Empire Builders

Rating:
Summary: Expectations Not Met - Novel Too Juvenile
Review: Everything in this novel is too simplistically told - the greenhouse cliff that could be avoided by a conversion within 10 years to all fusion engines, to Dan Randolph who double dammed and said rain don't make applesauce too many times for me. The characters of Fletcher and George were better drawn.
Give me Bova's Mars book.

Rating:
Summary: Really a 3.5 star rating...
Review: Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others

STORY: From back cover - "Dan Randolph, has become Dan Randolph, empire builder. His staff has found evidence that the greenhouse effect has been gathering speed and that soon, Earth will be on the edge of the greenhouse "cliff". Millions will die unless humankind changes its ways immediately."
On the run from the world government and other forces, Randolph battles to regain all that he has lost and save the world at the same time.

MY FEEDBACK:
1) At first I was groaning at the thought of some extremist "tree-hugging" storyline. Yet Bova handles the subject matter VERY well without getting overly preachy.
2) Some nice plot twists and believable opposition established
3) A complaint (not the only one) is that the end seemed to get wrapped up a little too swift and nicely. It ignored some issues that normally would carry on a lot longer considering the "history" Bova built between characters and the world they live in.
4) The character of Dan Randolph was enjoyable to read and the people who help him at various turns are a nice mix to watch
5) The audio book reader does a good job and even had different voices for different characters, which I always prefer.

OVERALL: It was interesting and entertaining. The "hard science" of the book was ok...nothing spectacular. It is worth the effort if you don't have anything else pressing to read.

Rating:
Summary: Typical Bova--Excellent
Review: The best thing about this book is how Bova is able to please the entire political spectrum on the enviromental issues that are addressed in the book. Left wingers will be pleased that the plot includes pending enviromental catastrophe caused by humanity's excesses while right wingers will be pleased that the solution is more freedom, not less. Dan Randolf, the main character of the book, is the best protagonist Bova has ever created.

Rating:
Summary: Excellant Novel
Review: This is really a unique novel. I don't recall reading anything by Ben Bova before this book. After reading this novel I decided that Mr. Bova wrote a good novel and I bought several more of his titles to see if he is consistent. Well, that is not the point of this review. This is a review of 'Empire Builders' not Ben Bova.

What a really good novel this was. The protagonist Dan Randolf is a wonderful creation on Bova's part, as a previous reviewer noted. I don't know how much of the science involved in the book is realistic but it was written in such a way that I found it believable. The motives of the key players were logical and the plot made sense. What more can you ask for.

Amazon did an adequate job of giving the plot overview so I won't waste your time here with the same. I will only add that this novel succeeds in nearly every particular. As you are reading the novel you are constantly confronted with actions and reactions that are surprising to you, as the reader, but seem like the only logical event after reading them. A definite recommend on my part.