7 /10 1 Votes
Language English Media type Print (book) Originally published 1963 Genre Science Fiction | 3.5/5 Goodreads Publication date 1963 Pages 224 Page count 224 Publisher Heinemann | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Similar Geoffrey Hoyle books, Science Fiction books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fifth Planet is a science fiction novel written by astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle and his son Geoffrey Hoyle.
Plot summary
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.