5 comments about The Green Trap.

1. Ben Bova was probably the first SciFi writer to jump on the "Obviously Human-Caused Impending Catastrophic Global Warming" (OHCICGW) Bandwagon"; but he has now been joined by McDevitt, Steele, and Sawyer, all of whom have produced OHCICGW stinkers in the last few years. I guess Bova felt out of place, as his previously OHCICGW-related ASTEROID WARS books weren't that bad, other than the OHCICGW premise in the first book from the series - so, he went and produced a stinker to top all OHCICGW stinkers.
   
   True to form, Bova always attempts to sprinkle a token spanish phrase in his books - which he almost always gets wrong... in this book, it is "Las Casita de Molina", which should be "La Casita de Molina".
   
   All throughout the book, I kept wondering why the idiotic main character Paul Cochrane simply just doesn't call the cops!



2. Buying into this story line takes more suspension of disbelief than viewing Harry Potter as non-fiction. Fortunately, I'm only out time and not money as I borrowed the book from my local library which, to their credit, classified it as Fiction thus saving the SciFi section from the wrath of 'one rotten apple spoils them all.' As most other reviewers have noted, not only is the story line both weak and old but it's hard to feel sympathy for any of the characters. And that's the real problem with this yarn. Even if you buy into the nonsense that the oil and automobile companies engage in ongoing criminal activities to keep new energy sources off the market, there's little here to hold your attention. No innovative science and the characters behave like non-thinking automatons. The cover calls it "A Thriller" but, if Bova is trying to emulate Crichton, he's got a long way to go.



3. The Green Trap, by Ben Bova, is a pleasant but forgettable story about scientist Michael Cochrane's discovery of an engineered organism producing burnable H2 from water. After Mike's murder so foul, his brother Paul gets mixed up in the search for "the missing laptop." The bad guys want it badly, the bad guys vie for "baddest" bad guy, and the bad guys are bad. That's abut the story in a nutshell.
   
   Paul Cochrane gets involved immediately with bombshell "government agent" Elena Sandoval, a schemer by trade but a sucker for a doe-eyed scientist. She'll give up her career for Paul, and Paul decides to save the world.
   
   Relationships really just need a murder or two to get jump-started.
   
   This is written as a thriller, not as sci-fi. When gas hits $7/gal, it's time for technology wars!



4. After an accomplished career in innovative science fiction and informative science non-fiction, for some reason Ben Bova has decided to stretch out into the mediocrity of the mainstream political thriller. Apparently there's no need for quality or originality when you can just jump on the bandwagon already driven by the clones of Crichton. This novel has a fairly serviceable premise about alternative energy and the power players who would wish to suppress the next breakthrough. But that's it for this book's usefulness, as Bova proceeds to pile on stereotypes and contrivances that are severely disappointing for a veteran with many masterpieces behind him. This clunker has every trick in the cheesy political thriller writer's manual - mysterious agents, murderous plutocrats, purchased politicians, lunkheaded goons, callous bureaucrats, inept cops, and the unconfident nerd who becomes a hero while scoring with a hot babe. The plotting is dishearteningly amateurish as well, with mysterious sources of funding that allow everyone to scheme comfortably and fly all over the country chasing each other (flights are never late either), far-flung characters who are miraculously connected, subplots coming together via implausible coincidences, and conspiracy after overblown conspiracy. Tack on an ending that tries so hard to be suspenseful that it comes nowhere close, and we have a poor man's entry in a weak genre that has already been done to death by hacks far less capable than Bova. You shouldn't have quit you day job, sir. [~doomsdayer520~]



5. The Green Trap (2006) is an SF novel set in the near future. The search for new sources of oil has not produced any new wells and the demand is increasing. The cost of oil in now over $110 a barrel and gasoline is over $7 per gallon and still going up. Other energy technologies are either too polluting, too wasteful or too immature to replace oil.
   
   In this novel, Paul Cochrane is a professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He has fled from the death of his wife Jennifer in an automobile accident, getting as far as possible from the events surrounding her death in Massachusetts. His mother-in-law still considers him responsible for the accident.
   
   His brother Michael calls Paul with hints of a very profitable find in his research, but refuses to tell him over the phone. Paul finally agrees to come to Palo Alto to meet with him. But Mike is murdered in his office within the Calvin Research Center as Paul is waiting at the reception desk. When Michael doesn't answer his phone, Paul leaves and looks elsewhere for his older brother.
   
   The next morning, two policeman come to his hotel to question him about the murder. Learning of his brother's death is shocking and Paul isn't really tracking the conversation as the policemen imply that he has killed his brother. Yet he remembers an odd occurrence that should prove his innocence and the police leave to check his story.
   
   Irene is Mike's widow. Paul tries to contact her, but only gets the answering machine. Eventually she calls him and he agrees to help with the funeral arrangements.
   
   Elena Sandoval finds Paul in his office and introduces herself as an agent for the Department of Justice. She questions him about his brother's research, but Paul knows nothing except that it involves cyanobacteria. Later, she flies to California with him to attend his brother's funeral.
   
   Mitsuo Arashi is a "facilitator", arranging deals for big corporations. He is waiting in the hotel room when Paul gets back from helping Irene with the arrangements. Arashi offers Paul fifty thousand dollars for information on Mike's research. He also tells Paul that Elena is not a federal agent.
   
   Lionel Gould is the principal stockholder and chairman of the board of Gould Energy Corporation. He had made an offer to buy the Calvin Research Center, but then dropped the offer and went straight to Mike to make a deal. Now that Mike is dead, Gould is looking for other ways to get information on the research.
   
   Kensington is a thug who is works for Lionel Gould. He scares both Arashi and Sandoval. Later Kensington "accidentally" kills Arashi during his interrogation of the man.
   
   In this story, Irene tells Paul that her husband had been unfaithful to her. Naturally, Mike carefully concealed his affairs because Irene has two big and brawny brothers who are likely to react violently to such news. Paul wonders whether they killed his brother.
   
   Paul also wonders if Kensington has killed Mike. The thug is also big and brawny and not at all reluctant to use violence. Gould disagrees with this idea since Mike was working for him. So who did kill Mike?
   
   This tale follows Paul and Elena as they look for a missing laptop containing Mike's research notes. Finally finding the data, Paul takes steps to pass the info on to Gould. Then he learns that Gould wants to suppress the findings, so Paul and Elena flee with the data.
   
   In many respects, this story is not really science fiction, but rather a technothriller. The situation it addresses is too much like the present day. The main fictional element may be motives of the oil company executives, but maybe not. Certain elements of the population would have no quarrel with this conspiracy premise.
   
   This fictional expose of the oil industry is very much like the prior works by this author. It shows a good understanding of the scarcity of petroleum as well as the base nature of mankind. However, it is just not as exciting as his other works and has a depressing ending.
   
   Recommended for Bova fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of monopolistic conspiracies, fleeing innocents, and doubtful romance.
   
   -Arthur W. Jordin

5 comments about Jupiter: A Novel (The Grand Tour).

1. On the second stop in Ben Bova's Grand Tour of our solar system, we explore the mysteries of the planet Jupiter-the largest gas giant in the system. Though we have a good starting idea of what type of planet Jupiter is--a massive ball of gas that rotates at a high speed, with bands of clouds circling the upper atmosphere and a giant, centuries old hurricane called the Red Spot that could swallow Earth itself. We also believe that Jupiter has a liquid metal hydrogen center surrounding a small rocky ball. Most likely, Jupiter is a failed companion star to Sol that never reached enough mass to ignite; a potential companion star that has a few of its own worlds circling it, including Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, and Io...each with its own mysteries to be solved.
   
