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The Asteroid Wars #1
The Precipice
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.
439 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2001
About the author
Ben Bova
660 books995 followersBen Bova was born on November 8, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1953, while attending Temple University, he married Rosa Cucinotta, they had a son and a daughter. He would later divorce Rosa in 1974. In that same year he married Barbara Berson Rose.
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
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July 1, 2024
Mankind on the brink!
With the mindless inevitability and unstoppable madness of a great mass of migratory lemmings, mankind is hurtling over a metaphorical precipice. Global warming and climatic change has driven humanity to the brink of extinction. The greenhouse effect has taken hold, icecaps are melting, damage from superstorms is beyond calculation, ocean levels are rising, coastlines are flooding and famine and pestilence are endemic. The ultra-right wing self-serving religious group, "The New Morality", has stepped into the political void ruling earth with a vicious, dictatorial stranglehold insisting upon blind obedience to its dictums which include, among other things, a prohibition against new science such as nanotechnology that might be crucial to saving the earth.
Dan Randolph is the CEO of Astro Manufacturing, a business behemoth which, unlike so many of its other corporate competitors, realistically pursues its profits but does so with a healthy dose of optimistic compassion and altruism. Recent financial difficulties, caused by the restrictions imposed on Astro by The New Morality, have forced Randolph to seek a business partnership to finance the development of a practical fusion rocket- a rocket built with the most up to date innovations in nanotechnology that will allow mankind to reach the Asteroid belt, a virtually limitless supply of industrial resource minerals and, perhaps even more important, an unimaginably vast source of fresh water in the form of ice.
The only pockets deep enough to contemplate bankrolling such a venture belong to Martin Humphries, a corporate baron who easily admits his only motives are wealth and power. While he also recognizes the likelihood that the fusion rocket is mankind's potential saviour, his only interest in the project is what it can do for his pocketbook. In the bargain, he positively lusts after the possibility of absorbing Astro Inc into his own corporate empire and putting Dan Randolph out onto the streets.
Randolph and Humphries recruit the crew for the ship, Starpower I - Pancho Lane, a wily, strong-willed and often outspoken but very feminine woman who is nevertheless comfortable with her skills and top-notch abilities as a pilot; Amanda Cunningham, on the other hand, is an equally feminine but rather more shy soft-spoken woman who is most uncomfortable with her innate ability to suck the oxygen from a room merely by virtue of her outrageous beauty; Lars Fuchs is a dedicated scientist, an intense man who quietly focuses on whatever engineering or science problem has been placed in front of him that day. Against the direct orders of The New Morality and under Humphries' very nose, Randolph and his crew take off on Starpower I and begin their long voyage to the Asteroid Belt.
Ben Bova has found a brilliant recipe that works and he certainly hasn't changed it in THE PRECIPICE - one part hard-core sci-fi; one part corporate potboiler; one part political intrigue; and one part primetime soap opera. His characters are wonderfully deep and realistic. Although that deeply entrenched sexism still seems to come through, it seems to manifest itself primarily in his male characters. The female protagonists are strong, talented, well-spoken and are pushovers to no man's whim. Humphries is the ultimate bad guy that every reader will love to hate and there won't be a single reader that isn't cheering Randolph on as he battles against Humphries and The New Morality.
Ben Bova's science is wonderful, well-explained without being simplistic and used to great advantage in the development of the story - nanotechnology; fusion rockets; invisibility cloaks (for those that think this is unrealistic drivel, I would recommend you take a look at Machio Kiku's PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE; solar flares and gamma radiation; interplanetary space travel and its inherent dangers; the realities of permanent space bases on the moon and beyond; the structure of asteroids; the climatic effects of global warming; and much more.
I have yet to meet the Ben Bova novel that I didn't enjoy and, for what it's worth, this is one of the best. THE PRECIPICE is part of the GRAND TOUR OF THE UNIVERSE series and the first in a sub-series trilogy entitled THE ASTEROID WARS. I'm certainly looking forward to the second and third novels in the series, THE ROCK RATS and THE SILENT WAR. Count me as a continuing fan, Mr Bova.
Paul Weiss
N.B. Contemporary American readers would do well to take particular note of the cautionary tale of allowing the religious right to grab a theocratic toehold in the administration of government and the daily lives of citizens.
