Customer Reviews (3)

A Great Sci-Fi Mystery
I first read this book in the late 1970s and thought it was one of best page turners I ever read. I have since re-read this book twice and it's just as compelling as was the first time. Hogan has created both a technical and human mystery that holds you in suspense throughout. This is a wonderful story for anyone who likes a "who dunnit."

Techo-fun.
At first blush, this books seems a not-too-veiled copy of 2001: A Space OdysseyAn alien object (in this case a preserved alien body) is discovered on the moon, and the world is turned upside down.

Actually, the book is really a variation on a theme. Instead of a mythic acid trip, we are given a scientific mystery novel.Think "CSI: Moon Base Clavius," with a healthy does of the Dilbert office politics added for spice.

The central question of this book revolves around unlock the mystery of the 50,000 year old astronaut found on the moon.Hogan gets into the nuts and bolts of how scientist would process such a find. That is what makes this book so fun: historians and the broader scientific community do in fact operate along the lines the book depicts. Each discipline has its own specialty and protocols, with each faction coming to its own conclusion about the origin of Charlie.This process is comparable to the one that surrounded the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Only more so!

You see, science is not as cut and dried as Carl Sagan made it out to be in The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. Scientists have their fair share of politics, and an occasional grab into the bag of Dirty Tricks.I'll never forget sitting twenty feet from Dr. Immanuel Tov, where he said, in not so few words, that yes, the Dead Sea Scrolls had been suppressed, and they would finally be going out as they should have.This was in the context of Brigham Young University producing a CD-ROM with computer images of the fragments.

The book's only weakness is that it seems derivative--we have a Sentinel left on the moon that gets the story going (2001), the asteroid belt was a plant destroyed by war (Space Cadet, Stranger in a Strange Land). It is stronger, however, in that there are more artifacts left over from the previous civilizations. You'd expect more cultural litter than Clarke or Heinlein depict in their books.

This book is really a link between the old School of Clarke, and the new school anime Robotech: The Macross Saga: Battle Cry (Robotech).Look at the names:Victor Kaminski and Charles Hunter becomes Victor Hunt who becomes Rick Hunter, Zorac becomes Zor, Danchekker becomes Fokker. The most obvious hint is that the book makes a cameo in the Invid Arc.It's the same story--especially the "Giants of Ganymede"--just told in a slightly different manner.As a fan of Joseph Campbell, I love seeing the story behind the stories.Seeing both versions gives us a parallax to see the truth in full 3-D.

*

The cover blurb from Isaac Asimov sums this book up:Hogan is comparable to Arthur C. Clarke. Both are bona fide science fiction writers, not mythopoets using technology as part of the setting. You feel like the hardware depicted in the book is within reach. If you like Michael Crichton or Homer Hickam's Back to the Moon: A Novel, you'll love this book.

A tightly told tale...
When a 50,000 year old human is found on the surface of the Moon, it's sure to cause a stir.The stir becomes, at times, a fracas, in James P. Hogan's "Inherit the Stars," a 1979 release that began his Giants Trilogy.I ran across this little gem on a shelf at a used bookstore, and was intrigued enough by the cover that I decided to give it a try.

Hogan manages to create a very consistent feel of scientific study and exploration, both in the laboratory and in the far reaches of the Solar System, with a tightly written storyline that flows quickly.

The personages in "Inherit the Stars" are often a bit cliché:the quintessential problem-solver, the defender of science-quo, the skilled government manipulator - but the mystery of the storyline allows one to forgive the clichés and accept them for what they are: vehicles to tell the tale.

Throughout the book, one finds them self guessing elements of the truth, and in the closing of the book we find the truth to be revealed... but the struggle for the truth is an omnipresent feature of this book.

People of a spiritual background who have issues with evolution may find difficulties with this tale, particularly in a scene where the interaction of a divine power is dismissed outright.Science fiction, though, is not for the thin skinned... and the story itself draws on many disciplines to provide a complex story that is most satisfying.

There are some items of the story that are nothing but scientific quackery... and they will be plainly obvious to anyone who bothers to do a bit of research.But on the whole I can recommend this novel without hesitation.
... Read more

Product Description
These are stories of the men and women of this new Free Space era, visions of adventure, social speculations, and downright arguments about freedom and responsibility. Free Space fiction, from Hugo and Nebula Award winners such as Poul Anderson, Gregory Benford, and Robert J. Sawyer, and particularly from winners of the Prometheus Award of the Libertarian Futurist Society, such as Victor Koman, Daffyd ab Hugh, and L. Neil Smith. Free Space is a big, rich, varied compendium of politically-engaged science fiction adventure.Amazon.com Review
This is a libertarianist anthology of (mostly) originalstories that, depending on your tastes, can be too narrowly focused orwonderfully concentrated. The "Free Space" in the title is just that:a loose federation of space habitats that has no centralgovernment. Free enterprise rules, and the editors let 20 authorsranging from William F. Buckley Jr. to William F. Wu have their waywith it. The result is mixed, but on the whole successful, and itdefinitely makes for interesting reading. Several of the writers arewinners of the Libertarian Futurist Society's Prometheus Award. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Lame
I'm a great fan of L. Neil Smith's and bought the book for that story alone.I shouldn't have bothered.His story made a good philosophical point about the peace process, but was lacking in terms of the apparent theme of the book.The other stories left me cold, and didn't sustain even a single reading.