   In "Jupiter", young, astrophysics graduate Grant Archer has his eyes set on studying black holes from the moon for his graduate studies; newly married, Grant must serve out four years of Public Service to the state for their generous funding of his education, and what better way, Grant believes, than this. But, the state, which is controlled by the New Morality, has other ideas for Grant: as a spy on Space Station Gold circling Jupiter where scientists are defying the state's desires and studying life on Jupiter's moons and in Jupiter itself. This study of extraterrestrial life has the potential of challenging the New Morality's view of reality, and they don't like it at all. Grant--a believer, but not a Zealot--is miffed at the idea, especially since there is no astrophysics research being conducted at Jupiter; a complete waste of his talents and time he believes. But, Grant has no choice, Public Service is Public Service; and if he can find out what the New Morality wants to know quickly, then maybe they will ship him back to the moon where he belongs.
   
   What Grant is yet to learn, is what role he will ultimately play within the secretive space station and its mission of discovering what the large shapes moving around inside of Jupiter's world spanning ocean are...and are they intelligent?
   
   Ben Bova weaves a tight, straight forward tale about a mission to the heart of Jupiter where our understanding of fluid dynamics are incomplete when it comes to the dynamics of a gas atmosphere that subtly becomes liquid ammonia-laced water without a distinct boundary. Bova speculates on the potential of a gas giant like Jupiter to support life--both microscopic and large and intelligent. I have recently read a few books that bring in gas giant life forms into the storyline, but "Jupiter" tackles the topic head on.
   
   Unlike some of the more multi-layered space opera being crafted today, Ben Bova is a bit more old school; and, that is not a bad thing. It is a nice change of pace to read a good book about space exploration that is a simple adventure tale while tackling our understanding of our solar system and the universe at large. And, I enjoyed what is also a simple moral tale as well, where a young self- absorbed grad student grows up and discovers the difference between right and wrong without the help of a "New Morality".
   
   >>>>>>><<<<<<<
   
   A Guide to my Book Rating System:
   
   1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
   2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
   3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
   4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
   5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.



2. I love scifi, but I'm at a loss to explain the success of Bova's books. His writing is predictable and often repetitive, his plots are loose, and his characters are flat. His technology is contrived, and thinly explained. This book hits you over the head with his philosophy on science versus religion, and instead of asking interesting questions on that front, resorts to near lecturing using the unispired device of character thought monologue. About halfway through this book I lost interest.



3. Ben Bova is the last writer of the John W. Campbell Jr. mode. That is to say, a writer who takes plausible scientific principles and applies them to characters who must take action to resolve a clear conflict. He thus writes best about engineers, astronauts, explorers. He also writes well about politics and commerce (businesses operating in outer space, for example). But JUPITER (like VENUS) is an extraordinary achievement and has all the "sense of wonder" that's oftentimes missing in current science fiction. Lately, most sf is overladen with one trope after another, one sci-fi conceit or gimmick after another with no care to the evolution of characters in a scientific environment. JUPITER places several characters in believable circumstances with a few discoveries along the way. I've read this book three times now and it still works its wonders on me. Most writers, when they're dead and gone, will be remembered for one or two books or stories. I think JUPITER and VENUS will be among those books by Bova that will remain classics. Highly recommended!



4. Action and adventure are rampant in this "grand tour" novel of the largest planet in the solar system.
   
   The main character in the book is Grant Archer. Recently graduated from college with a degree in astrophysics, Grant longs for the opportunity to study black holes and other celestial matter. However, the powers-that-be have different ideas for him. Required to perform four years of "public service", Grant is sent by Ellis Beech, head of the New Morality, to Jupiter. According to Beech, those people working on Space Station Gold have apparently been searching for signs of life on Jupiter's satellites as well as Jupiter itself. This does not sit well with Beech and the New Morality, for they believe that any form of life outside of earth is "godless". Beech is sending Grant to spy on the members of Space Station Gold and report his findings to the New Morality. To make matters worse for him, Grant is newly-married, and will now be without his wife for six years. Dejected, Grant accepts and begins the long journey to Jupiter.
   
   After traveling for a year, Grant finally arrives at Jupiter, where he immediately meets Egon, who is the personnel director (at least for this week). Besides meeting Egon, Grant is also introduced to Lane O'Hara, a stunningly beautiful woman who is one of the scientists studying the possibilities of life existing on the planet. But Zhang Wo, the director of Space Station Gold, is the one who really gets Grant's attention. Their relationship is icy at best, but as the story goes along, the two bond and become friends. Meanwhile, Grant is introduced to the rest of the Jupiter team: Zeb, Irene, Quintero, Buono, Uhara, and Krebs. Earlier, a probe was launched to penetrate the clouds of Jupiter and plunge into Jupiter's ocean to see if any life existed there. The mission was a failure. Now, a new mission is being planned, and Grant is to be one of the crew. Will this mission succeed, or will it fail like the previous one? Will life be discovered in Jupiter's ocean?
   
   In keeping with the tradition of his other novels, Ben Bova has created an exciting story containing action and intrigue. Perhaps the strongest point of Bova's writing is his character development. Each character in this book is well-developed, and the reader can bond immediately with them. From the chilly Wo to the somewhat apprehensive Archer, Bova has developed characters that the reader can truly relate to. The story itself is very well-conceived, and the action is non-stop.
   
   I recommend this book very highly. I've read others from Bova's "grand tour" series, and this book is as good as any I've read so far. If you're a fan of good science fiction, then don't miss Bova's "Jupiter. Highly recommended.



5. Grant Archer is sent to Research Station Gold orbiting the largest planet in our solar system...Jupiter. He is sent under the auspices of conducting espionage for the New Morality, a pseudo-religious organization that has gained power over the US national government in the late 21st, early 22nd century. His mission for the New Morality is to determine why those on the station are conducting mysterious manned missions into the heart of the planet. But Grant Archer quickly begins to realize that the New Morality's agenda may not be his own, and disobeying the group may have serious consequences.
   
   I'm going to start with the disappointing facets of this novel first. While this book presents and interesting, and indeed plausible, view of our planetary neighbor, I couldn't get over the fact that the plot just seemed formulaic from the start. I may not have known how, precisely it was going to end, but it was easy enough to predict how the book was going to progress from point to point. I have read quite a bit of Bova's previous stuff, and this is one of the few books that felt forced, almost as if he was struggling with the plot at times and decided on following the path of least resistence just to finish out the story.
   
   Another big issue I had with this book was that the ending was seriously lacking. While the primary plotline was resolved in a reasonably satisfying manner...everything else was not. Grant Archer's wife seemed to be merely a device to make Archer's leaving Earth at the beginning of the book all the more painful. Her character and her issues were never satisfactorily resolved...nor were any of the other characters' issues.
   
   Lastly, in the negative column, the entire concept the New Morality seemed pretty shallow. While the idea of a pseudo-religious entity gaining primary control of a national government is relatively believable, Bova only used the group as the "big bad guy", issuing veiled threats at the beginning of the story, and easily thwarted at the end of the story. Seeing some of the "depth of their evilness" would have been nice.
   
   Onto to the good stuff. Bova does well in this book what he always does well on...developing and executing a plotline that presents the wonders of our solar system (and behind) in the best possible light. This book should be read, if only on this basis. No one but Bova elicits the need to turn to the next page for the main reason of, "What's behind the next corner?" or in this case, "What's just beyond that next cloud?"
   
   Ben Bova will always be one of my favorite authors. I simply wish he would reclaim the trophy for not only wonderfully imagined, alien vistas, but also, wonderfully built plotlines as well. I await reading Bova's next work with this in mind.

5 comments about Titan (The Grand Tour).

1. . . . Ben Bova is veering all over the map in the quality of novels currently being produced (from a high in "Mars" to an embarassingly pathetic low in "Venus".)
   
   This effort, "Titan", is a direct sequal to the misnamed "Saturn" and it features (as one might expect) the giant moon of Saturn by the same name.
   
