Three Classic Novels

In addition to being the man who coined the term ‘the Big Bang’, world-renowned astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle also produced a fine body of science fiction. This omnibus contains three of his SF novels: Ossian’s Ride, October the First Is Too Late & Fifth Planet, co-written with his son, Geoffrey Hoyle.

Ossian’s Ride: The year is 1970. Sealed behind an impenetrable barrier in the south of Ireland, the Industrial Corporation of Eire startles the rest of the world with its efficiency, its brilliance . . .

October the First Is Too Late: Unusual solar activity has played havoc with terrestrial time: England is in the ’60’s, but in France, it is 1917 and WWI is still raging in western Europe . . .

Fifth Planet: Another star is due to pass close to the sun, close enough for conventional spacecraft to reach it. Signs of chlorophyll are detected on one of the worlds, suggesting that it supports life. Rival Soviet and US expeditions are launched to visit it. But what will they find on the ‘Fifth Planet’?

Author Biography

Sir Fred Hoyle (1915-2001)

Sir Fred Hoyle was a famous English astronomer noted primarily for the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis and 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. He has authored hundreds of technical articles, as well as textbooks, popular accounts of science and two autobiographies. In addition to his work as an astronomer, Hoyle was a writer of science fiction, including a number of books co-written with his son Geoffrey Hoyle. Hoyle spent most of his working life at the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge and served as its director for a number of years. He was knighted in 1972 and died in Bournemouth, England, after a series of strokes.