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Giants #2
The Gentle Giants of Ganymede
THE END OF EXILE
Long before the world of the Ganymeans blew apart, millennia ago, the strange race of giants had vanished. No one could discover their fate, nor where they had gone, nor why. There was only a wrecked ship abandoned on a frozen satellite of Jupiter. And now Earth's code and scientists were there, determined to ferret out the secret of the lost race.
And suddenly, spinning out of the vastness of space and immensity of time, the ship of the strange, humanoid giants returned. They brought with them answers that would alter all Mankind's knowledge of human origins in startling revelations from the past that would have biologic reverberations to be at this time. . .
Long before the world of the Ganymeans blew apart, millennia ago, the strange race of giants had vanished. No one could discover their fate, nor where they had gone, nor why. There was only a wrecked ship abandoned on a frozen satellite of Jupiter. And now Earth's code and scientists were there, determined to ferret out the secret of the lost race.
And suddenly, spinning out of the vastness of space and immensity of time, the ship of the strange, humanoid giants returned. They brought with them answers that would alter all Mankind's knowledge of human origins in startling revelations from the past that would have biologic reverberations to be at this time. . .
246 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 12, 1978
33 people are currently reading
901 people want to read
About the author
James P. Hogan
115 books271 followersJames Patrick Hogan was a British science fiction author.
Hogan was was raised in the Portobello Road area on the west side of London. After leaving school at the age of sixteen, he worked various odd jobs until, after receiving a scholarship, he began a five-year program at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough covering the practical and theoretical sides of electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering. He first married at the age of twenty, and he has had three other subsequent marriages and fathered six children.
Hogan worked as a design engineer for several companies and eventually moved into sales in the 1960s, travelling around Europe as a sales engineer for Honeywell. In the 1970s he joined the Digital Equipment Corporation's Laboratory Data Processing Group and in 1977 moved to Boston, Massachusetts to run its sales training program. He published his first novel, Inherit the Stars, in the same year to win an office bet. He quit DEC in 1979 and began writing full time, moving to Orlando, Florida, for a year where he met his third wife Jackie. They then moved to Sonora, California.
Hogan's style of science fiction is usually hard science fiction. In his earlier works he conveyed a sense of what science and scientists were about. His philosophical view on how science should be done comes through in many of his novels; theories should be formulated based on empirical research, not the other way around. If a theory does not match the facts, it is theory that should be discarded, not the facts. This is very evident in the Giants series, which begins with the discovery of a 50,000 year-old human body on the Moon. This discovery leads to a series of investigations, and as facts are discovered, theories on how the astronaut's body arrived on the Moon 50,000 years ago are elaborated, discarded, and replaced.
Hogan's fiction also reflects anti-authoritarian social views. Many of his novels have strong anarchist or libertarian themes, often promoting the idea that new technological advances render certain social conventions obsolete. For example, the effectively limitless availability of energy that would result from the development of controlled nuclear fusion would make it unnecessary to limit access to energy resources. In essence, energy would become free. This melding of scientific and social speculation is clearly present in the novel Voyage from Yesteryear (strongly influenced by Eric Frank Russell's famous story "And Then There Were None"), which describes the contact between a high-tech anarchist society on a planet in the Alpha Centauri system, with a starship sent from Earth by a dictatorial government. The story uses many elements of civil disobedience.
James Hogan died unexpectedly from a heart attack at his home in Ireland.
Hogan was was raised in the Portobello Road area on the west side of London. After leaving school at the age of sixteen, he worked various odd jobs until, after receiving a scholarship, he began a five-year program at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough covering the practical and theoretical sides of electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering. He first married at the age of twenty, and he has had three other subsequent marriages and fathered six children.
Hogan worked as a design engineer for several companies and eventually moved into sales in the 1960s, travelling around Europe as a sales engineer for Honeywell. In the 1970s he joined the Digital Equipment Corporation's Laboratory Data Processing Group and in 1977 moved to Boston, Massachusetts to run its sales training program. He published his first novel, Inherit the Stars, in the same year to win an office bet. He quit DEC in 1979 and began writing full time, moving to Orlando, Florida, for a year where he met his third wife Jackie. They then moved to Sonora, California.
Hogan's style of science fiction is usually hard science fiction. In his earlier works he conveyed a sense of what science and scientists were about. His philosophical view on how science should be done comes through in many of his novels; theories should be formulated based on empirical research, not the other way around. If a theory does not match the facts, it is theory that should be discarded, not the facts. This is very evident in the Giants series, which begins with the discovery of a 50,000 year-old human body on the Moon. This discovery leads to a series of investigations, and as facts are discovered, theories on how the astronaut's body arrived on the Moon 50,000 years ago are elaborated, discarded, and replaced.
Hogan's fiction also reflects anti-authoritarian social views. Many of his novels have strong anarchist or libertarian themes, often promoting the idea that new technological advances render certain social conventions obsolete. For example, the effectively limitless availability of energy that would result from the development of controlled nuclear fusion would make it unnecessary to limit access to energy resources. In essence, energy would become free. This melding of scientific and social speculation is clearly present in the novel Voyage from Yesteryear (strongly influenced by Eric Frank Russell's famous story "And Then There Were None"), which describes the contact between a high-tech anarchist society on a planet in the Alpha Centauri system, with a starship sent from Earth by a dictatorial government. The story uses many elements of civil disobedience.
James Hogan died unexpectedly from a heart attack at his home in Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
July 7, 2022
Hogan's Giants series hits another high note with The Gentle Giants of Ganymede. The story takes place shortly after the first installment and Vic, our main protagonist, is still on Ganymede trying to sort out the alien ship they found that crashed 25 million years ago there. The ship is partially taken apart and teams are trying to make sense of the tech when Vic and company power up what turns out to be a distress beacon. Shortly thereafter, a strange ship arrives and low and behold it is the Ganymeans! You have to suspend belief a little here, but Hogan gives us the story that the Ganymean ship was doing some experiment on a local star when it went Nova quickly and they were forced to flee with their engine/main drive partially apart; this meant that while they could get up and go, they could not turn the engine off. Due to relativistic effects, the Ganymeans on the ship aged about two decades while the objectively, 25 million years passed.
So, the Ganymean ship that returned left Minerva, the homeworld of the Ganymeans, when Minerva was still intact and functional. They were just surprised that when they finally were able to return to 'normal' space Minerva was just gone, but even more surprised to find humanity scattered throughout the solar system! Hogan gives us a first contact story therefore, but one imbued with the mystery carried over from the first installment. What happened to the original Ganymeans? Vic and company have already figured out humanity was at least in part due to Ganymeans; they took various species from Earth 25 million years ago to Minerva and Home Sapiens evolved there, only to return from Luna 50,000 years ago after the war that blew Minerva up.