   Ben Bova may be a decent Sci-Fi writer (and even, possibly, a competent scientist) but a social scientist he ain't -- and this novel, only marginally better than its prequal -- certainly demonstrates this.
   
   As in "Saturn", the science takes a back seat to the socio-political machinations on board the giant habitat heading for the Ringed Planet. Most of the characters are flat and many are unsympathetic at best. The interpersonal relationship issues are utterly predictable and the social dynamics are typical to what one sees in an oversexed high school.
   
   Nevertheless, the book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, leaving room (of course) for more books in the series.
   
   As an aside, Bova has, in the past, occasionally ("Mars", "Jupiter") introduced believable and sympathetic religious characters. Not in "Titan", though. Like "Saturn" before it, Bova seems to regard every person of faith as some sort of ultrafundamentalist zealot wacko. This does get tiring.



2. It's funny how passionate readers can be. For some who didn't like this novel, you'd get the impression that the author has committed some sort of crime against humanity. Truth be told, TITAN is a fine adventure story and it kept me interested all the way through. It's true that TITAN is a sort of sequel to SATURN, but where SATURN bogs down in several subplots relating to the new theology that haunts the background to the Grand Tour novels, TITAN does not. This is one of Bova's strengths. When he is dealing with people working in space, he succeeds remarkably. He is less adroit in dealing with religion and its social causes and effects. This isn't a crime (though it's clear that some reviewers think it is). Religion isn't handled all that well in science fiction, but when it is (as in Blish's A CASE OF CONCIENCE, Miller's A CANTICLE FOR LIEBOWITZ and Del Rey's ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT) it's handled extraordinarily well. I found it hard to believe than any human in space (in the Grand Tour Novels) would let themselves be influenced or commanded in any way by a religious group on the earth. (I understand the fear of nano-technology by the people on the earth in these novels. Bova renders that real and palpable.) I just don't see humankind becoming more obedient to religious groups; I see just the opposite. But that's just me. This is SATURN's only failure. I couldn't believe that the religious zealots on the orbiting colony ship around Saturn could hold sway in a cultural climate where people are heading off to the planets.
   
   Still, TITAN is an excellent book and I recommend it. (And you needn't, really, to have read SATURN). Bova is one of the most dependable authors in the science fiction field, a field that's slowly being taken over by the alternate-history novel (a form of fantasy, though no one wants to admit it) and the multi-novel saga which is designed only to make money.
   
   The OTHER thing that recommends Bova's Grand Tour are the covers which are done by John Harris. He's one of the very best science fiction cover illustrators and a genuine artist. For no other reason than getting the Harris covers, I'd recommend Bova's books to you.



3. I enjoyed reading this novel -- good, light, summer kind of reading with a sci fi bent that is satisfying.
   
   But weren't some of the plot lines just a bit too reminiscent of "2001: A Space Odyssey"? To wit:
   
   (1) A computer malfunctions because of conflicting programming, which is mysterious and deeply frustrating to its creators and eventually leads the machine to attempt to kill humans (in 2001, HAL succeeded, whereas Titan Alpha does not).
   (2) A mysterious race of extraterrestials has placed artifacts in the solar system that may be sending off a massive "we've been found, there's intelligent life here" signals (the obelisk and Jupiter in 2001; the nanomachines and Saturn's rings and the electromagnetic every-16-days pulse in the Bova series).
   
   Because these are such core elements of the plotline, the result is that there's just a bit too much of a "been there, read that" feeling with "Titan." A fun read, but not much more.



4. Ben Bova has written another exciting story that is loaded with action and adventure. This time, he takes the reader to Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons.
   
   After months of travel, the colony ship Goddard is finally in orbit around Saturn. This habitat is loaded with 10,000 dissidents, rebels, scientists, and visionaries who were exiled from Earth for one reason or another. Aboard the ship is Eduoard Urbain, a scientist. More importantly, Urbain is in control of Titan Alpha, a probe which has been placed on the surface of Titan to gather data. However, once on the surface, the probe stops transmitting data to Goddard. Although data is being collected, the probe has stopped transmitting. It is as good as dead. Now, Urbain faces the dilemma of fixing the unresponsive probe.
   
   Meanwhile, Malcolm Eberly, the habitat's chief administrator, is facing re-election. He has been in power for only a year, but he now faces a stiff challenge for re-election from Holly Lane, Eberly's former head of human resources. The main point of contention is the habitat's policy of zero growth. Eberly maintains that, unless the rings of Saturn are mined for their water molecules, the habitat has no room for expansion. Holly, on the other hand, disputes this point, saying that the habitat has room for many more people (namely, children). She begins a petition drive to have the ZPG amendment removed. From the start of the election, it appears that Eberly will win easily. He even promises to remove the ZPG amendment once the mining of the rings begins. However, scientists have discovered what they think are living organisms in the rings. If this is true, the rings cannot be mined for their water. Eberly is determined to mine the rings regardless, but Holly comes up with another plan which really shakes up the election.
   
   Back on Titan, the scientists are having little luck re-starting Titan Alpha. The only way to get the probe moving again is for someone to go to the surface and fix it manually. Manny Gaeta, a former stuntman, has volunteered to fix Titan Alpha. He also ventured into Saturn's rings to discover the bugs (later found to be nanomachines placed by some alien civilization). Once on the surface of Titan, Manny gets more than he bargained for from the probe. It appears that, while on the surface, the probe has begun learning on its own, and the probe is convinced that any contact from humans will result in contamination. Now, Manny has the task of trying to fix the probe, while the probe sees Manny as a threat and, to make things worse, the probe has its laser pointed directly at Manny.
   
   This is an exciting book to read. Ben Bova writes with a very readable style that draws the reader immediately in to the story. His knowledge of science is apparent, and he always devotes a chapter in his books to actual scientific information about the item he is writing about.
   
   I recommend this book very highly. The story is excellent and the characters are well-developed, and the reader can instantly identify with them. Read this exciting installment in Bova's grand tour of the solar system; Bova fans won't be disappointed.



5. Again, I'm astonished that this mediocre book gets 5 star reviews by some readers. I am a Bova fan who owns 12 of his novels, but this one is not a keeper. Other reviewers noted the shallow characterizations and juvenile view of social dynamics in this novel. I agree with those complaints. Plus, the book was dull until the last 70 pages.
   
   My next complaint is that a number of the book's premises were absurd. First, who would go to the expense of building a gigantic colony spaceship just to exile 10,000 troublemakers to Saturn? Second, who would send a multi-million dollar rover with self-learning programming down to Titan without thoroughly testing the learning logic with simulated missions? Third, how could nanomachines that operate at very low speeds in Saturn's very cold rings cooperate with each other over distances of hundreds of thousands of miles to generate electromagnetic pulse signals? Fourth, who would develop a colony ship that can support 40,000 people, populate it with only 10,000 people, and then mandate zero population growth?
   
   I really wish editors were just as tough with successful writers as they are with newly published writers. Titan should have been sent back for a major rewrite.

5 comments about The Silent War: Book III of The Asteroid Wars (The Grand Tour; also Asteroid Wars).

1. The Grand Tour is Dr. Ben Bova's series of books on the human exploration of the Solar System. This book is the third and final in a trilogy called The Asteroid Wars as human development reaches to the asteroids to get raw materials for space based manufacturing in the face of severe global warming. The war between two corporations to decide the future of the astroid belt and ultimately of Earth itself comes to a head. Seeing an opportunity as the two fight it out, others come in to try to pick up their share. As the conclusion comes, this volume wraps up the series.
   
   One aspect of good science fiction is the science aspect that makes a prediction for the future that should be logically possible. At this Dr. Bova does an excellent job.
   
   This recording runs for thirteen hours, it is on ten CD's, read by Scott Brick, Amanda Karr and a cast of lessor characters.



