Fifth Planet

Fifth Planet by Fred & Geoffrey Hoyle

A Fawcett Gold Medal Book - Fawcett Publications, Inc., Greenwich, CT - copyright 1963

#T2243

Paperback

4 1/4 x 7 inches, 192 pages

Fifth Planet is a science fiction novel written by astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle and his son Geoffrey Hoyle.

Another star is due to pass close to the sun, close enough for conventional spacecraft to reach it. The first planets observed are four gas giants, but then an inner 'Fifth Planet' is found. Signs of chlorophyll are detected, suggesting that it supports life. Rival Soviet and US expeditions are launched to visit it. (The world balance as it existed in 1963 is assumed to be still in place.)

One important aspect of the plot is that the Soviet expedition includes the first woman in space. This fictional milestone was eclipsed by reality soon after publication, when Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space on Vostok 6 in June 1963.

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Synopsis

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." '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"

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Sir Fred Hoyle FRS (24 June 1915 – 20 August 2001) was an English astronomer noted primarily for the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis, but also for his often controversial stances on other scientific matters—in particular his rejection of the "Big Bang" theory, a term coined by him on BBC radio, and his promotion of panspermia as the origin of life on Earth. While Hoyle is well-regarded for his works on nucleosynthesis and science popularisation, his career is also noted for the controversial positions he held on a wide range of scientific issues, often in direct opposition to the prevailing theories supported by the majority of the scientific community. He spent most of his working life at the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge and served as its director for six years. He was a writer of science fiction, and co-authored twelve books with his son, Geoffrey Hoyle.

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Geoffrey Hoyle (born 1942) is an English science fiction writer, best known for the works which he co-wrote with his father, the astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle. About half of Fred Hoyle's science fiction works were co-written with his son.

He was educated at Bryanston School in Dorset, and then entered Cambridge where he read Economics. After 1964, Hoyle worked in London in the field of modern communications and the film/television industry. Unlike his father, he is not a scientist, and contributed to the more "human" side of their novels – however, he did work as a "scientific advisor" to some series such as Timeslip.

In 2010, his book 2010: Living in the Future was popularised by a blog which compared Hoyle's 38-year-old predictions with the reality of modern life. This led to a Facebook campaign to track down Hoyle and talk to him about his visions.