaterr/Elite style game... thousands of asteroids to explore... mining, orehauling, trade, pirates, cops, the occasional Amnioni...

I just love the idea of Singulatity Grenades, (and they used them)...wonder if it is the first time it was used, if SRD was first with the idea I mean...haven't read that much military SF...great concept...

kastenessen wrote:I just love the idea of Singulatity Grenades, (and they used them)...wonder if it is the first time it was used, if SRD was first with the idea I mean...haven't read that much military SF...great concept...

It's a cinch no one else would be able to use them as effectively:

...He felt the birth of the black hole. A terrible gravitic fist slammed against him when Ciro's grenade bloomed into ravening and incalculable hunger.

And just that's the little one, the one that ate Calm Horizons. They were unconscious through most of the little one.

...Metal thunder pounded through the ship as asteroids of all sizes hammered the hull, trying to drive straight through Soar in their hurry to obey the hunger which summoned them...

The hammering eased as gravity receded. Fewer asteroids answered the singularity's hunger. They answered less avidly. Sorus was sure that one whole side of her ship had been flattened; that every gun, antennae, port, receptor, and vane on that flank had been beaten to metal ruin.

That's the big one, the one that played a fifth hand in the four-ship battle in Massif 5. Yes, as a weapon I'd have to say, a powerful concept powerfully used.

My momentum is going here, so I was going to quote some passages to show human reaction -- interaction -- to it, but you can reread the books same as I keep doing. My point is, SRD doesn't just give singularity grenades a tactical function, he gives them a will and temperament of their own.

I think that was the point. The singularity grenades were powerful beyond question, but were difficult to use in a combat situation. It took someone as twisted as Angus to come up with a way to use them, and I very much doubt that they'd let people like him into the military.

Intresting though, that Trumpet had launchers for the grenades and Angus didn't use them.

Navarino wrote:I think that was the point. The singularity grenades were powerful beyond question, but were difficult to use in a combat situation.

When I said

It's a cinch no one else would be able to use them as effectively:

I meant as a writer.

Crankily heading for work on two hours' sleep,

Given SRD's track record thus far, with TCOTC being the only exception, I would expect only original ideas may be offered in the future. Which isn't really a bad thing. I'm looking forward to what Donaldson might suprise us with.

Don't forget the incomplete series. He said it will take another MAN WHO mystery to finish that cycle.

But otherwise, I agree, I would like very much to see what other epic ideas he gets.

I have just finished This Day... - at last! -, (very well written, some heartbreaking moments, though a little predictable, but that's natural); but I don't really see any point of writing a sequel (from SRD's point of view); Fasner's dead, Dios is dead, Angus is freed and conveniently removed, Morn has got her reprieve, etc.

But the whole world is a goldmine for fanfiction, imagine the adventures the cyborg Angus could have with his superyacht, or some nice stories could be written that take place in the ComMine Belt...

I would personally love a new series. However, what more themes could he explore beyond power, guilt and redemption?

Without a doubt there are gobs of room for more story there. Like others have said, Angus super man running around the galaxy with one mofo tricked-out ship loaded with all kinds of cool arms & possibly volatile info.

War with the Amnion could be great. Regardless of their manufacturing limitations they are way unknown to know what they could come up with. We already know that their communications are vastly superior, they could possibly have developed both the counter anti-mutagen formula & jump drive, oh the possibilities are endless with them.

Davies could get recaptured & used finally by the Amnion. Restructering alone of the UMCP could take up a whole book. Hashi could marry Lane & have really smart & ugly kids, etc.