James P. Hogan's Entoverse (Giants Novel) [Hardcover]

James P. Hogan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Giants Novel | Publication Date: October 8, 1991

Human society on Jevlen was falling apart -- and it looked as if JEVEX, the immense super-computer that managed all Jevlenese affairs, was at the heart of the matter. Except that the problems didn't stop when JEVEX was shut down. People were changing -- or being changed. It was almost as if the Jevlenese were being possessed...

Meanwhile, in a very different universe, where magic worked and nothing physical was predictable, holy men caught glimpses of another place, a place where the shape of objects remained unchanged by motion, and cause led directly and logically to effect. And the best part was that when the heart was pure, the mind was focused, and circumstances were right, some lucky souls could actually make the transition to that other universe. If only they all could...


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This latest entry in Hogan's popular Giants series ( Inherit the Stars , etc.) begins a year after humans on earth first make contact with the peaceful, advanced, nonhuman Ganymeans, who exerted a hitherto unknown but momentous influence on the development of Homo sapiens. Following the discovery that the humans of Jevlen had been tampering deleteriously with earth history, the Ganymeans turned off the Jevlenese super - computer JEVEX. When the Ganymean supervisor of Jevlen finds violence and irrationality increasing, with leaders of exotic cults demanding the return of JEVEX, he calls on physicist Victor Hunt to discover the cause. Meanwhile, on the world of Waroth, where science is unknown, famine reigns as the magic that once created plentitude now ebbs away. Hunt and his assistants find a mysterious link among the cult leaders, JEVEX and Waroth that partially explains the Jevlenese's hostility toward earth. While Hogan's scientific material can be of interest, his one-dimensional characters and sketchy portrayal of nonhuman society make the novel rather dull overall.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Scientist Victor Hunt and journalist Gina Marin join a small group of humans selected by an alien race of benevolent giants--the Ganymeans--to investigate the planet Jevlin, where a malfunctioning computer poses a danger to continued peaceful relations between that planet and Earth. Set in the same universe as Inherit the Stars (Ballantine, 1978), The Gentle Giants of Ganymede (Ballantine, 1986), and Giants' Star (Ballantine, 1986), Hogan's latest novel focuses primarily on ideas, leaving its characters curiously devoid of personal appeal. Despite some intriguing looks at physics and alternate realities, this novel is recommended only where previous series titles have a following.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 418 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (October 8, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345360303
• ISBN-13: 978-0345360304
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,240,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Speculative Fiction, November 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Entoverse (Mass Market Paperback)

Hogan, as usual (Giants, Lifemaker, Thrice Upon a Time), does a magnificent job creating a gripping story based on plausible-sounding scientific principles. Hogan's writing is quite intricate, and he does a great job tying up seemingly unimportant loose ends. Some of the character development seemed a little artificial, though. I would strongle recommend having read the first three Giants books, although this story does stand mostly on its own.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars stretched a good story to far, July 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: James P. Hogan's Entoverse (Giants Novel) (Hardcover)

The first three books were excellent, however I think Mr. Hogan stretched the story to far. First of all it took till chapter 22 to finally get in to what the story was actually about and although Mr. Hogan has a great way of tying things together at the end of the story, it was just not the same. Next time, don't listen to your agent Mr. Hogan.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Number 4 in the story of the "gentle giants of Ganymede", November 15, 2006

By 

Marshall Lord (Whitehaven, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Entoverse (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the fourth book in the "Giants" series which began with "Inherit the stars" and continues with "The Gentle Giants of Ganymede" and "Giants Star."

The first three books in the series are also available in a "3 in 1 Giants Omnibus" and there is now a subsequent fifth book, "Mission to Minerva".

Continues the story which started when human ideas of our place in the Universe were turned completely topsy-turvy by the discovery of a 50,000 year old human body on the moon in "Inherit the Stars" which was one of the most brilliant SF novels ever written.

I thought the story had finished with "Giant's star" but James Hogan finds a way to continue it with brilliant new twist. Something is going wrong on the planet Jevlen, and to solve it the heroes of the first three books have their minds projected inside a huge computer - where they find a whole different kind of Universe.

About the only thing on which I agree with the reviewers who trashed this book is that it's not quite as good as the first three. However, I think it's still well worth a read if you are into science fiction and original ideas.