2. The "3" rating is most definitely an average of a "1" and a "5".
   Until the very end, this book exemplified all the best features of this series, with a lot of corporate manipulation and dramatic action. I was hooked quickly. I found myself looking forward to the 2 new books in the Grand Tour that Bova has published since The Silent War. I even joined Bova's mailing list to hear about future books.
   Then the last chapter descended on me like a sudden laser blast from space. It was so different in tone and theme that it did not even seem like something Bova would have written. It was not a fitting concluson, nor was it likely to appeal to the kind of reader who would have enjoyed the rest of the book or the rest of the series. If it was a jumping-off point for the next books, it was too sudden and unwelcome.
   Is the Grand Tour taking a new route? If so, I'm not sure I want to go along.?



3. Characters
   They're racy, with a corporate cowboy type atmosphere. Only it all takes place in a vacuum. The pace is ok to good and then speeds up during the last half of the book.
   Who has the power and freedom to act? Pancho Lane. Who did you want to succeed in the end? Pancho. Who was the main character? Probably Pancho. She could have been the viewpoint character but Bova toggles between scenes so fast he couldn't really use a viewpoint character very effectively. It all has to be third person which I like. As far as who hurts the most there's lots of pain in the book but the winner was either an oppressed exile or an inwardly tortured mercenary.
   
   Story Construction
   Bova seems to have made an error in story construction, especially the end. The main characters get cornered and soon after, they dribble off the end of the book by means of Bova's artifact. I like the artifact idea and the uniqueness of the artifact itself. Bova prepares Dorn and Humphries for us with earlier glimpses into their private horrors. (Sorry, you'll just have to read it and I recommend a used paperback.) But I think he uses it as a terminating distraction so he can end the story (even though its introduced in the beginning to bracket the novel).
   
   Summary
   The quality of Bova's writing is excellent. His craftwork makes for fast reading and I enjoyed his use of technology to write stellar scenarios in future, not-to-distant places. His ship hulls, moon bases and lasers are believable.
   Bova can write anything he wants but the end of the book was awkward and uncoordinated with how the characters developed. Plot twists are exciting but The Silent War contained character types with motivations established during the body of the book and they unwound in unlikely directions. I'm convinced he should have written little Van into the story to correct, console, and provide remembrance. Never underestimate the power of a little baby to propel a story to a memorable end. Remember Bethlehem?



4. The Silent War (2004) is the third SF novel of the Asteroid Wars series, following The Rock Rats. In the previous volume, Lars Fuchs was caught in an ambush by HSS mercenaries, was returned to Ceres, and then was exiled by the Rock Rats. Amanda Cunningham divorced him and married Martin Humphries to keep Lars from being hurt by any HSS goons. But Amanda also has plans to implant an embryo fertilized by Lars within herself and to carry it to term.
   
   In this novel, Yamagata Corporation is moving back into space ventures after years of rebuilding Japan. Saito Yamagata is leaving corporate management to his son Nobuhiko, but providing advice as requested. Saito has insisted that the corporation should remain in the background until their position is assured. Most of their efforts have been focused through Nairobi Industries, an African conglomerate with little overt experience in such ventures.
   
   Covertly, Yamagata Corporation is picking off freighters from both Humphries Space Systems and Astro Manufacturing. Now each of these corporations blames the other for their losses. Martin Humphries and Pancho Lane are ready to make war of each other. The Humper is reestablishing the base on Vesta and equipping it with a dozen attack craft. Pancho is arming her freighters.
   
   Lars Fuchs is unaware of most of these warlike preparations, but he is continuing his war against HSS. Dorik Harbin, commander of the HSS mercenaries, is still trying to lure him into a trap, but without luck. Still, Lars has learned about Amanda's pregnancy, but not about the heritage of the embryo.
   
   Eight years after her marriage to Humphries, Amanda makes her first move in the long held plan to implant herself with the cryogenically preserved embryo of Lars and herself. She is supposedly carrying Humphries's baby and only Douglas Stavenger and Pancho Lane know that the embryo's heritage is quite different. She has even changed the DNA codes in Humphries's medical records to throw off suspicion of another paternity. Now if she can just carry the baby to term without the Old Humper learning of her duplicity.
   
   The characters in this novel have well developed, but trite motivations. Of course, trite means commonplace and they are very common personality types. Especially Humphries, who learned early that his father cared nothing for him; now he is marking people notice him by force (mostly economic). Pancho is a white-hatted cowboy, out to do good in the world, but otherwise liable to play practical jokes and other highjinks. Lars Fuchs has been forced into a psychological corner by the Old Humper and differs greatly from his previous self-image. All are what they are due to circumstances beyond their control, just as are you and I.
   
   The prologue and epilogue to this work occur six years after the body of this novel. An alien object, thought to be an artistic work, has been discovered and sold to Martin Humphries. Except for the discovering family and the initial security detail, no one else has seen the object. The results of viewing the object are variable, but profound.
   
   This novel is the final volume in the Asteroids Wars series, but the consequences carry throughout the Grand Tour universe. Some of these effects have already reached publication in other works, most notably Venus, which is a direct sequel, although taking place over a decade after this volume. Others are still to come.
   
   Recommended for Bova fans and for anyone else who enjoy tales of high adventure, technical warfare and naked slaughter.
   
   -Arthur W. Jordin



5. The Asteroid Wars continue to rage in this third installment by Ben Bova.
   
   Martin Humphries and Pancho Lane continue to battle it out over control of the asteroid belt and its tremendous mineral wealth. Humphries Space Systems and Astro Corporation continue to blast each other's ships into oblivion, and each side has hired mercenaries to combat the other. However, a new player has emerged in the war; Yamagata corporation. The Yamagata corporation has been silently watching as Astro and Humphries Space Systems battle each other. Then, when both are ready to collapse, Yamagata will zoom in and take full control of the belt. At least that's what the plan was.
   
   Lars Fuchs continues to be a thorn in the side of Martin Humphries. After being exiled from Ceres, Fuchs has lead the life of a pirate; secretly destroying Martin Humphries' ships in the belt. However, Martin seems to have won the ultimate prize; Amanda, Lars' beloved wife, has divorced him and married Martin. She's even pregnant. But whose child is it, Martin's or Lars'? Sadly, Amanda dies in childbirth, leaving Martin with a handicapped son. Martin never bonds with the child, instead, he sends his new son to Connecticut to live.
   
   Dorik Harbin is still on Humphries' payroll and is determined to find Lars. Lars has even tried to kill Martin in his own home. He sneaked into Martin's home in Selene and set fire to the entire compound. Martin managed to survive by hiding in a concealed fire-proof closet, but his house and many of his security team were destroyed. Pancho helped Lars escape by giving him one of Astro's new ships. But, Humphries has sent Harbin looking for him.
   
   Meanwhile, Doug Stavenger's wife Edith has left Selene to fly to Ceres to report on the war. But, Harbin has chosen the same path to track Fuchs. Once at Ceres, Harbin demands that Fuchs be turned over to him. He is rebuffed and told that Fuchs is not there. Enraged, Harbin destroys the habitat surrounding Ceres. Meanwhile, Doug Stavenger has convened a meeting of Pancho, Humphries, and Yamagata in an effort to stop the war. Will he be successful, or will the Asteroid Wars continue to rage on?
   
   This book is the best one of the series. The action is non-stop, and I enjoyed the way Bova expanded the storyline by adding the Yamagata corporation into the war. Of course, its still fun to watch Humphries and Pancho battle it out. Plus, the beginning and ending, which deals with an alien artifact, is good, too.
   
   I give this book my highest recommendation. The action is fast-paced, and the character development is excellent. Will the Asteroid Wars finally come to an end, or will Pancho, Martin, and Yamagata continue to fight it out? Read this great book and find out!

4 comments about Tales of Grand Tour.