With the mindless inevitability and unstoppable madness of a great mass of migratory lemmings, mankind is hurtling over a metaphorical precipice. Global warming and climatic change has driven humanity to the brink of extinction. The greenhouse effect has taken hold, icecaps are melting, damage from superstorms is beyond calculation, ocean levels are rising, coastlines are flooding and famine and pestilence are endemic. The ultra-right wing self-serving religious group, "The New Morality", has stepped into the political void ruling earth with a vicious, dictatorial stranglehold insisting upon blind obedience to its dictums which include, among other things, a prohibition against new science such as nanotechnology that might be crucial to saving the earth.
Dan Randolph is the CEO of Astro Manufacturing, a business behemoth which, unlike so many of its other corporate competitors, realistically pursues its profits but does so with a healthy dose of optimistic compassion and altruism. Recent financial difficulties, caused by the restrictions imposed on Astro by The New Morality, have forced Randolph to seek a business partnership to finance the development of a practical fusion rocket- a rocket built with the most up to date innovations in nanotechnology that will allow mankind to reach the Asteroid belt, a virtually limitless supply of industrial resource minerals and, perhaps even more important, an unimaginably vast source of fresh water in the form of ice.
The only pockets deep enough to contemplate bankrolling such a venture belong to Martin Humphries, a corporate baron who easily admits his only motives are wealth and power. While he also recognizes the likelihood that the fusion rocket is mankind's potential saviour, his only interest in the project is what it can do for his pocketbook. In the bargain, he positively lusts after the possibility of absorbing Astro Inc into his own corporate empire and putting Dan Randolph out onto the streets.
Randolph and Humphries recruit the crew for the ship, Starpower I - Pancho Lane, a wily, strong-willed and often outspoken but very feminine woman who is nevertheless comfortable with her skills and top-notch abilities as a pilot; Amanda Cunningham, on the other hand, is an equally feminine but rather more shy soft-spoken woman who is most uncomfortable with her innate ability to suck the oxygen from a room merely by virtue of her outrageous beauty; Lars Fuchs is a dedicated scientist, an intense man who quietly focuses on whatever engineering or science problem has been placed in front of him that day. Against the direct orders of The New Morality and under Humphries' very nose, Randolph and his crew take off on Starpower I and begin their long voyage to the Asteroid Belt.
Ben Bova has found a brilliant recipe that works and he certainly hasn't changed it in THE PRECIPICE - one part hard-core sci-fi; one part corporate potboiler; one part political intrigue; and one part primetime soap opera. His characters are wonderfully deep and realistic. Although that deeply entrenched sexism still seems to come through, it seems to manifest itself primarily in his male characters. The female protagonists are strong, talented, well-spoken and are pushovers to no man's whim. Humphries is the ultimate bad guy that every reader will love to hate and there won't be a single reader that isn't cheering Randolph on as he battles against Humphries and The New Morality.
Ben Bova's science is wonderful, well-explained without being simplistic and used to great advantage in the development of the story - nanotechnology; fusion rockets; invisibility cloaks (for those that think this is unrealistic drivel, I would recommend you take a look at Machio Kiku's PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE; solar flares and gamma radiation; interplanetary space travel and its inherent dangers; the realities of permanent space bases on the moon and beyond; the structure of asteroids; the climatic effects of global warming; and much more.
I have yet to meet the Ben Bova novel that I didn't enjoy and, for what it's worth, this is one of the best. THE PRECIPICE is part of the GRAND TOUR OF THE UNIVERSE series and the first in a sub-series trilogy entitled THE ASTEROID WARS. I'm certainly looking forward to the second and third novels in the series, THE ROCK RATS and THE SILENT WAR. Count me as a continuing fan, Mr Bova.
Paul Weiss
N.B. Contemporary American readers would do well to take particular note of the cautionary tale of allowing the religious right to grab a theocratic toehold in the administration of government and the daily lives of citizens.
May 2, 2024
The Grand Tour novels are a (fairly) near future series dealing with the expansion of humanity into (and eventually further than) the solar system. They don’t appear to have been written in chronological order. At the time of my writing this, some of them are very hard to come by in hardcopy format (especially the “newer” ones that I don’t own yet). I am not sure if this has anything to do with Bova’s passing in 2020 (whether there are some contractual / intellectual property issues still being resolved with the estate).
The Precipice is the first book in the Asteroid Wars sequence. This event is referenced in some of the other Grand Tour books I have read.
