Ben Bova author of Kinsman Saga, Colony, Mars, The Asteroid Wars, and PowerSat...ect:

[marcel_leonard]

If you are&nbsp;familiar w/&nbsp;Ben Bova&nbsp;work tell what you think of and how accurate to portrait of the not too distant future is... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "A mind is a terrible thing to waste..." </div>

 

[DrRocket]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>If you are&nbsp;familiar w/&nbsp;Ben Bova&nbsp;work tell what you think of and how accurate to portrait of the not too distant future is... <br />Posted by marcel_leonard</DIV></p><p>Your links seem to go to a pictue that I recall from the cover of one of Bova's books and some weird light show and music on grooveradio-lb.&nbsp; If there is some connection between the two I missed it.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[marcel_leonard]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Your links seem to go to a pictue that I recall from the cover of one of Bova's books and some weird light show and music on grooveradio-lb.&nbsp; If there is some connection between the two I missed it. <br />Posted by DrRocket</DIV></p><p>I merely wanted to start a dialogue and discussion about Ben Bova's work or any SciFi author that&nbsp;writes in the <em>not too distant future</em> style [i.e.&nbsp;Ben Bova, Octavia Butler, Greg Bear, Author C. Clark, and Stephen Baxter].</p><p>Case/Point: In Bova's novel <em>Colony </em>Ben chooses to include the politics of the 1970s [Energy Crisis, Racial dicrimination, Civil unreast, Middle East conflicts, Terrorism, and Global warming as well as Orbital habits where nanotechonolgy and genetic engineering help humans to an utopian lifestyle literally in the heavens...</p><p>What are your thoughts about the future?</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "A mind is a terrible thing to waste..." </div>

 

[kelvinzero]

<p>I thought I read somewhere that he coined the word 'gas giant' but I cant find a reference.</p><p>&nbsp;I havent read much of his stuff, but apparently he stuck a lot closer to what we can meaninfully speculate about than most SF authors.</p><p>There is a real shortage of authors who make any attempt to invoke a sense of awe in the possible. They usually write about a future thousands of years away or after some sort of technological singularity. It&nbsp;becomes just another form of fantasy.</p>

 

[marcel_leonard]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I thought I read somewhere that he coined the word 'gas giant' but I cant find a reference.&nbsp;I havent read much of his stuff, but apparently he stuck a lot closer to what we can meaninfully speculate about than most SF authors.There is a real shortage of authors who make any attempt to invoke a sense of awe in the possible. They usually write about a future thousands of years away or after some sort of technological singularity. It&nbsp;becomes just another form of fantasy. <br />Posted by kelvinzero</DIV></p><p>Did you ever read any of&nbsp;Bova's novels? I've heard he helped young George Lucas when his making THX-1148...</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "A mind is a terrible thing to waste..." </div>

 

[kelvinzero]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Did you ever read any of&nbsp;Bova's novels? I've heard he helped young George Lucas when his making THX-1148... <br />Posted by marcel_leonard</DIV></p><p>Just one recently, "Rock Rats" I think.</p>

 

[fatjoe]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Just one recently, "Rock Rats" I think. <br />Posted by kelvinzero</DIV></p><p>I also like the "Asteroid Wars I, II, III, and IV"</p>

 

[Boris_Badenov]

<p><font size="2">Mars, Return to Mars & Titan for me. </font></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><font size="2">Mars &&nbsp;Return to Mars were excellent books, & for the most part believable. Titan, while a good story, was not very believable.</font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>

 

[craigmac]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Mars, Return to Mars & Titan for me. &nbsp;Mars &&nbsp;Return to Mars were excellent books, & for the most part believable. Titan, while a good story, was not very believable. <br />Posted by boris1961</DIV></p><p>I had the pleasure of reading&nbsp;"Return To Mars", but haven't got a chance to check out "Mars". What I like about Bova's style is that he really gives us some could ideas of creating some private sector funded manned deep space exscursions...</p><p><br /><br />&nbsp;</p>

 

[marcel_leonard]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I had the pleasure of reading&nbsp;"Return To Mars", but haven't got a chance to check out "Mars". What I like about Bova's style is that he really gives us some could ideas of creating some private sector funded manned deep space exscursions...&nbsp; <br />Posted by craigmac</DIV></p><p>Although the majority of Bova's characters are interchangable replicas of each an every story; the one thing&nbsp;I like about his writing style is that he writes in a&nbsp;perspective of&nbsp;a quite believeable-not-too-distant-future...</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "A mind is a terrible thing to waste..." </div>

 