1. 'Tales of the Grand Tour' is a short story collection. The title `The Tales of the Grand Tour' is based on the nickname given to the novels Ben Bova has written in the last 15 years. Sharing the same characters interconnects these novels, and the settings are on planets like Mars, Venus & Saturn.
   
   While most of these stories were written in the past 15 years, there is one gem that was written in the mid-60s. 'Fifteen Miles' is a story is about an Astronaut on the moon risking his life to save a fellow astronaut. What is great about this story is that it's a roadmap showing how Bova's writing has evolved over the years.
   
   My only complaint is that some of these stories are excerpts from his novels. Since I read those novels a third of this material wasn't new to me. Regardless, I enjoyed rereading these sections. If you're a Ben Bova fan this is a must have collection. If you're new to Ben Bova's writing, you might also want to read his Mars novels, as some of the stories in this book are based on those novels. All of these stories can be enjoyed without having read his previous work.



2. Awesome sci fi! Hard to put down. I cant wait to check out his other books.



3. I want to mention one of the stories in here. It's buried and without fanfare or a clue about what it's really about and it's a gem. 'Fifteen Miles' would represent the Moon part of the 'Tour' and it is a beautiful human story. An astronaut finds himself having to undertake a highly risky mission on the Moon to save a colleague who is stranded - and finds that the man he is trying to save somehow seems to know of the terrifying secret he has hidden in his past. This is not so much science here as a great psychological tale and it will touch the reader in a way the other stories won't.



4. This is a tasty collection of stories and excerpts from Bova's Grand Tour series. You get a little bit of everything including a Sam Gunn story and a snippet of JUPITER, MARS, and VENUS. I think the Grand Tour Series has shown Bova to be a writer who has clearly matured in his later years rather than peaking very early (such as Heinlein and Bradbury). His writing gets better and better. This is an excellent introduction to both Bova's writing and this particular series. I should also say that this "series" is not serial in any manner. You don't need to read one story ahead of another, though many characters overlap. This, of course, is what William Faulkner did throughout his career. Bova is no Faulkner and I'm no Harold Bloom, but this is science fiction at its absolute best.

5 comments about The Rock Rats (The Grand Tour; also Asteroid Wars).

1. I thought Bova was supposed to be a "hard" science fiction author. I couldn't get past the weaknesses in his ships' physics. They are supposedly simulating gravity by having two sections of the ship separated by a one kilometer and tether spinning around their shared center of gravity. Okay, that works. But, in the battle scenes, how do you maneuver such a contraption in a way to keep a laser mounted in the cargo hold at one end of the tether aimed at anything?
   
   There is a lot of text spent on the dusty conditions in the tunnels of Ceres. Why don't they spray the walls of the tunnel with some sort of polymer and seal them from raising dust? Seems pretty simple to me.
   
   At the end of the book there's a "teaser" for an upcoming release "Saturn", where a group of people are being transported to a large habitat described as being 20km long and 4km in diameter, spinning once every 45 seconds to produce earth normal gravity inside. One of the characters is suffering from the microgravity during the shuttle trip but instantly feels better when it docks and the one gee is restored. The shuttled docked on the outer surface of the habitat where the docking point had to be moving at about a relative 300 meters/second? What kind of energy expenditure does it take to manage that feat?
   
   Also, I got tired of reading what color cardigan or kind of jewelry each character was wearing every time the scene changed. Actually, I didn't care very much about the characters, either.
   
   Sorry about getting off topic on the Saturn excerpt but it is still about the general poor physics depicted in the book.



2. Ben Bova has written an exciting follow-up to "The Precipice". Once again, Martin Humphries and Lars Fuchs clash in this fast-paced novel.
   
   At the end of The Precipice, Humphries was exiled from Selene and forced to give up all of his shares in Astro Manufacturing. Despite this, he still crashes Lars' and Amanda's wedding and gives them Starpower I as a wedding present. Martin secretly hopes that Lars will head to the Asteroid Belt alone and leave Amanda on Selene where he can get his hands on her, but she surprises Martin by leaving with Lars.
   
   Martin has also developed a trading center on the asteroid Ceres. Here, Martin's company can supply the "Rock Rats" with all the supplies they need. In response, Amanda convinces Lars and Pancho to develop their own company to compete against Martin. Pancho's Astro company will provide the goods. Thus, Helvetia, Inc. was born and is now larger than Martin's company.
   
   Understandably upset by Lars' latest move, Martin sends some of his own thugs to raid Helvetia's warehouse. In the ensuing melee, Lars loses all of his inventory and some of his employees are killed. But Matin doesn't stop with the warehouse. Soon, ships are disappearing and Martin's company is laying claim to many different asteroids. Even the chief director of the habitat project is killed.
   
   Lars tracks down the killer and infuses a little frontier justice of his own. A court is convened, but Lars is found innocent. But Humphries is incensed. He sends Dorik Harbin, a hired assassin who's hooked on several different kinds of drugs, into the belt to hunt down Lars and kill him. However, Lars manages to give Harbin the slip, and Harbin is forced to return to Selene empty-handed. However, once there, he meets and begins a torrid affair with Diane Verwoerd, Martin's assistant. Martin has his own plan for Diane; namely, having her impregnated with his clone. But, Martin still has his sights set on Amanda and making her his own. Will he succeed?
   
   This is a very good book. Although I preferred "The Precipice" slightly more, "The Rock Rats" is loaded with action, and the conflict between Martin and Lars explodes with fury. Bova fans won't want to miss this exciting continuation of the Asteroid Wars.



3. Book one was great, but Rock Rats is missing something. In addition to a few grammatical errors the book is over simplified. I found that I despised the way Bova reintroduced the characters and plot lines from the first book. There was a tendency to use narrative instead of letting character dialogue and scene description tell the story. But hey, its got space pirates, that's good.



4. I purchased this book and it's predecessor together based on the author's name. Ben Bova. A fourth of the way through the first book I felt cheated.
   
   The progression of the story isn't smooth at all. It jerks and jumps and drags. The situations aren't believable and there are large gaps in the rationalization of "WHY". You know, "WHY" this or that happens. "WHY" these people do this or that. The reasons just aren't there. Worst of all, the characters don't behave like actual people, their decisions are obviously made to push along this stubborn mule of a story. And believe me, this mule doesn't wanna go anywhere.
   
   Like I said earlier, I purchased books I and II together. I forced myself to read the second book as punishment for believing the hype of a big name science fiction writer. Surprise, surprise, it was like trying to slog my way through mud. Mud that's up past your shins. You're forced to go slow, you can see all this mud in front of you and you just want to get to the end.
   
   I do not recommend this book.



5. Not being a major fan of Ben Bova, I was interested in the comments made by some reviewers who obviously are fans. The harsh criticisms levelled at "The Rock Rats" were quite interesting. While I would not lambast the book as complete rubbish, it certainly lacked something that the previous novel, The Precipice (The Grand Tour; also Asteroid Wars), had.
   
   The plot basically follows on from the first novel, (with some large jumps in time), and focuses on Martin Humphries' attempts to tighten his grip on control of the asteroid belt and its super-abundant resources and profits. Of course, being a rather morally challenged villain, he uses some nasty methods. Up against this behemoth of industry is Lars Fuchs, protege and beneficiary of Dan Rudolph. With a large number of subplots going on, there is much more to it than this simplistic summary.
   
   One reviewer commented that the story jumps about a bit. While this is true, with jumps of dossiers on characters and so on, I feel this does not detract from the novel itself. The brief episodes add an air of anticipation, I thought, as I wondered how these people would fit in. The only thing that annoyed me a bit was the so-called "dossiers" were in very novel-like language, hardly anything like that of real dossiers. They just didn't seem convincing.
   
   The plot itself takes longer to wind up than the previous novel of the series. For about the first 100 pages, I found it a bit of a chore, to be honest. Once I got into the second century of pages, things started to move, finally. The adventure was back and the conflict reached a new level.
   
