The Ganymede Club
Encyclopedia
The Ganymede Club is a science fiction
novel by Charles Sheffield
, published in 1995. The story's mystery unravels in the same universe that Sheffield created for Cold as Ice, shortly after humanity begins colonisation
of the solar system.
and the Belt colonies that wipes out half of humanity. The introduction to the novel gives the following timeline of major events:
Humans have colonised the solar system with the help of self-replicating machines called Von Neumanns.
The story begins at the early exploration of Saturn's moons (specifically Helene
, in 2032) but the novel's main mystery unfolds on Ganymede after the Great War.
The main protagonist is Lola Belman, a futuristic psychiatrist
who uses advanced sensors and psychoactive drug
s to study patients. She and her brother Spook narrowly escaped the apocalypse
on earth as children and settled on Ganymede. Spook is mathematically savant and an aspiring player on the Puzzle Network. There he meets Bat, an obese teenage genius, an older version of whom is a main character in Cold as Ice.
When one of Lola's patients complains of memories that couldn't possibly have happened to him, the three characters accidentally uncover a bizarre conspiracy.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel by Charles Sheffield
Charles Sheffield
Charles Sheffield , was an English-born mathematician, physicist and science fiction author. He had been a President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and of the American Astronautical Society....
, published in 1995. The story's mystery unravels in the same universe that Sheffield created for Cold as Ice, shortly after humanity begins colonisation
Colonisation
Colonization occurs whenever any one or more species populate an area. The term, which is derived from the Latin colere, "to inhabit, cultivate, frequent, practice, tend, guard, respect", originally related to humans. However, 19th century biogeographers dominated the term to describe the...
of the solar system.
Setting
Story elements take place prior to and after to the fictional Great War between EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and the Belt colonies that wipes out half of humanity. The introduction to the novel gives the following timeline of major events:
- 2012 - First manned trip to MarsMarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
. - 2020 - First Mars colony. Smart probes leave on solar system Grand Tour.
- 2029 - First Belt mines and colonies.
- 2030 - Von Neumanns released on GanymedeGanymede (moon)Ganymede is a satellite of Jupiter and the largest moon in the Solar System. It is the seventh moon and third Galilean satellite outward from Jupiter. Completing an orbit in roughly seven days, Ganymede participates in a 1:2:4 orbital resonance with the moons Europa and Io, respectively...
. - 2032 - First human exploration of the SaturnSaturnSaturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
system. - 2038 - Solar studies research station on MercuryMercury (planet)Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
. - 2040 - Second human exploration of Saturn system; smart probes leave for moons of Uranus.
- 2044 - Ceres1 CeresCeres, formally 1 Ceres, is the smallest identified dwarf planet in the Solar System and the only one in the asteroid belt. With a diameter of about 950 km, Ceres is by far the largest and most-massive asteroid, comprising about a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Discovered on 1 January 1801...
and Pallas2 PallasPallas, formally designated 2 Pallas, is the second asteroid to have been discovered , and one of the largest. It is estimated to constitute 7% of the mass of the asteroid belt, and its diameter of 530–565 km is comparable to, or slightly larger than, that of 4 Vesta. It is however 20%...
colonies achieve self-sufficiency. - 2046 - Venus terraformingTerraformingTerraforming of a planet, moon, or other body is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying its atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology to be similar to those of Earth, in order to make it habitable by terrestrial organisms.The term is sometimes used more generally as a...
effort aborted; first VenusVenusVenus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
station. - 2048 - Third Saturn exploration team; Von Neumanns released on TitanTitan (moon)Titan , or Saturn VI, is the largest moon of Saturn, the only natural satellite known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found....
. - 2050 - Rapid development of Jovian moons Ganymede and CallistoCallisto (moon)Callisto named after the Greek mythological figure of Callisto) is a moon of the planet Jupiter. It was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei. It is the third-largest moon in the Solar System and the second largest in the Jovian system, after Ganymede. Callisto has about 99% the diameter of the...
, research station on EuropaEuropa (moon)Europa Slightly smaller than Earth's Moon, Europa is primarily made of silicate rock and probably has an iron core. It has a tenuous atmosphere composed primarily of oxygen. Its surface is composed of ice and is one of the smoothest in the Solar System. This surface is striated by cracks and...
. - 2053 - Belt declares independence. Major frictions between Earth and former Belt colonies.
- 2054 - Disappearance of fourth Saturn exploration team.
- 2055 - Earth population tops ten billion, Mars population tops ten million.
- 2057 - Research station proposed for OberonOberon (moon)Oberon , also designated ', is the outermost major moon of the planet Uranus. It is the second largest and second most massive of the Uranian moons, and the ninth most massive moon in the Solar System. Discovered by William Herschel in 1787, Oberon is named after the mythical king of the fairies...
. - 2060 - Armageddon Defense Line installed on LunaMoonThe Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. Luna population reaches seven million. - 2061 - Fifth Saturn exploration team.
- 2062 - Belt population tops one hundred million. Colonies on Ceres, Pallas, Vesta4 VestaVesta, formally designated 4 Vesta, is one of the largest asteroids, with a mean diameter of about . It was discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 29, 1807, and is named after the Roman virgin goddess of home and hearth, Vesta....
, Juno3 JunoJuno , formal designation 3 Juno in the Minor Planet Center catalogue system, was the third asteroid to be discovered and is one of the larger main-belt asteroids, being one of the two largest stony asteroids, along with 15 Eunomia. Juno is estimated to contain 1% of the total mass of the asteroid...
, Hidalgo944 Hidalgo944 Hidalgo is a small Solar System body with a semi-major axis beyond Jupiter's and an orbital period of 13.77 years. This makes it a centaur, but it was discovered in 1920 and has hence traditionally been considered an asteroid....
, and twenty-seven smaller planetoids. - 2066 - Sixth Saturn exploration team; Ganymede/Callisto population reaches eighty million.
- 2067 - The Great War.
Humans have colonised the solar system with the help of self-replicating machines called Von Neumanns.
The story begins at the early exploration of Saturn's moons (specifically Helene
Helene (moon)
Helene is a moon of Saturn. It was discovered by Pierre Laques and Jean Lecacheux in 1980 from ground-based observations at Pic du Midi Observatory, and was designated . In 1988 it was officially named after Helen of Troy, who was the granddaughter of Cronus in Greek mythology...
, in 2032) but the novel's main mystery unfolds on Ganymede after the Great War.
The main protagonist is Lola Belman, a futuristic psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
who uses advanced sensors and psychoactive drug
Psychoactive drug
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood–brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior...
s to study patients. She and her brother Spook narrowly escaped the apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
on earth as children and settled on Ganymede. Spook is mathematically savant and an aspiring player on the Puzzle Network. There he meets Bat, an obese teenage genius, an older version of whom is a main character in Cold as Ice.
When one of Lola's patients complains of memories that couldn't possibly have happened to him, the three characters accidentally uncover a bizarre conspiracy.