If you’ve read any of these novels before, you will have a good idea of what to expect. Bova gets positively preachy about environmental issues here, and was clearly an advocate for some of the ideas he puts to paper (such as looking to move industrialization away from Earth). Obviously, there are some severe technical challenges for most of what he proposes, but this is hard Science Fiction, so the author does present plausible theoretical solutions to at least some of what is going on here.
Many of the characters are recurring, having popped up elsewhere in the series. It’s also worth mentioning that Bova isn’t averse to killing off his characters, especially the sympathetic ones.
He dreamed of floating helplessly in space, slowly freezing as the Sun glowered at him.
The Precipice features a caricature of a villain (against whom everybody seems to be frustratingly powerless), and a protagonist on a self appointed crusade to save earth from itself (who is portrayed as a somewhat naïve and tragic figure, a depiction that is somewhat at odds with his previous portrayals).
Bova writes about both the advantages and pitfalls of nanotechnology, and introduces some fun ideas (eg diamond hulled space ships) as well as cool settings (eg Selene, which is a self sufficient , independent colony on the moon). And, then, of course, the asteroid belt itself.
”There is vast emptiness out there.”
Like the other Grand Tour entries, this novel features some intrigue, some cool ideas and some action/adventure. These stories aren’t difficult to dig your teeth into.
3.5 stars
Next: The Rock Rats
The Precipice is the first book in the Asteroid Wars sequence. This event is referenced in some of the other Grand Tour books I have read.
If you’ve read any of these novels before, you will have a good idea of what to expect. Bova gets positively preachy about environmental issues here, and was clearly an advocate for some of the ideas he puts to paper (such as looking to move industrialization away from Earth). Obviously, there are some severe technical challenges for most of what he proposes, but this is hard Science Fiction, so the author does present plausible theoretical solutions to at least some of what is going on here.
Many of the characters are recurring, having popped up elsewhere in the series. It’s also worth mentioning that Bova isn’t averse to killing off his characters, especially the sympathetic ones.
He dreamed of floating helplessly in space, slowly freezing as the Sun glowered at him.
The Precipice features a caricature of a villain (against whom everybody seems to be frustratingly powerless), and a protagonist on a self appointed crusade to save earth from itself (who is portrayed as a somewhat naïve and tragic figure, a depiction that is somewhat at odds with his previous portrayals).
Bova writes about both the advantages and pitfalls of nanotechnology, and introduces some fun ideas (eg diamond hulled space ships) as well as cool settings (eg Selene, which is a self sufficient , independent colony on the moon). And, then, of course, the asteroid belt itself.
”There is vast emptiness out there.”
Like the other Grand Tour entries, this novel features some intrigue, some cool ideas and some action/adventure. These stories aren’t difficult to dig your teeth into.
3.5 stars
Next: The Rock Rats
October 15, 2007
Interesting storyline but I was turned off by some sexist aspects. Every chapter Amanda appears in mentions at least once how nicely she fills out her spacesuit, and then she decides to marry a guy she doesn't know partly to avoid the creepy guy who also wants to marry her. Had the book been published 40 yrs earlier it would have been understandable. I'm undecided about whether to continue with the series...I will probably give it another try at some point.
December 30, 2017
Book #8 of The Grand Tour and #1 of the Asteroid Wars sub series.
In this book Dan Randolph has an ambitious plan to save his company and provide needed resources to the failing planet Earth. Unfortunately he doesn't have the capital to finance the project himself and has to form an alliance with an unscrupulous businessman.
The first half of the book was all business and political wrangling, that seemed to go a bit slow. There was some good industrial espionage in there so it wasn't totally boring. Once the mission got underway the "adventuring into the unknown" tone of most of the books in this series took center stage and I found it much more entertaining.
Some of the science I found a bit sketchy and there were several plot holes. Hence I am only giving this one 3 stars. Too much politics and not enough exploration for me. There are 4 books in the Asteroid Wars sub series and I will be reading them in the next few months.
In this book Dan Randolph has an ambitious plan to save his company and provide needed resources to the failing planet Earth. Unfortunately he doesn't have the capital to finance the project himself and has to form an alliance with an unscrupulous businessman.
The first half of the book was all business and political wrangling, that seemed to go a bit slow. There was some good industrial espionage in there so it wasn't totally boring. Once the mission got underway the "adventuring into the unknown" tone of most of the books in this series took center stage and I found it much more entertaining.
Some of the science I found a bit sketchy and there were several plot holes. Hence I am only giving this one 3 stars. Too much politics and not enough exploration for me. There are 4 books in the Asteroid Wars sub series and I will be reading them in the next few months.
