Customer Reviews

Chaos and Order: The Gap Into Madness

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One of the reasons that I liked the gap series and other novels by Donaldson are that his main characters aren't always good. In most other novels written in this era the main characters are always battling depression and other "bad" feelings but in the gap series the main characters are tough vicious and would eat you alive if you didn't beat them to the punch. The simple fact is that "good" people just wouldn't survive in the worlds that science fiction and fantasy authors create. Most authors depict the main character as someone who at their core is honorable and the simple fact of the matter is honorable people don't stand a chance of a snowball in hell in the situations that they are usually painted in. The concept of you have to use fire to fight fire is hundreds if not thousands of years old and I always find it refreshing to see authors use this concept when depicting characters that have to challenge each other.

While "Chaos and Order" isn't as tightly plotted and intricate as "A Dark and Hungry God Arises", it is still rippingly good. The tale is a rollercoaster from following-on beginning to incomplete end, unlike the previous book, which more amounted to an examination of shifting alliances and intrigue amid the profound psychology of its characters, all concentrating and shifting onto one place, accruing to a kind of psychological "critical mass", at which point Thanatos Minor explodes. One of the core themes of Chaos and Order - running about through a maelstrom of rock, the hurtling debris of shattered plans, shattering and coalescing into new forms - follows on from the diametrically opposing theme of the previous story brilliantly.

As the web of intrigue and murder in and around Earth is expanded to a fully-fledged political thriller, we have the important characters from the previous story - Nick, Morn, Angus, Davies, Vector, Mikka, and with them the rather incidental Sib and Pup - all saved from the storm of Thanatos Minor's ruin and flung off just ahead of half a dozen people who want them alive; or, if they can't have them alive, then blown to atoms like Billingate. Everyone else - from *Captain's Fancy* - is dead. While this may seem like a bit of a *deus ex machina* (subtle nod towards Angus, I'm sure), in practice it works out fine.

They are now on the run, the most explosive body of information in Human Space, and seeking to make themselves even more explosive by letting Vector Shaheed, the geneticist, complete the anti-mutagen drug which the United Mining Companies Police suppressed, which will give humankind a defence against alien absorption, however temporary. Everyone - the cops, the aliens, people working for the cops and people working for the aliens - are after them, and the scene is set for ever-tenuous alliances and furious desperation to lead to a lot of shooting and bloodshed, and even greater extremity by the survivors.

This is an intermediate tale. As with all the others except "The Real Story", it is successfully diametric and harmonious in its many balancing qualities. It is a masterpiece, in a way opposite to how the previous book in the story is - and again this is an intentional contrast. I swear again, this series will significantly improve your life. I'm normally so damn analytical, and it has me ranting!

The marking of four out of five and not five is rather a personal opinion. I preferred the rigid and less scattered nature of the plot in and around Billingate, and this made me like the fourth book somewhat less than the third. The horror of the first, second and somewhat the third books as gone, or at least vastly reduced and changed in character. It is no longer an issue. The squeamish will have been well and truly left behind by now, anyway.

Each book in the Gap Series up to this one expands on the author's complex mind-game universe by a power of two. It is this story which opens Donaldson's future to its fullest extent. The final book is an examination of that universe, now that the previous four books have detailed it in full and lavish detail, bringing the story to an ultimate conclusion. This fourth book is the last time you will see the fun "Ancillary Documentation" - but Donalson's story-advancing characters will have captivated you utterly by now, if you've got this far, so you won't mind that in the slightest as you rapidly and nervously go out for the fifth book, hand shaking as you hand the money over and wonder whether it can possibly live up to what's gone before.

This book pales in comparison to the first two books of the series, and is about as bad as the third. Gone are the fascinating character developments- in their place you get hack writing, bad science, and literary drudgery. Go ahead and read it if you are a Donaldson devotee, otherwise don't waste your time.

I haven't read this particular book, but if it is anything like the other books he has written then I will be sure to like it. I rated it 3 stars only because I haven't read it as yet.

Donaldson can tell a story, but this series was weak. Character development is excellent; but theme clarity is muddy; and there is no climax - in fact - there is no ending, just loose ends fairly disconnected from the developed nature of the characters. My recommendation is to re-read the Thomas Covanent Series.

Unplug your phone, lock your doors and practice holding your breath. Like the previous volumes in the Gap series, this one is impossible to put down, once you start. The story captivates you from the first chapter of The Real Story, and you come to know all the characters intimately, whether you like them or not. This is one of the top science fiction series I have ever read.

This book is not so much about the world that the characters are living in, but the characters themselves. Donaldson seems to take real people and fold them into the page, bringing them alive. They all have a sense of balance and reality to them, so that you even find yourself interested in 'the bad guys'. They are set out into a unique universe and sucked into an expansive and dramatic struggle that makes all of the books in this series 'page turners'. Donaldson is simply the best. I suggest giving it a try(start with 'the real story'). If you like this series give his fantasy series, Thomas Covenant the unbeliever, a try. Even if you don't usually like fantasy, his characters make it worthwhile. Summation: If you haven't already, READ THIS BOOK.... and then review it so that more word gets out.

I think this book is the most compelling and powerful in the entire Gap Cycle. All the main characters come into their own power fully in this book. Yes, even Ciro, in his own way. Of special note is the fact that not until all secrets are revealed can the characters begin to unravel the tapestry of events that has enshrouded them. Morn's forgiveness towards Angus makes her a great heroine. This one will keep you in suspense all the way through.

Donaldson continues to write the most engaging, thought provoking, mind-blowing science fiction around. This series is not for the lazy. If you're willing to put in the effort and intelligence Donaldson demands to keep up with the story, it promises to be one of the best series you'll ever read, period.

The fourth book in the Gap Series is nearly as excellent as its predecessor, "A Dark and Hungry God Arises". Angus and crew flee Billingate, and a rip-roaring space-chase ensues. Aboard the ship "Trumpet", Angus, Nick, Morn, and other remnants of Nick's old crew find themselves bound together in an unholy alliance as they flee countless pursuers -- the Amnion, the UMCP, and a mercenary paid to destroy them. The big question is who will get to them first. Eventually, "Trumpet's" crew dock at a space-lab so that Vector Shaheed can complete a special formula the Amnion would kill for. Meanwhile, Nick -- ever true to character -- begins inflicting his trademark sadism and cruelty on his "allies". When pursuing ships finally converge on "Trumpet", the ensuing space-battle is one of the most memorable in science-fiction drama. (And there is an absolutely priceless scene involving Angus going EVA in the midst of it all.) Just when you're ready to breathe again, you're assailed by more chaotic and mind-numbing action. Without question the most fast-paced installment in the Gap Series. Catch your breath after this one, then read the satisfying conclusion, "This Day All Gods Die".