At least I bought it used so I wasn't out much cash.

Not Free SF Reader
This anthology shows that good libertarian SF stories written by Prometheus award winners are pretty thin on the ground. A very ordinary collection. Don't get it unless you are super-keen on the theme.

Free Space : Crisis in Space - William F. Buckley Jr.
Free Space : Nerfworld - Dafydd ab Hugh
Free Space : Day of Atonement - J. Neil Schulman
Free Space : No Market for Justice - Brad Linaweaver
Free Space : Kwan Tingui - William F. Wu
Free Space : Madam Butterfly - James P. Hogan
Free Space : Early Bird - Gregory Benford
Free Space : Tyranny - Poul Anderson
Free Space : The Killing of Davis-Davis - Peter Crowther
Free Space : Demokratus - Victor Koman
Free Space : The Hand You're Dealt - Robert J. Sawyer
Free Space : If Pigs Had Wings - William Alan Ritch
Free Space : A Matter of Certainty - L. Neil Smith
Free Space : Planet in the Balance - John DeChancie
Free Space : The Performance of a Lifetime - Arthur Byron Cover
Free Space : The Last Holosong of Christopher Lightning - Jared Lobdell
Free Space : Between Shepherds and Kings - John Barnes


Soyuz defection

3 out of 5


Laser launch job.

3.5 out of 5


Jewish Liberation hologram revelation.

3.5 out of 5


Departure diatribe.

2 out of 5


Family explanation.

2.5 out of 5


Asteroid bootleggers blinded.

3 out of 5


Repayment refly refry risk.

4 out of 5


Freedom infiltration.

3 out of 5


Bridge redeal time.

3 out of 5


Groundhog day vote.

4 out of 5


Copshop finds incest foretold.

3.5 out of 5


Reading escape.

3 out of 5


War reasons.

2.5 out of 5


Terraforming, nanoforming, don't think so.

3 out of 5


Disease execution.

3 out of 5


Ship war.

2 out of 5


Writing problems.

3 out of 5

Not just a book of libertarian stories...
This is a book of some of the BEST Sci-Fi stories ever.With such authors as Poul Anderson, James P. Hogan, Ray Bradbury, Gregory Benford, L. Neil Smith and Dafydd ab Hugh you can't lose.The stories don't just focus on freedoms and rights, but also deal with time travel, murder and some are in the form of poems.So, come, visit Free Space and enjoy the future of mankind.Just make sure to leave your hang-ups behind and bring lots of money!

Thanks for holding out!
This book combines two things I really love:short stories and science fiction...with an added bonus - libertarian themes!Stephen King once said that if novels are like long romances, then short stories are like a briefkiss.'Free Space' gives you tongue. ... Read more

Product Description
Approximately on million B.C., an automated factory ship from an alien civilization passes too near a star unexpectedly gone nova. Suffering extensive damage to its electronic circuitry, it continues blindly for millennia before crashing into the snows of an uncharted world. In the second decade of the twenty-first century, a probe from Earth orbits Saturn's moon Titan and launches a lander. Unfortunately, the lander malfunctions before transmitting pictures from the surface - at least that is the official story. A colony ship supposedly destined for Mars is surreptitiously rerouted to Titan ... and only the leaders of the Military Industrial Complex know why. Aboard the interplanetary transport - in addition to the usual mix of flight crews and scientists - are parapsychology researchers, linguists, psychologists, representatives of industry, an ambassador ... and elite military units from several Western nations. Clearly something is up. But no one is talking! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Underappreciated
This is wonderful hard SciFi. As a Biologist I was thrilled by the original take on Evolution by Natural Selection applied to a civilization of machines.And Hogan actually understands the Science!So often evolution in SciFi is muddled.But Hogan understands it.If you have reproduction with heritable variation in a competitive environment -- you get evolution.No mystical intervention required.
This novel deserves wider readership and appreciation.

stunning prolouge and great book
The prologue of this book alone is better than many other books I've read.I read it through several times before even proceeding to the rest of the book, simply because it was so novel and absolutely delightful. And thebook is also excellent, though not as stunning.Highly recommended.

Outstanding and under appreciated.
This novel easily makes the top five of my favorite novels. A technologically advanced civilization launches an automated resource processing ship into the cosmos. Close proximity to a supernova causes alarge portion of its programming to be wiped out, leaving just enough forthe system to be marginally functional.

The ship lands on Saturn's moon,Titan. After several thousand years, the machines dispatched evolve into asentient life form. An exploratory probe launched from Earth stumbles uponthese "creatures," causing a hurried effort to make contact.