April 8, 2015
The Precipice (2001) 422 pages by Ben Bova
Bova gives a glimpse of Earth in a post global greenhouse era. Ocean levels have risen, etc. After that most of the book is set in space including the moon colony Selene.
Dan Randolf is the major owner of Astro maunfacuturing a company on its last legs if it can't find a new source of income. Dan sees an opportunity to help Earth by mining the asteroids. Martin Humphries is a financier who sees profits and an opportunity to take over Astro. Humphries introduces Dan to a team building a fusion rocket which could cut travel times to the belt from years to weeks. Dan not wanting to sell Astro to Humphries looks to investors on Earth and can't find any. He then tries Selene, they have no money to invest, but they can supply the labor and with the use of nanotechnology which is outlawed on Earth they work out a deal.
Pancho Lane and Amanda Cunningham are the pilots picked by Dan to lead the first mission to the asteroid belt. Humphries tries to hire Pancho to spy on Dan. Through her he meets and falls in love with Amanda.
When it looks like the mission to the asteroid belt is going to be in time to save Dan's company there is red tape from Earth. The IAA saying they have to test the fusion drive by sending an unmanned mission to the belt and back before they will approve a manned mission. That delay will drive Astro's stock price down and Humphries will take over.
This is a very good near future, hard SF story. The flow of the book never bogged down. When we are introduced to the Pancho Lane character we don't know what to make of her. As the book goes along we understand her better.
Bova gives a glimpse of Earth in a post global greenhouse era. Ocean levels have risen, etc. After that most of the book is set in space including the moon colony Selene.
Dan Randolf is the major owner of Astro maunfacuturing a company on its last legs if it can't find a new source of income. Dan sees an opportunity to help Earth by mining the asteroids. Martin Humphries is a financier who sees profits and an opportunity to take over Astro. Humphries introduces Dan to a team building a fusion rocket which could cut travel times to the belt from years to weeks. Dan not wanting to sell Astro to Humphries looks to investors on Earth and can't find any. He then tries Selene, they have no money to invest, but they can supply the labor and with the use of nanotechnology which is outlawed on Earth they work out a deal.
Pancho Lane and Amanda Cunningham are the pilots picked by Dan to lead the first mission to the asteroid belt. Humphries tries to hire Pancho to spy on Dan. Through her he meets and falls in love with Amanda.
When it looks like the mission to the asteroid belt is going to be in time to save Dan's company there is red tape from Earth. The IAA saying they have to test the fusion drive by sending an unmanned mission to the belt and back before they will approve a manned mission. That delay will drive Astro's stock price down and Humphries will take over.
This is a very good near future, hard SF story. The flow of the book never bogged down. When we are introduced to the Pancho Lane character we don't know what to make of her. As the book goes along we understand her better.
November 17, 2017
My problems with this book, (or as much of it as I have read) begin and end with the authors blatant inability to view or portray women as anything other than their physical characteristics. I would like to preface this review by stating that I did not in fact read this whole book. I could not. I read the first 50 or so pages straight through, became frustrated enough to stop, and then later skimmed through a few parts of the rest of it.
Every woman in this book is described primarily, and continuously in terms of her physical characteristics. (slight spoilers ahead) Even Jane Scanwell, a woman we are told was the President of the United States, who fought hard against a climate disaster, and who died trying to save others (i'm getting all of this from a few sentences in the first chapter, as after that the few descriptions I saw were only in terms of her relationship to the main male character) is remembered and described in terms of her face, her voice and the silkiness of her skin, a description I find particularly troubling as I assume the she was at least 50 years old. In addition to this the book contains such vibrant characterizations as "a woman who looked too young to be an expert in anything, except maybe warming Randolph's bed", "Teresa was a native of Caracas, tall, leggy, cocoa-cream complexion, deep brown almond eyes, and thick lustrous midnight dark hair.", and "a young attractive Japanese woman, petite and silent".
The treatment of the women in the book by the male characters in the book is also extremely unsettling, as they appear to care only about the appearance of a woman, without much thought for their technical or intellectual capabilities or well-being.
Aside from this issue, the book seems like a fairly interesting plot. The combination of disasters brought on by climate change, fusion rockets and asteroid mining in the asteroid belt, form a great sounding premise, but I can't get past the sexism to enjoy it.
