The Winds of Altair [1983 expanded version]
by Ben Bova
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Earth is an old planet, and her teeming masses are running out of resources-and time. It is up to men such as Jeff Holman to discover a haven for Earth's millions. Altair VI is one such planet, and Holman is determined to transform this world into one where the human race can survive. Star probes long ago informed Earth that Altair VI had a flourishing ecology with one very tough beast at the top of the food chain, one that will have to be dealt with before the human colony ships arrive. The show more beast is not only tough, it is as smart as a man. Holman is faced with a soul-wrenching decision-for to make Altair VI habitable for humans, all native life must die. show lessTags
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As usual, Bova adds the human element to this sci-fi thriller. Yes, it looks and feels a lot like the movie, "Avatar" and has the same moral lesson to be learned from the conundrum proposed. Also, the evil religious bishop reappears as in other Bova novels. I liked this one. It made me, as a reader, consider the answers to the hard questions.
The Pilgrim Fathers sail from an overcrowded Plymouth across the Atlantic Ocean via some gravity field anomaly to the planet America to set up a human colony there. Unfortunately they find the planet hostile to humans and already inhabited by wolfcats (Native Americans) and primitive ape-like creatures (black slaves). Can the various different cultures coexist peacefully?
I do enjoy Ben Bova's crisp narrative style and the characters are strong. And human, all too human.
I do enjoy Ben Bova's crisp narrative style and the characters are strong. And human, all too human.
Earth is bursting with 17 billion people and the inevitable friction between that many people. A way out is presented to a lucky few who go off to colonise an alien plant around a distant star sponsored by the church. But the planet is inhospitable with unbreathable atmosphere and living creatures. The only hope is to terraform, but at the cost of wiping out all life on the planet. To help in the process, the scientists implant some of the higher order wildlife with devices that enable people to control the actions of the alien creatures. But they discover that they are not dumb brutes and the result is a struggle between the leaders of the mission and the scientists as to whether they should terraform, return to Earth or pursue some show more other course of action. Although written in the early 1970s, there are some parallels with the present situation. This is a good read, but not Ben Bova's best. show less
I never found Ben Bova very engrossing, and this is not one of his popular works. The premise, to my understanding, is that if the top predator on a planet is eliminated by human action, then some mystical force will still provide the humans with resistance. Unengaging.
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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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Is an expanded version of
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Winds of Altair [1983 expanded version]
- Original title
- The Winds of Altair
- Original publication date
- 1983-05
- People/Characters
- Jeffrey Holman; Dr. Carbo; Amanda Kolwezi; Dom Petrocelli; Captain Gunnerson; Bishop Foy (show all 16); Laura McGrath; Bettina Brown; Keno Jumyata; Dr. Harvey Peterson; Dr. Louisa Ferris; Dr. Polchek; Lana Polchek; Lyle; Dr. Roskopf; Manning
- Dedication
- To Michael
- First words
- He knew that he was going to die.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)A roar that echoed in a human mind, thousands of kilometers away.
- Disambiguation notice
- From title page:
an earlier, much shorter version of this work was published by E P Dutton under the same title, copyright 1973, Ben Bova
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Statistics
- Members
- 341
- Popularity
- 91,537
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.41)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 9
