Fifth Planet (1963)
Fred Hoyle & Geoffrey Hoyle
Book Description
A planetary system, consisting of a star and five planets, is travelling through our galaxy and will pass close to Earth. The four largest planets are gaseous, but the fifth, named Achilles, appears capable of supporting life. Two rival expeditions - one Anglo-American and one Russian - set out to land on Achilles and explore its mysteries. But almost from the moment of their arrival things begin to go terribly wrong ... and when they return to Earth, something not human will be coming back with them.
One of the most exciting novels by world-renowned scientist Sir Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) and Geoffrey Hoyle, Fifth Planet (1963) is a thrilling science fiction tale that ranks alongside Hoyle's masterpiece The Black Cloud.
Fred Hoyle & Geoffrey Hoyle
Book Description
A planetary system, consisting of a star and five planets, is travelling through our galaxy and will pass close to Earth. The four largest planets are gaseous, but the fifth, named Achilles, appears capable of supporting life. Two rival expeditions - one Anglo-American and one Russian - set out to land on Achilles and explore its mysteries. But almost from the moment of their arrival things begin to go terribly wrong ... and when they return to Earth, something not human will be coming back with them.
One of the most exciting novels by world-renowned scientist Sir Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) and Geoffrey Hoyle, Fifth Planet (1963) is a thrilling science fiction tale that ranks alongside Hoyle's masterpiece The Black Cloud.
reviews
“An exciting book for all science fiction enthusiasts ... will leave the reader wondering about our future life on earth.” - Evening Journal
“Fred Hoyle, a celebrated astronomer, is a man of vast imagination ... the story is sharp, clear and full of suspense.” - Washington (D.C.) Evening Star
“A mature performance ... the best so far from the Hoyle stable.” - Sunday Times
“Fred Hoyle, a celebrated astronomer, is a man of vast imagination ... the story is sharp, clear and full of suspense.” - Washington (D.C.) Evening Star
“A mature performance ... the best so far from the Hoyle stable.” - Sunday Times
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BOOK DETAILS
ISBN: 1943910111 ISBN-13: 978-1943910113 $15.99 US, 192 pp. Trade paper Published 2015 |
Due to copyright restrictions, this title is only available to customers in the U.S. and Canada.
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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Fred Hoyle was born at Bingley, Yorkshire in 1915 and educated at Bingley Grammar School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. A Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge, he was a lecturer in mathematics from 1945 to 1958, when he was appointed to the prestigious post of Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy. He became the founding director of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy at Cambridge in 1967 and was knighted in 1972. He also held a position as a visiting professor of astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology.
Internationally famous as a scientist, Hoyle is remembered today as the foremost proponent of the steady-state theory of the universe and for his pioneering work in the field of stellar nucleosynthesis. An extremely original thinker, Hoyle was not afraid to advance controversial ideas, many of which were later proved correct. In the 1950s, when his paper on interstellar molecules was rejected for publication, he rewrote his ideas as a novel, The Black Cloud (1957). This book was a popular success and has remained in print continuously in Great Britain; its success paved the way for a number of other science fiction works, often co-authored by Hoyle with his son Geoffrey.
Several of Hoyle’s works, including Ossian’s Ride (1960), A for Andromeda (1962), Fifth Planet (1963), and October the First is Too Late (1966), have gone on to be recognized as classics of the genre. Hoyle was also well known for his nonfiction writings, which aimed at making science accessible to popular audiences and young readers, and for his BBC radio broadcasts and television work. He died in 2001.
Internationally famous as a scientist, Hoyle is remembered today as the foremost proponent of the steady-state theory of the universe and for his pioneering work in the field of stellar nucleosynthesis. An extremely original thinker, Hoyle was not afraid to advance controversial ideas, many of which were later proved correct. In the 1950s, when his paper on interstellar molecules was rejected for publication, he rewrote his ideas as a novel, The Black Cloud (1957). This book was a popular success and has remained in print continuously in Great Britain; its success paved the way for a number of other science fiction works, often co-authored by Hoyle with his son Geoffrey.
Several of Hoyle’s works, including Ossian’s Ride (1960), A for Andromeda (1962), Fifth Planet (1963), and October the First is Too Late (1966), have gone on to be recognized as classics of the genre. Hoyle was also well known for his nonfiction writings, which aimed at making science accessible to popular audiences and young readers, and for his BBC radio broadcasts and television work. He died in 2001.