ollowing The Precipice (2001) and The Rock Rats (2002), this novel concludes the series known as "The Asteroid Wars."
The solar system some scores of years from now is populated quite thickly with human settlements. Since the collapse of Earth's historically central role due to the toll taken by greenhouse-effect disasters, the real rulers of this interplanetary realm are all out in space. On the moon, the settlement known as Selene, where Doug Stavenger remains the power behind the scenes, is perhaps the biggest governmental player. But within Selene are headquartered two corporations with almost as much pull: the Astro Corporation, led by a woman named Pancho Lane, and Humphries Space Systems, whose founder, Martin Humphries, is an implacable rival to Lane. Lastly, back on Earth, the Yamagata Corporation is seeking to gain a toehold in space through the subterfuge of an African base on the moon.
Astro and HSS are both heavily invested in the asteroid belt. Mining operations in the belt supply the raw materials that allow the various space colonies to flourish and that are also being doled out sparingly to rebuild Earth. Prior to now, the rivalry between the two corporations has been kept to standard business levels. But when the Yamagatas deliberately stoke the flames between Astro and Humphries, a shooting war breaks out.
With the leaders of the war ironically just meters apart in Selene, the violence and deaths begin to accelerate out in the belt. Nanotech assaults, laser destruction of shipping, sabotage and treachery escalate. The presence of the half-insane mercenary Dorik Harbin ensures that all rules of engagement are out the window. Meanwhile, space pirate Lars Fuchs, who has an entirely separate grudge against Humphries, gets sick of his hunted existence in the belt and decides to come to Selene to kill the man harassing him.
When Pancho Lane is lured into the African base to be interrogated by the Yamagatas, when a murderous Fuchs penetrates Humphries' lunar stronghold, when Harbin unleashes his fury on an innocent settlement, all during a crucial solar storm—then it seems as if the formerly silent war will engulf all of mankind.
Dynasty among the asteroids
I'll confess right up front to not having read the first two books in this sub-series, which is part of Bova's "Grand Tour" panorama. But anyone who has touched on any of the 10 books in this tapestry will feel right at home, since the characters and situations all intertwine from book to book. And Bova lays out the backstory clearly enough that no newbie reader need feel at sea.
I found the first half of the book to be a tad slow and surprisingly non-SF, all in all, at least in its ultimate effect. With an emphasis on the rivalries and corporate maneuverings of the players, the narrative reads almost like an episode of Dallas, with Humphries as the evil J.R. Ewing. Sure, the setting is interplanetary, but it takes no great mental strain to transpose the action to the oil fields of Texas. Bova relies too much on what might be termed a "consensus history" of space exploration: the rebellious lunar colony, the rugged individualist space miners, etc. We are not distracted by any novelty in this scenario, and so we are forced to fall back on the interpersonal actions, which are pretty much standardized as well. Perhaps the strongest character is the mad mercenary Harbin, especially since we get to see his surprising ultimate fate in the coda to the novel.
The second half of the book is full of ingenious action, capably handled, which raises the excitement quotient. Fuchs' assault on Humphries' home; Pancho's daring escape from the African base; an assault with nanotech weapons on Vesta; the destruction of an asteroid habitat—by cutting back and forth quickly between these events, Bova maintains suspense. The final solution to the Asteroid Wars might strike some as too much a product of the boardroom rather than the battlefield, but to me it carried its own logic and realism.
As usual, Bova remains meticulous in his descriptions of the technology that allows these settlements to survive. With Earth a poor relation, there's a bit of the same "steel beach" buzz that John Varley conjured up in his "Nine Worlds" future history. While I can't say this novel stands out in Bova's ongoing series, readers will no doubt find it a fairly satisfying climax to this portion of his epic.
