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The Hunted Earth #1
The Ring of Charon
The first book in the Hunted Earth series, published to tie in with the hardcover publication of its sequel, The Shattered Sphere.
The Earth has disappeared, but was it destroyed by an unauthorized gravity experiment, or was the planet kidnapped by an alien race? Humanity must discover the answer before it's too late.
The Earth has disappeared, but was it destroyed by an unauthorized gravity experiment, or was the planet kidnapped by an alien race? Humanity must discover the answer before it's too late.
500 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
15 people are currently reading
526 people want to read
About the author
Roger MacBride Allen
54 books102 followersRoger MacBride Allen is a US science fiction author of the Corellian Trilogy, consisting of Ambush at Corellia, Assault at Selonia, and Showdown at Centerpoint. He was born on September 26, 1957 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He grew up in Washington D.C. and graduated from Boston University in 1979. The author of a dozen science-fiction novels, he lived in Washington D.C., for many years. In July 1994, he married Eleanre Fox, a member of the U.S. Foreign Service. Her current assignment takes them to Brasilia, Brazil, where they lived from 2007 to 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 3, 2012
I loved this book! It brought back the best of old time science fiction with a blend of the new.
July 24, 2015
Set apparently a few centuries in the future, with colonies and scientific stations on various moons and planets within the Solar System, after the onset of an economic crash possibly caused by the requirements for specialized knowledge outrunning what a human can learn effectively in a lifetime. The book starts out slowly on a scientific station in danger of closing because of the crash. The only indication of what's coming are sections told from the point of view of some kind of alien intelligence hidden in the Solar System. Then the Earth disappears. From there it gets quite exciting, first with the immediate crises caused by having a big important planet disappear, then as people start trying to figure out who stole the Earth, and what the aliens are doing now. A lot of the book has to do with manipulating gravity, but occasional vagueness about the physics made me suspect that the book is trying to sound like harder science fiction than it is. But it's on the edge of what I know about physics myself, so it's hard to tell. The cover illustration is unrelated to anything in the book; a lot of major characters are female (not a full 50%, I think) but so far as we're told none of them wears a skintight red sleeveless definitely-not-a-space-suit.
July 5, 2014
I took this book up after finishing another series by the same author. I liked the other series, obviously, and while this is different, it is interesting to me.
This story involves a violent conflict between two cultures. However, one participant in the struggle does not realize there is a battle going on.
This book is heavily immersed in space science. Gravity and other astrophysics terms are mentioned on every page.
Readers who are likely to appreciate this book are happy with hard science books. There are several main characters who are based on Earth, the Moon, Mars and Pluto. The POV changes in each chapter.
I found the book very entertaining. I was in a mood for this type of book with cultural conflict and hard science.
This story involves a violent conflict between two cultures. However, one participant in the struggle does not realize there is a battle going on.
This book is heavily immersed in space science. Gravity and other astrophysics terms are mentioned on every page.
Readers who are likely to appreciate this book are happy with hard science books. There are several main characters who are based on Earth, the Moon, Mars and Pluto. The POV changes in each chapter.
I found the book very entertaining. I was in a mood for this type of book with cultural conflict and hard science.
February 6, 2024
What do you say when your experiment makes Earth disappear? Oops? I didn't mean it? Not my fault? Well, explore this and other questions of morality, science, and what makes lengths we might go to in order to save Earth and her colonies.
The science holds together for a layman like me, the characters are well-developed and the plot moves right along. Good, solid sci-fi.
The science holds together for a layman like me, the characters are well-developed and the plot moves right along. Good, solid sci-fi.
August 2, 2019
This one took a little while for me to get into. I found the first chapters boring then things got real. The writers abilities really came through with the detail. Then the whole book went off the rails for me. The conclusions the scientists make seem forced and convenient which I did not like. The book continued going down hill from there for me. I wasn't completely disappointed by this book, but I expected more. I would definitely read another novel from this author simply because I like their writing style.
August 27, 2018
As a fan of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke and Ray Bradbury I'm always interested in reading science fiction.
However, I found this book so dry with a huge emphasis on science and scientific theories and ideas that character and story are paper thin.
Good characters and an engaging story has to come first then you you can embellish it with Scientific tech all you like.
Really doesn't compel me to read any further books in the series.
However, I found this book so dry with a huge emphasis on science and scientific theories and ideas that character and story are paper thin.
Good characters and an engaging story has to come first then you you can embellish it with Scientific tech all you like.
Really doesn't compel me to read any further books in the series.
December 13, 2018
It’s a terrific idea, the writing is first rate, I wanted to love it, but in the end I didn’t. The why of it probably has more to do with me than the book itself. I’ve never been good with multiple viewpoints in a novel. I prefer one, I can handle two, I’ll suffer through three, but by the time you top ELEVENTY GAZILLION SEPARATE VIEWPOINTS (no exaggeration, I counted), I start to get a little weary.
