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Mind the Gap: A Tale of Parallel Worlds, Egyptology, Ancient Prophecy, Malevolent Felines... and Subway Stations
Darius Ibrahim is not having a good week. He's been threatened by a knife-wielding maniac on a London train, interrogated by a mysterious warrior woman beneath the city's streets, pursued by a military death squad in Melbourne, Australia, had his new girlfriend kidnapped and held hostage in Prague, and been captured and taken to another world. And it's barely been three days since his life started to fall to pieces. On top of all this, he's developed a bizarre ability that allows him to teleport in quite unusual circumstances - an ability that several deadly enemies will do anything to gain control of. In a desperate struggle involving alternate worlds, Egyptian mythology, ancient prophecy, malevolent felines, subway stations and the power of dreams, can Darius long survive the arrival of his newfound power?
370 pages, Paperback
First published March 22, 2009
About the author
Tim Richards
11 books2 followersTim Richards is a freelance travel writer whose work has appeared in publications around the world, including Lonely Planet’s guidebooks.
He fell into travel writing after living and teaching in Egypt and Poland, and is especially drawn to the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. He’s a light-packing obsessive, and loves chasing down a story with a historical angle.
Tim lives in Melbourne’s lively central business district with his novelist wife, Narrelle M Harris.
He fell into travel writing after living and teaching in Egypt and Poland, and is especially drawn to the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. He’s a light-packing obsessive, and loves chasing down a story with a historical angle.
Tim lives in Melbourne’s lively central business district with his novelist wife, Narrelle M Harris.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 1, 2014
This was a rough read for me. I loved the premise. Set in an alternate London we meet Darius, our main character. He always thought he was a normal guy, but after an altercation in the Underground he thinks he is going crazy. A a man came after him with a knife and he can't remember anything else. He woke up in a different station. He doesn't know how he got there and he is being chased by trained assassins. An unknown and mysterious woman saves him only to let him know his world - the real world, and a parallel world created by dream and thought exist. He would say she had lost her mind except he keeps disappearing and appearing in other places. How can he explain this and why are trying people trying to kill him? It turns out they want to kill him because of his disappearing act. They believe he fulfills an ancient prophecy and whoever controls him controls the fate of both worlds.
The two worlds have a connection to ancient Egyptian religions. I was excited for this but the world building was not strong. It felt cardboard. There wasn't enough detail to make you feel you were in present day London let alone an alternate version. I recognize I tend to lean towards long descriptions and don't mind a 1000 page book so this may bother me more than the average reader. I wanted and expected more. I wanted to see the abandoned subway tunnels. I wanted to feel for the characters but I couldn't see them and I can't tell you more about one than the other or how to distinguish them from each other. Strong solid characters and strong world building will lead me to forgive the worst writing. This is what I look for in books first and foremost. If this is important to you this is not the book for you. If a strong story is enough for you there is a chance you will connect to this better than I did.
Consider this before you pick up 'Mind the Gap.' Are you looking for a light read? This fulfills that. Do you like Urban Fantasy? Check. Will you need to pay attention? Yes. Do you care if your characters are stereotypical? Yes - steer clear, if it doesn't bother you feel free to pick it up. In some ways the premise has similarities to 'Sixty One Nails' by Mike Shevdon. It may satiate your needs better if you require stronger world building and fleshed out characters.
I received this from Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia in return for an honest review.
The two worlds have a connection to ancient Egyptian religions. I was excited for this but the world building was not strong. It felt cardboard. There wasn't enough detail to make you feel you were in present day London let alone an alternate version. I recognize I tend to lean towards long descriptions and don't mind a 1000 page book so this may bother me more than the average reader. I wanted and expected more. I wanted to see the abandoned subway tunnels. I wanted to feel for the characters but I couldn't see them and I can't tell you more about one than the other or how to distinguish them from each other. Strong solid characters and strong world building will lead me to forgive the worst writing. This is what I look for in books first and foremost. If this is important to you this is not the book for you. If a strong story is enough for you there is a chance you will connect to this better than I did.
Consider this before you pick up 'Mind the Gap.' Are you looking for a light read? This fulfills that. Do you like Urban Fantasy? Check. Will you need to pay attention? Yes. Do you care if your characters are stereotypical? Yes - steer clear, if it doesn't bother you feel free to pick it up. In some ways the premise has similarities to 'Sixty One Nails' by Mike Shevdon. It may satiate your needs better if you require stronger world building and fleshed out characters.
I received this from Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia in return for an honest review.
November 28, 2014
~2.5
When Darius Ibrahim swipes his Oyster card, he thinks he is in for only the standard dangers of travelling the Underground: late trains, confined spaces, and that peculiar variety of awkward silence that Londoners specialize in. But when a knife-wielding maniac with peculiar eyes takes a swipe at him, Darius suddenly discovers a new talent: the ability to travel between certain stations in the blink of an eye. With multiple competing groups from a different world after him, Darius’s new skill will come in handy.
Mind the Gap is one of those books that I find it difficult to review, mostly because my strong reaction utterly impedes my ability to be fair. Richards has a vivid imagination and a plethora of interesting ideas, but for a variety of reasons, the book just didn’t work for me. Maybe the story just didn’t match my expectations. From the blurb, I expected an amusing tongue-in-cheek romp, something in the style of Christopher Moore or A Lee Martinez. Instead, I got a book that played the cliches cringingly straight: there’s a Prophecy (in truly terrible meter), a Chosen One, and even a Dark Lord--capitalization not mine. In standard Chosen One parlance, Darius is repeatedly referred to as “the boy”--32 times, by my count-- even though he’s an ex-IT-specialist and must be in his 20s or 30s. Lines ripped straight out of a B movie were spoken in earnest, such as:
The book actually ends with the words “To be continued…”, and in my opinion, that pretty much reflects the level of subtlety of the rest of the story.
