An entertaining, smoothly written tale of 'first contact' in the seas of Jupiter. There's nothing startling or exceptional about this book, but what it does it does reasonably well, with an interesting setting, a likable protagonist and story that moves along at a reasonable clip. ( )

Beyond Life As We Know It

On the next 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”. ( )

The father out you go, the worse this gets.

Or, this book isn't as good as the Venus novel, which is not as good as the Mars novel, so this is about where I stop. For this sort of thing, a plot involving your religious moral majority nut types forcing a not too bright kid to get a job in the Jovian arena to spy for them is really as dull as dishwater.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/08... ( )

Not too hard on the sci-fi, really cool Leviathan parts, cool intrigue. ( )