Product Description
In the 21st century, scientists Victor Hunt and Chris Danchekker, doing research on Ganymede, attract a small band of friendly aliens lost in time, who begin to reveal something of the origin of mankind. Finally, man thought he comprehended his place in the Universe . . . until he learned of the Watchers in the stars! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

God comes back to Earth
I think I have read this before.The ending seems familiar, but maybe other stories have similar endings.
The story develops along ordinary lines: God comes back to Earth and enhances life, but challenges ensue.I like the way it is developed.There is some ideological and political theories, that were prevalent, are used to bring the story along.Some of the computer stuff is obviously outdated.I liked the way they traveled between the stars, rather intense and computer heavy, but, hey if you get so far, the rest is not so far out of reach.
The story is that humanity has settled down to just advancing their abilities and taking care of everyone reasonably well.They have ventured out to space, settled the Moon and visited and started studying the moons of Jupiter.They find some artifacts.A spaceship appears with aliens.The aliens happen to have lived on the planet that was betweenJupiter and Mars, flew off on a mission to another star and came back.The people they were a part of moved to another planetary system for their own good.Everything is hunky-dory for a while, then a message comes back from the stars about the spaceship.Humanity goes through the back door,so to speak, learns what needs to be done and proceeds to help the aliens make the Universe safe for future generations (which is sort of easy when you are working with Gods), as well as becoming a part of an interstellar community.

Simply the best
Excitement and technical accuracy (Mr. Hogan was an engineer in his earlier career) have always been my favorite attributes of James P. Hogan's books.The Giant's Trilogy is my favorite.If you are a hard science fiction fan, you simply must read it.

Still a good yarn
Once again, Hogan's ideas are better that their execution.If he had real flesh and blood characters that actually developed I would gladly give a *****, but alas, Hunt seems as predictable as ever.Only that ZORAC alien is more formulaic.But these characters are only a foil for the real story:The discovery of mankind's origins and the problem facing us today now that we have finally met the allegedly died-out race.

Best aspects:Great VR, description of the Giant's world, the almost magical technology.
Worst aspects:Characters and style

An intriguing continuation to the Inherit the Stars saga
Giant's Star picks up almost precisely where The Gentle Giants of Ganymede left off.This entry continues the problem solving theme of the first volume (Inherit the Stars), except the mystery is a current and urgent one,threatening the future of mankind, not just an ancient puzzle concerningman's origins.The cast of characters includes the familiar faces of VicHunt and Chris Danchekker, their Ganymeans friends (including theirrepressible ZORAC) and many new friends, and, in something of a first forthis series, enemies.Typical Hogan high tech extrapolation, including theuse of a virtual reality technology by the aliens (impressive for a bookwritten in the early 80s).If you've enjoyed this series so far, you'llfind this volume a worthy successor.Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: James P. Hogan, Melvin Belli, Dan Pastorini, Brooke Haven, Ellie Nesler, Mike Kelley. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 29. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Melvin Mouron Belli (July 29, 1907 July 9, 1996) was a prominent American lawyer known as "The King of Torts" and by detractors as 'Melvin Bellicose'. He had many celebrity clients, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Errol Flynn, Chuck Berry, Muhammad Ali, Sirhan Sirhan, Jim Bakker, the Rolling Stones, and Tammy Faye Bakker, Martha Mitchell, Lana Turner, Tony Curtis, and Mae West. He won over USD $600,000,000 in judgments during his legal career. Melvin Mouron Belli was born in the California Gold Rush town of Sonora, California in the Sierra foothills. His father was born in Nevada of Italian Swiss ancestry, and his mother was born in California of French-German Swiss ancestry. By the 1920s, the family had moved to the city of Stockton, California where Belli attended Stockton High School. Belli graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1929 and after traveling around the world for a year, attended the Boalt Hall School of Law at Berkeley in 1933. After graduation, his first job was posing as a hobo for the Works Progress Administration and riding the rails to observe the Depression's impact on the country's vagrant population. His first major legal victory came shortly after graduation, in a personal injury lawsuit representing an injured cable car gripman. Over insurance lawyers' objections, Belli brought a model of a cable car intersection, and the gear box and chain involved in the accident, to demonstrate to jurors exactly what had happened. Besides his notorious personal injury cases, which earned for him his byname "King of Torts", Belli was also instrumental in setting up some of the foundations of moder...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=5792266 ... Read more