   I would also add this: Lars Fuchs seems an odd sort of main character for this type of role. He just seems a bit more wishy washy than most, and seemed less than adequate. When he finally gets some substance, the novel ends. This might be overly critical, but I thought the character of Dan Randolph had much more substance, as did many of the subsidiary characters.
   
   While not as good as "The Precipice", I still enjoyed this installment of "The Asteroid Wars". The read is simple and does not require lots of brain power. It is a good relaxing jaunt through the solar system neighbourhood that Earth is in.

5 comments about The Aftermath: Book Four of The Asteroid Wars (Asteroid).

1. Ben Bova has written a thrilling conclusion to his Asteroid Wars Series.
   
   Dorik Harbin, a mercenary hired by Martin Humphries to kill Lars Fuchs, has just destroyed the Chrysallis habitat orbiting Ceres. Over 1100 rock rats were killed in Harbin's merciless attack. After the attack, Harbin noticed that another ship, the Syracuse, had witnessed everything. Syracuse is inhabited by Victor Zacharias, his wife Pauline, and two children, Theo and Angela. Victor makes his living hauling ore from the belt back to Ceres. Still in a killing rage, Harbin accuses Victor and his family of hiding Lars Fuchs. Despite their pleas to the contrary, Harbin is convinced and attacks Syracuse. Realizing what is happening, Victor escapes from the ship in the escape pod, trying to draw Harbin away from Syracuse, but leaving his family to fend for themselves. Fortunately, they survive, but at what cost? The ship is badly damaged and Victor has left. Now, Theo, Angela, and Pauline must fend for themselves.
   
   After drifting through space for several months, Victor is rescued by a very seductive woman named Cheena Madagascar. Victor is taken back to Ceres aboard Cheena's ship, where he gets a job working on building the new habitat, but he longs to find his family. Soon, he comes up with a plan.
   
   In the intervening time, Harbin and sculptress Elverda Apacheta have jointly discovered an artifact with mythical powers to change and transform people. Harbin, who tried unsuccessfully to kill himself, has now become a half-human, half-machine cyborg. When he sees the artifact, he is transformed from the murderer he once was into a sympathetic priest. He calls himself Dorn, and has vowed to find every body floating in the solar system left for dead after battles and give them proper burials. Elverda has decided to accompany him.
   
   However, Martin Humphries wants to make sure no one finds out about how his encounter with the artifact affected him, so he's sent out Kao Yuan, another mercinary, to find and eliminate Dorn and Elverda. Also aboard Kao's ship is Tamara Vishinsky and in the end, it is her that seems to wield the real power.
   
   Back aboard Syracuse, after many long months alone, it appears Theo has devised a plan to get him and his family back to Ceres before their supplies run out. But, they are visited by Valker and his crew. They are scavengers who overtake supposedly deserted ships and sell them for profit at Ceres. Unfortunately for Pauline and Angie, it appears that Valker and his men have more on their mind than salvage. Will Victor somehow manage to find his family before its too late? What will become of Dorn and Elverda?
   
   I've read each book in the Asteroid Wars series, and I rate this one as the best. The last 75-100 pages fly by as the action is fast-paced and exciting. Bova has done his best work with this book.
   
   I give this book my highest recommendation. The Asteroid Wars series is loaded with action and characters that the reader grows to like (or hate). Read this exciting book and series and experience science fiction at its very best.



2. The previous entry commented that this was the end of this series. Does this person really think that? Can it not continue? This whole series was outstanding. From Precipice, Rock Rats, Silent War, and now Aftermath, why can't it continue, this work is outstanding!



3. Admittedly I have only read a handful of his books so far (Jupiter and the Asteriod Wars) and listened to Titan on CD, but this was my favorite yet. Precipice was a little slow for me and then the 2nd and 3rd book got going. I was sad when I finished them. Ben Bova's books feel so real. Even the science fiction element seems extremely plausible. What's even more interesting is that there is no guarantee which character will survive to appear in the next one. None of the characters from Precipice appeared in this book (I think) and several protagonists have died or fallen out of the storyline along the way. The only one that has been a major faction throughout is the bad guy, Martin Humphries!
   
   I can't wait for his new Mars book!
   
   - Todd



4. I've been reading Bova for 30 years (wow). He has his fans for his ability to mix action, characters and politics. Sometimes it comes off as cheeky space opera with cardboard villains and heroes, but sometimes the mix is balanced just right and makes for a fun summertime read. This is story of man in search of his family after being attacked by a villain who then has life changing event. Both of these characters offer depths that Bova can lack while not lacking the normal quality of Bova book: page turning action. While this is last of this series Bova adds enough background to read as a stand alone book, and for anybody who has liked a Bova book or two in the past or wants to check him out for the first time I highly recommend this one. Very well could be his best book since Orion.



5. After a fairly slowly paced second volume and a more intense third volume, "The Aftermath" leaves many of the characters of the first three volumes in the background. Gone are Pancho Lane, Lars Fuchs and Martin Humphries, except for some incidental mentions. The main focus is on the Zacharias family and Dorn, (formerly known as Dorik Harbin), a cyborg repaired after an attempted suicide and trying to atone for a life of murder and death.
   
   Essentially, the plot follows different threads as they intertwine with each other and come together with the Artefact on the asteroid forming something of a centre point. Victor Zacharias chases his family across the Belt, trying to find them after being attacked by Harbin. George Ambrose still tries to run the habitat near Ceres, though he is not one of the main characters. Valker and his crew are thrown into the mix as something of the bad guys, and there is the HSS flunkies who are hunting down Dorn and his companions to prevent their speaking out about Martin Humphries little episode with the Artefact.
   
   The book moves with a very good pace, and I have to admit that I enjoyed the simple, no nonsense style that Bova writes with. Unlike some authors, he keeps details to a fair minimum to allow for a heightened pace to the story. It serves the book well, though sometimes I was a bit confused on how to imagine certain things working. An example is the wheel shaped ships and how the command pods fit into it.
   
   Overall, I enjoyed the series a lot and it was a good read. I would recommend Ben Bova to anyone who likes the idea of near-future sci-fi, and enjoys a good action filled yarn. I definitely enjoyed this one and it kept me absorbed until the last page.

5 comments about The Precipice (The Asteroid Wars) (The Grand Tour).

1. The Precipice (2001) is the first SF novel of the Asteroid Wars series. In this volume, Earth has reached the greenhouse cliff, the threshold where the world's climate changes drastically in a very short time. Although the greenhouse effect had been hotly debated, the current evidence could not be rebutted. The icecaps were melting and storms tore savagely at human infrastructure.
   
   Dan Randolph is one of the victims of the new weather patterns. Jane Scanwell died trying to rescue people stranded by the flooding of the Tennessee River. Dan had not known how much he loved her until she was no longer there.
   
   Randolph is determined to alleviate the greenhouse effects as much as possible by moving industry into space and providing raw materials from the Belt. Only one asteroid has ever been brought to Earth in the past; of course, the operation bankrupted Sam Gunn, but it was successful. Now Dan needs a less expensive way to mine the Belt and Martin Humphries shows him such a method.
   
   Lyall Duncan has developed a small fusion power source. Unlike most such sources, the Duncan fusion device is small enough to fit into an old cruise missile used as a test vehicle. The results of this test suggest that a large version would be capable of powering a manned vehicle to the Belt in record time.
   
   Although Humphries has offered to underwrite the initial voyage, Dan just doesn't trust him. Humphries has made his billions by merging smaller companies into his Humphries Space Systems and Randolph's company, Astro Manufacturing, seems to be the old Humper's next target.
   
   While Randolph tries to get other concerns -- public and private -- to fund the first fusion drive spaceship, Pancho Lane has been taken off her piloting duties and assigned, with Amanda Cunningham, to the new fusion drive project. Humphries has recruited her to spy on Randolph, but Pancho doesn't really know anything; besides, she has already confessed her extracurricular activities to Randolph, whom she is beginning to admire. Humphries, however, is still unaware of her new role as a double agent.
   