Richards employs a large cast of perspective characters, all with interestingly muddy motivations. However, the transitions between them are abrupt and initially somewhat jerky and they tend to have informed attributes rather than defined personalities. Characters’ lives are very superficially constructed, and we get massive infodumps of their life stories at various inopportune moments. For example, take Viv, Darius’s love interest/ sidekick:
I tend to like plots where the ordinary guy is initially overwhelmed by an extraordinary situation, but at some point, he should stop running, start putting things together, and end by taking responsibility for his destiny. That never really happens here. Darius spends essentially the entire book fleeing from everyone else, wondering what is going on, and fortuitously escaping trouble. The book isn’t without humour, but I found it so heavy and unsubtle that it made me wince.
Richards has a vivid imagination, and I loved his conception of a dream world that has a symbiotic relationship with our own. His usage of Egyptian mythology was also interesting. However, I think the sheer breadth of the worldbuilding left many aspects underdeveloped. The shortness of the text and the number of characters and motives forced Richards into a tendency towards infodumps and exposition-driven conversations, leading to flat, stilted dialogue. The plot also had a heavy dependency on exposition-heavy dreams--including mirror dream-selves-- and visions, an indication, in my opinion, that the plot can’t carry itself. I never have issues with books that require suspension of disbelief; I’m enchanted by the idea of dual worlds and Egyptian gods come to life. But I can’t tolerate internal inconsistencies and subplots that require characters to behave unnaturally solely to further the plot.
I had real trouble finishing the book, which was peculiar, given the sheer number of suspenseful situations and the intriguing ambiguities in the characters’ motivations. I think the problem was that the book set up a situation with no particular outcome that I as a reader felt strongly about. Since the only alternatives that I was aware of were unsatisfactory, none of characters’ choices seemed to matter. All that was left, and all that was left to expect, was a deus ex machina. It’s never a suspenseful setup when the reader is forced to expect a twist in the ending because no other outcome would make sense.
Richards has an impressive imagination, and I really regret my inability to enjoy the book. I think the blurb does the book a disservice. It led me to expect a bit of fluffy parody, whereas the real story is more of an action/adventure. If you're willing to put up with Prophecies, Chosen Ones, and deus ex machinas to enjoy an interestingly designed dual world, then then this might be an enjoyable read.
**Note: this review is of an uncorrected advanced reader copy. While the included quotes may not reflect the final phrasing, I believe they speak to the nature of the novel as a whole.**
~~I received this ebook through Netgalley from the publisher, HarperCollins Publishers Australia, in exchange for my (depressingly) honest review.~~
Excerpted from my review on BookLikes, which contains additional quotes and spoilers that I was too lazy to post here.
When Darius Ibrahim swipes his Oyster card, he thinks he is in for only the standard dangers of travelling the Underground: late trains, confined spaces, and that peculiar variety of awkward silence that Londoners specialize in. But when a knife-wielding maniac with peculiar eyes takes a swipe at him, Darius suddenly discovers a new talent: the ability to travel between certain stations in the blink of an eye. With multiple competing groups from a different world after him, Darius’s new skill will come in handy.
Mind the Gap is one of those books that I find it difficult to review, mostly because my strong reaction utterly impedes my ability to be fair. Richards has a vivid imagination and a plethora of interesting ideas, but for a variety of reasons, the book just didn’t work for me. Maybe the story just didn’t match my expectations. From the blurb, I expected an amusing tongue-in-cheek romp, something in the style of Christopher Moore or A Lee Martinez. Instead, I got a book that played the cliches cringingly straight: there’s a Prophecy (in truly terrible meter), a Chosen One, and even a Dark Lord--capitalization not mine. In standard Chosen One parlance, Darius is repeatedly referred to as “the boy”--32 times, by my count-- even though he’s an ex-IT-specialist and must be in his 20s or 30s. Lines ripped straight out of a B movie were spoken in earnest, such as:
“You’ve discovered the power within … That is good. Soon you will be ready.”or
“'I am Raman Nefer, Controller of the Realm of Anubis in the province of Mas-Ra and its dominions,’ he said. ‘All you need to know…. is that I control your destiny.’”And then there’s the aforementioned Prophecy (capitalization still not mine):
“At the time of its greatest weakness
The pack finds a new master,
A man from beyond the mirror
Who travels the earth
In the twinkling of an eye.
Find him, o dogs, and your war is won.”
The book actually ends with the words “To be continued…”, and in my opinion, that pretty much reflects the level of subtlety of the rest of the story.
Richards employs a large cast of perspective characters, all with interestingly muddy motivations. However, the transitions between them are abrupt and initially somewhat jerky and they tend to have informed attributes rather than defined personalities. Characters’ lives are very superficially constructed, and we get massive infodumps of their life stories at various inopportune moments. For example, take Viv, Darius’s love interest/ sidekick:
“She was very attractive, but it was her personality that was just Darius’s speed: she was forthright, positive, able to hold her own in a conversation. He liked that.”Darius manages to pick her up with some stilted conversation at a coffee bar, at which point she takes him home and lets him borrow her computer to look up maps of the Underground. The whole romance felt cardboard and contrived. They go from strangers to lovers in a paragraph, and without further ado, she becomes his loyal sidekick. All without a single meaningful conversation, if their mutual lack of knowledge about each other is anything to go by. Most of the characters’ lives felt superficially constructed, and most of their life stories are provided via massive infodumps at various inopportune moments.
