One of the blessings/curses of working in a mall is the convenience of a nearby bookstore. The blessing is that I love books… perusing them, sampling them, browsing, and ultimately buying them. The only problem is that I’ve spent probably a decade buying books I never have time to read. I finally took a hint from my staff at work. In down times, they read. A lot. So with that in mind, I was in the mall’s Waldenbooks with my friend Tammy when I was savagely attacked by Ben Bova’s paperback, “Jupiter”. OK, excusing my propensity for hyperbole, those who have been following my book reviews might recall my wildly enthusiastic reviews of Bova’s novels, detailing humanity’s first adventures to the fourth planet out in “Mars” and “Return to Mars”. Years after I read those books and wrote their reviews, I still remember my wide-eyed enthusiasm for them. When “Jupiter” jumped off the shelf at me, I did not know at the time that Bova had been busily crafting an armada of science fiction books detailing adventures to most of the solar system.It took me a while before work slowed down to the point where I could escape to the fantasy world of a novel, but “Jupiter” waited to be explored, much like the king of the solar system and the book’s namesake. My instant liking and comfort with Mr. Bova’s writing style felt familiar and cozy and, like the last fictional work I had read, the first book in the Harry Potter series, I tore through this book of 389 pages in only 4 days. The book doesn’t chronicle humanity’s first voyage to the gas giant planet, but instead paints a picture of a struggle between a tight governmental state of rigid religious control and humanity’s need to grow and discover and explore. The planet, accounting for most of the planetary mass in our solar system, serves as little more than the stage upon which this struggle is staged. Our semi-protagonist, Grant Archer the third, comes into the story sounding much like he might have come from the fictional city where the Kevin Bacon movie “Footloose” was set. Grant’s childhood and development are grazed over so quickly, though, that I was left looking for a little more background for the story. Instead, the main body of the story is propped up on threads of an introduction. “This happened, that happened, and here we are” is the feeling I was left with, by the time Grant got to outpost “Gold”, a large space station in close orbit around Jupiter. Unlike the Mars stories, where simple character development works just fine for Jaime Waterman, I don’t feel like I know much about Grant Archer by the time we meet the other major players in the book, and as for them… I don’t feel like I know almost anything about them.A tangential side story involving dolphins and a gorilla isn’t terribly effective. I know where Ben is trying to go with this side story. It feels like he never quite gets there, though.If the next words you’re expecting to read were something akin to, “I was left thirsty for a good story”, however, you’ll be surprised. Like a Hall of Fame pitcher, even when Bova doesn’t bring his “A” game, he still has more than enough to overpower and win the big game. The guy is a wizard of great stories and incredibly compelling books.As I think about this book, the only thing wrong with “Jupiter” is that there wasn’t a lot more of it. I really would have enjoyed more set up to the story and more background to paint in subtle details. Bova’s story telling is so furiously compelling that despite my complaints, I almost tore the paperback apart, reading it. I blew through certain passages so quickly, just to see what happens next, that I actually considered re-reading the entire book immediately, to see if I missed anything. This book will get a re-read, but I want to move on to something new for now.As for a recommendation, I’ll say this. If you read Mars and loved it even close to as much as I did, you’ll want to read “Jupiter”. If Mars wasn’t for you, feel free to move along; there’s nothing to see here. That said, if Mars wasn’t for you, you just don’t like epically great science fiction stories and that’s all there is to it.
I'm about a third/halfway through Bova's grand tour...not chronologically since I started with Saturn and then worked my way through the four asteroid war books- Jupiter is one of the most enjoyable stories so far and I'd recommend it as a good starting book for the whole series.Jupiter like all of the grand tour books has a light, quickly paced flow to its story and you'll find the normal menagerie of quirky scientists and the ever present threat of the New Morality. While in some books the New Morality is represented through villains only it was a nice change to have a believer with a little more complexity and a likeability through the protagonist Grant who begins the story as a New Morality believer. What makes the Bova books enjoyable is that they each story brings new philosophical, science and humanity drive questions along with action adventure. What makes Jupiter stand out is the adventure side has a unique intensity and the questions it asks are deep and unique compared to other Bova books. Without spoiling much (and since I haven't read Mars yet my review but lack necessary knowledge,) the questions regarding humans relationships with other forms of sentient intelligence, both natural and alien haven't been brought up in my Bova reading so far. I thought the questions/issues raised were emotionally tugging- parts of the book reminded me of Jurassic Park.All in all Jupiter is one of the best balanced and profound books in Bova's world tour- An immensely enjoyable read.
What do You think about Jupiter (2002)?
Ben Bova's novel is interesting and well-composed, in the same style as his Moonrise and Moonwar books. The story is about one-third exploration, one-third personal dilemma, and one-third political intrigue, which makes for a pleasant variety and change of pace for the action without becoming too cluttered; all the conflict elements revolve around the same central question. The prime human conflict in the book is the political struggle between religious zealots and devoted scientists, and the strains this places on a man who is dedicated both to his faith and to his work. While there are certainly parallels to be drawn between the stories elements and modern issues, they are not so heavy-handed as to be obtrusive or distracting. If the work has any failing it is that it really only seems to possess a single character. Grant Archer, our protagonist, is the only figure to be developed in any meaningful sense; the plot distances him from his personal relationships, and his beliefs from his coworkers. While I don't find that this is a problem it does mean that if you take a dislike to Archer, you will find very little to latch onto in the narrative.
—Hassan Chaudhri
Much of Jupiter's prose is simple, expressed in a realistic, down to Earth language, light on metaphor and heavy on realism. This isn't implicative of amateurism on Ben Bova's part, but rather his intention to express his world in a relatable manner to our world. He touches upon the consistency of religious beliefs, as they sustain themselves throughout many scientific breakthroughs, and crafts a relatable main character struggling with his faith and career. These themes are nearly universal in our modern culture, rendering the futuristic setting closer to home; dissipating its foreign nature. Under these merits, I highly recommend Ben Bova's Jupiter to readers of all genres.
—Jamie Lott
Not only a planet was explored in this novel, but a universe. Religion runs the world, they disguise it well, but the smart ones know, things come and go ONLY as the New Morality pleases. We are shot into the foreign planet of Jupiter, what lies on 'Gold' is not only humans, but an ape that can speak, dolphins that interact with humans... This is not a straight shot "Let's fight aliens" book, there is SO much more. You are introduced with many factors in this book, that seem to make no sense, but it all pieces together like a Mindblowing Puzzle. If you are looking for an adventure, read Jupiter. If you are looking for many adventures, read Bova in general.
—Random Pendragon
