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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Over the years I've read a number of Ben Bovas books although never really been a fan. I picked up a copy of Leviathans at the airport simply because I hadn't seen or heard of it before.
I'm sorry to say that what is a truly interesting concept and an excellent vision of the extent to which 'other' life might be different to our own cannot eclipse the exceptionally bad characterisation of almost every principal role. I found the plot had holes large enough to swallow the planet of the title and 'twists' that were as visible and identifiable as its moons. Suspension of disbelief didn't come into it, I only read on to confirm how bad it was.
The 'nemesis' character is completely and utterly unbelievable, the heroine is a cardboard cutout and the sidekicks just poorly exectured steroetypes. We even have a reformed criminal cyborg as the damaged man / damaged body who although unable to express it turns out to be one of the characters with the greatest emotional depth.
As for the 'science' in the fiction - well here we have the most prestigious research station in the solar system investigating just about the most interesting thing going on and they appear to have no plan or idea on what they are actually going to do when they head down to meet the leviathans (not realy a spolier .. it's in the title). Anyone interested in science and exploration will simply shake their head in disbelief - in fact Mr Bova coud probably do with re-reading his own far better work 'Mars' to get a more realistic picture of the overplanning that would be going on...
Give this one a miss unless you're a completist, it only gets two stars for the concept and my copy will be down at the village book sale in no time. Having written all this I'd still recommend some of the authors other books to the casual reader; 'Mars' is a good case in point.
I'm sorry to say that what is a truly interesting concept and an excellent vision of the extent to which 'other' life might be different to our own cannot eclipse the exceptionally bad characterisation of almost every principal role. I found the plot had holes large enough to swallow the planet of the title and 'twists' that were as visible and identifiable as its moons. Suspension of disbelief didn't come into it, I only read on to confirm how bad it was.
The 'nemesis' character is completely and utterly unbelievable, the heroine is a cardboard cutout and the sidekicks just poorly exectured steroetypes. We even have a reformed criminal cyborg as the damaged man / damaged body who although unable to express it turns out to be one of the characters with the greatest emotional depth.
As for the 'science' in the fiction - well here we have the most prestigious research station in the solar system investigating just about the most interesting thing going on and they appear to have no plan or idea on what they are actually going to do when they head down to meet the leviathans (not realy a spolier .. it's in the title). Anyone interested in science and exploration will simply shake their head in disbelief - in fact Mr Bova coud probably do with re-reading his own far better work 'Mars' to get a more realistic picture of the overplanning that would be going on...
Give this one a miss unless you're a completist, it only gets two stars for the concept and my copy will be down at the village book sale in no time. Having written all this I'd still recommend some of the authors other books to the casual reader; 'Mars' is a good case in point.
Format:Mass Market Paperback
a very good sequel to Jupiter. Wonder what he will write to finish off this story, or just leave in suspense?
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
25 reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Another Great Book From Ben Bova
22 Feb 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Twenty years ago, Grant Archer and his team descended into Jupiter's vast ocean. Once inside, they discovered massive living creatures; "leviathans" which fed on particles and fought for survival against the dreaded darters. Archer barely escaped with his life, thanks to the help of one of the leviathans. Now the director of Station Gold orbiting Jupiter, Archer intends to send another crewed mission into the depths of the Jovian ocean to try to establish communication with the leviathans.
Four crew members are slated for the mission: Diedre Ambrose, a microbiologist; Andy Corvus, a scientist; Dorn, an ex-mercenary; and Max Yeager, designer of the ship to be used on the mission. However, other forces are at work as well. Katherine Westfall, a member of the IAA, is determined to see the mission fail. Convinced that Archer is wasting money, she has come to Station Gold to set him back in line. Westfall will stop at nothing to make sure that the mission fails, even if it means sacrificing the crew.
Finally, the ship sets down into the Jovian sea. Once there, the crew tries to establish contact with the leviathans. But the pressure takes a heavy toll on both the ship and crew. Will the crew be able to determine if the leviathans are in fact intelligent creatures, or will the ship succumb to the tremendous pressure exerted by the Jovian ocean?
I've read all of Bova's previous "Grand Tour" novels, and I was pleased to see that he decided to re-visit Jupiter. The story line from the first book was very good, and this book does a good job of picking up and expanding on it. Bova's books are full of adventure, and "Leviathans of Jupiter" continues in that tradition. Highly recommended.
Four crew members are slated for the mission: Diedre Ambrose, a microbiologist; Andy Corvus, a scientist; Dorn, an ex-mercenary; and Max Yeager, designer of the ship to be used on the mission. However, other forces are at work as well. Katherine Westfall, a member of the IAA, is determined to see the mission fail. Convinced that Archer is wasting money, she has come to Station Gold to set him back in line. Westfall will stop at nothing to make sure that the mission fails, even if it means sacrificing the crew.
Finally, the ship sets down into the Jovian sea. Once there, the crew tries to establish contact with the leviathans. But the pressure takes a heavy toll on both the ship and crew. Will the crew be able to determine if the leviathans are in fact intelligent creatures, or will the ship succumb to the tremendous pressure exerted by the Jovian ocean?