I tend to like plots where the ordinary guy is initially overwhelmed by an extraordinary situation, but at some point, he should stop running, start putting things together, and end by taking responsibility for his destiny. That never really happens here. Darius spends essentially the entire book fleeing from everyone else, wondering what is going on, and fortuitously escaping trouble. The book isn’t without humour, but I found it so heavy and unsubtle that it made me wince.
Richards has a vivid imagination, and I loved his conception of a dream world that has a symbiotic relationship with our own. His usage of Egyptian mythology was also interesting. However, I think the sheer breadth of the worldbuilding left many aspects underdeveloped. The shortness of the text and the number of characters and motives forced Richards into a tendency towards infodumps and exposition-driven conversations, leading to flat, stilted dialogue. The plot also had a heavy dependency on exposition-heavy dreams--including mirror dream-selves-- and visions, an indication, in my opinion, that the plot can’t carry itself. I never have issues with books that require suspension of disbelief; I’m enchanted by the idea of dual worlds and Egyptian gods come to life. But I can’t tolerate internal inconsistencies and subplots that require characters to behave unnaturally solely to further the plot.
I had real trouble finishing the book, which was peculiar, given the sheer number of suspenseful situations and the intriguing ambiguities in the characters’ motivations. I think the problem was that the book set up a situation with no particular outcome that I as a reader felt strongly about. Since the only alternatives that I was aware of were unsatisfactory, none of characters’ choices seemed to matter. All that was left, and all that was left to expect, was a deus ex machina. It’s never a suspenseful setup when the reader is forced to expect a twist in the ending because no other outcome would make sense.
Richards has an impressive imagination, and I really regret my inability to enjoy the book. I think the blurb does the book a disservice. It led me to expect a bit of fluffy parody, whereas the real story is more of an action/adventure. If you're willing to put up with Prophecies, Chosen Ones, and deus ex machinas to enjoy an interestingly designed dual world, then then this might be an enjoyable read.
**Note: this review is of an uncorrected advanced reader copy. While the included quotes may not reflect the final phrasing, I believe they speak to the nature of the novel as a whole.**
~~I received this ebook through Netgalley from the publisher, HarperCollins Publishers Australia, in exchange for my (depressingly) honest review.~~
Excerpted from my review on BookLikes, which contains additional quotes and spoilers that I was too lazy to post here.
January 26, 2015
(I got a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
2.5 stars. It wasn't bad, but it didn't enthrall me as much as the blurb led me to expect. It contained its lot of good ideas (I've always had a fond spot for teleportation as a power, as well as for the Tube and underground trains, for some reason), while others felt muddled and confusing.
There's a prophecy, and several parties competing around it to seize the "Chosen One" in the middle of all this; but after a while I started to realise I didn't really know much about their motives, except for the most obvious ones, and it made for a plot that was at once complex yet underdeveloped. (One of the parties wanted to conquer, the other was striving for a certain being to come back to earth, the third and fourth one... I'm not exactly sure, in fact.) A few things were strange, too, such as the "bad guys" calling Darius "the boy"—he's a grown man, not a teenager, so "the young man", at the least, would have felt more justified. "Boy" just didn't cut it for me.
The characters in general would have deserved to be fleshed out more. And though the relationship between Darius and Viv was somewhat amusing (in a good way), thanks to their interactions, it developed a bit too fast to justify the whole "will go to every length to find you again". One event particularly put one character in extreme danger, as said character dove into a totally unknown situation with only a very basic plan, a.k.a "I'll let them capture me and we'll be together again".
I liked seing Egyptian mythology included, and alternate worlds. However the world-building never went far enough for me, remaining on a stereotypical level, whether it was Mas-Ra, the lands controlled by the Horus Alliance, the place where the third party came from, or even our own Earth, as the characters move so fast from one location to the other. In a way, the story was long without being long enough. Very, very strange.
The ending happened too fast, with a lot of people/beings appearing, then vanishing, all piling on the rest. The epilogue also felt out of place somehow. It's clearly here to introduce a second book, when this one seemed to be self-sufficient plot-wise.
2.5 stars. It wasn't bad, but it didn't enthrall me as much as the blurb led me to expect. It contained its lot of good ideas (I've always had a fond spot for teleportation as a power, as well as for the Tube and underground trains, for some reason), while others felt muddled and confusing.
There's a prophecy, and several parties competing around it to seize the "Chosen One" in the middle of all this; but after a while I started to realise I didn't really know much about their motives, except for the most obvious ones, and it made for a plot that was at once complex yet underdeveloped. (One of the parties wanted to conquer, the other was striving for a certain being to come back to earth, the third and fourth one... I'm not exactly sure, in fact.) A few things were strange, too, such as the "bad guys" calling Darius "the boy"—he's a grown man, not a teenager, so "the young man", at the least, would have felt more justified. "Boy" just didn't cut it for me.
The characters in general would have deserved to be fleshed out more. And though the relationship between Darius and Viv was somewhat amusing (in a good way), thanks to their interactions, it developed a bit too fast to justify the whole "will go to every length to find you again". One event particularly put one character in extreme danger, as said character dove into a totally unknown situation with only a very basic plan, a.k.a "I'll let them capture me and we'll be together again".
