"Titan" by John Varley

Publisher: New York : Berkley Pub.,
Copyright: 1979
ISBN: 9780441813049

Titan is the first book in a trilogy that was nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula awards.

Titan is another first contact novel, but once again with a bit of a twist. An object is detected orbiting Saturn, and a spacecraft captained by Cirocco “Rocky” Jones the first female captain of a vessel, the Deep Space Vessel Ringmaster. When they get close enough to the ring shaped object they realise that it could only be the product of an alien civilisation. Foregoing plans to investigate the object they approach and are captured. The ship is destroyed, and the crew drawn into the object and kept isolated is a condition of almost total sensory deprivation.

Eventually after an unknown duration the crew are released into the interior of the alien space craft. They encounter centaurs, angels, gas filled whales that sail though the air. Rocky set out though this world to find her crew and to determine what makes the alien spacecraft which they have named Gaea.

Her travels took her and one of her crew Gaby though many adventures, and eventually they meet the person who is in charge of the ship.

This is a very good book, which I would recommend to anyone who is looking for a well written story that explores some interesting aspects of human relations.