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Giants (series)
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Giants (series)
The Giants series (also known as the Minerva series) is a quintet of science fiction novels by James P. Hogan, published between 1977 and 2005.
In the introduction to the omnibus The Two Moons, Hogan revealed that Inherit the Stars - his first novel - was inspired by the seminal 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he had enjoyed until the ending. After complaining to his work colleagues about the confusing and effects-heavy nature of the conclusion, they bet Hogan five pounds that he couldn't write and publish a science-fiction novel. The result was Inherit the Stars, published by Del Rey Books in May 1977. Hogan later met Arthur C. Clarke and took the opportunity to chide him about the ending of 2001, to which Clarke replied that while the ending of Hogan's Inherit the Stars made more sense, the ending of 2001 had made more money.
Inherit the Stars is essentially a scientific mystery, with no antagonist or conflict as such. Instead, it followed a group of researchers who found themselves faced with a seemingly insuperable paradox: the discovery that an advanced human civilization had flourished in the Solar System fifty thousand years ago, despite having left no traces on Earth. Hogan' plots made heavy use of Velikovskian catastrophism and Dänikean ancient-astronaut theory, but attempted to base them on a rigorous natural-sciences foundation.
Hogan originally intended to write a closely-linked trilogy, though he eventually returned to the setting with two additional follow-ons.
These were assembled in several omnibus editions and collections:
In his introduction to The Two Worlds, Hogan mentioned the possibility of a sixth book, but added that there was "nothing definite in the works"; there were no further additions to the series before his passing in 2010.
Inherit the Stars begins in 2027, as humanity is experiencing a minor golden age. The world is at peace, and the Cold War has wound down amid a trend of détente and general disarmament. There has been a great deal of technological progress, including clean fusion power, environmental remediation, fast transit, and cheap access to space; a United Nations space agency is spearheading an aggressive program of exploration of the solar system. One of its lunar survey crews stumbles upon a desiccated, space-suited body in a small cavern on the moon, a minor mystery which rapidly becomes a major one when testing reveals that the corpse (nicknamed "Charlie") is 50,000 years old. The technology level of the spacesuit is broadly similar to that of Earth in the late 2020s, but it is obviously the product of a completely different technological base. For convenience, scientists label "Charlie's" hypothetical people "Lunarians" (though it is obvious that they did not originate from the Moon.)
In time, the UN Space Arm discovers additional evidence of Lunarian occupancy on the Moon 50,000 years ago, including ruined bases, more human remains, and enough examples of Lunarian writing; the latter is used to decipher their language. The translated materials demonstrate that the Lunarians were — despite being genetically indistinguishable from humans — not native to Earth; records of their homeworld depict a much colder world, with a year lasting 1,700 days, enormous ice caps, and completely unfamiliar continental outlines. Additionally, it is discovered that the Lunarian bases on the moon were all simultaneously destroyed 50,000 years ago in an enormous paroxysm of violence, which included the widespread use of nuclear weapons.
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Giants (series)
The Giants series (also known as the Minerva series) is a quintet of science fiction novels by James P. Hogan, published between 1977 and 2005.
In the introduction to the omnibus The Two Moons, Hogan revealed that Inherit the Stars - his first novel - was inspired by the seminal 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he had enjoyed until the ending. After complaining to his work colleagues about the confusing and effects-heavy nature of the conclusion, they bet Hogan five pounds that he couldn't write and publish a science-fiction novel. The result was Inherit the Stars, published by Del Rey Books in May 1977. Hogan later met Arthur C. Clarke and took the opportunity to chide him about the ending of 2001, to which Clarke replied that while the ending of Hogan's Inherit the Stars made more sense, the ending of 2001 had made more money.
Inherit the Stars is essentially a scientific mystery, with no antagonist or conflict as such. Instead, it followed a group of researchers who found themselves faced with a seemingly insuperable paradox: the discovery that an advanced human civilization had flourished in the Solar System fifty thousand years ago, despite having left no traces on Earth. Hogan' plots made heavy use of Velikovskian catastrophism and Dänikean ancient-astronaut theory, but attempted to base them on a rigorous natural-sciences foundation.
Hogan originally intended to write a closely-linked trilogy, though he eventually returned to the setting with two additional follow-ons.
These were assembled in several omnibus editions and collections:
In his introduction to The Two Worlds, Hogan mentioned the possibility of a sixth book, but added that there was "nothing definite in the works"; there were no further additions to the series before his passing in 2010.
Inherit the Stars begins in 2027, as humanity is experiencing a minor golden age. The world is at peace, and the Cold War has wound down amid a trend of détente and general disarmament. There has been a great deal of technological progress, including clean fusion power, environmental remediation, fast transit, and cheap access to space; a United Nations space agency is spearheading an aggressive program of exploration of the solar system. One of its lunar survey crews stumbles upon a desiccated, space-suited body in a small cavern on the moon, a minor mystery which rapidly becomes a major one when testing reveals that the corpse (nicknamed "Charlie") is 50,000 years old. The technology level of the spacesuit is broadly similar to that of Earth in the late 2020s, but it is obviously the product of a completely different technological base. For convenience, scientists label "Charlie's" hypothetical people "Lunarians" (though it is obvious that they did not originate from the Moon.)
In time, the UN Space Arm discovers additional evidence of Lunarian occupancy on the Moon 50,000 years ago, including ruined bases, more human remains, and enough examples of Lunarian writing; the latter is used to decipher their language. The translated materials demonstrate that the Lunarians were — despite being genetically indistinguishable from humans — not native to Earth; records of their homeworld depict a much colder world, with a year lasting 1,700 days, enormous ice caps, and completely unfamiliar continental outlines. Additionally, it is discovered that the Lunarian bases on the moon were all simultaneously destroyed 50,000 years ago in an enormous paroxysm of violence, which included the widespread use of nuclear weapons.