   Randolph finally exhausts his list of earthside contacts and takes his case to the Moon. Douglas Stavenger, founder of Masterson Aerospace and leader of the Lunar succession from the old United Nations, is still chairman emeritus of Masterson and is government head of Selene. Stavenger has made full use of nanotechnology for maintenance of his body and thus looks much younger than Dan. As they talk, Randolph learns that Humphries has blocked any deal with Masterson by buying a majority interest in the company. Stavenger, however, points out than Selene is quite willing to partner with his company in the development of nanomachines to make fusion drive units.
   
   This novel is one of many works in the Grand Tour universe. Most of the major players in this novel are also found in other unrelated stories. Moreover, three other novels are direct prequels to this work.
   
   Bova has been writing Science Fiction for several decades and was editor of Analog magazine and fiction editor of Omni. Since 1992, he has been concentrating on the Grand Tour novels, with a common political background and an expanding technology. These novels relate the exploration and settlement of the Solar System, from Mercury to Saturn, using engineering solutions based on today's knowledge and speculation.
   
   Highly recommended for Bova fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of interplanetary adventure, political intrigue and cutthroat capitalism.
   
   -Arthur W. Jordin



2. This was my first Bova book, and will probably be my last. I finished it only because I had "made it this far, so I might as well", and also because I was waiting for something, ANYTHING to happen involving some sort of action sequence. But no....there was nothing.
   Though there are some positives: the science for the most part seems legit and interesting, although the extent of the negative impacts of global warming may be more speculation on Bova's part. (no political affiliation here, just my opinion!) Also, one or two of the characters was likeable at times(although most of them were quite annoying!)
   For somebody to give this book a 5 is laughable! As some other reviewer noted, seemed more like a "soap opera" to me. In fact, all you need to do is change the cover, and you could put this one in the romance section! Oh and by the way, this guy has some serious sexual tension built up inside.



3. Legendary sci fi author Ben Bova has crafted an exciting deep-space tale which incorporates some of today's most controversial topics: namely, the greenhouse effect and its possible effect on Earth's population.
   
   In this exciting novel, the earth is suffering from the effects of global warming. The polar caps are melting and natural resources are almost nonexistent. Dan Randolph, head of Astro Manufacturing, believes that the solution to the earth's problems lies in the Asteroid Belt. If the natural resources from the belt could be tapped, many of the Earth's industries could eventually be moved off-world to outer space locations. But, the problem of getting to the belt remains a challenge for Dan. However, he believes that if a fusion-powered spaceship could be built, he could get crews to the belt in fairly short amounts of time. The problem he faces is coming up with capital to support his mission.
   
   Martin Humphries, another shrewd businessman, likes what he's heard about Dan's project and he agrees to provide funding for it. But, Humphries is known to gobble up interest in smaller companies until he has enough power to completely take them over, and he has his sights set on Dan's Astro Manufacturing.
   
   Sensing Humphries' intentions, Dan seeks funding from other sources, including Doug Stavenger, head of the Selene base on the moon. However, as the story progresses, Dan finds that the only way for him to develop his fusion powered ship is to partner with Humphries and Stavenger. Finally, the ship is completed and ready for launch.
   
   However, Humphries still is intent on acquiring Astro and has forbid any launch of the spacecraft. But Dan realizes that he must get to the belt and establish mining rights to as many asteroids as possible. So, he and his crew members Pancho Lane, Amanda Cunningham, and Lars Fuchs, secretly take off and head for the belt. But they weren't secretive enough, for Humphries has enlisted the help of Dr. Kris Cardenas, a former ally of Dan's, to place nanomachines into the ship to disable it and force the crew to return to the moon. Will Dan and his crew reach the base before its too late?
   
   This is an excellent book. I've read several of Bova's other "Grand Tour" books, and I've found this one to be one of his best. The story is well-conceived and the characters are well-developed and believable.
   
   I give this book my highest recommendation. I can't wait to see what happens in the following books of the Asteroid Wars series.



4. I was disappointed with Ben Bova's The Precipice. Since others here do an excellent job of recounting the novel in detail, I'll just mention a few things:
   1) Often the most exciting parts of the novel are only ancillary to the main story.
   2) Bova's climate alarmism is readily apparent and annoying.
   3) The so-called "New Morality" makes no sense (i.e. it has no basis in the reality of what people believe today and where those beliefs seem headed). Bova simply comes across as mildly anti-religious.
   4) Much of the novel seemed downright dull, plodding - as if Bova was terribly bored with his own creation and simply going through the motions.
   
   I really wonder if the sequels are any better, or if they're even worth the effort. At this point, I would have to say probably not.



5. This is my first read of Ben Bova, and considering other people's comments about his books, expectations were high. I had not had any exposure to Bova, except that he is famous and considered a big gun in sci-fi literature.
   
   "The Precipice", the first of the "Asteroid Wars" novels, is really the lead in to the next novel, though it can certainly be enjoyed alone. The plot itself follows the machinations of Astro Corporation's boss, Dan Randolph, and Martin Humphries, of Humphries Space Systems, in their attempts to outdo each other and open up the asteroid belt for exploitation. Both men are motivated by very different causes.
   
   The story takes place in the relative near future, when the Earth has been savaged by a series of human-caused natural disasters that have resulted from Earth reaching a greenhouse gas "climate cliff". Massive floods have radically altered the landscape, with many cities underwater, the economy, with the collapse of a lot of infrastructure, and the population, with millions dead. In this setting, humanity's ventures into space are still fledgling and in their infancy. The moon has people living there and there are bases on Mars. That is it.
   
   The book itself is not all that detailed, such as something Iain M. Banks might write, and it is set in a time when humans are just starting to get into deeper space. In that sense, it carries the primitiveness of the technology quite well, I thought. Ships are basic, (compared to other sci-fi juggernauts), and there is a very real sense of pioneering that comes through the book. Bova keeps the pace moving along solidly, not bogging the reader down in huges swathes of detail and background information.
   
   This novel had me gripped from the start, and I was very quickly sucked into the plot. It has been one of the few sci-fi novels that I found tough to put down and walk away from. Life's routine became a constant inconvenience while reading this novel.
   
   For near-future stories and visions that have a earthy realism to them, "The Precipice" is hard to pass up. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have since started reading the other novels in the series. It is a good story with a good solid dose of adventure.

5 comments about Mercury (The Grand Tour).

1. Unlike the character Mance Braknell, IE Alexios Dante, who is stuck on the inferno planet, Bova seems to be writing himself into purgatory. His writing is not so horrid that it should be sent to hell, but it is not deserving of paradise either. I would say that a reader would have to be a Bova fan in order to enjoy at least elements of this novel. I believe that Mance's rage was much too engulfing to seem as realistic since he is still so ridden with hatred years after his sky tower project is sabotaged. People change after years, despite the horrible things that may happen to them. In addition to this, the minister seemed a little too puritanical to be someone who could be fine with the notion of space flight and befriend two very progressive scientists ever so easily. I wished his character was a little more conflicting to give his personality depth.
   
   Despite these flaws, I do believe that the ending was perfect. Both Mance and Yamagata got what they deserved to protect the future. Very Shakespearan for a SciFi novel.



2. Another science fiction novel from prolific writer Ben Bova, this one largely on and around the planet Mercury. Saito Yamagata, who is back among the living after being in cryonic storage and subsequently cured of his former illness, has a dream, and the financing behind him, to build solar power satellites in orbit around Mercury and use their power to propel starships. However, the destruction of the Skytower years earlier on earth complicates things in a very dangerous and detrimental way for Yamagata. Things are not always as they appear to be. The biologist Victor Molina believes he has discovered evidence of past life on Mercury, and Bishop Elliot Danvers has been sent to Mercury by the "New Morality" to oversee their interests. A classic love triangle also complicates everything.
   