[fatjoe]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Although the majority of Bova's characters are interchangable replicas of each an every story; the one thing&nbsp;I like about his writing style is that he writes in a&nbsp;perspective of&nbsp;a quite believeable-not-too-distant-future...&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />Posted by marcel_leonard</DIV></p><p>After all any good sci fi novel is based on science fact; I think subconsciencely we secretly want our favorite sci fi writes to our future tellers or our modern tady prophets....</p>

 

[fatjoe]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Although the majority of Bova's characters are interchangable replicas of each an every story; the one thing&nbsp;I like about his writing style is that he writes in a&nbsp;perspective of&nbsp;a quite believeable-not-too-distant-future...&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />Posted by marcel_leonard</DIV></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I think subconsciencely we secretly want our favorite sci fi writers to be our modern day fortune-tellers, and prophets...</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><br /><br />&nbsp;</p>

 

[Carrickagh]

<p>Hello,</p><p>I've read almost all of Bova's work, including some recent stuff that appeared in Analog, which he used to edit. In fact, year to year I read as much of one author as possible. Last year was my Bova Year.</p><p>I think Bova is very good at extrapolating current trends, technology, and science and then explaining these as background or as some key to a story. His writing is entertaining and it keeps a good pace. It is also memorable. Trouble is, most people I speak with about his stuff have never been able to think of it as "great." And that bothers me because he is a good, solid, and well-established writer. If not great, he certainly knows how to take an audience exploring.</p><p>I think that what I enjoy is he seems to write as an engineer writes, albeit a divorced engineer who was at one point a poor city-kid!<img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-wink.gif" border="0" alt="Wink" title="Wink" />Sometimes the interpersonal relations between men and women are a tad too strained. And I don't think rich people really talk the way he has some of his megalomaniacal billionaires talk. That being said Bova ventures into areas not explored by other authors. </p><p>I thought his story about manned exploration of Venus was well done. His exiles saga was fun for the time it was written, and the Kinsman saga extrapolated a lot of 1960s stuff right into the SDI of the 80's and what might have been if the two were combined. I also enjoyed the Orion saga, and some of that seemed to come out of some short stories he wrote in the 60s. Indeed, Orion had a touch of Stapledon, Carter, and even Wells&nbsp;and I think "Orion" really would give Benford's "Core" saga a run for its money.</p><p>When I want a solid, steady, and enjoyable read&nbsp;I read Bova. I would recommend most things by him.</p><p>****1/2</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[fatjoe]

<p>I hear that "Mars life" the third exstension of the Mars trilogy should should be out next month...</p><p>I really enjoyed both "Mars" and "Return to Mars"...</p>

 

[marcel_leonard]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I hear that "Mars life" the third exstension of the Mars trilogy should should be out next month...I really enjoyed both "Mars" and "Return to Mars"... <br />Posted by fatjoe</DIV></p><p>This is true that some people don't grow-up; that they just get older. The same can be said for space explorers and extra-planetary excursions. A could example would the The Mars sersis by Ben Bova.</p><p>1. Mars</p><p>2. Return to Mars</p><p>3. Mars Life</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "A mind is a terrible thing to waste..." </div>

 

[JonClarke]

<p>I really liked Mars, for the most part.&nbsp;But I like it less each time I read it.&nbsp;Return to Mars annoyed me greatly.</p><p>Jon</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[marcel_leonard]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I really liked Mars, for the most part.&nbsp;But I like it less each time I read it.&nbsp;Return to Mars annoyed me greatly.Jon <br />Posted by jonclarke</DIV></p><p>I will admitt that Ben Bova didn't cover any new ground with "Return to Mars" but he did stay in tune w/ the main focus of the Jamie Watermen character and his fascination w/ the "Cliff Dwellers"...</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "A mind is a terrible thing to waste..." </div>

 

[fatjoe]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I will admitt that Ben Bova didn't cover any new ground with "Return to Mars" but he did stay in tune w/ the main focus of the Jamie Watermen character and his fascination w/ the "Cliff Dwellers"... <br />Posted by marcel_leonard</DIV><br /><br />The one thing I don't like about Bova's is that he makes to big an issue regarding race when it comes to his character development. I would prefer it if he let develope their own unique voice as opposed to some stereotypical minority token symbol...

