This part of the story seems to be an author afterthought. Only a few characters from the previous three books make an appearance in this book. The rest of the plot revolves around a prospector family who are attacked shortly after the habitat at Ceres is destroyed. In an effort to deflect the maniac mercenary Harbin from blowing them up, Victor Zacharias detaches his ship's command pod from the rest of his freighter (The Syracuse). Harbin follows the pod for awhile leaving The Syracuse to drift to the outer asteroid belt with Victor's wife and two children inside. The reader follows Victor's efforts to figure out a way to find his family again, the efforts of Theo, Angela and Pauline trying to figure out a way to get their ship heading back to Ceres again, and the mission of Dorn f.k.a. Harbin and his sculptress companion in finding the bodies of the many ships that Harbin destroyed.I enjoyed this series. The characters were human, the technology was practical and based in reality, there was only one reference to alien lifeforms and didn't dominate the story. Parents should know that there are references to piracy, drug use, sex, and profanity, although thankfully nothing was terribly graphic except for one somewhat gory murder scene. Put this series down as PG-13 or so, and talk to the teens who might want to read this about ethics, integrity, and doing what's right in the face of incredible pressure to do otherwise.
Much like Angels and Demons, this book's only redeeming featues was its quickness in reading it. Unlike Angels and Demons, however, I know for certain that Bova is capable of much better than this. The plot meanders, many parts seem pointless, characters do not always act or react realistically and much doesn't really make sense. A sub-par effort from Bova.Keep in mind that a book I give 2 stars is about the worst book I'll actually read to completion. The only times I've finished a one-star book were for the AIS Book Club or just to say I've read a stupid James Joyce novel.
What do You think about The Aftermath (2007)?
Any given page of this book is well written, but the book as a whole is not well crafted. New major characters are introduced about every 50 pages or so. The different groups of characters are united by chance meetings but don't share any deeper theme. Coincidence is a major player in the plot (though this is probably a necessity in any drama set in the asteroid belt, and Bova works to minimize reliance upon it). And neither the characters nor the action seemed all that great to me -- not that they were bad, just that there was plenty of room for improvement.
—Mark Isaak
My second try at Mr. Ben Bova's style of sci-fi after a much hated experience of reading voyagers. I liked this book.Realistic depiction of a refugee's fear - safety of their women. I liked that sensitive touch to the story. Dorn got a little irritating in the end with his anti-violence sermon in the face of imminent death but I guess that's the deliberate handiwork of the author. 'The artifact' was a little loose sub-plot but brilliant character development saved any further trouble with that minor setback.Not a good book, definitely not a bad one and not mediocre either. It lingers in the deep black space like the story is set in.
—Vijai