I liked seing Egyptian mythology included, and alternate worlds. However the world-building never went far enough for me, remaining on a stereotypical level, whether it was Mas-Ra, the lands controlled by the Horus Alliance, the place where the third party came from, or even our own Earth, as the characters move so fast from one location to the other. In a way, the story was long without being long enough. Very, very strange.
The ending happened too fast, with a lot of people/beings appearing, then vanishing, all piling on the rest. The epilogue also felt out of place somehow. It's clearly here to introduce a second book, when this one seemed to be self-sufficient plot-wise.
January 27, 2018
Full review to come!
December 8, 2014
http://koeur.wordpress.com/2014/12/02...
Publisher: harper Collins
Publishing Date: November 2014
ISBN: 9781460704028
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1.0/5
Publisher Description: He’s been threatened by a knife-wielding maniac on a London train, interrogated by a mysterious warrior woman beneath the city’s streets, pursued by a military death squad in Melbourne, had his new girlfriend kidnapped and held hostage in Prague, and been captured and taken to another world. And it’s barely been three days since his life started to fall to pieces. On top of all this, he’s developed a bizarre ability that allows him to teleport in quite unusual circumstances – an ability that several deadly enemies will do anything to gain control of. In a desperate struggle involving alternate worlds, Egyptian mythology, ancient prophecy, malevolent felines, underground railway stations and the power of dreams, can Darius long survive the arrival of his newfound power?
Review: zzzzzzzzzzzzz…….Wha? Oh, sorry. Nodded off there reading the description. Darius is endearing. He’s clueless as to why beings from parallel worlds are after him and resides within this cloud of denial. He’s befuddled and tousled at the same time so chicks dig him. The same day that he teleports to Australia he gets laid by a barista at a train station. The barista later risks life and limb (and knows judo) to save a guy she’s known for three days from the dogs of Annubus, and the cats of Bast?? Meow?. Horus’ followers are in there too, somewhere. So when Darius is not dreaming about, well whatever, (you will most likely start flipping pages when that happens) he is trying to save the love of his life, Viv, the super-judo barista slut.
In a nutshell the plot is pretty simple. Boy with talent can bring all the worlds into alignment and the other world powers want that power for themselves. The problem is that it is at once all over the place and then replicating those same events, but in a different place. Darius is a constant chafing whiner that you hope will get crushed by a rock slide. Viv goes from slutty barista to dimension traveling horus judo-warrior that flies alien craft on rescue missions. Really? Within a week she has trained with the elite and coerced a skimmer out of some high level commando that has the hots for her. All to save a guy she knew for a couple of hours while on her back. Riiiiight.
This novel was so dumb it makes “Fight For Life” seem Nebula ready. But wait, the ending promises more adventures with Darius the Dummy and his side-kick Viv, the Barista tramp.
Publisher: harper Collins
Publishing Date: November 2014
ISBN: 9781460704028
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1.0/5
Publisher Description: He’s been threatened by a knife-wielding maniac on a London train, interrogated by a mysterious warrior woman beneath the city’s streets, pursued by a military death squad in Melbourne, had his new girlfriend kidnapped and held hostage in Prague, and been captured and taken to another world. And it’s barely been three days since his life started to fall to pieces. On top of all this, he’s developed a bizarre ability that allows him to teleport in quite unusual circumstances – an ability that several deadly enemies will do anything to gain control of. In a desperate struggle involving alternate worlds, Egyptian mythology, ancient prophecy, malevolent felines, underground railway stations and the power of dreams, can Darius long survive the arrival of his newfound power?
Review: zzzzzzzzzzzzz…….Wha? Oh, sorry. Nodded off there reading the description. Darius is endearing. He’s clueless as to why beings from parallel worlds are after him and resides within this cloud of denial. He’s befuddled and tousled at the same time so chicks dig him. The same day that he teleports to Australia he gets laid by a barista at a train station. The barista later risks life and limb (and knows judo) to save a guy she’s known for three days from the dogs of Annubus, and the cats of Bast?? Meow?. Horus’ followers are in there too, somewhere. So when Darius is not dreaming about, well whatever, (you will most likely start flipping pages when that happens) he is trying to save the love of his life, Viv, the super-judo barista slut.
In a nutshell the plot is pretty simple. Boy with talent can bring all the worlds into alignment and the other world powers want that power for themselves. The problem is that it is at once all over the place and then replicating those same events, but in a different place. Darius is a constant chafing whiner that you hope will get crushed by a rock slide. Viv goes from slutty barista to dimension traveling horus judo-warrior that flies alien craft on rescue missions. Really? Within a week she has trained with the elite and coerced a skimmer out of some high level commando that has the hots for her. All to save a guy she knew for a couple of hours while on her back. Riiiiight.
This novel was so dumb it makes “Fight For Life” seem Nebula ready. But wait, the ending promises more adventures with Darius the Dummy and his side-kick Viv, the Barista tramp.
April 11, 2023
I read this book while on holiday in Athens :-) Turned out quite appropriate, this was written by someone who loves travelling, and this comes across in the book.
It's a great book, highly recommended. Left itself open to sequels and I've been keeping an expectant eye open. Not yet though :-(
It's a great book, highly recommended. Left itself open to sequels and I've been keeping an expectant eye open. Not yet though :-(
August 5, 2015
From the Internet Book Review
http://www.internetbookreview.com/201...
