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Description
Environmental collapse pushes Earth toward disaster, and former industrialist Dan Randolph gambles what remains of his fortune on mining asteroids for the resources that could power the planet. He must protect his company, Astro Manufacturing, from the schemes of Martin Humphries, a fabulously wealthy heir who sees space as a lucrative opportunity regardless of Earth's fate. The story pits idealistic ambition against ruthless greed as the two men clash over the future of humanity's survival. Ben Bova's novel mixes hard science, corporate intrigue, and a high-stakes race to determine whether the world can be saved.
Quick Summary
Ben Bova, who won a bunch of Hugo Awards for his science fiction, really delivers with this one. The story follows Dan Randolph, a guy who's lost most of his fortune but still has this wild, ambitious plan to mine asteroids before Earth's environment completely falls apart it's got that "one last shot to save the world" energy that makes you root for him from page one. If you're into hard science fiction that feels genuinely plausible (Bova was a NASA consultant, so the tech stuff is solid), this hits differently than a lot of sci-fi out there. The book's substantial at over 100,000 words, which might intimidate some younger readers, but if a teen loved The Martian and wants more realistic space adventure, they'll eat this up. Parents will appreciate that it tackles real environmental concerns while keeping things exciting rather than preachy. It's part of Bova's larger Grand Tour series, but works fine as a standalone. One heads-up: there's some language and the stakes are genuinely high, so it's better suited for older teens than middle schoolers. If your kid's already devouring everything space-related, this is a great next step up from younger sci-fi into more complex territory.