James P. Hogan Books

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James P. Hogan was a science fiction author from the UK who died in 2010 at 69. Born in 1941 in London, England, to an Irish factory worker, Hogan had a foot condition that required over a decade of surgery to correct.

The downtime gave the author ample opportunity to read. Hogan was such an insatiable reader that he decided to turn his passion for storytelling into a career. However, he was 16 at the time, and the people in his life told Hogan that he was too young. Therefore, he had nothing of significance to write about, not when he had barely lived.

The author agreed and momentarily abandoned his dream, securing a scholarship and joining Farnborough’s Royal Aircraft Establishment. After honing his craft as an electrical and mechanical engineer, Hogan found a place at Solarton Electronics, Farnborough.

The author also lent his talents to Racal Electronics (Bracknell, Berkshire). But his days as an engineer did not last. Hogan found more success in sales, having joined International Telephone and Telegraph (Harlow, Essex) in 1964.

He also toured Europe as Honeywell’s computer salesman before landing a position as a sales training consultant at the DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) Laboratory Data Processing Group.

A bet compelled hogan to write his first novel. The author watched 2001: A Space Odyssey, and while he enjoyed it, so much so that it ignited his love for science fiction, the ending disappointed him.

The symbolism did not make sense to him, and he complained about it the next day when he went to work. This paved the way for a bet that pushed the author to write ‘Inherit The Stars,’ his first book.

Hogan was still working for DEC. The job had pushed him to relocate to Boston. He wrote four novels before finally quitting his day job to become a full-time writer.

The author had an avid fanbase that appreciated his optimistic futurism. However, by the time he died, the controversies surrounding Hogan’s opinions had eclipsed his renown as a science fiction author. He frequently clashed with his critics over subjects like evolution, the origins of AIDS, climate change, and the Holocaust.

People eventually perceived the author as a deliberately contrarian figure who went to great lengths to oppose commonly accepted views. His objective was to question the wisdom the public had so readily accepted by applying scientific investigations to subjects in fields like physics, history, and medicine.

On the personal front, the author was married four times. Iris Crossley was his first wife, followed by Lynda Shirley Dockerty, Jacklyn Price, and Sheryl. Sheryl was his fourth and final wife. Their marriage started in 2006.
But the time he died, Hogan had six children. Heart failure was the cause of death.

James P. Hogan Awards

Hogan won multiple Prometheus and Seiun-sho (Japan) awards.

Best James P. Hogan Books

The author was popular in Japan. ‘Inherit the Stars’ influenced Japanese shows like Robotech. People loved the fact that the technology in his stories was realistic. Hogan’s best books include:

Inherit The Stars: Human astronauts have just made a startling discovery. They found a skeletal figure on the moon, and they could tell that he wasn’t human. He was too large and hairy with long nostrils. His body was hidden behind a red spacesuit of unknown origin.

More importantly, they could tell that he was more than 50,000 years old. The discovery raised questions. Who was Charlie? Where did he come from? Was he the only one of his kind? What role did his people play in the evolution of man? What does it all mean for the place of man in the solar system?

The Gentle Giants of Ganymede: The Ganymeans were gone. They had disappeared before their world blew apart. A wrecked ship on Jupiter was the only remnant of this race of giants, and earth’s scientists were determined to decipher the secrets it held.

From what they could tell, the Ganymeans lived on a planet between Mars and Jupiter. An interplanetary war between two factions had destroyed it. The humans thought that the Ganymeans were gone, extinct. But then they tinkered with the ship and triggered a distress beacon. Now the Ganymeans have returned, and they have questions.

When Does The Next James P. Hogan book come out?

James P. Hogan doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Migration and was released on May, 11th 2010.

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