For many years I was a real creature of habit when buying books, once I’d picked an author I’d pretty much buy every book they wrote. You know how you always order the same thing at your favourite restaurant?
Well I used to buy my books the same way; looking past most other authors on the shelves because I went with what I knew and liked. Not that there was anything wrong with the other books on the shelf, I just didn't step out of my comfort zone very often. I was basically the dream customer for publishers reliably buying whatever my favourite author published.
However, a strange thing has happened since I’ve been reviewing books, I’ve had the opportunity to read many début novels by new authors… and I like it, a lot. So much so that I now search for the new names, the new voices that can present a different take on some well-trodden genres.
So when I was asked to review Mind the Gap from new author Tim Richards, I jumped at the chance. That he was also a fellow Australian piqued my interest even further.
Mind the Gap starts in contemporary London, well below it actually, as our lead character Darius Ibrahim commutes to work on the Tube. His normally uneventful journey to his unremarkable job is interrupted by a madman with a knife on his train. Darius, like we all would, tries to look like he’s not a worthy target, but when the knife wielding man spots him, it’s as if he was actually looking for him and that can’t be right; Darius is a nobody.
So starts a frantic dash to safety that sees Darius end up hiding in a storage room, get kidnapped by a strong and very mysterious woman who may well be scarier than the knife wielding madman, and taken to the unexplored dark depths of the London Underground. Even more shocking to Darius is his sudden ability to teleport himself to other parts of the world and out of the reach of all his new friends. It’s this ability he soon discovers that is exactly why everyone wants him.
Make no mistakes here, this is a fast paced, page turning story and Richards creates an interesting take on the alternate world’s idea. There’s a good deal of ancient Egyptian mythology brought to life here in an interesting way, and I always enjoy hopping between alternative worlds, however abrupt and confusing it can sometimes be in this book.
My sense as the reader though was that just like Darius, the main protagonist; you’re always on the run to the next chase, there’s no real chance to explore the worlds presented… and that’s what was a little disappointing
Just like a good sauce needs time to develop the flavours, so too did this book needed more time and space to develop all of its facets. There’s no doubting there’s some really interesting ideas in there, enough to have kept my interest throughout, but I was left with the feeling that I wanted more.
Could the characters have had more depth, could the world’s we’re introduced to be more deeply explored, could the plot have had a few truly unexpected twists and turns?
Yes to all of those points, this is a light quick read and as much as I wish it was twice as long, ultimately it’s a pretty good effort from a new author who clearly has the imagination to create compelling stories. I’ll be looking out for his next book and hoping to get just that bit more out of it.
Recommendation: Worth the read, it’s light and quick and it won’t tax you too much, perfect for travelling with an must for fans of Egyptian Gods and Dog Soldiers.
http://www.internetbookreview.com/201...
For many years I was a real creature of habit when buying books, once I’d picked an author I’d pretty much buy every book they wrote. You know how you always order the same thing at your favourite restaurant?
Well I used to buy my books the same way; looking past most other authors on the shelves because I went with what I knew and liked. Not that there was anything wrong with the other books on the shelf, I just didn't step out of my comfort zone very often. I was basically the dream customer for publishers reliably buying whatever my favourite author published.
However, a strange thing has happened since I’ve been reviewing books, I’ve had the opportunity to read many début novels by new authors… and I like it, a lot. So much so that I now search for the new names, the new voices that can present a different take on some well-trodden genres.
So when I was asked to review Mind the Gap from new author Tim Richards, I jumped at the chance. That he was also a fellow Australian piqued my interest even further.
Mind the Gap starts in contemporary London, well below it actually, as our lead character Darius Ibrahim commutes to work on the Tube. His normally uneventful journey to his unremarkable job is interrupted by a madman with a knife on his train. Darius, like we all would, tries to look like he’s not a worthy target, but when the knife wielding man spots him, it’s as if he was actually looking for him and that can’t be right; Darius is a nobody.
So starts a frantic dash to safety that sees Darius end up hiding in a storage room, get kidnapped by a strong and very mysterious woman who may well be scarier than the knife wielding madman, and taken to the unexplored dark depths of the London Underground. Even more shocking to Darius is his sudden ability to teleport himself to other parts of the world and out of the reach of all his new friends. It’s this ability he soon discovers that is exactly why everyone wants him.
Make no mistakes here, this is a fast paced, page turning story and Richards creates an interesting take on the alternate world’s idea. There’s a good deal of ancient Egyptian mythology brought to life here in an interesting way, and I always enjoy hopping between alternative worlds, however abrupt and confusing it can sometimes be in this book.
My sense as the reader though was that just like Darius, the main protagonist; you’re always on the run to the next chase, there’s no real chance to explore the worlds presented… and that’s what was a little disappointing
Just like a good sauce needs time to develop the flavours, so too did this book needed more time and space to develop all of its facets. There’s no doubting there’s some really interesting ideas in there, enough to have kept my interest throughout, but I was left with the feeling that I wanted more.
Could the characters have had more depth, could the world’s we’re introduced to be more deeply explored, could the plot have had a few truly unexpected twists and turns?
Yes to all of those points, this is a light quick read and as much as I wish it was twice as long, ultimately it’s a pretty good effort from a new author who clearly has the imagination to create compelling stories. I’ll be looking out for his next book and hoping to get just that bit more out of it.
