Bengal Station (Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy) [Hardcover]

Eric Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 9, 2004

Jeff Vaughan, a world-weary telepath employed by the spaceport on Bengal Station, discovers a sinister cult that worships a mysterious alien god. The Church of the Adoration of the Chosen One uses drugs to commune with the ultimate - and murder to silence those who oppose their beliefs. Together with Indian cop Jimmy Chandra, Vaughan's investigations take him to the colony planet of Verkerk's World and the terrible secret of the extraterrestrial Vaith. . . . Meanwhile, in Thailand, street-girl Sukara dreams of being reunited with her long-lost sister on Bengal Station. She meets Osborne, a telepath posing as a businessman with his own secrets, who promises to take her away from her life of prostitution in Bangkok. They travel to Bengal Station, and there Sukara learns of her sister's fate, and unwittingly leads Osborne to his target - Jeff Vaughan. The story follows Vaughan as his mistrust of his fellow humans is overturned by his growing feelings for Thai street-girl Sukara, one of the few good people he's ever encountered in a life of reading cynical, jaded minds. Bengal Station is exotic noir - Blade Runner meets Chinatown - with characters the reader will care about, fast action, and thought-provoking ideas.

Eric Brown, born in 1960, is the author of sixteen books, including science fiction novels, collections and books for children. He is married to the writer and medievalist Finn Sinclair and they live in Haworth, West Yorkshire, England. (20021201)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"From a darkly humorous tale of the power of words (Death and the Librarian) to a never-before-published response to events of September 11 (Ilion), Friesner's 12 stories illustrate the author's acutely sensitive vision of wonder in the everyday world... Known primarily for his 'Star Wars' novels... Zahn's short stories also deliver strong plots and memorable characters... Zebrowski's many novels (e.g. Macrolife) mark him as a visionary as well as a master of hard sf. The ten short stories collected in In the Distance provide a benchmark of his creativity... the author expands his concept of the human condition to embrace the stars. Part of Five Star's continuing commitment to showcasing the short fiction of the genre's most prominent author's, these three volumes belong in most libraries where short sf is popular."
-- Library Journal (December 2002) (Library Journal 20020615)

"...Part of Five Star's continuing commitment to showcasing the short fiction of the genre's most prominent authors, these three volumes (Death and the Librarian and Other Stories/ Star Song and Other Stories/ In the Distance, and Ahead in Time) belong in most libraries where short sf is popular."
-- Library Journal (December 2002) (Library Journal )

"Four more titles in Five Star's new series (God Is an Iron and Other Stories/ Generation Gap and Other Stories/ The Lady Vanishes and Other Oddities of Nature/ Suppose They Gave a Peace and Other Stories) of short fiction by noteworthy sf authors offer a variety of tales that illustrate the depth and staying power of the genre...Most of the stories in these volumes have only appeared in periodicals. Libraries wishing to augment their sf or short fiction collections should consider any of them."
-- Library Journal (June 2002) (Library Journal )

About the Author

Eric Brown, born in 1960, is the author of sixteen books, including science fiction novels, collections and books for children. He is married to the writer and medievalist Finn Sinclair and they live in Haworth, West Yorkshire, England.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Five Star; 1 edition (July 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594142122
• ISBN-13: 978-1594142123
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,917,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars action packed space opera, July 28, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bengal Station (Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy) (Hardcover)

Rotating above the Earth is Bengal Station the jumping point to Earth from the colonies. Jeff Vaughn, a telepath employed by the station to scan people for contraband, is a lonely man. The only person he connects to is Tiger, a young beggar, who lies dying from an overdose of a drug called Rhapsody, a controlled substance imported from one of the colony worlds. A new religion, The Church of the Adoration of the Chosen Ones, originated on one of the colony worlds, the same world that brought in Rhapsody, is actually seeking converts on the station before they go to Earth.

Vaughan becomes suspicious when his boss finds excuses for him not to scan ships coming in from Verkerk's world. It seems something irregular, perhaps illegal, is happening on Verkerk's world and it is linked to the drug and the religion. What he discovers when the planet yields its secrets could change the course of humanity unless Vaughan finds a way to stop the aliens who are on a mission of their own.

The protagonist is a world-weary man who is semi-suicidal, unable to deal with the darkness he reads in each human's soul. The only reason he does not kill himself is that, in spite of himself, he cares about humanity and does not want the aliens to destroy the human race. Eric Brown's Bengal Station is reminiscent of Star Trek Nine with its space station relationships. Readers will enjoy the action packed space opera and look for future works from this talented author.

Harriet Klausner