Product Description
If you read his curriculum vitae, you might think this private eye of the future is a Saint, and swear that he's honest, paying for what he gets, getting what he's paid for, with somehow a little extra for everybody to go around. Take the case of the teleported scientist who suddenly has a hole in his memory and a bigger hole in his bank account, emptied by someone answering to his own description. Then there's the just-discovered Martian ruin which a greedy corporation wants to bulldoze over. Not to mention gangsters who have an old grudge against the Knight and make the mistake of trying to get even. But whenever the Knight is in action, somehow the Bad Guys never know what hits them... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not Free SF Reader
Actually, the Knight is no Saint.


I will disagree there with the blurb on the inside of the hardcover.

This insouciant adventure isn't a patch on Leslie Charteris' creation.


This is supposed to be rather lighthearted, it would seem, but I didn't find it that amusing.There are several bad jokes and puns to be found here, so your mileage may very.

The most interesting character was the supposedly telepathic mongrel doberman-labrador cross Guinness.Not enough book time for him. :)

Cute but lightweight
Kieran Thane, alias the Knight, is in the business or sorting things out. On Mars, he has plenty of opportunities. A research company has discovered a way of transporting living organisms--a method that involves creating an exact duplicate at the receiving end. What happens to the original is somewhat arbitrary. Complications ensue--complications that only the Knight can deal with. Resolving this problem, however, only leads to escalating issues. The syndicate is anxious to get their money back, and the Knight heads off with a group that is exploring Martian archeology--and discovering ancient structures that could have only been built by the earthly pyramid builders.

MARTIAN KNIGHTLIFE combines tongue-in-cheek adventure with mystical mysteries. Veteran science fiction author James P. Hogan keeps up a steady stream of adventure while hinting at a fascinating new society developing in Mars. Kieran Thane is something of a science fiction version of John D. McDonald's Travis McGee, the thinking man's Robin Hood. Although Hogan doesn't dwell on the gritty philosophy of life the way McDonald does, it is certainly there in this novel with its combination of future dystopia and hope.

A plot which is lively and fun
Blend a detective story with a science fiction plot set in the future and you have Martian Knightlife, a fine mix which pairs strong characterization, mystery, and hard science. A gallant 'knight' is called upon to save relics and a man's credit alike. Add a touch of humor and a dose of romance and you have a plot which is lively and fun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A great introduction to AI
I think this should be the first book that college students considering a career in AI research should read.It is far FAR more readable than "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach" for the layperson ... or any person for that matter.I really hope that Mr. Hogan releases updated versions of this book every five years ... which means we're past due for the next edition right now.;-)

And I hope Mr. Hogan infuses more of the book with his sense of humor ... especially at the end.He needs to keep this VERY dry topic as light as he can.

it supplemented my view that the computer is the minds helpe
I feel a computer helps humans to consider more complex ideas and that it is an adjunct to thehuman mind.I don't believe in AI.This book and Mr Hogan's comments support me in that.It is thoroughly enjoyable andwritten in an interested reader's level and not too Hi-tech.

A rehash of other books, but with a better style
This isn't the first "history of AI" book in my collection, and won't be the last.I picked this one up because of Hogan's name, and am happy with that choice.I like his style.He knows where to put in the jokes (although he could use a few more during the weaker parts toward the end).The beginning, which starts wayyyyy back with the philosophers, is a little dry, and the end (with lots of time spent on what computers still can't do) didn't interest me.I like knowing about the trials and tribulations of what worked and didn't, and why.I'm hoping that one of these days somebody will do an entire book on the Cyc project.

