A Dark and Hungry God Arises [Paperback]

Nick Succurso recaptures Morn Hyland and reaches Thanatos Minor. But once there, he finds himself short on allies and facing a most unpleasant surprise. Angus Thermopylae travels through space, heading for the exact same outlaw's hangout, his brain still controlled by UMCP computers. Unpredictable developments are in store for him as well, however. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the political situation approaches boiling point, as every player tries to outmaneuver the others and emerge from the scenario on top. This truly is one of the most far-reaching and intricate plots of all time. Not a cheesy setup where you can see all the twists and turns coming far in advance. Here everything is up in the air. You actually have to think about what each person is trying to accomplish, and more importantly, about which ones are actually good and which are evil.

But behind all this, Donaldson is actually telling us something. He is showing us not just how technology changes the human experience, but how humans themselves will change the shape of the future. The characters we see, Nick Succurso, Angus Thermopylae, Holt Frasner, the Bill and all the rest, live in a world where morality is completely gone. In its place, these characters let their most raw emotions dominate them entirely, with no considerations for what is morally acceptable. Indeed, most of them don't seem to believe that there is any difference between right and wrong. And it is to show us the consequences of such beliefs, especially to those who hold them, that Donaldson delves into such brutal and painful detail regarding what happens in the story. The scenes of suffering and torture, even the ones that aren't strictly relevant to the plot, are not gratuitous. They make us understand the true meaning of what we are seeing. "The Gap into Power" is not a story for children, nor is it for squeamish adults. But for those willing to take it on, it is one of the most rewarding science fiction novels ever.

In my review on here of the second book in the Gap Series, "Forbidden Knowledge", I stated that my considerations of readers of a more squeamish disposition forced me to mark down. In the third book this is less true - the darkness is still there, but the utter horror of the second (particularly the "force-growing" of Davies Hyland on Enablement Station) isn't so much in evidence. Only one particular scene - where an important conversation is conducted to the background of a woman gutting herself for the pleasure of a crowd - is particularly vile. I think that is the only example of horror in the series which can be considered entirely gratuitous. It is unnecessary, and rather wince-worthy. That it elicits disgust from me is testament to that. But there is none of the intense and ghastly - though never gratuitous - horror of the second book. At any rate, it is a minor complaint.

This book is superb. It is chock-full of characters in situations unbelievable in their horror and tense extremity, but which Donaldson somehow manages to *make* believable. I state categorically that he is a master story-teller - one of the best who has ever lived. All the characters are larger than life. They run the story, rather than the other way round. The opening concept of Norna and the crib inversion with Angus is particularly good, and intriguing; not to mention excellently executed.

This is a superb third book to the series. I have this to close with. You may have read the first two, and been left unsure as to whether the series gets better. Believe me, it does. Once you start reading the third book you will be so gripped you'll forget reading this.