   As I read this novel I began to realize that I could'nt anticipate the direction of the plot to any great extent, surprises abounded. Just when I thought I knew who the hero and villan was Bova turns everything upside down with new twists. I consider this book a definite page-turner, a very satisfying read of 'hard' science fiction, with an unconventional ending.



3. *** Warning: SPOILERS ***
   I enjoyed this book, as I have enjoyed most of Bova's books. But I can't help thinking he "borrowed" a lot of ideas from Kim Stanley Robinson's "Red Mars". The sky tower, it falling, the critial levels on Earth, colonization of the planets/space, the wars, extended lifespans, etc... Yea, a lot of writers have written about these things, but there are just too many similarities between these two books.



4. Legendary Science Fiction author Ben Bova has crafted an excellent story about the closest and hottest planet in our solar system.
   
   Saito Yamagata has dreams of using Mercury as a springboard for launching satellites and spaceships. He has chosen Dante Alexios to help make his dream a reality. However, Alexios holds many mysterious secrets of his own that he has been harboring for the past ten years.
   
   During this earlier time, Alexios was known as Mance Bricknell. He had developed the concept of a sky tower which, built from earth, would stretch all the way into outer space. This tower was built using biological material to hold it together. Mance's dreams began to be realized, as the immense tower rose to the heavens from South America. Assisting Mance on his project was astrobiologist Victor Molina. Mance, Victor, and Lara Tierney met while in college and have been working together on the project. However, there were some factions, including the New Morality, who believed that the sky tower should not be completed. Others included different radical groups throughout the world. But the corporation who could suffer the most if the sky tower succeeded was the Yamagata corporation. The sky tower could launch satellites and spaceships much cheaper than Yamagata's corporation could. Plans were set in place to sabotage and destroy the tower.
   
   With the help of various radical factions, the Yamagata corporation succeeded in recruiting people to bring the tower down. The tower was destroyed, killing over 4 million innocent people. Mance Bricknell was arrested and put on trial for the deaths of the innocents. Testifying against him at his trial were his so-called friend Victor Molina and Elliott Danvers, bishop of the New Morality. Found guilty, Mance was sentenced to exile in the Asteroid belt and was never allowed to return to earth. Resigned to his fate for the time being, Mance, who had lost everything, including his beloved Lara, pined away his time on a freighter ship. But, thoughts of revenge against those who betrayed him were never far from his mind.
   
   Stealing a fellow crewman's identity after a space accident, Mance Bricknell became Dante Alexios, the man hired by the Yamagata corporation to oversee the operations on Mercury. But, revenge was the only motive for Alexios. He began with Victor Molina. Alexios planted rocks from Mars which contained lifeforms on Mercury's surface. Molina found the rocks and believed they were from Mercury. Thus, Victor claimed that life existed on Mercury. However, scientists back on Earth studied the samples and determined that they were not from Mercury. Victor Molina was disgraced by other astrobiologists and labeled a failure. Victor's other conspirator, Elliott Danvers, was disgraced by Alexios as well, as incriminating evidence was found on his computer. Suicide took care of Danvers.
   
   This left Saito Yamagata, the head of the corporation which destroyed the sky tower. Two down, one to go. How will Alexios deal with him?
   
   This is the first book by Ben Bova that I have read, and I was favorably impressed. The story is extremely well-conceived, and the development of the characters as the story goes along is excellent. I especially liked the story about Mance Bricknell/Dante Alexios and his quest to exact his revenge on the ones who betrayed him. Bova also included two "Data Bank" chapters in his book. These non-fiction chapters provide interesting facts about the planet Mercury and a proposed real-life sky tower project.
   
   I recommend this book very highly. The story is very good and the reader will soon be drawn in to the world of the barren planet closest to our Sun. Read "Mercury" and begin an exciting trip through our Solar System.



5. I think Ben Bova is the present-day heir to Isaac Asimov (and perhaps John W. Campbell Jr.) in that he writes a kind of science fiction that balances story and science. MERCURY is one of his best and contains some of Bova's best writing. I would say that he has written the best disaster scene in the history of the genre. It involves a long flashback that comes at a very necessary point in the novel and it's something Bova rarely does. Most of his stories proceed in a rather standard linear fashion, shifting from one character to another, and there's nothing wrong with this. What's new in MERCURY is that he manages to keep the action moving while telling a tale about corporate rivalries and a fear of nano-technology. I would hope that he writes about PLUTO or one of the outer planets. I think that Bova could also write an excellent novel in this series (down the road) about the first expedition leaving the solar system. I'd love to live to see that happen, but it's perhaps a century away and probably will not be done by anyone on the earth, particularly Americans. In any event, I highly recommend this book and all of the others in the series. I think JUPITER and VENUS are also masterpieces. Bova justs gets better and better.

5 comments about The War of the Worlds With Audio CD: Mars' Invasion of Earth, Inciting Panic and Inspiring Terror from H.G. Wells to Orson Welles and Beyond.

1. With Spielberg's new film adaptation of WAR OF THE WORLDS in theatres, more attention is being paid to both the original Wells novel, and the infamous 1938 Welles radio broadcast. If you're interested in both, why not treat yourself to the best presentation of either version available today?
   
   THE COMPLETE WAR OF THE WORLDS is an excellent book. It reprint the complete, unedited novel; prints the entire script to the radio play; and comes with a CD containing the entire radio play broadcast, plus archival materials such as the only interview Wells and Welles did together on the topic. [The recording sound quality is the best I've ever discovered for this play, BTW.] In addition, the book has lots of great historical and biographical material, including articles looking at the lives of both Wells and Welles; the story of the radio broadcast and the panic it caused; and a survey of the many incarnations of WotW in literature, film, and television.
   
   If you have any curiosity about the book or the radio play, do yourself a favor and buy this book. It's worth it!



2. I ordered this book after hearing the 1940 radio interview where both H.G. Wells and Orson Welles appeared together. That was an amazing program as both men discussed the war that was looming in Europe--and that they felt would soon envelope the United States. Orson even mentioned that he was working on a movie called Citizen Kane.
   
   Unfortunately, only about two minutes of that hour-long interview is contained on the CD. The same is true for Orson Welles' press conference where he answered some of the controversy about his broadcast--the CD only has a couple of minutes of it. This was a major disappointment, because both recordings are fascinating and I was left wondering why we only get to hear short soundbites from them rather than the entire thing. Seriously, why bother at all?
   
   The book is much more comprehensive and worthwhile.



3. i bought this book as a gift for a war of the worlds fan and he liked it a lot. The CD was good and the book contained both the script and original HG Wels novel. So all in all the book was a good purchase that contained everything that you have ever wanted to know about the beginning of War of the Worlds saga.



4. After finding this book in a local library and checking it out, I soon realized that I had to have my very own copy. So, I jumped onto Amazon and thankfully found one! For those who love classic War of the Worlds, this book is a huge slice of wonderful. I was thrilled with the CD that came with the book, too. This is a great resource and it would make a fine product for a Sci-Fi literature and / or media class.
   
   Martians everywhere! The Invasion comes to you in the book and in the sounds. Worth the price!



5. All too often, pairing a CD with a book comes across as gimmicy. Not so here, for HERE it is ESSENTIAL.
   
   The HG Wells novel is a fine piece of fantastic literature, but to combine it with a recording of the Orson Welles radio broadcast that panicked a nation, & to add a very well written scholarly text on that panic, is brilliant!
   
   Well-illustrated with ample photographs, maps & drawings, the reader/listener gains a full understanding of the novel, the broadcast, & the cultural significance of both.
   
   One can gain insight into the effect that news of terrorist strikes has on the public by careful, thoughtful reading of this text.
   
   Highly recommended.