This story wraps up some of the mysteries involving this while also developing the Ganymeans as aliens in an enjoyable way. Hard not to like the aliens, even if they are not really all that alien. Ganymeans share a lot of the features of humanity Hogan wrote about in his Voyage from Yesteryear in that they are a collective, something akin to libertarian anarchists, but also completely non-warlike by their vary nature. But Hogan also gives us some interesting surprises that I will not go into due to spoilers. Highly enjoyable follow up to Inherit the Stars to be sure! Space mystery that involves humanities role in the universe. 4 solid stars!!!
So, the Ganymean ship that returned left Minerva, the homeworld of the Ganymeans, when Minerva was still intact and functional. They were just surprised that when they finally were able to return to 'normal' space Minerva was just gone, but even more surprised to find humanity scattered throughout the solar system! Hogan gives us a first contact story therefore, but one imbued with the mystery carried over from the first installment. What happened to the original Ganymeans? Vic and company have already figured out humanity was at least in part due to Ganymeans; they took various species from Earth 25 million years ago to Minerva and Home Sapiens evolved there, only to return from Luna 50,000 years ago after the war that blew Minerva up.
This story wraps up some of the mysteries involving this while also developing the Ganymeans as aliens in an enjoyable way. Hard not to like the aliens, even if they are not really all that alien. Ganymeans share a lot of the features of humanity Hogan wrote about in his Voyage from Yesteryear in that they are a collective, something akin to libertarian anarchists, but also completely non-warlike by their vary nature. But Hogan also gives us some interesting surprises that I will not go into due to spoilers. Highly enjoyable follow up to Inherit the Stars to be sure! Space mystery that involves humanities role in the universe. 4 solid stars!!!
October 6, 2024
This is an excellent sequel to Hogan's first novel, Inherit the Stars. The Ganymedeans return (surprise!), and Hogan tells an excellent first contact story with considerable flair, many detailed scientific speculations, an early AI warning, as well as some good space opera adventure. There's not much conflict, and it's a refreshing story of rigorous application of scientific principles that progresses to learning how to live in harmony with others. It didn't have quite the kick as the first book, but I really enjoyed it.
February 24, 2022
This is the sequel to Hogan’s
Inherit the Stars
and builds on the ideas of the first book, or fleshes them out rather.
It opens in a similar way too: in Inherit… a body is found on the Moon, apparently human but fifty-thousand years old; here, what’s found is a crashed spaceship, preserved in the ice beneath the surface of Jupiter’s largest moon Ganymede—but far older, twenty-five million years old this time. As a scientific team from Earth cut their way in and explore its interior, they find a device which emits pulses of gravity waves and may be some sort of beacon (marker beacon? distress beacon?). Whatever it is, they seem to have unwittingly set it off.
This was published in 1978, around the same time that Ridley Scott’s Alien was being made, and I’ve no idea whether either influenced the other or whether, as ideas sometimes seem to be, the “crashed starship-beacon-aliens” idea was just sort of in the air at the end of the ’70s. Either way (as you can tell from the book’s title) what the humans are confronted with in this case is no nightmare.
As with the first book, this has an old-fashioned feel to it (nothing wrong with that either; all I mean is that it took me back to when I was growing up reading Asimov, say, or Arthur C Clarke); and, again, there’s no action-packed plot, while the ideas the scientists grapple with are both a bit convoluted and scientifically unlikely. But, as with Inherit the Stars, it’s an enjoyable read nonetheless.
It opens in a similar way too: in Inherit… a body is found on the Moon, apparently human but fifty-thousand years old; here, what’s found is a crashed spaceship, preserved in the ice beneath the surface of Jupiter’s largest moon Ganymede—but far older, twenty-five million years old this time. As a scientific team from Earth cut their way in and explore its interior, they find a device which emits pulses of gravity waves and may be some sort of beacon (marker beacon? distress beacon?). Whatever it is, they seem to have unwittingly set it off.
This was published in 1978, around the same time that Ridley Scott’s Alien was being made, and I’ve no idea whether either influenced the other or whether, as ideas sometimes seem to be, the “crashed starship-beacon-aliens” idea was just sort of in the air at the end of the ’70s. Either way (as you can tell from the book’s title) what the humans are confronted with in this case is no nightmare.
As with the first book, this has an old-fashioned feel to it (nothing wrong with that either; all I mean is that it took me back to when I was growing up reading Asimov, say, or Arthur C Clarke); and, again, there’s no action-packed plot, while the ideas the scientists grapple with are both a bit convoluted and scientifically unlikely. But, as with Inherit the Stars, it’s an enjoyable read nonetheless.
November 10, 2016
This book takes the series in a different direction from what I expected. As always, with Hogan one gets more ideas than characters. (The author reminds me of Arthur C. Clark in that respect). Here the ideas involve around more in depth understanding on the nature of evolution, time dilution, and planet formation. One could read this story without having had read book one and would have no problem following the story.
Hogan's one of my favorite science fiction authors and with this second book in the series he doesn't disappoint. Ideas are always more interesting than people.
Hogan's one of my favorite science fiction authors and with this second book in the series he doesn't disappoint. Ideas are always more interesting than people.
December 15, 2023
*chef’s kiss* 💋 exactly what I was looking for and just as good as the first.
This book is full of science-y info dumps, which I am assuming u will like since u likely made it thru the first book. If u liked that one, just get both this one and book 3- u wont be disappointed.
The second installment does a great job continuing to provide exactly what the first one promised and then some with the gift of live alien contact and the classic climax that made me pickup the next book.
This book is full of science-y info dumps, which I am assuming u will like since u likely made it thru the first book. If u liked that one, just get both this one and book 3- u wont be disappointed.
The second installment does a great job continuing to provide exactly what the first one promised and then some with the gift of live alien contact and the classic climax that made me pickup the next book.
June 10, 2024
Finished The Gentle Giants of Ganymede, the follow up to Inherit the Stars. It took a bit of a different direction than I expected but was still enjoyable. Inherit the Stars was so good it would have been very hard to beat! I plan on continuing the series.
PS the trilogy is free if you have audible.
PS the trilogy is free if you have audible.
January 22, 2026
Book review: 3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐💫
The Gentle Giants of Ganymede by James Hogan is a hard science fiction novel from the late seventies, and the sequel to Inherit the Stars. The novel, while a bit outdated on the science, approaches a set of problems and uses established scientific processes and logic to drive the plot forward. Hogan does set aside, by now the well understood process by which the Moon was formed and the path humanity’s evolutionary history took, but this book was written nearly fifty years ago and not as much was known at the time about those subjects. Despite this, the character’s dedication to science and well reasoned logic is a breath of fresh air in our current environment of misinformation and scientific ignorance.
In this novel, a team of scientists, led by Dr. Viktor Hunt continues their research on the moon of Ganymede on the alien ship found frozen in the rock. Then, out of the far reaches of the solar system, they detect a ship traveling inbound. The ship turns out to be piloted by the aliens speculated to have existed in the distant past, the Ganymeans themselves. What follows is a first contact scenario that goes cordially well, as the giant Ganymeans abhor aggression and are a cooperative and gentle species. Together, the Ganymeans and humanity continue to delve into the mysteries surrounding the loss of the planet Minerva, and the disappearance of the Ganymeans twenty-five million years ago through the hard lined and well-proven process of the scientific method.