Tough going, but worth the effort.
I started to say I "enjoyed" this book, but it seems to be this is not the type of book that one "enjoys."I have read everything of James P. Hogan's work I could get my hands on, and he is one of my top two or three favorite writers.This is non-fiction, but it reflects the same clear and interesting style of his fiction.I would say that this book is not for a casual reader, nor was it intended as a textbook, though at some points it may seem that way.Artificial intelligence is a very interesting and widely misunderstood subject, and perhaps the greatest value of this book is in exploding some of the myths about AI.This is not a quick, easy read, but for the layman who wants to learn more about AI, it is well worth the time and effort involved in reading it. ... Read more

Product Description
Ambushed in the cold moonlight of an Arizona night, Captain John Carter is inexplicably teleported to Mars, called Barsoom by its inhabitants. Legendary Barsoom—where hostile tribes of towering green warriors roam an arid landscape of dead cities and feuding city-states; where pilgrimages are made to a river of death that conceals a terrifying secret; where lifespans are measured in centuries; and where airships speed through the thinning atmosphere while duels are fought with swords below. Stranded and fighting for his life in a dying, savage world, John Carter embarks on one of the greatest adventures of all time as his destiny and Barsoom’s become one.

The first three books of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s brilliantly conceived Barsoom series—A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars, and The Warlord of Mars—are brought together here for the first time. The trilogy follows the saga of John Carter from his unexpected arrival on Barsoom through hair-raising adventures and startling discoveries from pole to pole of the planet.

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1876–1950) is one of the most influential American authors of science fiction and adventure. His novels include Tarzan of the Apes and, available in Bison Frontiers of Imagination editions, The Land That Time Forgot, At the Earth’s Core, Beyond Thirty, The Moon Maid, and Pirates of Venus. James P. Hogan is a respected science fiction writer and the author of such novels as Martian Knightlife, Bug Park, The Legend That Was Earth, and Realtime Interrupt. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Love this book!
If you've never read ERB, this is the place to start.Collected here are the first 3 books of the John Carter series, his best work in my opinion.

Fun, fast-paced, always entertaining adventure on Barsoom!ERB had as much influence on later sci-fi writers (from Heinlein to Farmer and beyond) as Verne, Wells or any other writer.Forget the critics, just pick up the John Carter series, and enjoy a new favorite.

Under the Moons of Mars
First, let's make this clear: I gave the book one star not for the content, which is actually good, but rather for the fact that it is actually not a stand-alone novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is a compilation of The Princess of Mars, The God of Mars and Warlord of Mars. Unfortunately, to the untrained eye, this title may seem to be a novel on its own, so I bought it and found upon receiving it that I already owned these stories...
Amazon has a return policy but since the official reason for this order is my mistake (there is no "duh one couldn't know just by the title that is was a duplicate in the scroll-down menu) I have to absorb the shipping fees, and since I live in Canada I have to ship it to the US which ends up costing me more than the refund I would get... Oh well...
Long story short this book is a compilation so if you don't already own the first three short novels of John Carter of Mars go ahead and buy it but otherwise don't be fooled by the title!

A Virginian on Mars
This book contains the first three books in Edgar Rice Burroughs "Mars" series of novels.The hero, John Carter, is Burroughs' second most famous creation.Carter is a perpetually 30 year old Civil War veteran (Confederate) who inexplicably transports to Mars.He has thrilling adventures with various races of Martians and meets his true love, red Martian Dejah Thoris.These are very exciting stories, although the "science" in the science fiction is incredibly dated now.But if you are interested in early science fiction, you should give it a read.

The John Carter Martian trilogy of Edgar Rice Burroughs
"Under the Moons of Mars" collects the trilogy that opens up the Martian series of Edgar Rice Burroughs.While better known for the creation of Tarzan, many fans of ERB feel that the John Carter books are even better.Besides, from Lin Carter's Green Star series to John Norman's Gor novels, it was John Carter's first appearance in "A Princess of Mars" that has inspired other adventures of men from Earth traveling to strange new worlds for wondrous adventures.This volume includes both that first novel and "The Gods of Mars" and "The Warlord of Mars," telling the story of how John Carter, a cavalier of Virginia, came to the planet called Barsoom by its natives.

