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The Precipice (2002)

The Precipice (2002)

Book Info

Author
Genre
Rating
3.72 of 5 Votes: 5
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ISBN
0812579895 (ISBN13: 9780812579895)
Language
English
Publisher
tor science fiction

About book The Precipice (2002)

This book is "hard science fiction" meaning that it consistently abides by real world physics, though it does present those ideas in a speculative way. Bova does a good job presenting those concepts, though he does occasionally go into "info dump" mode in a way that reads as a little obvious.As hard science fiction, one can quibble about the nature of the content. For instance, Bova's story centers on the opening up of the asteroid belt by corporate interests in order turn a profit, make history, and maybe even save the dying population of the Earth, drowning as a result of climate change. That effort can occur because of the the development of viable fusion engines to power space exploration. That new tech goes from testing to prototype with unlikely speed--but in the context of a story that's the kind of thing that often can be overlooked.Another example of the technology that exists in the book that I would take issue with is the prevalence of nanomachines, which exist fully developed in the reality that Bova presents. They aren't just used industrially; some people use them to prolong their youth and vitality, so they have been produced in every permutation from large scale manufacturing to personal biotech that leads to near immortality. What's more, anti-nanotech religious beliefs have already taken root in the culture, leading to nanotech proponents to use the socio-political vocabulary of progress and development as part of their status as "outcasts" from Earth culture, creating several important plot points. Personally, I don't think nano-tech will come before fusion tech, at least not in the full sense that Bova presents. Other technologies ((view spoiler)[a invisibility suit, for example (hide spoiler)]

I am not interested in continuing the series. Though I enjoyed and appreciated the "hard science fiction" aspects of the book (space travel takes time, there are no transporters nor phaser weapons), I found the characters to be prescriptive and cliched, and the dialogue sounded like it was written by a teenager imagining how adults speak. I gave it three stars instead of two because I am giving the author the benefit of the doubt - the audio version I listened to was addled by too many readers (in a failed attempt to convey the shifting third person limited perspective), and really bad accents. Hearing at least three people trying to do an Australian accent was unnerving at best; one reader apparently thought Big George was from the Brooklyn borough of Australia. I am not ready to give up on Mr. Bova - I might go back to read some of his earlier work, as he is highly regarded in the genre - but I was not engaged enough by this story to see how it ends.

Do You like book The Precipice (2002)?

I really enjoyed this book. For the most part this is very plausible science fiction. The characters are well developed and mostly enjoyable. Though occasionally I find some of logic of their actions and motivations a bit flawed, but that's people I suppose. I'm also not completely sold on the protagonist's view that mining the asteroid belt would be such an all encompassing answer the world's escalating environmental and ecological problems, but it made for a good excuse for a great story. I am definitely going to read the rest of Ben Bova's "Grand Tour" series. This good did an excellent job of keeping me up to speed on who all of the characters are, but it is clear that many of them have had starring and supporting roles in earlier books in the series and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.
—Kris

Once, Dan Randolph was one of the richest men on Earth. Now the planet is spiraling into environmental disaster, with floods and earthquakes destroying the lives of millions. Randolph knows the energy and natural resources of space can save Earth's economy, but the price may be the loss of the only thing he has left--the company he founded, Astro Manufacturing.Martin Humphries, fabulously wealthy heir of the Humphries Trust, also knows that space-based industry is the way of the future. But unlike Randolph, he doesn't care if Earth perishes in the process. And he knows that the perfect bait to ensnare Dan Randolph-and take control of Astro-is his revolutionary new fusion propulsion system.As Randolph-accompanied by two fascinating women who are also brilliant astronauts-flies out to the Asteroid Belt aboard a fusion-propelled spacecraft, Humphries makes his move. The future of mankind lies in Randolph's hands.The Asteroid Wars have begun…
—Francis Gahren

This is the first book I have finished on my new ebook reader and I am glad I read this fantastic piece of literature from one of my favorite Science fiction authors - Ben Bova.I started reading Ben's work when I was in University. To tell the truth I had never heard of his name before when I saw the fantastic artwork on his novel - Titan. It was sitting on the top of the bargain bin at the local news agency and I thought I would give it a shot since the blurb on the back seemed interesting. Boy was I right! Not only is Ben a hugo award winner but he is also a doctor. The way he writes his fiction makes you believe the technology exists because he has actually worked on the development of certain technologies. His books always seem to mention nanotechnology which I surely wish we had in present time as the tasks these nanomachines conduct blow your mind.In this book, it tells the story of Earth's destruction by global warming and the consequences in which humanity has to deal with in order to protect our species and existence. The main plot line surrounds the main character charting humans first long distance exploration of space to the asteroid belt. The asteroid belt was chosen as it possessed many natural resources which have begun to run dry on Earth. The mission went on with a horde of controversy but to know if it was successful you will need to read the book. As the series contains 3 books named the asteroid wars; I look forward to the next installment named The rock rats.Keep up the good work Ben!
—Daniel Lynch

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