Cheap The Gentle Giants of Ganymede : (#2) (Gentle Giants of Ganymede) (Book) (JAMES P. HOGAN) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Gentle Giants of Ganymede : (#2) (Gentle Giants of Ganymede)

A very satisfying sequel!
"The Gentle Giants of Ganymede" is James P. Hogan's sequel to his incredible novel of extraterrestrial speculative fiction, "Inherit The Stars." This sequel is propelled forward by unsolved questions rather than by an ever-deepening mystery - as in "Inherit The Stars" - but it is, nonetheless, very satisfying on a number of levels. The two main characters, Hunt and Danchekker really shine, and many of the lingering, unanswered questions from the first novel are finally put to rest. Hogan pushes the envelope of hard science further in this novel, and it serves for mentally stimulating reading, tingling one's imagination.

The Ganymede's computer, ZORAC, which is introduced, is, of course, similar in concept to Arthur C. Clark's computer 'Hal' in "2001: A Space odyssey," but ZORAC is integrated into the story in a rather clever and novel manner, and the computer plays an integral role in moving the story toward the answers that lie at its conculsion. As for other similarities, there is a short but nice Ganymede burial scene, reminiscent of Verne's underwater burial in his classic "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea." Also, when reading the questioning of Hunt by ZORAC, regarding mankind's proclivity for violence and war, the reader cannot help but recall H. G Wells's "First Men In The Moon", and the discourse between Cavor and The Grand Lunar. Hogan does take this approach much further, however, wrapping it neatly into the story in a multi-level manner.

The biggest criticism of the story is with the Ganymede spacecraft arriving, coincidentally, at the exact time in human history when the questions and investigations into the Ganymede civilization are under way. It is difficult to forgive the author for this, as there are a number of relatively easy fixes for this complaint. A second criticism is that the Ganymede extraterrestrials were disappointing as, although they had different temperaments than human beings, they were, overall, much too "human" - from possessing the primate characteristic of fingernails to their culture and social customs.

Despite these two flaws, however, the book is still an absolute must read for everyone who read and enjoyed "Inherit The Stars." It is a page-turner and as soon as one completes the book, he/she wants to jump right into the third book in the series, "Giant's Star." I know I can't wait!

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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.

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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.