The novel does spend a significant amount of time early on rehashing the events from the first novel, which does get a bit tedious. But overall, this was a good hard scifi novel with an enjoyable enough story. The Ganymeans offer a welcome change in that they are a benevolent species, intent on doing no harm. The novel also has some explosive revelations near the end of the story, and sets up the sequel, The Giant’s Star.
If you enjoyed the first book and like Hogan’s approach to hard science, I would recommend The Gentle Giants of Ganymede.
The Gentle Giants of Ganymede by James Hogan is a hard science fiction novel from the late seventies, and the sequel to Inherit the Stars. The novel, while a bit outdated on the science, approaches a set of problems and uses established scientific processes and logic to drive the plot forward. Hogan does set aside, by now the well understood process by which the Moon was formed and the path humanity’s evolutionary history took, but this book was written nearly fifty years ago and not as much was known at the time about those subjects. Despite this, the character’s dedication to science and well reasoned logic is a breath of fresh air in our current environment of misinformation and scientific ignorance.
In this novel, a team of scientists, led by Dr. Viktor Hunt continues their research on the moon of Ganymede on the alien ship found frozen in the rock. Then, out of the far reaches of the solar system, they detect a ship traveling inbound. The ship turns out to be piloted by the aliens speculated to have existed in the distant past, the Ganymeans themselves. What follows is a first contact scenario that goes cordially well, as the giant Ganymeans abhor aggression and are a cooperative and gentle species. Together, the Ganymeans and humanity continue to delve into the mysteries surrounding the loss of the planet Minerva, and the disappearance of the Ganymeans twenty-five million years ago through the hard lined and well-proven process of the scientific method.
The novel does spend a significant amount of time early on rehashing the events from the first novel, which does get a bit tedious. But overall, this was a good hard scifi novel with an enjoyable enough story. The Ganymeans offer a welcome change in that they are a benevolent species, intent on doing no harm. The novel also has some explosive revelations near the end of the story, and sets up the sequel, The Giant’s Star.
If you enjoyed the first book and like Hogan’s approach to hard science, I would recommend The Gentle Giants of Ganymede.
August 3, 2008
Continuing the story began in "Inherit the Stars," this is about the discovery of a corpse on the moon, dressed in a red spacesut, that happens to be 50,000 years old. Further research on the corpse, and the items found with it, and further discoveries elsewhere on the Moon, lead to the conclusion that there was a planet, Minerva, between Mars and Jupiter. The planet was dying; a rising level of carbon dioxide would soon render it uninhabitable. Various methods to fix the problem were considered; meantime, two factions on the planet fought a major interplanetary war, which destroyed the planet. Part of it became the asteroid belt, the other part became the planet Pluto. The human discovery of an alien ship under the ice on Ganymede, and at least 25 million years old, leads to human ideas about the solar system and man's origins getting a major overhaul.
One day, the makers of the ship, called Ganymeans (for Ganymede), show up on Ganymede. The humans had unknowingly activated a distress beacon. It is easy to imagine their reaction at being told by the humans that their planet was gone. They had gone to a nearby star to see if it could be artificially made brighter, to combat their carbon dioxide problem. It didn't work; the star went supernova. The propulsion system on their ship was working, but the braking system had failed. They spent 20 years of ship time traveling faster than light, before they could slow down. meantime, the universe was 25 million years older.
They were homeless, as well as physically and emotionally exhausted. They were welcomed on Ganymede, where they gave human science a huge boost, and were able to repair their ship. They were welcomed to Earth, to stay, if they wished. There was the usual bureaucratic nonsense about what country would host them; the Ganymeans decided to land in Switzerland.
The aliens were totally welcomed, practically as long-lost brothers. As time went on, they traveled all over the world, seeing everything, and speaking with many Earth scientists. After six months, Garuth, the leader of the Ganymeans, announces that they are leaving. The archives mention that a group of Ganymeans traveled to a place called Giants' Star. Admittedly, it is a very remote possibility, but if there is a chance that there are more of their kind at Giants' Star, it must be investigated. That is the official reason for their sudden departure, but it isn't the actual reason.
This book is also heavy on the science, but it is still a very interesting story, not just about the origins of mankind. It's very much worth the time.
One day, the makers of the ship, called Ganymeans (for Ganymede), show up on Ganymede. The humans had unknowingly activated a distress beacon. It is easy to imagine their reaction at being told by the humans that their planet was gone. They had gone to a nearby star to see if it could be artificially made brighter, to combat their carbon dioxide problem. It didn't work; the star went supernova. The propulsion system on their ship was working, but the braking system had failed. They spent 20 years of ship time traveling faster than light, before they could slow down. meantime, the universe was 25 million years older.
They were homeless, as well as physically and emotionally exhausted. They were welcomed on Ganymede, where they gave human science a huge boost, and were able to repair their ship. They were welcomed to Earth, to stay, if they wished. There was the usual bureaucratic nonsense about what country would host them; the Ganymeans decided to land in Switzerland.
The aliens were totally welcomed, practically as long-lost brothers. As time went on, they traveled all over the world, seeing everything, and speaking with many Earth scientists. After six months, Garuth, the leader of the Ganymeans, announces that they are leaving. The archives mention that a group of Ganymeans traveled to a place called Giants' Star. Admittedly, it is a very remote possibility, but if there is a chance that there are more of their kind at Giants' Star, it must be investigated. That is the official reason for their sudden departure, but it isn't the actual reason.
This book is also heavy on the science, but it is still a very interesting story, not just about the origins of mankind. It's very much worth the time.
September 29, 2015
I liked this book better than the first one. There was more character interaction. There were the aliens also that provided interaction. This book, unlike the first one, seemed less centered on science. There was still plenty of SCIENCE talk, but it seemed to flow so much better in this one. There were some interesting ideas floating about that posed some questions worth mulling over.
This was written back in the 70’s so it was certainly dated when it came to technology. The author’s idea of the condition of ‘humanity’ in the future is extremely kind. It’s funny that technology advanced little in the author’s idea of the future, and ‘humanity’ soared to new heights. This was still a good read, so 3 stars.
This was written back in the 70’s so it was certainly dated when it came to technology. The author’s idea of the condition of ‘humanity’ in the future is extremely kind. It’s funny that technology advanced little in the author’s idea of the future, and ‘humanity’ soared to new heights. This was still a good read, so 3 stars.
May 25, 2024
Similar to the first book in the series this is another story where there isn't much of a conflict or antagonist. It's just people that are fairly comfortable in their lives trying to solve mysteries involving humanity's evolutionary history and dealing with a first contact with a peaceful alien race.