In sum, as a woman in science (astrophysics to be specific), this book's treatment of female characters overpowers any redeeming qualities that the plot or writing may have, and leaves me feeling fairly upset, not the least because it is a symptom of the larger problem of sexism in science fiction and society in general.
(I apologize for spelling/grammar errors and rambling in this review, it is late and I am tired and frustrated, 'cause I just wanted to read a good sci-fi book about mining asteroids, and ended up with this)
Every woman in this book is described primarily, and continuously in terms of her physical characteristics. (slight spoilers ahead) Even Jane Scanwell, a woman we are told was the President of the United States, who fought hard against a climate disaster, and who died trying to save others (i'm getting all of this from a few sentences in the first chapter, as after that the few descriptions I saw were only in terms of her relationship to the main male character) is remembered and described in terms of her face, her voice and the silkiness of her skin, a description I find particularly troubling as I assume the she was at least 50 years old. In addition to this the book contains such vibrant characterizations as "a woman who looked too young to be an expert in anything, except maybe warming Randolph's bed", "Teresa was a native of Caracas, tall, leggy, cocoa-cream complexion, deep brown almond eyes, and thick lustrous midnight dark hair.", and "a young attractive Japanese woman, petite and silent".
The treatment of the women in the book by the male characters in the book is also extremely unsettling, as they appear to care only about the appearance of a woman, without much thought for their technical or intellectual capabilities or well-being.
Aside from this issue, the book seems like a fairly interesting plot. The combination of disasters brought on by climate change, fusion rockets and asteroid mining in the asteroid belt, form a great sounding premise, but I can't get past the sexism to enjoy it.
In sum, as a woman in science (astrophysics to be specific), this book's treatment of female characters overpowers any redeeming qualities that the plot or writing may have, and leaves me feeling fairly upset, not the least because it is a symptom of the larger problem of sexism in science fiction and society in general.
(I apologize for spelling/grammar errors and rambling in this review, it is late and I am tired and frustrated, 'cause I just wanted to read a good sci-fi book about mining asteroids, and ended up with this)
January 29, 2016
*contains spoilers*
I thought this was a great book, even though I only read four or five books out of the whole series (20 books and only five have the same main character). I really enjoyed how nicely and consistently the plot moved along, though I suppose this goes for the whole series. I was sad to see Dan die; he's a great character. There were lots of great characters (Pancho was cool too) but Dan was the main character and it was pretty sad that he was killed from something as uneventful and calm as radiation poisoning. I knew he was going to die eventually, but I thought (and was hoping) that it would be in some kind of space-ship collision or some kind of final duel between Malik or Humphries. To be honest, I thought it was kind of a poor choice to kill Dan like that. In the entire series, it really only mentioned his radiation poisoning a few times, so when it was mentioned in "The Precipice" I had forgotten. But I think that when you look at all of the near death situations that Dan was in over the course of the other five books, radiation poisoning seems really anticlimactic. Though it was nice how he got the priest on in time to marry the other two crew mates (I forget their names). His last act while living was one of kindness.
I thought this was a great book, even though I only read four or five books out of the whole series (20 books and only five have the same main character). I really enjoyed how nicely and consistently the plot moved along, though I suppose this goes for the whole series. I was sad to see Dan die; he's a great character. There were lots of great characters (Pancho was cool too) but Dan was the main character and it was pretty sad that he was killed from something as uneventful and calm as radiation poisoning. I knew he was going to die eventually, but I thought (and was hoping) that it would be in some kind of space-ship collision or some kind of final duel between Malik or Humphries. To be honest, I thought it was kind of a poor choice to kill Dan like that. In the entire series, it really only mentioned his radiation poisoning a few times, so when it was mentioned in "The Precipice" I had forgotten. But I think that when you look at all of the near death situations that Dan was in over the course of the other five books, radiation poisoning seems really anticlimactic. Though it was nice how he got the priest on in time to marry the other two crew mates (I forget their names). His last act while living was one of kindness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2011
This is very thought provoking science fiction. The science is spot-on and the concepts depicted are things that are just beyond our reach at the moment, but could very well be reality within the foreseeable future.
It's well written and aside from a few niggles, a very good read.
It's well written and aside from a few niggles, a very good read.
March 25, 2011
Part one of the Asteroid Wars series (and overall part of Bova’s Grand Tour of the Solar System), in which Mr. Bova takes us on yet another journey through corporate near future space. A decent read if you like Bova, but nothing special.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=491
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=491
June 22, 2009
This is a perfect example of what is known as hard science fiction. In other words, strictly factual in it's scientific premise, no fantasy elements.
