- Hardcover: 439 pages
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd; First Edition edition (1 Feb 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340769602
- ISBN-13: 978-0340769607
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,095,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
A popular US author and Hugo-winning editor, Ben Bova has written many, many SF books since his 1959 debut novel. In The Precipice, set several decades in the future, the human race is in the process of falling off the metaphorical "greenhouse cliff" as runaway global warming brings devastating floods and storms. Time for another look at that old SF dream of moving Earth's polluting industries into outer space and mining the inexhaustible wealth of the asteroids...
Idealistic space industrialist Dan Randolph of Astro Manufacturing gets his chance when his amoral multibillionaire rival Humphries offers a fusion drive that will allow economical spaceflight to the asteroid belt. It's a setup, of course: Humphries wants Randolph to fail and Astro stock to plummet, ready for an easy buy-out. Meanwhile, despite the benefits of power satellites and a functioning Moon colony where miracles of nanotechnology are performed, Earth's rulers (European bureaucrats in unholy alliance with Chinese commies) are fanatically opposed to space development and invoke every tiresome regulation they can to hamper Randolph's project.
Eventually our hero snaps, breaks all the rules, and heads for the Belt in an untried fusion craft with a small, trusted crew--little knowing that villainous Humphries, twirling his moustachios and probably stroking a white cat, has arranged a spot of sabotage.
The Precipice is an exciting, fast-moving blend of hard SF and technothriller, if sometimes a shade too melodramatic for credibility. It's billed as book one of "The Asteroid Wars", and there's more to come. --David Langford
Review
‘I believe that the science fiction author who will have the greatest effect on the world is Ben Bova’ (Ray Bradbury )
'Venus is an epic adventure, full of twists and turns and genuine surprises. It should easily be in the running for the highest awards.' Hartford Courant (Venus) (Hartford Courant (Venus) )
'Fun, thought-provoking, pacy and stylish . . . Gives a good read while turning your eyes to what might be in the not so distant future, just like Clarke and Asmov used to do so well.' (SFX (Venus) )
'One of sci-fi's great contemporary writers...Ben Bova writes good, authentic science' (Huddersfield Daily Examiner )
Return to Mars is an entertaining read, a good example of the bread and butter of the genre (Vector on RETURN TO MARS )
'An epic space novel by an award-winning SF scribe' (Books Magazine ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
'Venus is an epic adventure, full of twists and turns and genuine surprises. It should easily be in the running for the highest awards.' Hartford Courant (Venus) (Hartford Courant (Venus) )
'Fun, thought-provoking, pacy and stylish . . . Gives a good read while turning your eyes to what might be in the not so distant future, just like Clarke and Asmov used to do so well.' (SFX (Venus) )
'One of sci-fi's great contemporary writers...Ben Bova writes good, authentic science' (Huddersfield Daily Examiner )
Return to Mars is an entertaining read, a good example of the bread and butter of the genre (Vector on RETURN TO MARS )
'An epic space novel by an award-winning SF scribe' (Books Magazine ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Ben Bova has once again created an exciting adventure and compelling story. Using the story Ben shows the possibilities that are out there for mankind in space. Precipice is a tale of an dynamic business man trying to open up Asteriod mining in the Solar System. Involving advanced space craft, nanotechnolgy and a range of characters the book will keep you reading until the early hours of the morning!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Unfortunately not for adult consumption. Given some of his previous attempts this book falls far short of the authors capacities. The plot whizzes along but you can't but fail to know where it's going next; unfortunately given the writing style there isn't even enough time to get any real character or plot development past the bare minimum to set the current scene.
Format:Paperback
Falling between Moonwar and Jupiter, The Precipice details Dan Rudolph's next venture, the asteroid belt. In true Bova style hardcore science-fiction is less favoured than intrigue, political backstabbing and bouts of gung-ho heroism. The Precipice villains are underdeveloped and somewhat stereotypical and although the story has an interesting concept and finale, as a whole it is somewhat flat. It reads like a story-by-numbers rather than an insightful piece of sci-fi and although it's never dull, it is the weakest of the Grand Tour so far.
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