Published by Grafton, 1989,
paperback, $5.99 ISBN 0-586-20487-3
239 pages

Book #1 in the Giants Trilogy should be in everyone's science fiction library -- as should many of Hogan's early works. It's that good.

That said, there are no lasers or space battles or space opera events. Inherit the Stars is a thinking reader's science fiction novel. Basically, humans are back on the moon and discover a dead astronaut half buried in a semi-cave. The problem is, "Charlie" is not one of us.

Thus begins a classic story of discovery by a team of scientists each trying to unravel the mystery of who Charlie is, where he came from, and what happened. Linguists decipher the language. Biologists piece together his anatomy. Engineers reverse engineer the suit systems. And in the middle of all this commotion -- a brilliant scientist named Victor Hunt on loan to the UN Space Agency.

Not unlike a murder mystery, Hunt and his colleagues chase dead ends and red herrings in unraveling the enigma. Unlike Hogan's bloated later works, Inherit the Stars offers a fast paced plot and includes plenty of good, solid, speculative science fiction, told simply and enthusiastically, by a master of the genre at the top of his form.

Gentle Giants of Ganymede (Giants Book 2)
Entoverse (Giants Book 4)