Tim Richards’ Mind the Gap combines Egyptian mythology, alternate worlds, trains, and the power of dreams into a fast-paced pulp adventure. Darius Ibrahim was minding his own business on the London Underground, when a knife-wielding stranger attacks him. Attempting to escape, Darius is cornered but suddenly finds himself at another train station entirely. It slowly dawns on him that he isn’t blacking out or imagining things. He truly has developed an extraordinary gift and attracts the attention of rival factions from this world and its parallel.
In the grand tradition of globetrotting pulp, from that point onwards the action hardly ever pauses to catch its breath stretching from London to Melbourne, from Prague to Egypt, and the world beyond.
The relentlessness of the plot ensures that it is never boring. There is no lack of incident or intriguing set pieces. There is a central through line that prevents major confusion on the reader’s part, despite the number of factions and double-crosses. Richards is playing with rich concepts and clearly having a blast mixing and matching them, but the world building feels mostly superficial. The concepts never quite cohere and seem more like an intriguing backdrop for an adventure story. The characters, likewise, are lightly sketched archetypes. There is a romance subplot that never transcends its awkward introduction, partly because the plot moves too quickly. The characters, relationships, and concepts never have time to breathe.
Mind the Gap reads in many ways like the novelization of a summer blockbuster that hasn’t been made yet. A sprinkling of fascinating ideas, and a relentless action-packed plot make this a quick and enjoyable, if light, read. There is no depth here, but there’s something to be said for mindless pulp fun.
Mind the Gap can be found here on Amazon.
Received a Copy From NetGalley For Review
Antonio Urias 
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