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orcaseatingstrawberries's review
3.0
It was a bit of a slog but decent. Reading it because I've read one or two others sort of loosely further in this "series" that I like.
apryde6226's review
4.0
I was very impressed with this book. I've read other books by Ben Bova and liked them, so I decided to try and read his "Grand Tour." It's a series of something like 10 novels following humanity expanding into space and the solar system.
This story was about the creation of clean energy. Take a massive solar installation and put it into orbit, use microwaves to beam the energy down to earth and you can cleanly generation 10s of gigajouls of energy. Rinse, wash and repeat...
Not quite a Clancy book in some ways, terrorists and politicians come into the story... Sometimes, it can be hard to tell which is which. Overall, this was a great start to the series. I've read the next one (Mars) but looking forward to a re-read. It's like seeing old friends again.
This story was about the creation of clean energy. Take a massive solar installation and put it into orbit, use microwaves to beam the energy down to earth and you can cleanly generation 10s of gigajouls of energy. Rinse, wash and repeat...
Not quite a Clancy book in some ways, terrorists and politicians come into the story... Sometimes, it can be hard to tell which is which. Overall, this was a great start to the series. I've read the next one (Mars) but looking forward to a re-read. It's like seeing old friends again.
jaipal's review
2.0
This book is very forgettable. It's a techno thriller without much science behind it. The main plot of the book is a company trying to solve the energy crisis by harnessing solar power from a space satellite and beaming it to large power receivers on earth.
The is sabotage and murders with plots to use the power generating satellite for terrorist purposes.
This book pulls out every cliche in the book. I felt the villains are very cringe worthy and one dimensional. The book is very plot driven and misses on the character building.
I expected better but was left feeling let down.
The is sabotage and murders with plots to use the power generating satellite for terrorist purposes.
This book pulls out every cliche in the book. I felt the villains are very cringe worthy and one dimensional. The book is very plot driven and misses on the character building.
I expected better but was left feeling let down.
scottpm's review against another edition
2.0
It hurts to write this because I love Ben Bova. It was just too long, too drawn out and too boring. Not a vital read in the Grand Tour series.
uselysses's review against another edition
I nearly stopped when we meet the terrorist cadre but gave the benefit of the doubt. Then the main character met a woman and his brief consideration of her was among the most grim passages I’ve ever read. I am not going to read 75 books about this jerk’s space adventure
hawkeyegough's review against another edition
4.0
Exceptional writing, although the ending was a little disappointing because
Spoiler
for the most part the bad guys won.amyborch's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Dan makes a satellite that grams microwaves of solar power to earth for energy for the west coast. Good idea, don’t understand the premise.
kwichris's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
Ben Bova started writing his Grand Tour series some twenty years ago. I read a middle book in the series two years ago, then sought out this book for future reading. I've had a fascination with the concept of a power satellite since reading [b:Colonies In Space|1672032|Colonies In Space|T.A. Heppenheimer|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365589917s/1672032.jpg|1667039] as a kid.
This book has some sci fi, but is more of a techno-thriller. I liked the main character Dan Randolph far less than the older version of him from [b:The Precipice|267302|The Precipice (Asteroid Wars, #1)|Ben Bova|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312231973s/267302.jpg|293551], and the romance aspects seemed forced to me. Other than that, the story was decent enough to like; I will continue to read this series.
This book has some sci fi, but is more of a techno-thriller. I liked the main character Dan Randolph far less than the older version of him from [b:The Precipice|267302|The Precipice (Asteroid Wars, #1)|Ben Bova|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312231973s/267302.jpg|293551], and the romance aspects seemed forced to me. Other than that, the story was decent enough to like; I will continue to read this series.