The Gentle Giants of Ganymede by James P. Hogan

First published in 1978

The Gentle Giants of Ganymede is the second in a series of related novels that began with Inherit the Stars. It isn't necessary to read the first novel to understand the second, but doing so would give the reader a fuller appreciation of the characters and setting in the second novel. The plots of the two novels, however, are only loosely connected; it would be easy to follow the story in Gentle Giants without reading Inherit the Stars. If you haven't read Inherit the Stars, however, I would recommend doing so. It is a better novel than Gentle Giants.

The "Gentle Giants" to which the title refers appear in Inherit the Stars only as a long dead (or at least long absent) race that once lived on a planet in our solar system (Minerva) that was destroyed in the distant past (the mystery surrounding Minerva's destruction is the force driving Inherit the Stars). A starship of the long-lost Giants returns to the solar system after an extended journey ... one that would take 25 million years if the effects of relativity were ignored. The Giants woefully discover that Minerva is gone and make reluctant contact with the new kids in the solar system: a species known as humans.

The first half of the novel generates some energy despite its tendency to turn into a series of science lectures, primarily focused on how the Giants manage to control gravity. An unfortunate tendency of some "hard" sf authors is to elevate Great Ideas above story or character development, and James Hogan succumbed to that temptation in this novel -- much more than he did in Inherit the Stars. The novel's second half, after First Contact is made, tends to fizzle out altogether. The story leads up to a plot twist that is probably supposed to leave the reader gasping with surprise, but it's not all that surprising and ultimately amounts to just another Great Idea. There is little human (or alien) drama in the story; it's interesting, in its own way, but not captivating.

Inherit the Stars maintained a strong sense of mystery that is absent from the sequel. While the two main characters from Inherit the Stars return in Giants, they play a relatively small role. A computer called ZORAC, responsible for translating communications between humans and the Giants, has more personality than any of the human characters. The Giants are more intriguing (they abhor conflict and value cooperation) but by the novel's second half, they are relegated to the status of tourists -- and who really wants to read about tourists? Ultimately, although the novel has its moments, it doesn't have enough of them to sustain a sense of wonder. Diehard fans of hard sf might enjoy it -- it isn't by any means a bad novel -- but it just isn't in the same league as Inherit the Stars.

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Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan

First published in 1977

In the prologue to Inherit the Stars, two individuals (one in a red spacesuit, one in blue) are making a long journey on foot across desolate land. The one in red is exhausted. The one in blue has greater stamina; he helps the other along but finally leaves him in a cave, promising to return with help. The rest of the novel takes place fifty thousand years later. A body, clad in a red spacesuit, is found in a cave on the moon. A team of scientists is convened to investigate the body's origin (it appears to be human, with all the attributes of a life form that evolved on Earth), as well as the equipment and writings found on or alongside the body. The investigation expands as more specialists, from physicists to biologists to linguists, join the effort. Adding to the puzzle is the discovery of a spaceship buried on Ganymede twenty five million years earlier -- and a much larger body of much different physiology. Victor Hunt is brought in as a generalist to facilitate communication among the specialists and to synthesize the results. The novel follows Hunt in his quest to solve the mystery.

A common failing of "hard" science fiction is the tendency to emphasize the science while shortchanging the fiction. In other words, the writer waxes poetic about his ideas while neglecting character development, dramatic tension, and the other requirements of well-written fiction. Inherit the Stars contains a better balance of science and fiction than many hard sf novels, although the science clearly dominates the fiction. Only two characters have any personality at all: Hunt, about whom we know almost nothing meaningful until late in the novel, when we begin to learn what the man is all about; and a biologist named Danchekker, who fits the stereotype of a gruff, arrogant curmudgeon. The plot can be summarized as "scientists at work," and it's intellectually interesting but lacking in emotional resonance. Fans of action-oriented fiction probably won't find much to admire in Inherit the Stars after the prologue ends.

Inherit the Stars (the first of a series of related novels) is nonetheless a well-written sf mystery that grabs hold of big ideas and pieces them together to solve a fascinating puzzle. It avoids another common failing of hard sf: descriptions of science that are incomprehensible to a lay reader. Hogan clearly explains the science he invokes and makes the application of the scientific process understandable. While I might have hoped for more human drama -- some acknowledgment that hundreds of people working together for years on Earth and for months on a ship traveling to Ganymede might form positive or negative relationships -- the intellectual drama in Inherit the Stars is nearly strong enough to compensate for the absence of its human counterpart. Inherit the Stars is a novel that most sf fans should enjoy.

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