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| View Larger Image | The Rock Rats (The Grand Tour; also Asteroid Wars) | Mass Market Paperbackby Ben Bova (Author)
| List Price: | $6.99 | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Mass Market Paperback | | Publisher: | Tor Science Fiction | | Page Count: | 400 Pages | | Publication Date: | June 16, 2003 | | Sales Rank: | 531,240st |
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FEATURES | - ISBN13: 9780812579888
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
Visionary space industrialist Dan Randolph is dead-but his protégé, pilot Pancho Barnes, now sits on the board of his conglomerate. She has her work cut out for her. For Randolph's rival Martin Humphries still wants to control Astro and still wants to drive independent asteroid miners like Lars Fuchs out of business. Humphries wants revenge against Pancho-ands, most of all, he wants his old flame Amanda, who has become Lars Fuchs's wife.In the struggle over the incalculable wealth of the Asteroid Belt, many will die-and many will achieve more than they ever dreamed was possible. |
Amazon.com Review
Ben Bova's second installment in the Asteroid Wars series continues his trademark style, with caricatured characters in a classic Greek dramatic structure duking it out against a high-tech, Libertarian-influenced, future-history backdrop. Billionaire jerk and womanizer Martin Humphries stirs the pot again, overcoming attempts to oust him from the Selene moon base. His grip on Humphries Space Systems and its economic scheming remains as tight as ever, but he still desires two things: control of the asteroid belt's rich resources and, of course, possession of the ever-elusive Amanda What's-her-name at the expense of likeable alpha male number two, gruff prospector Lars Fuchs. ("One look at Amanda's innocent blue eyes and full-bosomed figure and any man would be wild to have her." We're left to guess as to whether the "wide-eyed," "lusciously curved" Amanda has any other qualities, desirable or otherwise.) For Bova fans, Rock Rats has it all--cool technology, whip-fast action, and choreographed intrigue--and this installment certainly ups the ante in the series. As Bova gravely notes, "[T]he Belt became the region where prospectors and miners could make fortunes for themselves, or die in the effort. Many of them died. More than a few were killed." --Paul Hughes |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.0 based on 22 reviews)
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Good start, great climax, bad ending... by Phantha Boon  3 Stars
March 30, 2009
***SPOILER ALERT***
Ben Bova is a good story teller, no doubt. His writting will keep you turning the pages and finish the book in no time. The futuristic discription is gloomy, yet possible. He also does a decent job with technology, a must in any sci-fic book.
What he lacks is a better character development and a cheerer (that's not a word, right?) ending. Amanda, the sexy yet intellengent wife of Lars, devoices her husband in order to protect him from Humphries?!? What?! I thought this girl was supposed to be INTELLENGENT!!! And then there's George; dude was saved by Lars, probably his best friend, from a hopeless situation, and how does he thank him? By exiling him from Ceres, the moon, and the Earth....what?! I know Ben wants to keep the story open for the next book, but dude, at least make some sense!
Anyhow, besides the terrible ending the book is pretty decent and entertaining. I personally didn't read book One, I might, but book Three is out of the question, I read the review and can't stand any more mishape of Lars and Amanada (she stayed with Humphries, the man she hates, for years?!...well guess she's not so smart after all)
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A Slow Starter by Bu-chan (Aotearoa) 3 Stars
July 17, 2008
Not being a major fan of Ben Bova, I was interested in the comments made by some reviewers who obviously are fans. The harsh criticisms levelled at "The Rock Rats" were quite interesting. While I would not lambast the book as complete rubbish, it certainly lacked something that the previous novel, The Precipice (The Grand Tour; also Asteroid Wars), had.
The plot basically follows on from the first novel, (with some large jumps in time), and focuses on Martin Humphries' attempts to tighten his grip on control of the asteroid belt and its super-abundant resources and profits. Of course, being a rather morally challenged villain, he uses some nasty methods. Up against this behemoth of industry is Lars Fuchs, protege and beneficiary of Dan Rudolph. With a large number of subplots going on, there is much more to it than this simplistic summary.
One reviewer commented that the story jumps about a bit. While this is true, with jumps of dossiers on characters and so on, I feel this does not detract from the novel itself. The brief episodes add an air of anticipation, I thought, as I wondered how these people would fit in. The only thing that annoyed me a bit was the so-called "dossiers" were in very novel-like language, hardly anything like that of real dossiers. They just didn't seem convincing.
The plot itself takes longer to wind up than the previous novel of the series. For about the first 100 pages, I found it a bit of a chore, to be honest. Once I got into the second century of pages, things started to move, finally. The adventure was back and the conflict reached a new level.
I would also add this: Lars Fuchs seems an odd sort of main character for this type of role. He just seems a bit more wishy washy than most, and seemed less than adequate. When he finally gets some substance, the novel ends. This might be overly critical, but I thought the character of Dan Randolph had much more substance, as did many of the subsidiary characters.
While not as good as "The Precipice", I still enjoyed this installment of "The Asteroid Wars". The read is simple and does not require lots of brain power. It is a good relaxing jaunt through the solar system neighbourhood that Earth is in.
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Disappointment. by L. Walker (Phoenix, Az)  1 Stars
February 29, 2008
I purchased this book and it's predecessor together based on the author's name. Ben Bova. A fourth of the way through the first book I felt cheated.
The progression of the story isn't smooth at all. It jerks and jumps and drags. The situations aren't believable and there are large gaps in the rationalization of "WHY". You know, "WHY" this or that happens. "WHY" these people do this or that. The reasons just aren't there. Worst of all, the characters don't behave like actual people, their decisions are obviously made to push along this stubborn mule of a story. And believe me, this mule doesn't wanna go anywhere.
