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Giants -- Fiction Books
Best books
François Rabelais
Gargantua and Pantagruel
"Gargantua and Pantagruel" by François Rabelais is a pentalogy of novels written in the 16th century. It chronicles the adventures of two giants—Gargantua and his son Pantagruel—through a series of outrageous exploits. Written in an amusing, extravagant, and satirical style, the work features erudition, vulgarity, and wordplay. The narrative follows the giants through education, wars, and an epic voyage seeking the Divine Bottle, encountering bizarre lands and creatures along the way while satirizing contemporary society and religion.
François Rabelais
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 1
"Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 1" by François Rabelais is a novel written in the 16th century. This satirical masterpiece follows the adventures of two giants—Gargantua and his son Pantagruel—through a world of absurd battles, peculiar education, and outrageous encounters. Written with vulgar humor, wordplay, and sharp social commentary, the work was condemned as obscene by French censors. Rabelais blends erudition with extravagance, creating a comic epic that introduced countless new words to the French language and gave us the term "gargantuan."
François Rabelais
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 3
"Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 3" by François Rabelais is a novel written in the 16th century. After settling Panurge's debts, Pantagruel faces a new challenge: his companion suddenly wants to marry but cannot decide if he should. They consult fortune-tellers, scholars, poets, and philosophers, yet Panurge rejects every answer. Finally, they resolve to seek wisdom from the Divine Bottle itself, setting sail on an extraordinary voyage that will test their wits and friendship.
François Rabelais
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 4
"Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 4" by François Rabelais is a novel written in the 16th century. This fourth installment chronicles Pantagruel and his companions' sea voyage toward the Divine Bottle. Along the way, they encounter bizarre islands and peculiar inhabitants, endure violent storms, battle a sea-monster, and engage in fierce combat with Chitterlings. Written in Rabelais's characteristically satirical and extravagant style, the book blends vulgar humor, erudition, and wordplay as the travelers navigate increasingly strange adventures across the seas.
François Rabelais
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 2
"Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 2" by François Rabelais is a novel written in the 16th century. This satirical adventure follows the giant Gargantua from birth through his unconventional education and into war. When neighboring bakers refuse to sell bread to local shepherds, the dispute escalates into full-scale conflict. Gargantua must defend his father's kingdom while navigating questions of proper governance and human folly. Filled with wordplay, vulgarity, and sharp social commentary, the work blends outrageous humor with deeper philosophical concerns about education, power, and society.
H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth
"The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth" by H. G. Wells is a science fiction novel written during the late 19th century. The narrative centers around the scientists Mr. Bensington and Professor Redwood, who discover a substance called Herakleophorbia that dramatically enhances growth in living organisms, leading to potentially monumental consequences. The opening of the work sets the stage with introductions to the two main characters, Bensington and Redwood, presenting their mundane lives and academic backgrounds before they stumble upon the extraordinary food that fuels the plot. They engage in discussions about their groundbreaking discovery, which is humorously dubbed the Food of the Gods, postulating its potential applications and consequences. As they brainstorm together, their excitement hints at the awe and chaos that this discovery will eventually unleash, foreshadowing the conflicts and challenges that will arise from their scientific breakthrough. The beginning deftly combines humor and tension, suggesting that the tale will explore the intersection of human ambition and the unpredictable nature of scientific experimentation.
François Rabelais
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 5
"Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 5" by François Rabelais is a novel published posthumously around 1564. This final installment chronicles the continued voyages of the giant Pantagruel and his companions toward the Divine Bottle. The travelers encounter strange islands populated by bizarre inhabitants, including birds living in Catholic Church hierarchy and grotesquely corpulent people. Written in Rabelais' characteristic satirical style, this concluding volume blends absurdist humor with pointed social commentary as the adventurers approach their mystical destination.
Nelson S. Bond
Colossus of Chaos
"Colossus of Chaos" by Nelson S. Bond is a science fiction novel written in the early 20th century, specifically in the 1940s as it was initially published in a science fiction magazine. The story unfolds on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, where a growing, malevolent entity, referred to as the Colossus, poses a significant threat to human colonists and introduces themes of survival against overwhelming odds. The main characters include Captain Rocky Russell, a secret agent of the Solar Investigation Department, who is determined to uncover the dark secrets of the enigmatic Humboldt Grossman and protect the young Lynn Graham. At the start of the narrative, a mysterious object arrives on Titan, growing larger and building strength from the environment around it. Meanwhile, a group of characters, including Captain Burke, the young Lynn Graham, and various passengers aboard the space-cruiser "Gaea", engage in a dialogue that highlights the perils of Titan, including hazardous geological conditions and bizarre native species. As the tension builds, Grossman discusses the dangers with a sense of foreboding, while Lynn's spirited determination to make Titan her home adds a layer of personal stakes. The opening culminates in the revelation of the Colossus, a gigantic creature that emerges as a formidable threat, signaling a clash between humanity and the unknown powers of the universe.
John Scott Campbell
The Image and the Likeness
"The Image and the Likeness" by John Scott Campbell is a science fiction novel likely written in the mid-20th century. The narrative unfolds in a post-war Asia where a group of anthropologists and a zoologist embark on an expedition to understand "New Buddhism," a nationalistic religion gaining traction in Pan-Asia. However, their journey leads them to discover a colossal figure known as Kazu Takahashi, believed to be the reincarnation of Buddha, who has been affected by the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, raising themes of identity, power, and the intersection of science and mythology. The opening of the novel introduces us to a group of four scientists—William Cady, Llewelyn Baker, Walter Chamberlin, and Robert Martin—who arrive in Shanghai in 1965, keenly aware of the political changes in the region. Their expedition ostensibly revolves around studying Celebese man, yet they are also secretly tasked with investigating New Buddhism, which harbors potential ties to communist movements. As they dive deeper into their mission, they witness an unexpected phenomenon: the awakening of Kazu, an enormous entity that challenges their notions of life and reality. The narrative captures their escalating fears and the dangerous knowledge they unveil, ultimately compelling them to confront Kazu's true nature and the implications of their discoveries on both a personal and global scale.
H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Het voedsel der Goden en hoe het op Aarde kwam
"Het voedsel der Goden en hoe het op Aarde kwam" by H. G. Wells is a science fiction novel published in 1904. When scientists create a substance that accelerates growth, they produce giant chickens as their first success. But the food escapes into the wild, creating enormous wasps, rats, and plants. Children who consume it grow into forty-foot giants. As these colossal beings reach maturity, society fractures between those who embrace growth and those who fear it, leading toward inevitable conflict.
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