 

[JonClarke]

<p>Jamie Waterman was a really annoying character to start with and I did not like how he was developed in the 2nd book.&nbsp; Even the fact that he wasa geologist did not make up for this. After spending the whole of the 1st book trying to get the girl Bova then let the relationship fall apart before the 2nd one started.</p><p>Indigeous intelligent life on Mars is not only a cliche&nbsp;in this day and age, it is a rediculous.</p><p>It was bad enough that the villain was British the the first story, to repeat this in the 2nd other looks like prejudice.</p><p>The evil corporate representative was also a cliche.</p><p>But there were some very good points in the first book too.&nbsp; The generally positive portrayal of of Russians was very unusal in a book by an American author, the cause of the mystery illness was clever, and I liked how the crew were shown as pulling together despite their differences.</p><p>There was nothing I liked in the 2nd book.</p><p>Jon</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[kelvinzero]

<p>I just read 'Moonrise'. He definitely is one of the few writers attempting to write about a future we might actually have.</p><p>I have to wonder about stories about characters that are just wonderful, but continually promote murderous intent in the small minded people who surround them though.. After the third or so unconnected attempt, isnt it worth reinspecting yourself for a bit? <br /></p>

 

[JonClarke]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I just read 'Moonrise'. He definitely is one of the few writers attempting to write about a future we might actually have.I have to wonder about stories about characters that are just wonderful, but continually promote murderous intent in the small minded people who surround them though.. After the third or so unconnected attempt, isnt it worth reinspecting yourself for a bit? <br />Posted by kelvinzero</DIV></p><p>It certainly is a cliche.&nbsp; Of course those small minded people are those who matter just as much as the big visionary ones in the real world.&nbsp;</p><p>Jon<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[fatjoe]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I just read 'Moonrise'. He definitely is one of the few writers attempting to write about a future we might actually have.I have to wonder about stories about characters that are just wonderful, but continually promote murderous intent in the small minded people who surround them though.. After the third or so unconnected attempt, isnt it worth reinspecting yourself for a bit? <br />Posted by kelvinzero</DIV><br /></p><p>I think Bova was better at his character development when he was a young man in his thirties and forties in the 1960's and 1970s; as in the his writing of Kinsman Sage, and Colony. I find that as he writes novels in the early part of the 21st century he relies to heavily on Virtual Reality, Nanotechnolgy, and just the latest basic internet fads of to today to drive his storyline...&nbsp;</p>

 

[crazyeddie]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Did you ever read any of&nbsp;Bova's novels? I've heard he helped young George Lucas when his making THX-1148... <br /> Posted by marcel_leonard</DIV></p><p>I've read a few of his novels, but try as I might, I can never really enjoy them because he is very poor at characterization. &nbsp;He populates his stories with colorful personalities that just seem out of place in the context of where he places them. &nbsp;He often has well-trained professionals and scientists acting like jealous teenagers or evil, hackneyed cliches that just never seem believable to me. &nbsp;He's still living in the Golden Age of pulp science-fiction, I suppose, where such shallow characterizations were common. &nbsp;Just my opinion, of course. &nbsp;He's a very popular author, although I could never understand why. &nbsp;To me, he writes stuff for the "YA" audience (young adult).</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[marcel_leonard]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I've read a few of his novels, but try as I might, I can never really enjoy them because he is very poor at characterization. &nbsp;He populates his stories with colorful personalities that just seem out of place in the context of where he places them. &nbsp;He often has well-trained professionals and scientists acting like jealous teenagers or evil, hackneyed cliches that just never seem believable to me. &nbsp;He's still living in the Golden Age of pulp science-fiction, I suppose, where such shallow characterizations were common. &nbsp;Just my opinion, of course. &nbsp;He's a very popular author, although I could never understand why. &nbsp;To me, he writes stuff for the "YA" audience (young adult). <br />Posted by crazyeddie</DIV></p><p>I have been a Ben Bova fan since I was old enough to shoplift his paperback version of "Colony" as a young adulecent. I have to agree w/ you now that I'm a tax paying citizen of 42 years old; I also find his chararcters kind of one dimensional. If you don't mind&nbsp;could you please refer me to some Sci Fi authors the you find have more believeable character development...<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "A mind is a terrible thing to waste..." </div>

 

[crazyeddie]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I have been a Ben Bova fan since I was old enough to shoplift his paperback version of "Colony" as a young adulecent. I have to agree w/ you now that I'm a tax paying citizen of 42 years old; I also find his chararcters kind of one dimensional. If you don't mind&nbsp;could you please refer me to some Sci Fi authors the you find have more believeable character development... <br /> Posted by marcel_leonard</DIV></p><p>Oh gosh, there are lots. &nbsp;I think Kim Stanley Robinson is about the best when it comes to characterizations of any science-fiction author I've ever read. &nbsp;One of the things about his <span style="font-style:italic" class="Apple-style-span">Mars Trilogy</span>&nbsp;that was so compelling what that those people of the First Hundred seemed so real to me that it was hard to believe they were fictional. &nbsp;I could see how a good author could accomplish an outstanding characterization with one or two protagonists in a story, but he did it with ALL of the principal figures, each one different and totally believable.</p><p>Other outstanding authors in this regard are Ursula Le Guin, Gregory Benford, Orson Scott Card, Theodore Sturgeon, and Michael Crichton. &nbsp;I'm sure I could come up with more, but those stand out, in my opinion.&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>