Like I said earlier, I purchased books I and II together. I forced myself to read the second book as punishment for believing the hype of a big name science fiction writer. Surprise, surprise, it was like trying to slog my way through mud. Mud that's up past your shins. You're forced to go slow, you can see all this mud in front of you and you just want to get to the end.
I do not recommend this book.
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Bad editing and redundant narrative trumps space pirates by Bill Higenbotham (LA, CA (most of the time))  2 Stars
January 28, 2008
Book one was great, but Rock Rats is missing something. In addition to a few grammatical errors the book is over simplified. I found that I despised the way Bova reintroduced the characters and plot lines from the first book. There was a tendency to use narrative instead of letting character dialogue and scene description tell the story. But hey, its got space pirates, that's good.
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The Asteroid Wars Heat Up by Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL)  4 Stars
January 15, 2008
Ben Bova has written an exciting follow-up to "The Precipice". Once again, Martin Humphries and Lars Fuchs clash in this fast-paced novel.
At the end of The Precipice, Humphries was exiled from Selene and forced to give up all of his shares in Astro Manufacturing. Despite this, he still crashes Lars' and Amanda's wedding and gives them Starpower I as a wedding present. Martin secretly hopes that Lars will head to the Asteroid Belt alone and leave Amanda on Selene where he can get his hands on her, but she surprises Martin by leaving with Lars.
Martin has also developed a trading center on the asteroid Ceres. Here, Martin's company can supply the "Rock Rats" with all the supplies they need. In response, Amanda convinces Lars and Pancho to develop their own company to compete against Martin. Pancho's Astro company will provide the goods. Thus, Helvetia, Inc. was born and is now larger than Martin's company.
Understandably upset by Lars' latest move, Martin sends some of his own thugs to raid Helvetia's warehouse. In the ensuing melee, Lars loses all of his inventory and some of his employees are killed. But Matin doesn't stop with the warehouse. Soon, ships are disappearing and Martin's company is laying claim to many different asteroids. Even the chief director of the habitat project is killed.
Lars tracks down the killer and infuses a little frontier justice of his own. A court is convened, but Lars is found innocent. But Humphries is incensed. He sends Dorik Harbin, a hired assassin who's hooked on several different kinds of drugs, into the belt to hunt down Lars and kill him. However, Lars manages to give Harbin the slip, and Harbin is forced to return to Selene empty-handed. However, once there, he meets and begins a torrid affair with Diane Verwoerd, Martin's assistant. Martin has his own plan for Diane; namely, having her impregnated with his clone. But, Martin still has his sights set on Amanda and making her his own. Will he succeed?
This is a very good book. Although I preferred "The Precipice" slightly more, "The Rock Rats" is loaded with action, and the conflict between Martin and Lars explodes with fury. Bova fans won't want to miss this exciting continuation of the Asteroid Wars.
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SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
| The Silent War: Book III of The Asteroid Wars (The Grand Tour; also Asteroid Wars)
by Ben Bova (Author)
When corporations go to war, standard business practice goes out the window. Astro Corporation is led by indomitable Texan Pancho Lane, Humphries Space Systems by the rich and ruthless Martin Humphries, and their fight is over nothing less than resources of the Asteroid Belt itself. As fighting escalates, the lines between commerce and politics, boardroom and bedroom, blur--and the keys to victory will include physics, nanotechnology, and cold hard cash.
As they fight it out, the lives...
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| The Precipice (The Grand Tour; also Asteroid Wars)
by Ben Bova (Author)
Once, Dan Randolph was one of the richest men on Earth. Now the planet is spiraling into environmental disaster, with floods and earthquakes destroying the lives of millions. Randolph knows the energy and natural resources of space can save Earth's economy, but the price may be the loss of the only thing he has left--the company he founded, Astro Manufacturing.
Martin Humphries, fabulously wealthy heir of the Humphries Trust, also knows that space-based industry is the way of the future. But...
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| The Aftermath: Book Four of The Asteroid Wars
by Ben Bova (Author)
In the wake of the Asteroid Wars that tore across the solar system, Victor Zacharius makes his living running the ore-carrier Syracuse. With his wife and two children he plies the Asteroid Belt, hauling whatever cargo can be found. When the Syracuse stumbles into the middle of a military attack on the habitat Chrysalis, Victor flees in a control pod to draw the attacker’s attention away from his family. Now, as his wife and children plunge into the far deeps of space, Victor has been rescued...
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| Mercury (The Grand Tour)
by Ben Bova (Author)
The planet closest to our Sun, Mercury is a rocky, barren, heat-scorched world. But there are those who hope to find wealth in its desolation.
Saito Yamagata thinks Mercury’s position makes it an ideal place to generate power to propel starships into deep space. Astrobiologist Victor Molina thinks the water at Mercury’s poles may harbor evidence of life. Bishop Elliot Danvers has been sent by the Earth-based “New Morality” to keep close tabs on Molina.
But all three of...
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| Jupiter: A Novel (The Grand Tour)
by Ben Bova (Author)
Grant Archer only wanted to study astrophysics. But the forces of the "New Morality," the coalition of censorious do-gooders who run 21st-century America, have other plans for him.
To his distress, Grant is torn from his young bride and sent to a research station in orbit around Jupiter, to spy on the scientists who work there. Their work may lead to the discovery of higher life forms in the Jovian system-with implications the New Morality doesn't like at all.
What Grant's...
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