Power Play, Ben Bova
Power Play, Ben Bova
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Power Play

Author: Ben Bova

Narrator: Stefan Rudnicki

Unabridged: 9 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/03/2012

Categories: Fiction, Science Fiction

Synopsis

Dr. Jake Ross, a university astronomer, wants nothing more than to teach a few classes each semester and continue his research. Instead, he finds himself aggressively recruited to be the science advisor to Frank Tomlinson, an ambitious politician with his eye on the US Senate. Tomlinson is in need of an edge that will allow him to defeat his opponent at the polls, and Dr. Ross can contribute just that: MHD. MHD, or magnetohydrodynamics, is a new innovation that will allow electricity to be generated efficiently and cheaply. The Senate seat is essentially guaranteed if Tomlinson can deliver unlimited energy to voters at less than half the price of nuclear power. But MHD is still in its infancy, and although the outlook is extremely promising there are great—and deadly—risks.The incumbent senator will not give up his seat without a fight, and as Ross discovers, the world of politics carries its own dangers. Nothing has prepared him for the extreme tactics that desperate and powerful people are willing to use. Power Play is a timely thrill ride by Ben Bova, one of science fiction’s most respected novelists.

About Ben Bova

Ben Bova (1932–2020), American author of more than one hundred books of science fact and fiction, was awarded posthumously the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award. His work earned six Hugo Awards. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation in 2005, and his novel Titan won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best science fiction novel of 2006. In his early career, he was a technical editor for Project Vanguard, the United States’s first effort to launch a satellite into space in 1958. He then was a science writer for Avco Everett Research Laboratory, which built the heat shields for the Apollo 11 module. He held the position of president emeritus of the National Space Society and served as president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

About Stefan Rudnicki

Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jamie on January 06, 2018

While there are some great sci-fi ideas and interesting insights into the (corrupt and ineffective) american political system, the only reason I'm persevering with this book is that over the new year period the libraries are closed. It's written from a totally misogynist mindset. The women in the st......more

Goodreads review by Donna on January 28, 2024

Wish I had of read the reviews for this one before starting it! Very shallow book. The protagonist lost his wife prior to the intro of the book and hadn’t been on a date in months. Suddenly he is caught up in a political race for a senator and two women are introduced. Unfortunately the women are wr......more

Goodreads review by Kent on April 12, 2023

I was hoping for an interesting mostly hard science fiction book. But the new technology, magneto hydrodynamic power didn't ring true. I either missed or they didn't explain how it magically burned high sulfur coal and produced no CO2 or SO2. But what did me in was that the hero of the story was intere......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on March 28, 2019

A perfectly readable novel that literally puts the "science" in science-fiction. But it feels so ordinary compared to Ben Bova's adrenaline-pumping solar system series, or his philosophical epic about the death wave. Serviceable storytelling, but lacking a certain "oomph" I find in other Bova novels......more

Goodreads review by Jeanne on December 19, 2017

I had read Power Surge which is a sequel takes place in the same universe with the same characters. I gave it three stars. I should have read my three star review. I liked this one even less. I have the same issues - not enough sci-fi and more politics than usual. Plus there was a ton of "who is sle......more

Quotes

“Power Play is an interesting political-economic thriller starring a dedicated, likable hero.” Mystery Gazette

“The winner of multiple Hugos puts the science in SF; his large following will appreciate another rapid-fire SF thriller.” Library Journal

“Unpredictable at every turn, Bova’s new novel is sexy, intriguing, and timely.” Booklist

“Solid.” Kirkus Reviews

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