July 16, 2015
Not the best sci-fi out there, but easy reading and entertaining. As much as I hope our space exploration isn't privatized, I think Bova's vision will be close to reality.
June 18, 2019
The Precipice does two things rather well: it introduces technology that will change the Grand Tour universe and it makes me actually ... kind of like Dan Randolph.
For the former, we finally have one possible solution to the fundamental problem of near future science fiction:
In this case, if you want to have stories even on Mars, it takes months to get there. If you want to go to the Asteroids? Jupiter? It becomes impractical. There are a couple reasonable ways to solve the problem, in this case: fusion drives, small enough to drive a starship. A large chunk of The Precipice deals with building and testing this new technology which, as mentioned, has the potential to change the Grand Tour universe.
The other half of the plot is mostly corporate, with new baddie Martin Humphries trying to edge in and take over all the powerful corporations of Earth for... reasons? He's a bit one dimensional, but that's not terribly surprising. He makes a decent enough counterpoint to Randolph.
Speaking of which, you may recall that from the very beginning (Powersat / Privateers), I have not cared overmuch for Dan Randolph. His heart is often in the right place and I'll admit that even before the Precipice, he was growing on me. But this time around... I actually find myself rooting for the man. Well done Bova. Well done. And then he has to go and . Oy.
Once again, sexism abounds. In particular, just about every single description of Pancho and Amanda includes their description, especially to contrast them against one another. And Amanda ends up
For the former, we finally have one possible solution to the fundamental problem of near future science fiction:
Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space. -- Douglas Adams
In this case, if you want to have stories even on Mars, it takes months to get there. If you want to go to the Asteroids? Jupiter? It becomes impractical. There are a couple reasonable ways to solve the problem, in this case: fusion drives, small enough to drive a starship. A large chunk of The Precipice deals with building and testing this new technology which, as mentioned, has the potential to change the Grand Tour universe.
The other half of the plot is mostly corporate, with new baddie Martin Humphries trying to edge in and take over all the powerful corporations of Earth for... reasons? He's a bit one dimensional, but that's not terribly surprising. He makes a decent enough counterpoint to Randolph.
Speaking of which, you may recall that from the very beginning (Powersat / Privateers), I have not cared overmuch for Dan Randolph. His heart is often in the right place and I'll admit that even before the Precipice, he was growing on me. But this time around... I actually find myself rooting for the man. Well done Bova. Well done. And then he has to go and . Oy.
Once again, sexism abounds. In particular, just about every single description of Pancho and Amanda includes their description, especially to contrast them against one another. And Amanda ends up
August 13, 2018
There might have been an interesting story here about the future of earth amid a climate change crisis, but this is far from an intellectual episode of Star Trek or something similar. There just doesn't seem to be any well written or like-able characters in this book and every female character is essentially just eye candy for all the males in the story, not to mention the stereotypes placed on any character from a different country or nationality. I couldn't keep track of how many times that 'Amanda', one of the main female character, "filled out her suit well" or was being ogled by every dude in the story or having guys falling over themselves trying to marry her. Not 'Pancho' though, what with her being the average/ugly character of the story, the best she can hope for apparently is the eventual leering by her older boss 'Dan', the main protagonist of the story. If this was written more than 40-50 years ago, then maybe it could be somewhat understandable (not that it would the story any better) but that is not the case here. I'll admit that I've only read one of Ben Bova's books previously, but this does not make me want to go out and read any others if this is the style of writing that I have to look forward to...
July 29, 2023
Unbelievable how this book has nearly 4 stars. Ben Bova was a disgusting chauvinist. Every time a female character appears, they are instantly objectified/sexualized. Even by the "female" POV character. In quotation marks, because every single character is written in the same voice: the voice of a man who developed all of his societal views & values in the 1950's, and never once reflected on them. Same thing with characters of different ethnicities. They are always written with the same stereotypes that existed when Mickey Roonie acted in yellow face in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
I am very, very disappointed. I really wanted to like this book. I love the ideas this series explores, and when Bova wasn't obsessing over boobs, or having his characters in the late 21st century make references to 1950's baseball players, I very much enjoyed the content of the book.
But after mentions of boobs, lacey underpants, and bimbos in the span of a single page, I gave up. Ultimately just not worth it. Considering throwing this book in the garbage just to spare another 21st century human from trying to read this.
