3.0
Powersat
ByPublisher Description
Two hundred thousand feet up, things go horribly wrong. The experimental low-orbit spaceplane Astro falls to earth over a trail hundreds of miles long. In the wake of this disaster is the beginning of the most important mission in the history of space.
Entrepreneur Dan Randolph is determined to provide energy to a desperate world. He dreams of an array of geosynchronous powersats, satellites which gather solar energy and beam it to generators on Earth, breaking the power of the oil cartels forever. But the wreck of the experimental spaceplane has left his company on the edge of bankruptcy.
Worse, Dan discovers the plane worked perfectly right up until the moment that saboteurs knocked it out of the sky. And whoever brought it down is willing and able to kill again to keep Astro grounded. . . .
"[Bova] supplies a suspenseful ride and plenty of high-tech hardware." —
"Tom Clancy-like danger and intrigue!" —
"A classic guy's tale. . . . Bova is a spare writer who nevertheless crafts the perfect voice for each of his characters." —
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3.0
David J
Created 30 days agoShare
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“A combination SciFi/Thriller. A well written and gripping tale involving space, politics, power and terrorists who want to kill millions of Americans including the US President from outer space.”
DueNorth
Created 2 months agoShare
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Michael Beers
Created 7 months agoShare
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“<strong>Time to Takeoff </strong>
This story by Ben bova kicks off the grand tour series, showing just exactly how humanity will be able to travel to all these distant planets and moons that are upcoming in the series. Unlike most origin stories, however, this focuses on telling its own story and not just giving us a bunch of exposition or a framed outlook of what is to come.
It is better to approach the story more as a whodunit or as a business thriller than it is a science fiction novel. If you are looking for a lot of hard science fiction that usually accompanies space exploration, you will not find it here. In fact, it can be seen as one of the story's main drawbacks as it tends to drag a little bit here and there, focusing more on the business and politics of getting a business venture going.
The underlying insinuation of terrorism, however, does keep the story interesting enough to pursue the end. The shadowy cabal that seeks to prevent the main character's growth, however, could have done with a little bit more development in my opinion to make them a much more worthwhile opponent for this type of novel. As it is, the antagonist does not have a clear motive as to why they are doing the things they're doing other than, "We need to control everything."
It is still an enjoyable read, especially as a business thriller or even, dare I say, a mystery novel with a science fiction backdrop.”
Graff Fuller
Created 11 months agoShare
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“The Grand Tour 01 Powersat by Ben Bova
challenging dark funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense
Medium-paced
Plot or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
3.75 Stars
In some ways, this story reminds me a BIT of Stephen King's The Stand. Obviouly it is not a one-to-one comparison, but there are some similarities (at least to me). Mix it with The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal, and you have Powersat by Ben Bova.
This is a Thriller, with a Political scenario, in a Science Fiction setting.
There are a LOT of grey characters. I only liked a few of the characters, and most of them got killed (one way or another). Sadly.
None of the characters are pure good, or pure evil. Well, there is one character that is pretty evil, but in his mindset...he's just greedy and self-absorbed.
I like Dan (to a degree). He's focused on his technology and the desire to give the world cheaper energy, but as he proceeds with his plans, you see that he is getting wrapped up in the idea of power. He starts off niave, but then the power starts to corrupt him (just a bit). He has some moral tethers, but he keeps overrunning them...in his pursuit to achieve his goal.
The science community and the political community are cut-throut. You have to keep the "status quo", 'cause if you buck the established system, then you gain a WHOLE lot of enemies, that may seem to be your friend, until they show their true colours, and you are boxed out, or killed.
This was a tension filled story, up to the very end. AND, of course, this is a long running series, with up to 28 novels...and I just finished the first one (chronologically). Next up is Privateers. Looking forward to reading it...soon.”
Untitled 0000
Created about 1 year agoShare
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