Visions of Liberty

The man on the moon was dead. They called him Charlie. He had big eyes, abundant body hair and fairly long nostrils. His skeletal body was found clad in a bright red spacesuit, hidden in a rocky grave. They didn't know who he was, how he got there, or what had killed him. All they knew was that his corpse was 50,000 years old -- and that meant that this man had somehow lived long before he ever could have existed!

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 Earth's scientists were there, determined to ferret out the secret of the lost race. Then suddenly the Ganymeans returned, bringing with them answers that would alter all Mankind's knowledge of human origins . . .

In the 21st century, scientists Victor Hunt and Chris Danchekker, doing research on Ganymede, attract a small band of friendly aliens lost in time, who begin to reveal something of the origin of mankind. Finally, man thought he comprehended his place in the Universe . . . until he learned of the Watchers in the stars!

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…

In Hogan's intriguing fifth SF novel in the series that began with Inherit the Stars (1978), Earth has reestablished contact with the Ganymeans, an alien race that manipulated proto-humans into homo sapiens on Minerva, a planet that once occupied the region of the present asteroid belt. After the Ganymeans migrated to the Giants' Star 20 light-years from Earth, a war on Minerva caused by intelligences from an alternate reality-one of an infinite number suggested by the Multiverse hypothesis-led to the planet's destruction. Now, several decades into the 21st century, people on Earth have developed a means of exploring these realities, including one in which Minerva still exists, and mount a rescue mission to prevent the war on Minerva. While the need to establish the backstory slows the book's first half, Hogan does an excellent job of extrapolating the science from current theories of quantum physics. The second half moves briskly and logically to a satisfying climax, though the villain is straight out of James Bond. Readers who like their science hard will find this one a diamond.

Джеймс ХОГАН. ВНЕ ВРЕМЕНИ

Хитроумный сыщик идет по следу исчезнувшего… времени.

Клиффорд САЙМАК. ФОТО БИТВЫ ПРИ МАРАФОНЕ

В заглавии нет исторической ошибки. Один из персонажей повести действительно сделал такой снимок.

Джин ВУЛФ. РОДЕРИК В ЗООПАРКЕ

А вы, читатель, не желаете вырастить тиранозавра?

Терри БИССОН. ПУТЬ ИЗ ВЕРХНЕГО ЗАЛА

Виртуально-эротическое путешествие может завести слишком далеко.

Грег БИР. ВСЕ ИМЕНА МОЖЖЕВЕЛЬНИКА

Загадочные и трагические события происходят на космической станции. Кто виноват — злокозненные инопланетяне или законы мироздания?

Фредерик ПОЛ. ПЕРЕКВАЛИФИКАЦИЯ

Куда податься выгнанному со службы роботу?

Людмила ЛЯШОВА. ЛОВЦЫ ДУШ

Минуло еще одно полугодие. Пора подводить итоги конкурса для начинающих фантастов.

ВИДЕОДРОМ

Впервые в рубрике «Адепты жанра» рассказ о российском мультипликаторе… Роботы на марше… Очерк об итальянской фантастике… Рецензии.

Александр РОЙФЕ. В ТУПИКЕ

К утешительным выводам приходит московский критик, обозревая итоги «фантастического полугодия» книжного рынка.

РЕЦЕНЗИИ

Новые книги — новые отклики.

КУРСОР

Новости из мира фантастики.

Кир БУЛЫЧЁВ. КАК СТАТЬ ФАНТАСТОМ

Внимание! Мы начинаем публикацию воспоминаний одного из самых популярных фантастов нашего времени.

ПЕРСОНАЛИИ

Авторы о себе и критики об авторах.

В начале 21-го века, СССР построила космическую станцию "Валентина Терешкова". Орбитальный городок внешне кажется как мирный утопический эксперимент, но разведка докладывают об обратном.

Когда ученая Пола Брайс и агент Лью Мак-Кейн навещает станцию для иследований, они становятся заключенными в тюрьме. Побег представляется не возможным, - но если они не смогут убежать, Армагеддон неизбежен...