Humanity contacts these robotic aliens at a stage in their societalevolution roughly equivalent to our dark ages. They have their own versionsof the inquisition, feudalism, religion, etc.

At this point, the storyreally takes off, offering a hilarious, satirical and fast paced view ofhumanity and human history through the eyes of the robots.

It'sunfortunate that this book hasn't received more recognition. Not only is ita fine work of science fiction, it is also an, at times, disturbing view ofhomo sapiens.

If you enjoy hard science fiction, this is among the bestwork ever published. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of James P(atrick) Hogan, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 3041 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
Final anthology in the series of original science fiction stories. This volume includes: "Making Light" by James P. Hogan, "Horn O'Plenty" by Terry Carr and Leanne Frahm, "Excursion Fare" James Tiptree Jr., "War Movie" by Larry Niven, "Folger's Factor" by L. Neil Smith, "Pelangus" by Rick Raphael, "The Mystery of the Duplicate Diamonds" by Paul A. Carter, "The Two Tzaddiks" by Ira Herman, and "Identity Crisis" by James P. Hogan. ... Read more

Product Description
Long before the world of the Ganymeans blew apart, millennia ago, the strange race of giants had vanished.All that remained of them was a wrecked ship, abandoned on a frozen moon of Jupiter.Now Earth's scientists were there, determined to ferret out the secret of the lost race.Then suddenly the Ganymeans returned, bringing with them answers that would alter all Mankind's knowledge of human origins . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Rare successful followup
Perhaps the reason this sequeal succeeds whereas the vast majority of others fail is that the author took off in a completely new direction, using the first book only as a stating point.This new saga reminds one of a children's tale in both style and simplicity of language.But the story is original and even exhilirating at times.The **** was entirely due to the development of the characters, none of whom are memorable or even likeable - too cartoonish.The Ganymedes (the giants) seem more like cardboard cutouts of what aliens should be - not who they really are.I guess I found them too anthropomorphic for my taste.This book opens the way for a third one.

Good Sequel
I'm glad Hogan wrote this story.Inherit the Stars is on my top 10 favorites list, and after reading it I wanted more, and that's just what Hogan does in this 1978 sequel (second in a series).It takes off where the first novel ended and continues to challenge and explore accepted concepts of humankind.Hogan does what a Sci-Fi writer (or any writer for that matter) is supposed to do -- he takes an idea and pushes it outside the envelope.With science fiction, he doesn't just rehash a fantasy about aliens that's merely based on old familiar plots set in the future, what he does is actually push beyond what we accept as current science and beliefs and creates a plausible world and race.His aliens are unique, as only they should be, because they evolved in a different environment from Earth.Hogans characters combined with his creativity and knowledge of the aerospace industry add up to a good yarn.I wish the editors and publishers of modern Sci-Fi books and magazines would take notice of good Sci-Fi writers like Hogan.

An epic, a future classic of our time, ode to space travel
I'm surprised it seems there are no reviews for this book yet.I read this book when it came out in 1983.I was electrified by Mr. Hogan's breathtaking ideas and sweeping concepts, from the origins of the human race to the possibilities of "what's out there..."No doubt I began some serious reading on these matters because of Mr. Hogan and how he inspired me -- I even did some music pieces thinking of some scenes of the book.Thanks you, Mr. Hogan.I think all young people, 15 to 25, should read this book in school sometime.After I read this, I read Inherit the Stars, and was totally amazed when Giants' Star came out.I think Hollywood got scared to do any of this material on film.It's far too large and overwhelming for that format.So read this book!This book is great fun and a great learning experience as well.The whole trilogy is one of the greatest works of this 20th Century that fades away.Lots of books will fade away, but the Trilogy will go on.Cheers to Mr. Hogan! ... Read more

Product Description
"Hogan skillfully draws the reader into a fascinating philosophical and theological debate, without ever forgetting he's supposed to entertain and tell a good story."-Newsday ****Long ago, an alien "searcher" ship flew too close to a star gone nova. Though heavily damaged, the ship landed on one of Saturn's moons, Titan.Attempting to fulfill its original function of seeding suitable planets for exploitation, the ship creates an bewildering society of self-replicating machines that gives rise to a bizarre ecosystem and culture with intelligent beings and organically grown houses. **** The intelligent beings are known as Taloids and they have developed their own brand of religion around a mythical figure, a creator of machines, and hence, life. ****When humans descend from the sky, the Taloids see them as those creators.However, powerful financial and industrial interests are all set to exploit the moon and the Taloids to maximize Titan's vast production potential and the future for the Taloids looks grim. **** But they find a champion from an unexpected source. Karl Zambendorf is a "psychic" who has wrangled a place aboard the human mission to Titan. And when all of man's forces are conspiring to ruthlessly exploit Titan and the Taloids, Zambendorf becomes their champion and in the process challenges not only the religious imperatives of the Taloids, but the core of our own beliefs as well. ... Read more