This Day All Gods Die (Gap Into, Vol 5) [Paperback]

Stephen Donaldson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 1997 | Series: Gap Into, Vol 5 (Book 5)

A new-cover reissue of the fifth and final book in the bestselling sf series created by the world-famous author of the Thomas Covenant chronicles -- and acclaimed as the 'best work of his career'. One of the most exhilarating space epics ever told comes to a shattering climax in a thrilling tale of high adventure, powerful emotion and labyrinthine intrigue. As the conflict between humankind and the Amnion aliens heads for crisis, Morn Hyland, cyborg Angus Thermopyle and the survivors on board the crippled starship Trumpet must return from deep space to Earth. Only they can prevent the titanic struggle between UMCP director Warden Dios and Holt Fasner, the corrupt head of the UMC, from precipitating all-out war with the Amnion -- and leaving humanity to pay a terrible price. As Dios in Earth's orbit and Morn in deep space both make far-reaching decisions, the Amnion act with swift fury, and suddenly Earth stands threatened with fiery destruction!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Tough-as-nails Morn Hyland, pirate-turned-cyborg Angus Thermopyle, and the whole crew from the United Mining Company Police are back in the final book of the Gap series, This Day All Gods Die. The Gap plot has raced through the galaxy at breakneck speeds, and the conclusion is no exception.

Morn, her alien-grown son Davies, geneticist/engineer Vector Sheed, competent Mikka, and her cabin-boy brother Ciro wait aboard Trumpet. Angus lies unconscious, possibly in permanent stasis. Ciro plots to destroy the ship, driven insane by the knowledge that alien mutagens have been shot into him by Nick Succorso's sworn enemy, Sorus Chatelaine. Following nearby, Min Donner, faithful head of the UMCP Executive Division, watches the action and grits her teeth aboard Captain Dolph's battle-fatigued Punisher. Will Morn trust her? Will her voice commands over Angus's programming prevail? Who has survived the strange journey and battles since leaving the Lab? Back at United Mining headquarters, the Dragon and UMCP Chief Warden Dios's strange, twisted duel of manipulation, assassination, and corruption comes to a head when an Amnion warship sets course for Earth... and that's just the first few pages.

Get set for more of the action, betrayal, characterizataion, intrigue, corruption, and adventure you've enjoyed in the previous Gap books. If it has been a few years since you read the last installment, you may have trouble remembering some names and particularly insidious points of plot and government intrigue; you may even be tempted to reread the preceding books. Also troubling is Angus's continual rumination of a couple phrases, including "We've committed a crime against your soul" and "It's got to stop." However, you may be reading so fast you won't notice. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Drawing on a rich vein of science fiction, Donaldson brings to a resounding, though not triumphant, conclusion his Gap series, begun with The Gap into Conflict (1992) and continued through The Gap into Madness (1994). The struggle between Warden Dios, director of the United Mining Companies Police, and Horst Fasner, CEO of United Mining Companies itself, reaches a climax here. So does the tension between the human race and the alien Amnion, exacerbated by human development of a drug that prevents people from being mutated into the aliens. Meanwhile, much-victimized Morn Hyland and her motley crew are heading for Earth and arrive at the same time as an Amnion warship. The first third of the novel wins no marks for pacing, but later portions pick up speed, with the final battles near Earth satisfying all requirements for logic, excitement and catharsis. Donaldson's usual weaknesses are in evidence: substitution of scenery-chewing and angst for characterization, and an abundance of prolix passages. Too, this volume may confound those new to the series. But it's a crowd-pleasing story told on a grand scale, SF adventure with a genuinely galactic feel.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 752 pages
• Publisher: Voyager (May 31, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006470238
• ISBN-13: 978-0006470236
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overlooked too often -- One of the best books I've ever read, April 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: This Day All Gods Die (The Gap Into Ruin) (Mass Market Paperback)

I feel this series is truly one of the best I have ever read, and the most overlooked by serious science fiction readers. Those who were looking for the Thomas Covenant series would not find it here. I admit, I thought The Real Story was not as strong of a start as it could have been, but in my opinion each book was better than the last, and this climax is truly one of the most incredible books I have read. The characters have depth and expression provided by the contrasts between their flaws and their strengths -- and the complexity of the tale weaving through the books pulls together well. The beauty of the tale is summed up by Warden Dios -- he did not choose Morn because of who she was, but merely because she was conveniently at hand -- but she and the rest of everyone he put his trust in transcended him.

I have read this series many, many times over and am always awed when I come to this last book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing captstone to the Gap series, November 13, 2003

By 

Omar Siddique (Ellicott City, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Day All Gods Die (The Gap Into Ruin) (Mass Market Paperback)

This volume caps Donaldson's amazing Gap series. Those familiar with my reviews know that I don't lightly describe something as amazing. This is easily the most captivating SF series I have read in years, and unlike many series, it does not peter out or become predictable in later volumes.

As you would expect of Donaldson's work, the real story is about the characters and their flaws and struggles -- he takes us deep into the well developed personalities of each major character, and how they persevere, or fail, despite their weaknesses.

The series is pretty cleanly wrapped up in this volume, with few unanswered questions left at the end. If you've come this far in the series, of course you want to read this one too!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the trouble of getting through the series, January 18, 2001

By 

J. D. Edwards (Grapevine, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Day All Gods Die (The Gap Into Ruin) (Mass Market Paperback)

When I started reading the series, I was wary. Various people warned me of the brutality I would encounter. Thus, I read out of curiosity. After finishing book one, I decided that I had encountered neither the brutality nor the intricate characters or plot I had expected.

However, I plowed forward. As the books went on, the characters gained depth, the plot twisted and grew more precarious, and I started taking sides.

By the time I reached this final book of the saga, I was fully hooked, and rightly so. Donaldson ties it all together in the final volume. The intrigue unwinds with a domino effect and plays itself out quite nicely. Further, although many plots and subplots reach fruition, he does not insult the reader by leaving us with a happy world with carefree characters. This is as it should be - a series about a period in time, not a novel claiming to encompass all relavant times.

I would recommend that readers not stop with the first book of the series, or even the second. Keep reading and you will understand the politics at work, which makes this final book all the more satisfying.