The Silent War
by Ben Bova
The Asteroid Wars (3), Grand Tour (12), The Grand Tour Series--Reader's Order (13)
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The lives of thousands hang in the balance when the ruthless competition between Astro Corporation and Humphries Space Systems reaches a peak and others decide to take advantage of the conflict.Tags
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[b:The Silent War|267285|The Silent War (The Grand Tour #11; The Asteroid Wars #3)|Ben Bova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386919740l/267285._SY75_.jpg|2393499] feels like a conclusion to the Asteroid Wars ([b:The Precipice|267302|The Precipice (The Grand Tour, #8; The Asteroid Wars, #1)|Ben Bova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386919746l/267302._SY75_.jpg|293551] and [b:The Rock Rats|267349|The Rock Rats (The Grand Tour, #10; The Asteroid Wars, #2)|Ben Bova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392075594l/267349._SY75_.jpg|1856770]), with the war continuing to escalate to father and father atrocities with even more sides to show more the conflict than before (Yamagata is back! If a bit weirdly. ). It's a bit strange to see what feels like such a conclusion with one book left, but I guess that's why it's called [b:The Aftermath|768917|The Aftermath (The Grand Tour, #12; The Asteroid Wars, #4)|Ben Bova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442426245l/768917._SY75_.jpg|754977]? We'll just have to see.
Overall, The Silent War is a satisfying enough conclusion to the Asteroid Wars (as a war and as a subseries) building up both the overall conflict and one within the book itself. It's nice to actually see everything come to a head and I think the conclusion is workable, if a little ridiculous. It really feeds into the idea that behind every powerful corporation is a handful (or one) of powerful men and women really driving things forward.
Nothing really more to say. I still really like Pancho Lane and can't really stand Lars Fuchs or Humphries. That's pretty much all intended. The series as a whole could have probably been a single book, but so it goes. Worth reading for completeness' sake. I still prefer the more science driven / less corporate of the Grand Tour books. So it goes.
On a final note... what's with that prologue and epilogue? They're interesting enough and hint at something completely different than anything else we've seen in the Grand Tour thus far... but why here? I expect/hope we'll see why in The Aftermath, but it's just weird. show less
Overall, The Silent War is a satisfying enough conclusion to the Asteroid Wars (as a war and as a subseries) building up both the overall conflict and one within the book itself. It's nice to actually see everything come to a head and I think the conclusion is workable, if a little ridiculous. It really feeds into the idea that behind every powerful corporation is a handful (or one) of powerful men and women really driving things forward.
Nothing really more to say. I still really like Pancho Lane and can't really stand Lars Fuchs or Humphries. That's pretty much all intended. The series as a whole could have probably been a single book, but so it goes. Worth reading for completeness' sake. I still prefer the more science driven / less corporate of the Grand Tour books. So it goes.
On a final note... what's with that prologue and epilogue? They're interesting enough and hint at something completely different than anything else we've seen in the Grand Tour thus far... but why here? I expect/hope we'll see why in The Aftermath, but it's just weird. show less
Another, and third book, in the Rock Rats series--this one covers corporate war in the asteroid zone. Corporations at war? Hmm, now that's a concept. There's good strategy in this book and just enough fighting to make it fun; too much more and it would be as exciting as reading US revolutionary war stores about battles in the counties of New Jersey (Yawn!). The book is chock full of really bad guys--our heroine tries like mad to kill them off. The crescendo at the end is followed by a bland war's end, which isn't an unrealistic one...just unexciting. On to the next Bova book.
Pretty much continues from where The Rock Rats left off....the characters that Bova developed so well in the first two asteroid war books continue to battle for the riches of the asteroid belt, as well as resolve their personality differences in various ways. Humphries, Astro Corporation, and Yamagata Corporation fall into a deadly battle for control of this vast area of treasures. Bova ends this one with mention of an alien artifact which casts an air of morality over the entire story. Another good read in the Grand Tour.
I hadn't read any Ben Bova previously and this was maybe not the best place to begin. This was the third of a trilogy 'The Asteroid Wars' and part of a much bigger 'grand tour' series and was concerned with a war over raw materials in the asteroid belt in the future. I don't read much pure space opera but will read more Bova in the future, I shall read the first two in the trilogy at some point.
Bova's Grand Tour is a solid science fiction series covering the exploration and development of the solar system, with The Silent War being an enjoyable chapter. Addicting!
ASTEROID WARS
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467+ Works 34,209 Members
Ben Bova, Ben Bova was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began writing fiction in the late 1940's and continued to pursue his careers in journalism, aerospace, education and publishing. Bova received a bachelor's degree in journalism from Temple University, 1954, a master of arts degree in communications from the State University of New York, show more 1987, and a doctorate in education from California Coast University, 1996. Dr. Bova worked as a newspaper reporter for several years and then joined Project Vanguard, the first American satellite program, as a technical editor. He was manager of marketing for Avco Everett Research Laboratory and worked with scientists in the fields of high-power lasers, artificial hearts and advanced electrical power generators. Dr. Bova has taught science fiction at Harvard University and at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, where he also directed film courses. He has written scripts for teaching films with the Physical Sciences Study Committee in association with Nobel Laureates from many universities. Dr. Bova has served on the advisory board of Post College and the Editorial Boards of the World Future Society. He is President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society. He is also a charter member of the Planetary Society and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Nature Conservancy, the New York Academy of Sciences and the National Space Club. He is a former President and a charter member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He was honored by Temple University as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1981 and in 1982 was made an Alumni Fellow. In 1994, his short story "Inspiration" was nominated for the Nebula Award. "The Beauty of Light" was voted one of the best science books of the year in 1988 by the American Librarians' Association and they hailed "Moonrise" as best science fiction novel in 1996. Other titles include "Moonwar," "Mars," and "Brothers," which all combine romance and adventure with the scientific aspect of exploring the future of technology and its effect on individuals and society. "Immortality" and "Assured Survival" deal with technology being used to solve economic, social and political problems. "Immortality" goes further in examining biomedical breakthroughs that could extend a person's life by hundreds of years while being able to always remain physically young. His works include The Aftermath, Mars Life, and Leviathans of Jupiter. Ben Bova was a prolific science fiction author. He wrote over a hundred books and short stories. He also was an editor who worked on some of science fiction's best-known publications. He died on November 29, 2020 at the age of 88. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Silent War
- Original publication date
- 2004-02
- People/Characters
- Pancho Lane; Martin Humphries
- Important places
- Milky Way Galaxy; Solar System; Asteroid Belt
- Dedication
- To the memory of Stephen Jay Gould,
scientist, writer, baseball fan,
and an inspiration to all thinking people - Publisher's editor
- Nielsen Hayden, Patrick
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 370
- Popularity
- 84,447
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (3.63)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 6