It's not a long book and for the most part I was interested but I did find myself wanting it to be over near the end. There are moments where characters go into hyper mode dialogue info dumps and they are so science heavy I feel like there has to be a more elegant way.
I'm not sure yet if I'll continue with this series. I might pick one of this other books if ones seems like it has a little more forward momentum
It's not a long book and for the most part I was interested but I did find myself wanting it to be over near the end. There are moments where characters go into hyper mode dialogue info dumps and they are so science heavy I feel like there has to be a more elegant way.
I'm not sure yet if I'll continue with this series. I might pick one of this other books if ones seems like it has a little more forward momentum
February 8, 2026
It expands the ideas of Inherit the Stars in interesting directions, even if it doesn’t quite match the elegance of the original mystery. The speculative concepts remain engaging and the sense of intellectual play is still very much present, but the pacing is less tight and some plot turns feel more convenient than convincing. It’s also clearly a product of its time, with certain assumptions and character dynamics feeling dated. Still, the book’s curiosity-driven approach and willingness to follow its ideas through make it an enjoyable, if imperfect, continuation of the series.
February 28, 2020
It's the 1978 sequel to Inherit The Stars. While I always try to avoid posting spoilers of the book I am reviewing, even the background situation of this book would act as a spoiler to the science mysteries of the earlier book. Read Inherit the Stars before continuing with this review.
Ironically, after noting in my review the lack of DNA testing on the 50,000 year old remains of the human found on the moon to determine his evolutionary relationship to Earthly humans, Hogan starts this book off by posing a science mystery coming out of the DNA chemistry of the 25 million year animal remains found in the crashed spaceship found on Ganymede. This book was written only one year later. Maybe Hogan did some catch-up work in that year.
This book unravels the paleontological mysteries involving the Ganymeans who lived long ago on the lost planet Minerva (now asteroids between Mars and Jupiter), and traveled within our Solar System. Shortly into the book, the human scientists investigating the mystery on Ganymede receive unexpected visitors. A spaceship of Ganymean scientists, that left Minerva on an unintended 25 million year-long relativistic journey to another star, return. They are able to reveal many clues regarding their own origins and civilization, but almost all interactions with then-Earth happened after their departure from the Solar System, and they cannot explain the presence of the crashed spaceship on Ganymede.
The exposition of the solutions to the science mysteries of this book was well-paced, but to judge this book on the basis of character development, or motivations other than the search for knowledge would be a mistake. On that basis, I am sure it would be quite dry. What the book does offer is a very imaginative exercise in hard sf, and I enjoyed that.
Ironically, after noting in my review the lack of DNA testing on the 50,000 year old remains of the human found on the moon to determine his evolutionary relationship to Earthly humans, Hogan starts this book off by posing a science mystery coming out of the DNA chemistry of the 25 million year animal remains found in the crashed spaceship found on Ganymede. This book was written only one year later. Maybe Hogan did some catch-up work in that year.
This book unravels the paleontological mysteries involving the Ganymeans who lived long ago on the lost planet Minerva (now asteroids between Mars and Jupiter), and traveled within our Solar System. Shortly into the book, the human scientists investigating the mystery on Ganymede receive unexpected visitors. A spaceship of Ganymean scientists, that left Minerva on an unintended 25 million year-long relativistic journey to another star, return. They are able to reveal many clues regarding their own origins and civilization, but almost all interactions with then-Earth happened after their departure from the Solar System, and they cannot explain the presence of the crashed spaceship on Ganymede.
The exposition of the solutions to the science mysteries of this book was well-paced, but to judge this book on the basis of character development, or motivations other than the search for knowledge would be a mistake. On that basis, I am sure it would be quite dry. What the book does offer is a very imaginative exercise in hard sf, and I enjoyed that.
July 20, 2012
This book continues where Inherit the Stars left off. However, this time the subject of the research turns up alive and, reasonably, well. Rather remarkable timing for them to return after 25 million years just when the humans starts to investigate their whereabouts but let’s not get picky now. It is Science Fiction after all. The book is still a lot about research and finding out what actually happened 25 million years ago as well as the more recent events 50 000 years ago.
Given that the Ganymedes have returned in person the story is intermixed with a first contact situation and all that comes with it. Sometimes I would say this part, especially the way in which the humans great the aliens and (very) quickly starts to communicate, really chat away actually, is a bit simple and naively written. It’s still a good book but I think the first one had an edge over this one, as is the case many times with the first book in a new story arc and a new fresh plot.
The author had an interesting way of tying together the destinies and evolutions of the two races and their worlds although, again, it became rather obvious where everything was going before it was actually revealed in the book.
What I am wondering now is where the other books in the series are going to venture since the mystery which started in Inherit the Stars is now pretty much solved so a new principal story arc has to be invented.
I’m making a pause with this series now just to get a refreshing “change of scenery”. I have ventured into fantasy land by starting to read John Ringo’s Queen of Wands. I’m quite sure I will come back and finish this book series fairly soon though.
Given that the Ganymedes have returned in person the story is intermixed with a first contact situation and all that comes with it. Sometimes I would say this part, especially the way in which the humans great the aliens and (very) quickly starts to communicate, really chat away actually, is a bit simple and naively written. It’s still a good book but I think the first one had an edge over this one, as is the case many times with the first book in a new story arc and a new fresh plot.
The author had an interesting way of tying together the destinies and evolutions of the two races and their worlds although, again, it became rather obvious where everything was going before it was actually revealed in the book.
What I am wondering now is where the other books in the series are going to venture since the mystery which started in Inherit the Stars is now pretty much solved so a new principal story arc has to be invented.
I’m making a pause with this series now just to get a refreshing “change of scenery”. I have ventured into fantasy land by starting to read John Ringo’s Queen of Wands. I’m quite sure I will come back and finish this book series fairly soon though.
August 20, 2024
A great sequel that somehow manages to up the ante from inherit the stars.
Once again the science is as hard as Ryan Reynolds eye-banging Hugh Jackman’s greasy tits!
Like the first book, it’s not necessarily the plausibility of the science that makes it hard science fiction but the rigorous application of the scientific method. There’s no villain or combat; most of the tension comes from the back and forth between scientists trying to piece together a 25 million year old mystery.
This time around they actually meet some living Ganymede giants who’ve survived 25 million years due to a relativistic space flight.
Despite the lack of conflict the book is very engaging.
Hogan was so imaginative, contrasting the biomes of earth and Minerva, speculating on how evolution could take different paths on similar planets. Also, the society, temperament and technology of the “giants” was extrapolated from their different evolutionary origins.
One of my favourite things in the book, and certainly the most developed character is Zorac the ganymedan’s A.I. This book was published in 1978 but the author has the foresight to show how addictive having access to AI and internet like audio-visual technology would be,
decades before it became commonplace.
It’s not for everyone but I really dug it and I’m definitely going on to the next one.
July 14, 2023
A really really good sequel that keeps the mysteries coming, while answering previous questions, and ends on a great note!
