Reviews

Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan

angus_mckeogh's review against another edition

2.0

The premise was great. Astronaut’s body found on the moon and it appears to be from millennia before. However, I’m not sure if this is a trait of “hard sci-fi”, but the story revolved around scientific proofs of how that could be. But very little story substance.

andylevy's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

like a lot of his era’s sci-fi authors, hogan was a horrible writer of characters but i’ve read these books countless times because the plots and science are so interesting to me 

lunarholiday's review against another edition

2.0

I'm not a science nerd so it made no sense, and I zoned out a lot while i listened, but I genuinely liked the idea of the story. If it had been dumbed down a little more for people not so educated within the science realm, would've enjoyed it more but well aware it was meant for those who understand science to an extent. Regardless, I enjoyed the story it was trying to tell about "aliens".

bobpony's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I'd seen this one recommended on a youtube channel, so when it popped up in a local thrift store I scooped it up.  Theme-wise it has a lot in common with 2001: A Space Odyssey.  In presentation it's a bit like an episode of Columbo.  All of the facts are presented, but only one guy can piece them together into a whole, each and every time.  So maybe it's like multiple episodes of Columbo, because this pattern repeats a few times in the book.  Which isn't bad, I'm not harping on that.  It just felt a little stiff.  The interplay with other characters is minimized, jealousy and infighting are mentioned, but not explored.  It's kind of surface level.  And much of the background for each situation/problem is presented via articles, reports, and news releases.  The characters just aren't front and center here, the human drama is largely missing.  That said, the characters are likeable, if a bit stereotypical.  I'd give this a 3.5 I guess, it's fine, a little dry, a little old fashioned, but also a very interesting premise with a well done conclusion.  But I just learned that there are two more books in the series, and I'm not eager to seek them out, so I think a little of this goes a long way.

seththereader's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Very much enjoyed this and look forward to reading the other two. Something about it was evocative of lots of details and it felt like you were discovering something 

jonathanpalfrey's review against another edition

2.0

This was Hogan's first novel, published when he was 35, and he had yet to learn that readers expect novels to be about people. This novel is about solving a scientific mystery; there are people in it, but they do nothing at all except work together to solve the mystery. There is no love, hostility, sex, crime, or anything like that. Just (mostly male) scientists working on a scientific problem.

It's not a bad book, the mystery and its solution are quite interesting, but it was rather naïve of the author to publish a work of fiction with none of the normal ingredients of fiction.

The mystery is that a corpse is found on the Moon. The corpse seems to be completely human, but he has been lying there for 50,000 years, wearing a spacesuit. If he came from Earth, how is it that no traces of his civilization have been found on Earth? If he came from elsewhere, how could he be human? The mystery is eventually solved, plausibly enough, although the solution is not simple.

Hogan's interest in science is consistent, but his later novels have more human interest than this one.

dee9401's review against another edition

2.0

Typical hard sci-fi of the era with a lot of exposition. I would have devoured this as a kid without seeing the utter lack of women and non white European people as important characters. Titillating with all the techno jargon yet devoid of consistent plot, character development, or political reality.

danielv64's review against another edition

4.0

Having a fun time going back to some of the science fiction I read 20+ years ago, James Hogan is always a best bet for Hard Science Fiction and this is a classic as well as a literary response to the confusing ending of the movie 2001: A space odyssey

librarian_of_trantor's review against another edition

2.0

One of the positive reviews of this book that I read praised its portrayal of how scientists work. But a bunch of scientists arguing, theorizing, and presenting their work makes a "tell instead of show" type of story that is not really good SF. I have to admire the intellectual vigor of how Hogan presents all the clues to the Lunarian mystery then solves it. Except that it depends on a highly improbable moon capture hypothesis. Maybe in the later books Hogan explains that one too. For a moment I considered reading the next book just to meet a live Giant but I fear Hogan's writing style would still be the same.

dan_at's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75