Could have benefited from an editor's red pen

I read the reviews before purchasing. However, none were obviously made by a woman or a person of color. I have read everything Ben Bova has written and have been a Science Fiction fan since I found used paperback version of "I Robot" in a desk drawer 30 years ago. However, I found I had to skip about 5-6 chapters detailing the race war and rapes in the cities. The plot was implausible and assumed that the revolutionaries were idiots without a plan. There was no explanation of their actions except murderous intention and no attempt to show them as anything more than caricatures This was not the worst. Once our heroine "Sherherazade" met the hero she turned from the revolutionary leader and light of the PRU to a simpering female who could be overcome by her lover grabbing her and planting a big one. He did everyrthing except grab her by the hair and drag her into the cave, YUK!
Somewhere near the end, the character become something more than cutouts. However, I found the resolution simplistic and naive. I won't even begin to talk about the narrator.
Every character sounded like an old " geezer". He would do better a a member of an ensemble.
Well, I am off to find my next selection.

2 people found this helpful

Complex Classic Sci-Fi Thriller -- Must Read

Colony is a classic Sci-Fi thriller. The plot is the world is overpopulated while a space colony, in space called Island 1, has lush greenery and is untouched by Earth's woes. This tale is complex with many threads which Bova does a fabulous job laying out and pulling altogether. I say it is complex because there are numerous characters each with their own agendas. In fact there are numerous antagonists and arguably two hero characters.

In true Bova style, he weaves intrigue with a splash of violence to keep you on the edge of your seat. This work was written when there was still a Soviet Union and worries about population global population explosion -- so the premise may be dated a bit but it is still relevant today. Narration was goo -- it didn't get in the way.

This book will appeal to Bova fans. There is sex in the book and Bova doesn't shy away from innuendoes -- there is no gritty details. No more than Hunger Games or other such current thrillers. I recommend this novel.

8 people found this helpful

Painfully slowly with no real payoff at the end.

I struggled to finish this one. It seemed to just keep going without ever pointing in a solid direction. I did not feel a connection to the characters and have never felt so much joy as to reach the end. Would not recommend.

1 person found this helpful

Excellent story,,, needed different narrator

I love Ben Bova Stories ! Tabori's narration seemed a little rough. I guess I have been spoiled by Stephan Rudnicki's characterizations. After a while this narration grows on you. Give it a chance ! The story is really good.

1 person found this helpful

Find a different narrator

Ever had something stuck in your garbage disposal and you had to turn it off and get it out. The narrator’s voice sounds like that.

Great story but sometimes difficult to listen to

Enjoyable and engaging story describing man’s earlier efforts to move into space. Contains both political intrigue and much action. Again, Bova creates characters the reader cares about.

The reader’s characterization of the different characters was well done, but the dynamic range of his reading was so great that his lower volume segments were difficult to understand.