And just when I thought the hard sci-fi couldn’t get anymore hard than it already was, the author starts delving even further into evolutionary science, DNA engineering and… what seems to be an Alcubierre drive.
An absolutely phenomenal series so far!!
And just when I thought the hard sci-fi couldn’t get anymore hard than it already was, the author starts delving even further into evolutionary science, DNA engineering and… what seems to be an Alcubierre drive.
An absolutely phenomenal series so far!!
August 27, 2021
I thought The Gentle Giants of Ganymede was better than the first book in the trilogy, Inherit the Stars. While the mystery in the latest installment was still basically far-fetched and not believable based on what we now know about the solar system compared to when this was written in the late 1970s - 1980 or so, the introduction of the nice, gentle, aliens with their interesting background and history made for a fun read. There was also a bit of evolution and panspermia thrown in to the plot in for good measure to make the science in the science fiction interesting.
Sure, this is still a product of the time it was written with its mostly male characters, human and alien, who like to sit around smoking cigars, drinking scotch, and talking about science fiction things. Hell, even the aliens distilled their own whiskey on their fancy, advanced spaceship! Who'd a thunk that? This book is chock full of scientists' monologues and weak on action, but for fans of hard science fiction it's never boring. It doesn't always make sense, but it will keep you thinking, and sometimes make you frustrated as today's average science enthusiast knows more about the solar system and the history of life on earth than the author did in the 1970s.
Overall, I liked this and will give it three stars. The aliens were interesting and likable and the first contact and "getting to know you" parts of the novel were fun. The basic premise and reveal of the first novel is still ridiculous and makes no sense but I'm over it. It was odd that the aliens imparted their advanced technology to their human friends through a bunch of books which made the earthmen happy, but never gave them insight in to how to create their Siri-like omnipresent and all knowing AI, which the humans were gobsmacked with and which really stole the show during parts of the novel with its wittiness and sense of humor.
While the first two books of the trilogy didn't blow me away, they were worth reading and I'm a completist so I'm going to listen to the third and final installment. I would've loved these as a kid if I had known about them when they cam out. These were all free on Audible so I haven't had to crack open the paper copies I've had for years on my bookshelf.
Sure, this is still a product of the time it was written with its mostly male characters, human and alien, who like to sit around smoking cigars, drinking scotch, and talking about science fiction things. Hell, even the aliens distilled their own whiskey on their fancy, advanced spaceship! Who'd a thunk that? This book is chock full of scientists' monologues and weak on action, but for fans of hard science fiction it's never boring. It doesn't always make sense, but it will keep you thinking, and sometimes make you frustrated as today's average science enthusiast knows more about the solar system and the history of life on earth than the author did in the 1970s.
Overall, I liked this and will give it three stars. The aliens were interesting and likable and the first contact and "getting to know you" parts of the novel were fun. The basic premise and reveal of the first novel is still ridiculous and makes no sense but I'm over it. It was odd that the aliens imparted their advanced technology to their human friends through a bunch of books which made the earthmen happy, but never gave them insight in to how to create their Siri-like omnipresent and all knowing AI, which the humans were gobsmacked with and which really stole the show during parts of the novel with its wittiness and sense of humor.
While the first two books of the trilogy didn't blow me away, they were worth reading and I'm a completist so I'm going to listen to the third and final installment. I would've loved these as a kid if I had known about them when they cam out. These were all free on Audible so I haven't had to crack open the paper copies I've had for years on my bookshelf.
December 18, 2022
雖然還是覺得作者對人類真的很樂觀，但同時也覺得冷戰真的對那一代人（美國人吧特別可以看見的）影響巨大。更進一步去看太陰人和地球人的對照性，就更難忽略（本來就沒有要人忽略XD）在那之中作者對於第三次世界大戰的戒甚恐懼，彷彿他將地球人惡劣的那一面放在太陰人身上，而將相對美好、友善一些的面向給了地球人，要說是樂觀也好，或許也可以說是某種期許，與其說是「地球人比較好」，更像是「我希望地球人可以比較好」。重看的時候反而有點感傷。
總之，故事來到地球人與高智慧外星生物的第一次接觸，那種以科學家和工程師們做為第一線的感覺的確是蠻美式冒險開拓的，讀起來多多少少會有星際牛仔感，的確也是某種令人心生嚮往的美好。
－
2022/12/12
真正的現實主義者，是在世界當中不斷看見希望，而非相反。
──作者匿名（？）
在解開查理之謎後，人類位於木四的基地持續對留在冰層中的異星船艦進行深入研究。
那是來自數千萬年前，未知的智慧生物，身高八呎，擁有龐大軀幹和雙姆指，與人類略為相似但截然不同的物種。
就在人類一次試著啟動留在船艦中作用不名的機器之後，來自深空的訪客只一瞬間讓所有研究與想像同時成為現實：那是來自遠古之前、遠空之外，所有人原以為已經消失（或至少離開了太陽系）的甘尼米德人。
那是一群溫和，性格中幾乎不存有任何暴力思想的高智慧生物，他們和人類的科學家們成為朋友，失去原生家園的他們，在和地球人的相處中得到或許遠高出預期的友情，但正如他們來得如此出乎意料，他們最終決定的離開，也是為了一個無人能夠得知的理由。
也許，那個理由和地球的人類究竟從何而來，畢竟有著千萬年來糾葛難分的關係……
這是《星辰的繼承者》三……其實不是三部曲啦XD 但反正後面幾本大概是不會中文化了，雖然我看完第三集是覺得應該也沒關係，我很喜歡這系列但斷在這裡也沒有關係。總之，不是三部曲的三部曲之二。
接續了之前查理的屍體帶來的異星文明／地球演化之衝突，地球的科學家們對地球人類的起源做出了大膽但符合科學證據的推理──或許有著科幻的設定以及看似（咳）艱澀的科學理論，但這的的確確是推理小說──，而在這一本更進一步，曾經被認為已然消逝（或消失）的異星種族從天而降，甘尼米德人回應了從遠古船艦上的發訊器傳出的召喚，自兩千五百萬年前而來。
一如前作，這系列可能是我目前看過最……溫柔的科幻推理作品，對人類的起源以及人性的善惡，甚至是對異星文化和高智慧生命生活方式的想像。作者以無比樂觀近乎天真的溫柔去書寫這一切，雖然總是讓我忍不住去想，最好大家人都這麼溫柔善良啦XD不過在甘尼米德人這一方，這個和理非的天性半是天生（遺傳性），半是後天社會養成，不論讀者是不是喜歡，總是符合書內邏輯（我喜歡啦我很喜歡XDDDD）；而，人類做為更複雜難的族群，卻同樣有著往理性，接納多元的方向而去。
說起來這的確是一個對未來的美好想像，在不失去個人的多樣性與保有不同文化的前提下，整個社會稍微一起往前走……哎呀這也算是世界的現實，只是實務上沒那麼美好嘛。