I am very, very disappointed. I really wanted to like this book. I love the ideas this series explores, and when Bova wasn't obsessing over boobs, or having his characters in the late 21st century make references to 1950's baseball players, I very much enjoyed the content of the book.
But after mentions of boobs, lacey underpants, and bimbos in the span of a single page, I gave up. Ultimately just not worth it. Considering throwing this book in the garbage just to spare another 21st century human from trying to read this.
February 27, 2019
Six word review: Industrialist's struggle to save dying Earth
This is the first book in the Asteroid Wars Trilogy which is part of The Grand Tour Series all authored by the revered Ben Bova.
Earth is dying, mostly from global warming and the consequences of the Greenhouse Effect, flooding, earthquakes, tornados, starvation, etc. Earth has reached the precipice and there seems to be no solutions that will save the planet. Two men are concerned and want to do something about the problem but for different reasons. Dan Randolph wants to save the planet. Martin Humphries wants to make huge profits and own the solar system regardless of what happens to Earth.
They both realize that exploiting the asteroid belt could give them what they want except it's not economically feasible because of distance. They form a partnership to utilize a new invention, a portable fusion drive which would cut the round trip down to a month. They are stymied by The New Morality a political group that rules the earth and fights all progress because they believe that's how the Earth got in trouble in the first place. Randolph decides to defy the establishment and launch from the moon without approval from the space agency that controls exploration.
Humphries has a scheme that will not only give him control of Randolph's company, Astro Inc., but also sabotage the fusion drive ship. All culminates in Randolph's attempt accompanied by two strong women, Pancho and Amanda plus an intern Lars Fuchs.
The technology described in the book is not pie in the sky but may be under development right now. As Randolph and Humphries struggle, Bova raises some interesting issues about the technology he describes. He also writes of the human race's ability to refuse to embrace new technology even when it promises success to say nothing of the human frailties of greed, jealousy, suspicion, etc.
As in so many science fiction novels, the emphasis is on the technology and the plot rather than the characters. The good people are really, really good and the evil folks are really, really evil. Nevertheless, as in a lot of fiction, one must suspend a certain amount of disbelief to enjoy the story.
I certainly enjoyed this one.
This is the first book in the Asteroid Wars Trilogy which is part of The Grand Tour Series all authored by the revered Ben Bova.
Earth is dying, mostly from global warming and the consequences of the Greenhouse Effect, flooding, earthquakes, tornados, starvation, etc. Earth has reached the precipice and there seems to be no solutions that will save the planet. Two men are concerned and want to do something about the problem but for different reasons. Dan Randolph wants to save the planet. Martin Humphries wants to make huge profits and own the solar system regardless of what happens to Earth.
They both realize that exploiting the asteroid belt could give them what they want except it's not economically feasible because of distance. They form a partnership to utilize a new invention, a portable fusion drive which would cut the round trip down to a month. They are stymied by The New Morality a political group that rules the earth and fights all progress because they believe that's how the Earth got in trouble in the first place. Randolph decides to defy the establishment and launch from the moon without approval from the space agency that controls exploration.
Humphries has a scheme that will not only give him control of Randolph's company, Astro Inc., but also sabotage the fusion drive ship. All culminates in Randolph's attempt accompanied by two strong women, Pancho and Amanda plus an intern Lars Fuchs.
The technology described in the book is not pie in the sky but may be under development right now. As Randolph and Humphries struggle, Bova raises some interesting issues about the technology he describes. He also writes of the human race's ability to refuse to embrace new technology even when it promises success to say nothing of the human frailties of greed, jealousy, suspicion, etc.
As in so many science fiction novels, the emphasis is on the technology and the plot rather than the characters. The good people are really, really good and the evil folks are really, really evil. Nevertheless, as in a lot of fiction, one must suspend a certain amount of disbelief to enjoy the story.
I certainly enjoyed this one.
January 16, 2017
I love the Grand Tour books by Bova, and this one fits right in with the entire saga he has created. The earth has reached greenhouse hell, and Dan Randolph knows that going out into the solar system to harvest minerals for industry is the way to save the earth's economy, and perhaps the earth itself, as well as make Randolph extremely rich. Martin Humphries agrees, but is only interested in the money potential, earth status be damned. Thus begins the race to the Asteroid Belt to claim this treasure, Randolph breaking every rule he can to get there and Humphries doing everything he can to sabotage the mission out of sheer jealousy. Bova manages to write a well-paced, tense journey for these characters, and it sets up well for future volumes in the Asteroid Wars series.