Recommendation: Worth the read, it’s light and quick and it won’t tax you too much, perfect for travelling with an must for fans of Egyptian Gods and Dog Soldiers.
December 2, 2014
This hovered, for me, in the tricky gap (ha!) between three and four stars. It's either right at the top of three stars - better than mediocre, reasonably competent, some originality, and I did enjoy it - or right at the bottom of four stars: over-padded middle, under-motivated protagonist, and at least some of the time I wished it was finished so that I could read something else, which is what finally decided me on a three-star rating.
Let's talk some more about the over-padded middle and under-motivated protagonist, which were the main reasons it didn't engage me more. There are quite a few cycles of "some things are explained that leave us with more questions, action scene, main character escapes using his power, fetches up somewhere else, dreams; shift to secondary viewpoint character, exposition, they make some decision or take some action, that character dreams". There were, for my taste, too many of those cycles.
You may have noticed in my summary that the main character, Darius, is primarily reactive, while secondary characters are more proactive, and this was another problem for me. At one point, one of the secondary characters reflects on the main character's motivations, and they're fairly weak, the kind of motivations a character often has near the start of a book rather than near the end: escape, get back home, and while he's at it rescue the girl.
Ah, the girl. Viv was, to me, the strongest character, more interesting, more proactive and more effective than Darius was. They connect in a way that never convinced me: after one of his early teleportation episodes, Darius, disheveled, confused and presumably still with vomit breath from his reaction to his first episode, fetches up at Viv's coffee stand and talks like a crazy person. She meets him again by chance after work, and decides to take him home and sleep with him. Shortly thereafter, they're separated, but highly motivated to get back together and rescue each other, even though they basically hardly know each other (and it's already been established that this is his second casual sexual encounter in about three days). In the event, Viv rescues herself, largely, which I liked.
The last fifth or so of the book became more engaging, with thrilling events and a satisfying resolution, but there was an almost literal deus ex machina involved, and it wasn't enough to compensate for the overlong central portion.
Let's talk some more about the over-padded middle and under-motivated protagonist, which were the main reasons it didn't engage me more. There are quite a few cycles of "some things are explained that leave us with more questions, action scene, main character escapes using his power, fetches up somewhere else, dreams; shift to secondary viewpoint character, exposition, they make some decision or take some action, that character dreams". There were, for my taste, too many of those cycles.
You may have noticed in my summary that the main character, Darius, is primarily reactive, while secondary characters are more proactive, and this was another problem for me. At one point, one of the secondary characters reflects on the main character's motivations, and they're fairly weak, the kind of motivations a character often has near the start of a book rather than near the end: escape, get back home, and while he's at it rescue the girl.
Ah, the girl. Viv was, to me, the strongest character, more interesting, more proactive and more effective than Darius was. They connect in a way that never convinced me: after one of his early teleportation episodes, Darius, disheveled, confused and presumably still with vomit breath from his reaction to his first episode, fetches up at Viv's coffee stand and talks like a crazy person. She meets him again by chance after work, and decides to take him home and sleep with him. Shortly thereafter, they're separated, but highly motivated to get back together and rescue each other, even though they basically hardly know each other (and it's already been established that this is his second casual sexual encounter in about three days). In the event, Viv rescues herself, largely, which I liked.
The last fifth or so of the book became more engaging, with thrilling events and a satisfying resolution, but there was an almost literal deus ex machina involved, and it wasn't enough to compensate for the overlong central portion.
December 22, 2014
I received a digital copy of this title for review from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis:
A young man finds himself in sudden possession of a remarkable power, and just as suddenly being pursued by all manner of weirdy weirdos.
I wanted to like this one a lot, but unfortunately it was just an okay, reasonably forgettable read for me. It started out well - weirdness on trains is always a surefire way to get me interested. Then there was the Aussie angle, with some of the action taking place in Melbourne. But overall, the plot was just a bit too complex and the author took a little too long to explain who the strange people chasing Darius down were and their reasons for doing so.
I did really like the interesting quirk to Darius' time-and-space-travelling power that he figured out a couple of chapters in. That bit of detail was clever and gave astute readers a chance to guess ahead as to where he might end up next. I quite liked the pairing of Darius and Viv, the Melbourne barista who gets drawn into the shenanigans. The thing that I found confusing and, I'll admit it, just a tad dull, was the glimpses into the worlds of the various groups following Darius. There just wasn't enough information given for me to comfortably situate this lot early on in the story, so I kept thinking to myself, "Who are they again? What's going on?" which was distracting to say the least.
By the end, I definitely had the feeling that I'd seen all this before in one form or another and the story and characters here didn't give me enough reason to really mark this book as a stand-out in any way. Having said that, it wasn't complete rubbish either and will no doubt have plenty of people who enjoy it simply for its sci-fi, time-space-jumping, alternate universe fun.
Ten Second Synopsis:
A young man finds himself in sudden possession of a remarkable power, and just as suddenly being pursued by all manner of weirdy weirdos.
I wanted to like this one a lot, but unfortunately it was just an okay, reasonably forgettable read for me. It started out well - weirdness on trains is always a surefire way to get me interested. Then there was the Aussie angle, with some of the action taking place in Melbourne. But overall, the plot was just a bit too complex and the author took a little too long to explain who the strange people chasing Darius down were and their reasons for doing so.