Your mileage may vary.
Your mileage may vary.
January 18, 2019
When I found this book I saw a comment on Goodreads saying that the story is best by going in blind. That is the same advice I would give anyone wanting to give this one a shot. What happened to earth, what are those rocks, who, why? Find the answer to these questions and more. This is a good sci-fi scientific mumbijumbo adventure and boy was it a ride.
July 3, 2022
My 1991 booklog says: machine intell's, "A" , hi-tech space-opera, his best yet? 7-28-91
July 30, 2024
Character driven science fiction by a relatively unknown American author. "The Earth has disappeared, but was it destroyed by an unauthorized gravity experiment, or was the planet kidnapped by an alien race? Humanity must discover the answer before it's too late." Lots of hard science (especially around the manipulation of gravity). I've no idea if it's all valid, but it seemed plausible enough to me to not cause disbelief. It's a duology. I have the other one, and I'll get to it fairly soon (before I forget who everybody is).
(Bingo squares that this would fit: First in a Series; Under the Surface; Multi-POV (HM); Published in the 1990s; Space Opera; Survival (HM)Reference Materials (HM)).
(Bingo squares that this would fit: First in a Series; Under the Surface; Multi-POV (HM); Published in the 1990s; Space Opera; Survival (HM)Reference Materials (HM)).
June 22, 2022
An interesting scenario that gets you thinking and that makes SF worthwhile. The basic premise of gravity waves is recent and proven: They do travel at light speed. The story starts with fair assumptions about speed and distance, and then sadly does away with them all when the drama builds. But it is worth a 4 for the scenario, even if it is expedient to forget embraced ‘laws’ for the storyline.
December 19, 2024
Very clever, and the most original reason for an alien invasion I've ever personally read. Very well-written and plotted, great mystery, understandable conclusion, good characterisation, suspenseful, innovative, a lot of allegory for things like communism and the settlement of the Americas (but set in space) - a lot of surprises, an unexpected, amazing ending - couldn't wait to read the sequel.
September 4, 2017
This is an underrated gem. I think it's best read relatively blind, so I'll just share the line from the back cover that made me pick it up, "Larry Chao had destroyed the Earth. And that was only the beginning..."
August 22, 2019
This is truly "science" fiction, as most of the characters are scientists and view the events from scientific perspective. Aliens, wormholes, Dyson spheres and not even one mention of military action. A nice change from a lot of books I read recently :)
December 11, 2023
I thought that this was an okay read. I found the premise of the story interesting and although first in a series the story does have a conclusion. The story seemed to drag at times and I thought waffled a bit in places.
March 11, 2017
Kind of a wild ride. Now I find there's a sequel . . . .
Worth it.
Worth it.
July 12, 2018
An excellent hard SF story that starts off with the situation "Did our gravity wave experiment just destroy the Earth?"
March 16, 2019
Superba fantascienza "hard" (inteso come scientifica).
Read
June 21, 2020Pretty much your standard hard-sf read with the standard set of characters and a lot of info dumping. I'm still trying to figure out how the cover relates to book inside.
January 27, 2021
Fascinating to reread now in that it has the same basic plot as The Expanse of alien stuff of tremendous power hiding in the solar area but goes in wildly different directions with it.
June 8, 2021
Hard sci-fi with great action, pacing and characters. I am surprised that this book didn't make any awards or top sci fi lists. It's a really good classic science fiction read.
November 16, 2023
Very interesting
March 19, 2017
Recensione pubblicata su Cronache di Betelgeuse
E’ un romanzo di fantascienza con qualche spunto rivoluzionario sulle teorie fisiche che regolano l’universo, ma che inserisce un po’ troppi alieni per i miei gusti. I protagonisti sono divisi in due fazioni: da un lato abbiamo gli scienziati terrestri, mentre dall’altro incontriamo una popolazione aliena pronta a conquistare il sistema solare.
Gli umani inizialmente non brillano per iniziativa, ma sono più che altro impegnati in lotte di potere tra di loro, nel tentativo di mettere in risolato le loro teorie scientifiche e la loro bravura. Nel complesso i personaggi non riescono a spiccare per le loro qualità, ma solo per la quantità di sbadigli che riescono a provocarti.
Gli alieni invece appaiono più come esseri spietati, ognuno con un compito ben preciso, che non prevede una qualsiasi modifica ai piani. Scopriamo così diverse forme di vita, ognuna specializzata in un compito ben preciso, coordinate da un essere supremo. La loro società non contempla individualismi e ribellioni, cosa che invece caratterizza il comportamento degli umani nel libro. Per come sono descritti, appaiono freddi e calcolatori, riuscendo a provare delle emozioni solo quando raggiungono l’obiettivo a loro assegnato.