I've read all of Bova's previous "Grand Tour" novels, and I was pleased to see that he decided to re-visit Jupiter. The story line from the first book was very good, and this book does a good job of picking up and expanding on it. Bova's books are full of adventure, and "Leviathans of Jupiter" continues in that tradition. Highly recommended.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Thoroughly enjoyed.
13 Nov 2011
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have been reading quite a bit of Ben Bova recently. The first one I read was Jupiter. It hooked me right in to a completely believable future of humans he has created. None of Bova's books are the fantasy sci-fi that Star Trek, Star Wars, etc... are, but they are more of a true science grounded in current ideas about space travel and exploration.
Overall Opinion:
Leviathans of Jupiter was a good, engaging read. I did not ever feel the need to put it down and always wanted to continue to the next chapter.
Character:
Bova's characters in Leviathans seem to always be created from the ground up and are always believable. There is not much introspection from the characters, it is more of a day to day record of what they are doing. Not much feeling comes from the characters so it is more like you are watching a movie when thinking of the characters. Bova usually does not choose a main character and prefers an ensemble cast, however this book primarily focuses on one character.
Story:
The story was essentially that of Jupiter; A group of scientists who all have their own varying jobs on the station wish to contact the natives of Jupiter, the Leviathans. There is a semi-weak character who wishes to stop them but there is very little conflict.
Ideas:
Bova has created a believable future of the human race in his "Planet" books, including Leviathan. He uses technology currently being spoken of and researched: nuclear fusion ships, nanotechnology, artificial gravity, etc... He may not have any ground breaking technology ideas but he seems to have a true scientific basis for most of the tech in these books.
Make into a movie?
I've come to the conclusion that Bova's novels would not make good movies for the general public. For the niche honest sci-fi culture perhaps, but since there aren't elements of fantasy, the ideas would be lost.
If you are looking for adventure and action, this book is not for you. If you are looking for a traditional science fiction depicting a believable future of humans, this is the book for you.
Overall Opinion:
Leviathans of Jupiter was a good, engaging read. I did not ever feel the need to put it down and always wanted to continue to the next chapter.
Character:
Bova's characters in Leviathans seem to always be created from the ground up and are always believable. There is not much introspection from the characters, it is more of a day to day record of what they are doing. Not much feeling comes from the characters so it is more like you are watching a movie when thinking of the characters. Bova usually does not choose a main character and prefers an ensemble cast, however this book primarily focuses on one character.
Story:
The story was essentially that of Jupiter; A group of scientists who all have their own varying jobs on the station wish to contact the natives of Jupiter, the Leviathans. There is a semi-weak character who wishes to stop them but there is very little conflict.
Ideas:
Bova has created a believable future of the human race in his "Planet" books, including Leviathan. He uses technology currently being spoken of and researched: nuclear fusion ships, nanotechnology, artificial gravity, etc... He may not have any ground breaking technology ideas but he seems to have a true scientific basis for most of the tech in these books.
Make into a movie?
I've come to the conclusion that Bova's novels would not make good movies for the general public. For the niche honest sci-fi culture perhaps, but since there aren't elements of fantasy, the ideas would be lost.
If you are looking for adventure and action, this book is not for you. If you are looking for a traditional science fiction depicting a believable future of humans, this is the book for you.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Just say by Ben Bova is enough
31 Oct 2011
As a six-time winner of the Hugo Award just saying Ben Bova may be enough to recommend Leviathans of Jupiter but I will add more. If you are a Science Fiction fan and have never read anything by Ben Bova you are in for a treat. If you have read his books in the past you will not be disappointed.
Leviathans of Jupiter is part of the Grand Tour continuing series but if you have not read any of the series do not let that stop you. While the background and some of the characters reappear in some of the stories each book in the series stands alone. Grant Archer led an expedition to explore the depths of Jupiter in the book of the same name. That expedition barely escaped death when their vessel malfunctioned. They were saved when one of the city sized leviathans helped. Grant is convinced that the leviathans are intelligent and 20 years later he is trying to launch a new mission to study the leviathans. Not everyone wants the mission to succeed and therein lies the story.
Ben Bova knows how to tell a good story and with the knowledge from his PHD in physics he adds science in just the right amounts. He uses dialog and action mixed with small amounts of description to keep the story moving. I had trouble putting the story down and finished the 400-page book in record time.
I miss good old fashion Science Fiction and it was a real joy to find and read Leviathans of Jupiter. I hope Ben Bova continues writing in this series.
Leviathans of Jupiter is part of the Grand Tour continuing series but if you have not read any of the series do not let that stop you. While the background and some of the characters reappear in some of the stories each book in the series stands alone. Grant Archer led an expedition to explore the depths of Jupiter in the book of the same name. That expedition barely escaped death when their vessel malfunctioned. They were saved when one of the city sized leviathans helped. Grant is convinced that the leviathans are intelligent and 20 years later he is trying to launch a new mission to study the leviathans. Not everyone wants the mission to succeed and therein lies the story.
Ben Bova knows how to tell a good story and with the knowledge from his PHD in physics he adds science in just the right amounts. He uses dialog and action mixed with small amounts of description to keep the story moving. I had trouble putting the story down and finished the 400-page book in record time.
I miss good old fashion Science Fiction and it was a real joy to find and read Leviathans of Jupiter. I hope Ben Bova continues writing in this series.
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