I did really like the interesting quirk to Darius' time-and-space-travelling power that he figured out a couple of chapters in. That bit of detail was clever and gave astute readers a chance to guess ahead as to where he might end up next. I quite liked the pairing of Darius and Viv, the Melbourne barista who gets drawn into the shenanigans. The thing that I found confusing and, I'll admit it, just a tad dull, was the glimpses into the worlds of the various groups following Darius. There just wasn't enough information given for me to comfortably situate this lot early on in the story, so I kept thinking to myself, "Who are they again? What's going on?" which was distracting to say the least.
By the end, I definitely had the feeling that I'd seen all this before in one form or another and the story and characters here didn't give me enough reason to really mark this book as a stand-out in any way. Having said that, it wasn't complete rubbish either and will no doubt have plenty of people who enjoy it simply for its sci-fi, time-space-jumping, alternate universe fun.
December 2, 2015
Mind the Gap has too many characters and too much going on and not enough world building and character development. I put the reader down for several days and would have been happy not to bother finishing Mind the Gap because I didn't care about any one, especially Darius, our rather passive hero.
The first third of the book is Darius popping from tube station to tube station and not really giving much thought to his situation or trying to develop his abilities. Again, he sort of runs from threats willy nilly. I like urban fantasy characters who are spunky, they might fall on their faces but are proactive.
There are two groups fighting over Darius and his abilities. It's understandable why, but I never felt real menace or threat. While an alternate world version of Egypt is the setting for about half the book, I didn't feel the background was fleshed out enough to bring it to life for me. If I, personally, hadn't been to Egypt or have visited EVERY museum in the world (probably not much of an exaggeration) with an Egyptian exhibit so I could visualize the world for myself, it might as well have been set anywhere else. I did like that the rival factions were affiliated with Anubis and Bast and that the warriors reflected that in appearance and somewhat in fighting style (the Bast warriors).
The story line was unique with lots of potential interesting elements, but needed some work. The story seemed to jump here and there, then fill in (sort of) what we missed which is not a favorite technique of mine.
I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
The first third of the book is Darius popping from tube station to tube station and not really giving much thought to his situation or trying to develop his abilities. Again, he sort of runs from threats willy nilly. I like urban fantasy characters who are spunky, they might fall on their faces but are proactive.
There are two groups fighting over Darius and his abilities. It's understandable why, but I never felt real menace or threat. While an alternate world version of Egypt is the setting for about half the book, I didn't feel the background was fleshed out enough to bring it to life for me. If I, personally, hadn't been to Egypt or have visited EVERY museum in the world (probably not much of an exaggeration) with an Egyptian exhibit so I could visualize the world for myself, it might as well have been set anywhere else. I did like that the rival factions were affiliated with Anubis and Bast and that the warriors reflected that in appearance and somewhat in fighting style (the Bast warriors).
The story line was unique with lots of potential interesting elements, but needed some work. The story seemed to jump here and there, then fill in (sort of) what we missed which is not a favorite technique of mine.
I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
January 26, 2015
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Note: I never finished reading this book.
Mind The Gap by Tim Richards is a peculiar fantasy novel set in the present time. Darius Ibrahim was an average man travelling on the tube when a man with a knife enters his carriage. In his attempt to escape from the lunatic he finds himself locked in a cupboard one minute and then transported magically to another tube station the next. Things get weirder when it happens again and he ends up in Australia.
In Australia Darius meets Vivien to whom he reveals his new power. However there are now "dog soldiers" hunting hike down. Darius soon learns that another world named Terra intersects Earth. On Terra, mental ability is the true source of power so despite similarities, Terra functions in a completely different way to Earth. But what has this got to do with Darius? On Terra, Egyptian Mythology is a very real thing and Darius is the key person who connects a prophecy between the two worlds.
It was very confusing at the beginning of the story as it was not clear what was going on. It begun to improve but I found it hard to concentrate on it was hard to interpret the plot line. Due to this I gave up reading after approximately two hundred pages, thus do not know how it ended. If I am honest, I was not bothered about reading the ending as I had become rather bored with the storyline.
Note: I never finished reading this book.
Mind The Gap by Tim Richards is a peculiar fantasy novel set in the present time. Darius Ibrahim was an average man travelling on the tube when a man with a knife enters his carriage. In his attempt to escape from the lunatic he finds himself locked in a cupboard one minute and then transported magically to another tube station the next. Things get weirder when it happens again and he ends up in Australia.
In Australia Darius meets Vivien to whom he reveals his new power. However there are now "dog soldiers" hunting hike down. Darius soon learns that another world named Terra intersects Earth. On Terra, mental ability is the true source of power so despite similarities, Terra functions in a completely different way to Earth. But what has this got to do with Darius? On Terra, Egyptian Mythology is a very real thing and Darius is the key person who connects a prophecy between the two worlds.
It was very confusing at the beginning of the story as it was not clear what was going on. It begun to improve but I found it hard to concentrate on it was hard to interpret the plot line. Due to this I gave up reading after approximately two hundred pages, thus do not know how it ended. If I am honest, I was not bothered about reading the ending as I had become rather bored with the storyline.
November 17, 2014
An odd one this, a bright and cheerful cover and title is slightly at odds with the content. This is sci-fi with a mirror world and a guy who finds he can travel between them, but a ;lot of people seem to be after him and he doesn’t know who to trust.
Fans of the book “Jumper” or the John Twelve Hawks books will find this their sort of thing. An alternate world, numerous fighting factions and a guy caught in the middle. Oh and maybe a slight nod to Stargate and the occasional Egyptian God.
