Gentl Giants of Ganymede

by James P. Hogan

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345273753
• ISBN13: 9780345273758
• Release Date: June 1978
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

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!