March 7, 2023
Bova, Ben. The Precipice. Tor, 2001. Grand Tour 8.
The Precipice is the first of the Asteroid Wars sequence in Ben Bova’s Grand Tour future history. It pits Dan Randolph, the environmentalist head of Astro Manufacturing, against the villainous Martin Humphries as they compete to take control of the nascent asteroid mining industry. The story is most notable for introducing his pilot, Priscilla “Pancho” Lane. As is often the case in Bova’s writing, the plot has believable near-future tech, tense action, and bad romantic melodrama. The Asteroid Wars is one of the better subseries of the Grand Tour and it is worth a read with all its flaws. 4 stars.
The Precipice is the first of the Asteroid Wars sequence in Ben Bova’s Grand Tour future history. It pits Dan Randolph, the environmentalist head of Astro Manufacturing, against the villainous Martin Humphries as they compete to take control of the nascent asteroid mining industry. The story is most notable for introducing his pilot, Priscilla “Pancho” Lane. As is often the case in Bova’s writing, the plot has believable near-future tech, tense action, and bad romantic melodrama. The Asteroid Wars is one of the better subseries of the Grand Tour and it is worth a read with all its flaws. 4 stars.
July 11, 2017
Falling between Moonwar and Jupiter, The Precipice details Dan Rudolph's next venture, the asteroid belt. In true Bova style hardcore science-fiction is less favoured than intrigue, political backstabbing and bouts of gung-ho heroism. The Precipice villains are underdeveloped and somewhat stereotypical and although the story has an interesting concept and finale, as a whole it is somewhat flat. It reads like a story-by-numbers rather than an insightful piece of sci-fi and although it's never dull, it is the weakest of the Grand Tour so far.
March 20, 2023
The story about developing the asteroids and the politics involved: neat.
The idea that one of the ultra rich and the free market will save us from climate collapse: dumb.
The insane misogyny: gross. I mean this book was published in 2001. There really is no excuse for this.
I got this book from a thrift store because it had both the first and second books in the asteroid wars series. I guess I’ll read the second one since I spent three dollars on it but I suspect I wont like it any more than this one.
The idea that one of the ultra rich and the free market will save us from climate collapse: dumb.
The insane misogyny: gross. I mean this book was published in 2001. There really is no excuse for this.
I got this book from a thrift store because it had both the first and second books in the asteroid wars series. I guess I’ll read the second one since I spent three dollars on it but I suspect I wont like it any more than this one.
July 29, 2023
I've seen Ben Bova's name on science fiction books for decades. If this is a representative example of his writing, I'm going to take a hard pass. This felt like a book written a long, long time ago, and not in any kind of good way. It definitely didn't feel like anything written within the last 20 years. Characters were shallow. Actions and choices they make were not believable. The bad guy only lacked a mustache to twirl as he cackled.
January 20, 2017
I am rereading this trilogy and am being reminded that most of the characters are not very appealing. The "good" guys continually make poor choices and are constantly assuming that the slimy characters would not do evil deeds. Too gloomy and frustrating. The science fiction aspect is not too dated.
November 29, 2017
Story/plot: 4; characters: 2. There was some not-so-subtle sexism and racism in this. Every female character was described by how attractive they were and if the male character in the room wanted to bed them. As western authors often do this, all female Asian characters were portrayed as docile and domesticated. I realize that's a sexist way to describe women, but that's impression it gave me.
February 1, 2019
Apart from the Mars books, this is the best book of the Grand Tour series so far: fast action, believable plot, great characters. I specially liked how it brought together characters from three previous books in the series and got them interacting. The ending is kinda bummer, though...
May 26, 2017
It's pretty good but not much happens. I guess it's the start of a series.
August 6, 2017
Quite disappointing - just a regrind of other themes and plot points.
January 11, 2018
I only read 50 pages. Just had to stop. If you like run-of-the-mill misogyny, this book's for you.
September 18, 2018
Bova is a master at creating plot that drives a novel while creating worthy characters and raising important questions that nag at the reader after the whodunit is solved.
Read
May 6, 2020mining the asteroid belt
September 11, 2020
A hardy composition of hard science fiction and corporate intrigue. Ben Bova’s The Precipice takes you out to the asteroid belt at the rocket-fueled pace of a well-crafted page-turner.
April 28, 2021
A bit predictable but enteratining
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