Fred hoyle with a new foreword by geoffrey hoyle book description astronomers in england and america have made a terrifying discovery. Despite the disclaimer at the start of the book, the main characters are all modelled on wellknown astronomers of the. I wont spoil the plot but suffice it to say it is a sendup of the shortsighted politicians compared with the wise scientists and an exploration of the various forms intelligent life might take. So frequently i read science fiction stories where the science is muddled or just plain wrong.
A landmark of british science fiction, the black cloud 1957 was the first novel by worldrenowned astronomer sir fred hoyle 19152001, who used his own scientific background to create a frighteningly real apocalyptic thriller in which, hoyle said, there is very little that could not conceivably happen. Description cloud computing black book account 157. The book begins in the late 1920s when searches were made by shepherds, stalkers and as many ablebodied volunteers as could be mustered. If their calculations are correct, the cloud s path will bring it between the earth and. Fred hoyle was a remarkable scientist, and made an immense contribution to solving many. Worth reading, if a bit dated in its cold war setting published in 1957. Fred hoyle with a new foreword by geoffrey hoyle book description astronomers in england and america have made a terrifying. In previous posts i have looked at a number of novels by fred hoyle.
The black cloud earth menaced by a power beyond the. Non credo di peccare di superbia, nellaffermare che. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. The black cloud, 2010, 224 pages, fred hoyle, 0141196408. In 1960, astronomer frank drake pioneered the concept of seti search for extraterrestrial intelligence with project ozma in 1961, the bbc ran a sevenpart tv show called a for andromeda about a seti success story, later made into a book by fred hoyle and john elliot sometimes forgotten science fiction is worth pursuing when it is first to explore a new. Published in 1957, the book details the arrival of an enormous cloud of gas that enters the solar system and appears about to destroy most of the life. Add to this an interesting introduction by richard dawkins and an excellent narration by jack klaff and you get an audiobook which is. Tracks the progress of a giant black cloud that comes towards earth. It is though an absolute classic of science fiction. Hoyle s the black cloud is very good science fiction, not boring at all, as some have said, but engaging, interesting and quite plausible. The black cloud penguins recent practice of bringing science fiction works into its modern classics series is welcome, though it has tended toward softer stuff john wyndham, harry harrison, john christopher with only the occasional harderedged piece, such as brian aldisss hothouse.
The black cloud by fred hoyle a signet book published by the new american. The black cloud provides an account of some of the scottish mountain misadventures in the years 1928 1966. The black cloud by fred hoyle is everything youd want british 1950s sf to be. The black cloud internet speculative fiction database.
The black cloud is a science fiction novel by british astrophysicist fred hoyle. Young peter, a student of byzantine art forms at moscow university, through a cryptic sentence in a lecture receives a message to buy two books of his choice at exactly 1. The black cloud was the first sciencefiction novel written by one of the worlds most widely recognized cosmologists and astrophysicists, fred hoyle. The black cloud by fred hoyle 1960 small pb penguin. Pdf the black cloud download full pdf book download. The black cloud valancourt 20th century classics by fred hoyle bibliography.
A select group of scientists and astronomers including the dignified astronomer royal, the pipe smoking dr marlowe and the. Read pdf the black cloud fred hoyle the black cloud fred hoyle the black cloud fred hoyle the black cloud is a science fiction novel by british astrophysicist fred hoyle. The black cloud, 1957 ossians ride, 1959 a for andromeda, 1962 coauthored with john elliot fifth planet, 1963 coauthored with geoffrey hoyle andromeda breakthrough, 1965 coauthored with john elliot october the first is too late, 1966 element 79, 1967 rockets in ursa major, 1969 coauthored with geoffrey hoyle seven steps to the sun. The black cloud earth menaced by a power beyond the planets and older than time by fred hoyle the black cloud earth menaced by a power beyond the planets and older than time by fred hoyle pdf, epub ebook d0wnl0ad in 1964, astrophysicists on earth become aware of an immense cloud of gas that is heading for the solar system. The black cloud penguin science fiction by hoyle, sir fred paperback book the. Published in 1957, the book details the arrival of an enormous cloud of gas that enters the solar system and appears about to destroy most of the life on earth by blocking the suns radiation. A for andromeda, the andromeda breakthrough, october the first is too late and the fifth planet. Its interesting that astronomer fred hoyles novel, published in 1957, is exactly contemporaneous with john wyndhams the midwich cuckoos. The black cloud is an excellent and totally plausible story of great originality. Sir fred hoyle frs 24 june 1915 20 august 2001 was an english astronomer who formulated the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis.
The black cloud by fred hoyle 1965 small pb penguin. Fred hoyle does not fall into this trap the science is thoroughly researched and is correct as far as we can tell. He also held controversial stances on other scientific mattersin 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. Lecture by sir fred hoyle to the sri lanka institute of fundamental studies, december 1982, from virus to cosmology, on the theory of cometary panspermia. Fred hoyle 19152001 was the perfect person to write such a novel.
Tracks the progress of a giant black cloud that comes towards earth and sits in front of the sun, causing widespread panic and death. In its pursuit of intellectual discovery, the black cloud reminds me somewhat of arthur c. The black cloud was his first novel, and it is a fun one. The black cloud by fred hoylea signet book published by the new american library copyright 1957 by fred hoyle publis. A select group of scientists and astronomers including the dignified astronomer royal, the pipe smoking dr marlowe and the maverick, eccentric professor. The black cloud is the only one of fred hoyle s novels that i have ever read. Both books have scientists attempting to understand almost unfathomable phenomena, making flawed guesses along the way and coming to incredible revelations. This is the story of learning, relating, and coming of age as seen through the eyes of erik, the son of an old atomic. The black cloud penguin modern classics kindle edition by. View all covers for the black cloud logged in users can change user.