於是回到世界的希望這句話，語出一位我很尊敬的朋友，他在多年前與我聊起漢娜鄂蘭時對她的思想下了這句總論，我對這句話印象深刻到記憶至今，大柢來說，也可以用在我對許多對未來世界抱持美好想像的作品上。
不過甘尼米德人人也太好了吧！！！（還是很想喊喊XD）
總之，故事來到地球人與高智慧外星生物的第一次接觸，那種以科學家和工程師們做為第一線的感覺的確是蠻美式冒險開拓的，讀起來多多少少會有星際牛仔感，的確也是某種令人心生嚮往的美好。
－
2022/12/12
真正的現實主義者，是在世界當中不斷看見希望，而非相反。
──作者匿名（？）
在解開查理之謎後，人類位於木四的基地持續對留在冰層中的異星船艦進行深入研究。
那是來自數千萬年前，未知的智慧生物，身高八呎，擁有龐大軀幹和雙姆指，與人類略為相似但截然不同的物種。
就在人類一次試著啟動留在船艦中作用不名的機器之後，來自深空的訪客只一瞬間讓所有研究與想像同時成為現實：那是來自遠古之前、遠空之外，所有人原以為已經消失（或至少離開了太陽系）的甘尼米德人。
那是一群溫和，性格中幾乎不存有任何暴力思想的高智慧生物，他們和人類的科學家們成為朋友，失去原生家園的他們，在和地球人的相處中得到或許遠高出預期的友情，但正如他們來得如此出乎意料，他們最終決定的離開，也是為了一個無人能夠得知的理由。
也許，那個理由和地球的人類究竟從何而來，畢竟有著千萬年來糾葛難分的關係……
這是《星辰的繼承者》三……其實不是三部曲啦XD 但反正後面幾本大概是不會中文化了，雖然我看完第三集是覺得應該也沒關係，我很喜歡這系列但斷在這裡也沒有關係。總之，不是三部曲的三部曲之二。
接續了之前查理的屍體帶來的異星文明／地球演化之衝突，地球的科學家們對地球人類的起源做出了大膽但符合科學證據的推理──或許有著科幻的設定以及看似（咳）艱澀的科學理論，但這的的確確是推理小說──，而在這一本更進一步，曾經被認為已然消逝（或消失）的異星種族從天而降，甘尼米德人回應了從遠古船艦上的發訊器傳出的召喚，自兩千五百萬年前而來。
一如前作，這系列可能是我目前看過最……溫柔的科幻推理作品，對人類的起源以及人性的善惡，甚至是對異星文化和高智慧生命生活方式的想像。作者以無比樂觀近乎天真的溫柔去書寫這一切，雖然總是讓我忍不住去想，最好大家人都這麼溫柔善良啦XD不過在甘尼米德人這一方，這個和理非的天性半是天生（遺傳性），半是後天社會養成，不論讀者是不是喜歡，總是符合書內邏輯（我喜歡啦我很喜歡XDDDD）；而，人類做為更複雜難的族群，卻同樣有著往理性，接納多元的方向而去。
說起來這的確是一個對未來的美好想像，在不失去個人的多樣性與保有不同文化的前提下，整個社會稍微一起往前走……哎呀這也算是世界的現實，只是實務上沒那麼美好嘛。
於是回到世界的希望這句話，語出一位我很尊敬的朋友，他在多年前與我聊起漢娜鄂蘭時對她的思想下了這句總論，我對這句話印象深刻到記憶至今，大柢來說，也可以用在我對許多對未來世界抱持美好想像的作品上。
不過甘尼米德人人也太好了吧！！！（還是很想喊喊XD）
September 7, 2010
How did they know the gravity beacon reconfigured itself in both software and hardware before they turned it on? (And if you want something to be super reliable, you don't give it extra potential fail modes.)
This series has gone from cute to silly.
This series has gone from cute to silly.
June 1, 2022
Read the Dutch version
Sequel to Inherit the Stars.
Where the first was scientific theory, now its a nice novel about aliens.
Sequel to Inherit the Stars.
Where the first was scientific theory, now its a nice novel about aliens.
October 10, 2020
[3.5 stars] Without giving away too much about the first book in the series, a plot point is that mid-21st century explorers discover evidence of a long-gone “giant” alien race, one that seemingly disappeared millions of years in the past. In this sequel, contact is made with the Ganymean giants, after a ship of theirs that’s been trapped in a time dilation bubble for eons is summoned by a signal from an artifact that scientists accidentally trigger.
The Ganymeans (that’s not REALLY where they’re from, but it’s how they’re referred to and a more proper name would be a spoiler), making use of their advanced AI system, soon learn to communicate with human beings and a cultural exchange begins. This book is unusual for SF in that the aliens are entirely peaceful and there’s no interspecies conflict that develops. Instead, the novel is completely idea-focused, exploring in depth how evolution might have gone in a different direction under different conditions, leading to an intelligent species that has an alternate way of thinking compared to Homo Sapiens. For the most part, I found these speculations about psychology interesting, and the Ganymeans, as expected, also cast light on the long-ago events that led to the ancient astronaut found on the moon and what role their kind played in the development of our species. While the idea of extraterrestrials tinkering with our ancestors isn’t too unusual in science fiction, it’s more carefully considered and specific than in other books/movies I’ve come across.
Not much “happens” in this novel, but it does lay the groundwork for seeking answers to the series’ remaining big mystery, which is what the main body of the Ganymean race got up to after they left their original homeworld. It also sets up some potential for future interspecies trouble, since the Ganymeans aren’t convinced that humankind has evolved beyond its violent history, despite the relatively peaceful and civilized world order that, in the author’s vision, has come to exist on Earth by the 2020s (LOL).
As in Book One, ideas are the centerpiece and matters like character development are barely attended to. The 70s mindset also stands out, with the most important characters being white and male, and the few females are there to be romantic interests for the primary male protagonist (I’m not sure why his love life needed to have been bothered with at all, since it doesn’t get more than a few paragraphs anyway).
If you’re a fan of hard SF in the mold of Arthur C. Clarke, you might enjoy this series (currently free on Audible). I intend to listen to the last one in the trilogy, so stay tuned for one more review.
Quote:
“It doesn’t do to have too many philosophies about anything. You always end up contradicting yourself. Blows your credibility.”
The Ganymeans (that’s not REALLY where they’re from, but it’s how they’re referred to and a more proper name would be a spoiler), making use of their advanced AI system, soon learn to communicate with human beings and a cultural exchange begins. This book is unusual for SF in that the aliens are entirely peaceful and there’s no interspecies conflict that develops. Instead, the novel is completely idea-focused, exploring in depth how evolution might have gone in a different direction under different conditions, leading to an intelligent species that has an alternate way of thinking compared to Homo Sapiens. For the most part, I found these speculations about psychology interesting, and the Ganymeans, as expected, also cast light on the long-ago events that led to the ancient astronaut found on the moon and what role their kind played in the development of our species. While the idea of extraterrestrials tinkering with our ancestors isn’t too unusual in science fiction, it’s more carefully considered and specific than in other books/movies I’ve come across.