Originally published as "Under the Moons of Mars" in "The All-Story Magazine" in 1912, "A Princess of Mars" has John Carter dying in an Arizona cave, only to find his spirit looking down at his body.Opening his arms to the planet Mars, Carter is suddenly whisked to the Red Planet, where rival tribes battle while the planet's atmosphere continues to dissipate. Captured by a band of green six-limbed giants, Carter soon earns their respect for his prowess as a warrior and forges a lasting friendship with Tars Taras of the Tharks. But then the Tharks attack a fleet of airborne vessels and capture Dejah Thoris, the Princess of Helium, the greatest city on Barsoom.Of course, they get off on the wrong foot, since Carter knows nothing about the culture of the red humanoid race. But the lovely Princess of Mars has captured the Virginian's heart. Abandoning dreams of returning to Earth, he wants nothing better than to win her love. In the meanwhile, he has to protect her from the amorous attention of the depraved ruler of the Tharks, bring some semblance of civilization to the barbarian tribes, and stop all out war between the green men and red men from ending Barsoom's last chance for survival.

After the first novel, Carter finds himself back on earth, separated from his beloved princess. "The Gods of Mars," originally published in 1913 as a serial in "All-Story Magazine," finds John Carter returning to Mars and setting off to find his woman. Knowing there stories were originally published serials is useful because Burroughs loads on the cliffhangers throughout the novel. When Carter returns to Barsoom a decade has passed and he finds himself in that part of the planet that the natives consider to be "heaven," which proves to be a more ironic idea. Carter has to reunite with his friend the fierce green warrior Tars Tarkas, fight with the great white apes of Barsoom and plant men, violate some significant religious taboos, survive the affections of an evil goddess, help with a slave revolt, fight in an arena, and still save Dejah Thoris in the middle of a giant air battle between the red, green, black and white people of Barsoom.

Burroughs did not originally intended to write a trilogy, but his 1914 pulp novel "The Warlord of Mars" completes the epic saga of John Carter and Dejah Thoris (I really, really like that name).The story picks up six months after the conclusion of the previous novel, with our hero not knowing whether she is dead or alive in the Temple of the Sun of the Holy Therns where he last saw here with the blade of Phaidor was descending towards her heart as the evil Issus, queen of the First Born, had locked his mate in a cell that would not open for another year. However, it turns out that the exiled leader of the Therns has reached the trapped women to rescue his daughter and to seek revenge on Carter for exposing his evil cult.The focus of "The Warlord of Mars" is on Carter's relentless pursuit of the villainous Thurid who have taken his beloved princess from the south pole of Barsoom across rivers, desert, jungles, and ice to the forbidden lands of the north in the city of Kadabra where the combined armies of the green, red and black races attack the yellow tribes of the north, thereby justifying the book's title.

The first novel is the best of the bunch, introducing us to the diverse cultures of Barsoom, but there is some historical significance to the John Carter trilogy in terms of the development of science fiction (which was not even called that when Burroughs wrote these stories).The pattern established in each of these novels, where the hero pursues his beloved across an alien landscape rescuing her from one threat after another, would become the standard plot of ERB's pulp fiction adventures.Almost all of the eleven books in the Martian series follow this pattern, including the next pair, which tell the stories of the son and daughter of John Carter and Dejah Thoris.However, the best in yet to come in this series (i.e., "The Chessmen of Mars").Burroughs always provided a solid mix of romance and adventure, but the Martian series also showed him at his imaginative best. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Kary Mullis, Aids Origins Opposed to Scientific Consensus, Duesberg Hypothesis, Peter Duesberg, Thabo Mbeki, James P. Hogan, Hiv and Aids Misconceptions, Matthias Rath, Jonathan Wells, Phillip E. Johnson, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Christine Maggiore, Hulda Regehr Clark, Henry H. Bauer, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, Serge Lang, Andre Chad Parenzee, Celia Farber, Hiram Caton, Giuseppe Sermonti, Eleni Papadopulos-Eleopulos, the Other Side of Aids, Adelaide Institute, Nate Mendel, Alive ... Read more

Product Description
Black & White Japanese manga (comic book) published by Dark Horse Comics in 1998. Adapted from the Hard SF novel of the same name and illustrated by Yukinobu Hoshino. Bound in a left-to-right American format. ... Read more

Product Description
Black & White Japanese manga (comic book) published by Dark Horse Comics in 1998. Adapted from the Hard SF novel of the same name and illustrated by Yukinobu Hoshino. Bound in a left-to-right American format. ... Read more