Rating: 
Summary: Space opera with bad science
Review: This is pretty light reading, so despite myself, I've enjoyed reading it. The characters aren't very deep, and have one-dimensional motives. Humphries gets away with anything he wants to do, because, for some reason, nobody ever investigates the bad things he does, like burning up all of Lar's supplies. Some of the science in the book is just blatantly wrong, though, especially where Bova (or a ghost writer?) talks about going into a high speed orbit around an asteroid (huh?) or picking an "orbit" around an asteroid to match its spin. There are some things he does in the book that JUST DON'T WORK. It's almost as bad as Armageddon in that respect. But, taking it as space opera; light fiction with not much depth, it's still fun to read.
Rating: 
Summary: A jumpy plot
Review: This novel did not hold my interest. I found myself skimming forward. The plot skips forward in time from chapter to chapter, and skips between people in various sub-plots. It does seem to have a main character, more or less, but often is dealing with someone else. It seems to be left unfinished to lead into a sequel. The writing seems to be soap opera style. The story is about competition to control the mineral wealth in the asteroids, a lawless frontier where competition can get deadly. Everyone has their own agenda. Like in real life, most prospectors die broke. The money is made by companies selling them supplies. It is hard to find white hats in the story, as everyone involved seems willing to kill to achieve their goals.
Rating:
Summary: A jumpy plot
Review: This novel did not hold my interest. I found myself skimming forward. The plot skips forward in time from chapter to chapter, and skips between people in various sub-plots. It does seem to have a main character, more or less, but often is dealing with someone else. It seems to be left unfinished to lead into a sequel. The writing seems to be soap opera style. The story is about competition to control the mineral wealth in the asteroids, a lawless frontier where competition can get deadly. Everyone has their own agenda. Like in real life, most prospectors die broke. The money is made by companies selling them supplies. It is hard to find white hats in the story, as everyone involved seems willing to kill to achieve their goals.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic tragedy set in outer space
Review: This novel is excellent, period. Bova develops a future where the earth's resources have been depleted, and its only hope lies in the mineral rich asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The ores in the Belt are worth countless trillions of dollars, and struggle develops between an industrial tycoon, Martin Humphries, and the unofficial leader of independent asteroid prospectors, Lars Fuchs. Humphries is a cold-blooded, hyper-ambitious industrialist that amkes JR Ewing look like a saint. Fuchs is genuinely concerned about "the little man," but is a slave to his own volcanic temper and violent urges. The two men are the centers around which the war for control of the asteroid belt revolves. Warning: this book does not end happy. Hence the word "tragedy" in the title of my review. Fuchs own moral and personal failings prove his undoing; yet Humphries does not truly win either. To say more would ruin the book. Just remember that this book is a tragedy, in the classic sense of the word. Think "Moby Dick" as an example of what I mean. The charge that Bova does not develop the characters enough is superfluous; these same characters have appeared in other books by him and have been fully developed in those, so to do so again in this book would be repetitive and unfair to his loyal readers. It is number two in a trilogy, so the final ending may be happier than the one in this book. Nonetheless, for those who can stand its sober conclusion, this book by itself is an excellent read. It is fast paced, technically accurate, and emphasizes action strongly. All in all a great way to spend a few hours.
Rating: 
Summary: To serve the plot
Review: This review refers to the audio cassette version. This book is just wrong on so many levels. First of all the audio production is a complete mess. It attempts to be a multicast production but the book was not rewritten to reflect that type of work. Therefore you have a stream of readers (albeit professional) reading points of view changes that really do not exist. It mostly ruins the flow of the story telling. Additionally the heavily accented protagonist is just too one dimensional and his so-called change are just not convincing. But would this book have been saved by having just one reader? I think not. While the story setting (the asteroid belt) is unique and dynamic the characters seem just to serve the linear plot. It seems all they do are things just so the story will move along. Lars does something and wife whines. Lars does something else and wife whines some more. In the story's end both Lars and wife do something that is totally inexplicable in terms of real character actions. But it does manage to get the story from beginning to middle to end. This book ends on a strangely somber note that hardly invites me to continue on with the series. I just hope one of my fellow Amazon.com readers reads the end of this so called trilogy and reviews, posts, and give away the ending for me. For I will certainly not waste any more time than that on the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: First book to be tossed....
Review: Tossed across the room, that is. As an avid Ben Bova reader, I usually sit down and chew through one of his books in a couple days. I've read all of his fiction and love his "grand Tour" series. Excellent book written by an excellent writer. As usual, a wonderful tossed salad of politics, science fact, fiction and emotions. *SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS*
Anyway, back to my tossing... When I finished Rock Rats last one night, my first reaction was to throw it across the room and scream. The bad guys won and it irritated the heck out of me. First book I've ever thrown across the room in anger and irritation. I'll tell you, as I've told anyone that will listen, read this series. It's great! But be ready for the typical trilogy thing...the bad guys win in the second book. *sigh*
Rating:
Summary: First book to be tossed....
Review: Tossed across the room, that is. As an avid Ben Bova reader, I usually sit down and chew through one of his books in a couple days. I've read all of his fiction and love his "grand Tour" series. Excellent book written by an excellent writer. As usual, a wonderful tossed salad of politics, science fact, fiction and emotions. *SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS*
Anyway, back to my tossing... When I finished Rock Rats last one night, my first reaction was to throw it across the room and scream. The bad guys won and it irritated the heck out of me. First book I've ever thrown across the room in anger and irritation. I'll tell you, as I've told anyone that will listen, read this series. It's great! But be ready for the typical trilogy thing...the bad guys win in the second book. *sigh*
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