Not much “happens” in this novel, but it does lay the groundwork for seeking answers to the series’ remaining big mystery, which is what the main body of the Ganymean race got up to after they left their original homeworld. It also sets up some potential for future interspecies trouble, since the Ganymeans aren’t convinced that humankind has evolved beyond its violent history, despite the relatively peaceful and civilized world order that, in the author’s vision, has come to exist on Earth by the 2020s (LOL).
As in Book One, ideas are the centerpiece and matters like character development are barely attended to. The 70s mindset also stands out, with the most important characters being white and male, and the few females are there to be romantic interests for the primary male protagonist (I’m not sure why his love life needed to have been bothered with at all, since it doesn’t get more than a few paragraphs anyway).
If you’re a fan of hard SF in the mold of Arthur C. Clarke, you might enjoy this series (currently free on Audible). I intend to listen to the last one in the trilogy, so stay tuned for one more review.
Quote:
“It doesn’t do to have too many philosophies about anything. You always end up contradicting yourself. Blows your credibility.”
July 31, 2025
I bought this one day in the 1990s before getting on a train from London to Devon, for something to read. I was engrossed the whole way and barely spoke to my family until a day later when I finished it. It was great hard future science with conflict and compassion towards the alien race.
I quickly chased down the rest of the series, realising this was book 2 (of an eventual 5 book series).
I found book 1, Inherit the Stars, which has a lovely conceit. What if we go to the moon and find a 50,000 year old skeleton called Charlie in a spacesuit in a cave with writing on the wall... this happens, and is all explained by the end of the book, which is moving as hell.
There is a briefly homophobic bit in Book 3 (specifically lesbiphobic, which is kinda unusual for a straight male author - they normally hate the idea of gay men but love a bit of titillating lesbianism, but here there is a drug-addled attempt at seduction, which is rejected and painted as the worst excesses of high society. Luckily it is forgotten fairly quickly and he doesn't harp on about it). It's a pity, but it's a good overall series.
Book 4, Entoverse, starts off very weird, with magic and fantasy happenings, which puzzled me for a while. Finally you realise that the characters are a lifeform which has developed and evolved inside the databanks of a huge computer network, so normal physics doesn't always apply. It was hard going for a while until I figured that out!
Book 5 is a time travel story which tries to tie all the plots up together. I'm not sure how well it works, I found it the most difficult of all, but I was 20 years older when I came to it. Perhaps as a younger person I would have enjoyed it more.
A good series, not perfect, but some very cool ideas - gravitic engineering, explained through quantum effects - a bit of technobabble, but very interesting nonetheless, alien creatures, alien planets, 50,000 year old skeletons in caves. It's got the lot!
I quickly chased down the rest of the series, realising this was book 2 (of an eventual 5 book series).
I found book 1, Inherit the Stars, which has a lovely conceit. What if we go to the moon and find a 50,000 year old skeleton called Charlie in a spacesuit in a cave with writing on the wall... this happens, and is all explained by the end of the book, which is moving as hell.
There is a briefly homophobic bit in Book 3 (specifically lesbiphobic, which is kinda unusual for a straight male author - they normally hate the idea of gay men but love a bit of titillating lesbianism, but here there is a drug-addled attempt at seduction, which is rejected and painted as the worst excesses of high society. Luckily it is forgotten fairly quickly and he doesn't harp on about it). It's a pity, but it's a good overall series.
Book 4, Entoverse, starts off very weird, with magic and fantasy happenings, which puzzled me for a while. Finally you realise that the characters are a lifeform which has developed and evolved inside the databanks of a huge computer network, so normal physics doesn't always apply. It was hard going for a while until I figured that out!
Book 5 is a time travel story which tries to tie all the plots up together. I'm not sure how well it works, I found it the most difficult of all, but I was 20 years older when I came to it. Perhaps as a younger person I would have enjoyed it more.
A good series, not perfect, but some very cool ideas - gravitic engineering, explained through quantum effects - a bit of technobabble, but very interesting nonetheless, alien creatures, alien planets, 50,000 year old skeletons in caves. It's got the lot!
June 8, 2013
This is the second of the Giants novels, after Inherit the Stars. In the first novel, a body is found inside a space suit on the moon--and turns out to be 50 thousand years old. Later, on Ganymede, is found a derelict alien ship, with the remains of alien giants--and it turns out to be 25 million years old. These are the central mystery around which the story revolves, and the interesting part is the play of scientific ideas. In other worlds, the novel his hard science--pretty hardcore.
In the second novel, those aliens, the "Gentle Giants of Ganymede" return. Unlike one of the reviewers on LibraryThing I didn't find them a disappointment. It's true, when it comes to creating complex characters, human or otherwise, well, it's not Hogan's forte. But his ideas are, and I found the Ganymeans interesting foils for humans, and found the interplay of ideas very lively--in fact, I thought there were less dry patches here--with the information more skillfully delivered through story. And, I admit, I found the denouement fitting and rather moving. I can see her why Isaac Asimov thought Hogan was an author with promise in his early days.
In the second novel, those aliens, the "Gentle Giants of Ganymede" return. Unlike one of the reviewers on LibraryThing I didn't find them a disappointment. It's true, when it comes to creating complex characters, human or otherwise, well, it's not Hogan's forte. But his ideas are, and I found the Ganymeans interesting foils for humans, and found the interplay of ideas very lively--in fact, I thought there were less dry patches here--with the information more skillfully delivered through story. And, I admit, I found the denouement fitting and rather moving. I can see her why Isaac Asimov thought Hogan was an author with promise in his early days.
May 13, 2017
I really like the Giants series' approach that is all about piecing together a narrative about the far past based on new evidence as it comes in. I like that Hogan tried to come up with a realistic way that this sort of thing could happen, given what we know about evolution. There were times where the explanations in this book strained my credulity, but I think in the end Hogan told a mostly coherent story.
One thing that bothered me is the huge coincidence that the Ganymeans showed up just after the humans discovered that they were a thing - 25 million years after they left. That's some auspicious timing there that really strains credulity, given that the whole point of the series is logical analysis and not allowing for crazy coincidences like that. I feel like it would have been much better if Hogan had made it so that the Ganymeans' arrival was caused by the re-activation of some device found by the humans. Ah well.
In any case, I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
One thing that bothered me is the huge coincidence that the Ganymeans showed up just after the humans discovered that they were a thing - 25 million years after they left. That's some auspicious timing there that really strains credulity, given that the whole point of the series is logical analysis and not allowing for crazy coincidences like that. I feel like it would have been much better if Hogan had made it so that the Ganymeans' arrival was caused by the re-activation of some device found by the humans. Ah well.