It’s not bad, the dialogue could be slicker and lead character Darius was slightly hard to like, the author has more fun with his supporting characters from the factions. There are some big ideas here that, while confusing at times, just about work. And there are some clever ideas too, not just the use of stations but you can tell that the author knows his travel stuff (but doesn’t force it down our throats). There were plenty of things I liked in this but it did feel like a venture into fiction, I am sure the follow up will be slicker and have more confidence, especially in the dialogue.
But this was fun, a bit different and I am glad I discovered the author.
Fans of the book “Jumper” or the John Twelve Hawks books will find this their sort of thing. An alternate world, numerous fighting factions and a guy caught in the middle. Oh and maybe a slight nod to Stargate and the occasional Egyptian God.
It’s not bad, the dialogue could be slicker and lead character Darius was slightly hard to like, the author has more fun with his supporting characters from the factions. There are some big ideas here that, while confusing at times, just about work. And there are some clever ideas too, not just the use of stations but you can tell that the author knows his travel stuff (but doesn’t force it down our throats). There were plenty of things I liked in this but it did feel like a venture into fiction, I am sure the follow up will be slicker and have more confidence, especially in the dialogue.
But this was fun, a bit different and I am glad I discovered the author.
November 9, 2014
I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I struggled so hard with this book, it was terrible. I really wanted to love this book because its premise with Egyptian mythology sounded so amazing, but I actually ended up being so terribly disappointed. It took me three days to get 85% through this book, which is a long time for me and my reading pace, and I really wanted to push myself to finishing it, but I just ended up giving up after 85%.
I didn't really like the writing - at some points it made me stumble and it didn't read very easily for me. I didn't like any of the characters except maybe Hamila, I don't know. I liked that there were different POVs but I just felt like it was never really made clear in who's head we were. I really struggled with that, too. And at some points the story dragged and/or got really crazy. I don't know. I wish I had loved this, but I just did not at all.
I struggled so hard with this book, it was terrible. I really wanted to love this book because its premise with Egyptian mythology sounded so amazing, but I actually ended up being so terribly disappointed. It took me three days to get 85% through this book, which is a long time for me and my reading pace, and I really wanted to push myself to finishing it, but I just ended up giving up after 85%.
I didn't really like the writing - at some points it made me stumble and it didn't read very easily for me. I didn't like any of the characters except maybe Hamila, I don't know. I liked that there were different POVs but I just felt like it was never really made clear in who's head we were. I really struggled with that, too. And at some points the story dragged and/or got really crazy. I don't know. I wish I had loved this, but I just did not at all.
November 6, 2014
Mind the Gap by Tim Richards is an pretty good story about magic, ancient gods, parallel universes or universe inside an universe.
Anyway, there is the guy - Darius - who can all of sudden move a great distances at a blink of an eye, underground in tube/metro/subway, if the stations names are somehow similar. But that makes him a target to the guys from that parallel universe, the dreamworld/mirror image of our world. They want to use his ability, to open up the worlds to each other and to bring their gods among the living once again.
So Darius' first bigger jump is from London to Melbourne, there he picks up Viv, and with her they jump to Prague, and from Prague they are taken to the parallel world.
There everybody tries to find out, whats the secret of Darius' ability ...
At the end all ends well.
It was ok book. Nothing special, but not too bad either.
Anyway, there is the guy - Darius - who can all of sudden move a great distances at a blink of an eye, underground in tube/metro/subway, if the stations names are somehow similar. But that makes him a target to the guys from that parallel universe, the dreamworld/mirror image of our world. They want to use his ability, to open up the worlds to each other and to bring their gods among the living once again.
So Darius' first bigger jump is from London to Melbourne, there he picks up Viv, and with her they jump to Prague, and from Prague they are taken to the parallel world.
There everybody tries to find out, whats the secret of Darius' ability ...
At the end all ends well.
It was ok book. Nothing special, but not too bad either.
January 25, 2015
I enjoyed reading "Mind the Gap." The characters, plot and setting were entertaining. The concept behind the novel is intriguing - our Earth and a parallel world, Terra, created and powered by our dreams, mystic powers and unconsciousness.
The novel had a strong Egyptian motif, which I enjoyed. Mr. Richards created a rather interesting and unique fantasy.
This novel is a nice, light read for the beach, at the airport, or just for a few evenings' worth of entertainment.. And that's very nice, since we can read "Crime and Punishment" all the time.
The novel had a strong Egyptian motif, which I enjoyed. Mr. Richards created a rather interesting and unique fantasy.
This novel is a nice, light read for the beach, at the airport, or just for a few evenings' worth of entertainment.. And that's very nice, since we can read "Crime and Punishment" all the time.
April 25, 2016
I got this from NetGalley to review.
I tried to like this book, really tried, but the writing was just poor enough that it was a distraction to me. However, if you aren't an English major who happens to also teach writing, and if you happen to just want a super silly story to get lost in, then this might be the book for you.
I tried to like this book, really tried, but the writing was just poor enough that it was a distraction to me. However, if you aren't an English major who happens to also teach writing, and if you happen to just want a super silly story to get lost in, then this might be the book for you.
February 2, 2015
Pleasantly surprised by this read. Loved the concept of this book and the storyline is amazing. I had a difficult time putting this book down. Definitely recommend this book. (LOVED the Egyptian mythology aspect of the book).
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via NETGALLEY.
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via NETGALLEY.
January 10, 2015
This was ok,but I found it quite hard to get I to
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