David's Reviews > Death Wave

I like Ben Bova's near-future Science Fiction. I like his characters. I like MOST of the dialogue. I enjoy the universe he has created. This one is labeled as # 1, but NEW EARTH is the prequel to this book and I think a must read if you want to read this series.

In this one, Jordan and his alien wife have returned from NEW EARTH with an important mission. Enlist the help of planet earth in preparing outlying alien civilizations for a wave of deadly gamma radiation that has already engulfed a number of planets, destroying intelligent civilizations. The major problem, it will be two thousand years before the radiation reaches earth, therefore the people of earth don't seem to feel the urgency, even to save the heretofore unknown alien nations. The other obstacle is the head of the World Council, an evil woman that makes the witch in the Wizard of Oz seem like Mary Poppins.

At times, Bova waxes a bit melodramatic. His characters muse and ponder over their situation like Hamlet wondering if he should be on not be. The bad guys all (even the woman that heads the council) could be twisting their handlebar moustaches. At times, it is a bit over the top and at times it feels like he was getting paid by the word. At other times, the action happens all too quickly.

Still, reading Bova has prepared me for clever traps from the villains and clever ways for the hero to overcome them.