In any case, I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
December 29, 2011
One of the many childhood sci-fi novels I've chosen to read again as an adult. I had finished reading Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson and was so depressed, it caused me to think of the novels I had read in the past that gave me hope for the future, made me proud to be human. Then I remembered "Inherit The Stars" and devoured that in a couple days. Moved onto Gentle Giant's of Ganymede and just finished that. Today, my new Kindle Fire got delivered and this series was the first thing I transferred over to it.
Yeah, they can be a tad dated (Man, these people in the future smoke and drink alot in those enclosed environments. I kept thinking of the poor filtration system and the engineers that maintained them!). Men are still clearly in charge and women are space-flight attendants and secretaries. The author was writing from an earlier time...plus he was British...and old. He still told a great story that filled you with wonder without overburdening you on the science.
Yeah, they can be a tad dated (Man, these people in the future smoke and drink alot in those enclosed environments. I kept thinking of the poor filtration system and the engineers that maintained them!). Men are still clearly in charge and women are space-flight attendants and secretaries. The author was writing from an earlier time...plus he was British...and old. He still told a great story that filled you with wonder without overburdening you on the science.
February 26, 2021
As its predecessor did, much of this book revolves more around the mystery of the Ganymeans; where did the rest of them go, and what did they have to do with Man’s history? Those who have returned seem open to all of the humans’ questions, but are they, really?
And, as in its predecessor, the main characters are rather two dimensional, though Hunt is given a couple of one-night stands, to show that he’s a manly man, I guess. He’s almost as much of an enigma as the Ganymeans. Dancheckker stays mostly in the background.
But, finally, a major female character! Except she’s one of the aliens; guess you can’t have everything.
All of this is a shame, because the book does, again like its predecessor, deliver when it comes to keeping the reader interested in the mystery. There is a bit of annoying slangy speak, especially since it’s between humans and the Ganymeans, but it wasn’t enough to put me off.
And, as in its predecessor, the main characters are rather two dimensional, though Hunt is given a couple of one-night stands, to show that he’s a manly man, I guess. He’s almost as much of an enigma as the Ganymeans. Dancheckker stays mostly in the background.
But, finally, a major female character! Except she’s one of the aliens; guess you can’t have everything.
All of this is a shame, because the book does, again like its predecessor, deliver when it comes to keeping the reader interested in the mystery. There is a bit of annoying slangy speak, especially since it’s between humans and the Ganymeans, but it wasn’t enough to put me off.
August 17, 2021
Sequels always have it tough, and a series predicated on guesses at future knowledge and scientific advancement will get things wrong. Reading the book 43 years after publication, the errors are glaring. Though still jarring, the social assumptions carried forward from 1978 are far easier to forgive than "science" made up from whole cloth. That said, the mystery-at-heart tale followed its own formula and revealed its secrets with due aplomb, even if a reader in 2021 might find the "logic" laughable. The introduction of real live aliens, always a precarious plot device, was actually handled quite well, with plenty of reflection on how we make assumptions about extraterrestrial life. I admittedly rolled my eyes when the described race took a liking to baseball, but it wisely failed to explore their views on America and apple pie. Still, if you like a mystery with a hard-SF bent, you'll probably like this one. Anxious (in both senses of the word) to find out how the series concludes...
February 28, 2024
A disappointing followup up the tightly constructed Inherit the Stars
Whereas the first book was an excellent little mystery novel, expertly pitched and paced, which wrapped up pretty much perfectly at the end, this second book is meandering, somewhat pointless, and with no real central mystery to speak of.
There's a small little reveal at the end, but I'd seen it coming at the halfway point of the book already.
Hogan delves a little into what I like to call "evolution fantasy" - think Children of Time for example, basically using evolution as a hard magic system. Hogan bends logic backwards in an attempt to do away with survival of the fittest, introducing a non-aggressive, passive sort of evolution. It doesn't really work, but it's an interesting idea.
And this is sadly the only interesting idea in the whole book - it's not really enough to carry a whole novel.
Would I re-read: no.
Whereas the first book was an excellent little mystery novel, expertly pitched and paced, which wrapped up pretty much perfectly at the end, this second book is meandering, somewhat pointless, and with no real central mystery to speak of.
There's a small little reveal at the end, but I'd seen it coming at the halfway point of the book already.
Hogan delves a little into what I like to call "evolution fantasy" - think Children of Time for example, basically using evolution as a hard magic system. Hogan bends logic backwards in an attempt to do away with survival of the fittest, introducing a non-aggressive, passive sort of evolution. It doesn't really work, but it's an interesting idea.
And this is sadly the only interesting idea in the whole book - it's not really enough to carry a whole novel.
Would I re-read: no.
February 11, 2021
This doubles down on the science fantasy of Inherit the Stars. It is science fantasy in the sense of being hard science based on a number of made-up biology and physics facts, but then follows them through rigorously.
Characters are not a strength of Hogan, and they are thankfully essentially absent in this book. There's a computer and several computer-like characters to move the plot forward and that is all I wanted from it.
The computer technology descriptions remain remarkably prescient from the first novel and read as completely believable decades later. The biology is more questionable, including the total absence of concern about pathogens. This is odd because biology is central to the novels--they are about evolution. The astronomy and physics is made up gobbledegook that is delightful as it isn't key to the plot and sets the mind on fire.
Characters are not a strength of Hogan, and they are thankfully essentially absent in this book. There's a computer and several computer-like characters to move the plot forward and that is all I wanted from it.
The computer technology descriptions remain remarkably prescient from the first novel and read as completely believable decades later. The biology is more questionable, including the total absence of concern about pathogens. This is odd because biology is central to the novels--they are about evolution. The astronomy and physics is made up gobbledegook that is delightful as it isn't key to the plot and sets the mind on fire.
September 20, 2021
I have just discovered James P. Hogan and the first two novels in his "Gentle Giants" series are brain busters. He is a detailed science writer and his speculations are pretty amazing. He tends to get lost in his scientific speculation and it tends to bog the story down in places, but once his big reveal comes the pages seem to turn themselves. I finish each of these first two and I'm thinking, "Yeah, it could happens like this!" This is what drew me to science fiction as a kid. The what if and the far out speculations that on the surface appear plausible. There's not much action in either novel but the scientific speculation will have your brain soaring. Well at least mine did. His novels seem to be scientific puzzles which in the end turn out to be worth the ride. I will be reading more.
October 31, 2025
An alien race shows up having developed on a world with no predators. Their development focuses on minimizing risk and reaches the conclusion that human are highly improbable to exist since they come from a violent carnivore filled ”nightmare planet”. They use this to explain our love of war games as entertainment, politics, and science in filling a passion for struggle and violence rather than just out right destroying ourselves. The concept that scientists are more interested in the struggle than answers to problems is interesting. I love that the aliens find our enjoyment with skydiving and mountain climbing a cause to call humans sick in the head. I also love that all the good scientists are chain smokers. I knew there was something holding me back.
“Apollo is just the down payment on the best investment man has ever made.”
“Apollo is just the down payment on the best investment man has ever made.”
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