L’idea su cui si basa questo scontro tra razze diverse è rimarcata anche dall’utilizzo della fisica. Per gli uomini le onde gravitazionali prima rappresentano una scoperta curiosa per riuscire a interpretare in modo diverso la realtà, poi diventano una pericolosa arma, una volta compreso come utilizzarle. Gli alieni invece essendo tecnologicamente avanzati non sembrano interessati alla ricerca scientifica, ma si servono degli strumenti messi loro a disposizione come meglio credono. Le onde gravitazionali sono così paragonate a un qualsiasi oggetto di uso comune.
Anche se il romanzo presenta alcuni punti di adrenalina, l’autore non riesce a sfruttarli fino in fondo. Le scene di massima tensione, infatti, sono spesso interrotte da soliloqui oppure troncate alla fine del capitolo. Il ritmo della narrazione è così frammentato e molto noioso.
E’ un romanzo di fantascienza con qualche spunto rivoluzionario sulle teorie fisiche che regolano l’universo, ma che inserisce un po’ troppi alieni per i miei gusti. I protagonisti sono divisi in due fazioni: da un lato abbiamo gli scienziati terrestri, mentre dall’altro incontriamo una popolazione aliena pronta a conquistare il sistema solare.
Gli umani inizialmente non brillano per iniziativa, ma sono più che altro impegnati in lotte di potere tra di loro, nel tentativo di mettere in risolato le loro teorie scientifiche e la loro bravura. Nel complesso i personaggi non riescono a spiccare per le loro qualità, ma solo per la quantità di sbadigli che riescono a provocarti.
Gli alieni invece appaiono più come esseri spietati, ognuno con un compito ben preciso, che non prevede una qualsiasi modifica ai piani. Scopriamo così diverse forme di vita, ognuna specializzata in un compito ben preciso, coordinate da un essere supremo. La loro società non contempla individualismi e ribellioni, cosa che invece caratterizza il comportamento degli umani nel libro. Per come sono descritti, appaiono freddi e calcolatori, riuscendo a provare delle emozioni solo quando raggiungono l’obiettivo a loro assegnato.
L’idea su cui si basa questo scontro tra razze diverse è rimarcata anche dall’utilizzo della fisica. Per gli uomini le onde gravitazionali prima rappresentano una scoperta curiosa per riuscire a interpretare in modo diverso la realtà, poi diventano una pericolosa arma, una volta compreso come utilizzarle. Gli alieni invece essendo tecnologicamente avanzati non sembrano interessati alla ricerca scientifica, ma si servono degli strumenti messi loro a disposizione come meglio credono. Le onde gravitazionali sono così paragonate a un qualsiasi oggetto di uso comune.
Anche se il romanzo presenta alcuni punti di adrenalina, l’autore non riesce a sfruttarli fino in fondo. Le scene di massima tensione, infatti, sono spesso interrotte da soliloqui oppure troncate alla fine del capitolo. Il ritmo della narrazione è così frammentato e molto noioso.
January 19, 2024
To say this book is a lost classic is probably a bit of a stretch, but it is one of my favourite big ideas SF story. I mean, stealing the Earth is a pretty big thing in and of itself. The sequel takes the story further, but there were never any follow-ups because the series never took off. Shame. Big shame.
How I use stars.
5 means I have re-read the book, which is the best recommendation for me.
4 means I enjoyed this book and might re-read it at some future date, but I haven't so far. Life is short and there are many books to read.
3 means I enjoyed the book but I don't feel the need to re-read it.
2 means not for me, but you may like it.
1 means I couldn't get into it, or finish it and didn't enjoy the read, which sometimes is a sad thing, other times not so much.
How I use stars.
5 means I have re-read the book, which is the best recommendation for me.
4 means I enjoyed this book and might re-read it at some future date, but I haven't so far. Life is short and there are many books to read.
3 means I enjoyed the book but I don't feel the need to re-read it.
2 means not for me, but you may like it.
1 means I couldn't get into it, or finish it and didn't enjoy the read, which sometimes is a sad thing, other times not so much.
January 5, 2014
SF dura e pura, con discrete quantità di azione fisica, ma soprattutto intellettuale. Il primo di una trilogia ancora non conclusa (da quel che so) dalla grande potenza evocativa, ricca di idee notevoli, forse con troppi personaggi in azione, ma trattando della sparizione della Terra, in un futuro in cui l'umanità ha colonizzato l'intero sistema solare, un'azione corale è d'obbligo.
September 13, 2007
This book reminds me of good Larry Niven!
November 17, 2007
This wasn't a bad read, just a long one. I think the book could have accomplished its goal with a lot fewer words.
November 6, 2011
An entertaining sci-fi tale. Not quite what I am looking for but well conceived. =)
April 6, 2012
Excellent!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews