Ben Bova Message Board 1/1/2012
Talk about the novels, new and used books that
Bova has written!
Author Bova's Book
Reviews
Jupiter
A scientist is sent from Earth to a space station in Jupiter, to act as a spy and discover what the people there have been up too. There have been some strange incursions from the 'jovian' scientists into the jovian atmosphere. Is there life? Is it intelligent? Will the scientist be able to establish contact before the space station is shut down by government agencies?... Kinsman
Air Force Pilot / NASA Astronaut Chester "Chet" Kinsman becomes the first person to make love in space. He's also the first person to commit a murder in space - something that haunts him. Kinsman rises through the ranks as a trainee to being in command of a lunar base. ... Mars
This is a fairly realistic view of how a group of scientists is gathered, trained, and sent to Mars on a science-gathering mission. Much character interaction, and much information about Mars, actual space travel, etc. Very interesting, but not a light read.... Moonrise
This novel combines soap-style plot with hard science fiction into a gripping thriller.A rich and powerful family dream to colonize the moon and with the help of nanotechnology their dream becomes a reality but when murder, madness and greed comes to play their dream becomes a nightmare!...
Bova booklist
Return to Mars
Mission director Dr. Waterman returns to Mars where he wants to discover evidence of life in the cliff dwellings he found during his first visit. On Mars he gets to deal with father and son Trumball who both resent Waterman's success and idealism. Although Dex is with him on Mars the bigger threat to his leadership comes from Earth from dex's father, father and son Trumball who both want to turn Mars in a money making theme park. Besides the crew's searc... Saturn
The time is roughly a century from the present. The Earth is ruled by three religious tyrannies: The New Morality in North America, The Holy Disciples in Europe and South America, and the Sword of Islam in the Mideast.
A huge, cylindrical ship..a habitat, is built, and peopled with "undesirables"..free thinkers, individualists, etc..and sent off to Saturn.
The overt purpose of this mission is to study Saturn and the new life forms found on Titan, and t... Star Conquerors
The forces of the masters invade Terran federation of worlds. Hero leads a fleet ultimately to the center of the galaxy to defend Terra and ultimately saves the galaxy.... The Dueling Machine
Planets both within the Terran Commonwealth and under Star Watch control, and outside it, have made use of dueling machines for many years to settle tensions and private arguments peacefully. Men in disagreements can have their brains hooked in and conduct a virtual duel with the weapons and in the environments of their choosing -- with no ultimate harm to anyone. Suddenly Odal, a warrior from the Kerak empire, somehow manages to send the Acquatainian pr... The Multiple Man
A dead body is found: That of the President of the United States. Yet the President appears to be alive and well. One of his aides decides to make an unauthorized investigation, and discovers a decades-old conspiracy that controlls the entire country.
Bova ingeniously predicted cloning in this story, written in the 1970's, and he got all the details right. An impressive work, except for a couple of tasteless sex scenes. One of the best works of near-fut... The Precipice
Tor, Oct 2001, 25.95, 349 pp.
ISBN: 0312848765
In a distant future, the planet earth is in on the brink of extinction due to the greenhouse effect leading to ecological mayhem and consequently mass starvation. The future looks nonexistent with the only glimmer of hope seemingly in outer space. Dan Randolph and Martin Humphries agree that saving planet earth depends on harvesting raw materials from other solar system orbs so that pollution w...
Ben Bova list of books
The Rock Rats
Tor, Apr 2002, 24.95, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0765302276
Humanity's only hope for survival remains with the ore rich Asteroid Belt. However, the rivalry for control of the vast richness continues between Martin Humphries and Lars Fuchs. Martin wants to exploit the mineral wealth as a means to make him dictator of the solar system. On the other hand, Lars feels that there is room for everyone to benefit and welcomes competition including from the ind... The Silent War
Tor, May 2004, 24.95, 379 pp.
ISBN: 0312848781
Earth still remains in the cataclysmic grip of economic failure coupled with crippling environmental disaster. Little hope remains on the planet with the best chance to renew the orb being the vastly rich asteroid belt. Though the potential wealth seems astronomical, two rivals have merged trying to gain control of the resources (see THE ROCK RATS). Pancho Lane heads Astro Corporation while Martin... THX 1138
In the world of THX 1138, everyone is drugged by the state not to be emotional, and sex is strictly regulated. However, THX falls into some bad company, stops taking his pills, starts having sex, and before you know it is being apprehended by police robots, who take him to have his organs removed for donation. He escapes, runs around, and causes trouble, all the time still wearing his hospital patient smock.... Transhuman
A cellular biologist kidnaps his granddaughter in order to save her life with an experimental treatment. When eight-year-old Angela is diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, her parents are emotionally destroyed. But so is her grandfather, the 70+ cellular biologist Luke Abramson. A cranky genius with a worldwide scientific reputation, he is convinced he can save his granddaughter with a new treatment that has yet to be tried on humans. When Angela's doctors... Venus
Van's father, offers a ten million dollar reward to the person who recovers his brother's body from the planet of Venus. Van becomes determined to save his brother's body, both for the reward and the love he had for him while alive. Meanwhile, Fuchs, the astroid miner his father pushed out of business nearly 20 years ago, is back, to try to win the prize as well. Will Van or Fushs get their first? Will Venus destroy them as well?...
