Customer Reviews

Jupiter

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Jupiter (2001) is the second SF novel in the Planet Novel series, following Venus. In this volume, Grant Archer graduated with a degree in Astrophysics and expected to spend his two years of Public Service at Farside Observatory studying black holes. His wife would be serving with the Peacekeepers on Earth, but he should be able to spend his furloughs with her. Then the New Morality changed his Public Service tour to four years on Thomas Gold station orbiting around the planet Jupiter.

Grant appeals his assignment through New Morality channels to regional director Ellis Beech. There Grant is told that something unusual is occurring at the station and that he is to report any such suspicious actions to Beech. Grant is a Believer, but he doesn't fancy himself as a spy. However, he realizes that Beech could easily assign him to some obnoxious manual labor job and starts agreeing with the director's complaints.

After more than a year in transit, the rundown freighter Oral Roberts finally docks at Gold station. In the boarding tunnel, Grant notices an asymmetrical feature on one side of the torus that he doesn't recognize from his study of the station diagrams. Then he is met by Egon Farland, given a brief tour, and shown to his compartment.

As soon as he can, Grant tries to discover the purpose of the strange arrangement, but the computer gives him a message stating that the subject is not for public dissemination. After he tries several other ways of tracking down the object through the computer, Grant is summoned to the station director's office and told that he has no business trying to access such information. Zhang Wo declares that he has made a bad start on the station and directs him to report to the security office.

Lane O'hara, the current security director, is a beautiful woman who renders him speechless in admiration. In her initial conversation with Grant, Lane is vibrant and convivial, but soon displays a stern demeanor as she conveys the official briefing. After completing the formalities, she sends him to the personnel director, who turns out to be Farland. When Grant displays his puzzlement, Egon informs him that each of the scientific staff temporarily fills the administrative roles in the Jupiter system, thus allowing more scooters -- i.e., scientists -- on the staff and reducing the number of beancounters.

Almost all the scooters in the system are studying the various moons. However, both Lane and Egon are assigned to the Jupiter study group. Grant soon meets others is this study group: Zeb Muzorawa, Irene Pascal, Frankovich, Ignacio Quintero, Patti Buono, Kayla Ukara, and Christel Krebs. He also learns that five members of this group will be going below the clouds of Jupiter in the ship that he had first seen from the boarding tube. Little does he know that he will be one of them.

Director Wo is devoted to finding out whether the lifeforms spotted in the first dive of the saucer-shaped ship are intelligent. He has imposed strict security because the danger from Zealots in the New Morality and other like groups. Such Zealots take "Man was made in God's image" as their manifesto and they would assassinate anyone who tries to prove otherwise.

This novel continues the struggle between the fundamentalists in political power and the scientists who search for new lifeforms in the universe. Unfortunately for the fundamentalists, the scientists keep finding new indications of life within the solar system. Since these Believers depend upon the products of science and technology, how can they prevent the scientists and technologists from following their own agenda?

Logically speaking, fundamentalism is based on the most primitive of worldviews and belongs in a primitive society. Global warming killed off much of the world population and fundamentalism was acceptable to the survivors. However, population controls are not acceptable to most primitive societies and only caused resentment among the descendants of these survivors.

With a growing population, survival itself has once again become dependent upon technology. Now the fundamentalists are caught between the rock of their own beliefs and the hard place of group and individual survival. Compromise becomes a necessity, yet the Zealots are not compromisers.

Recommended for Bova fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of planetary exploration and moral dilemmas.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Although he has been around for a while and I have read a lot of science fiction, this is only the second Ben Bova novel I have read, the first being one of his stories for teenagers. What I found with Jupiter is that Bova is a decent author, well-deserving of his longetivity in the genre.

Bova's late 21st Century Earth is an unpleasant place dominated by the New Morality, a futuristic spin-off of the Moral Majority. Protagonist Grant Archer is a religious man who is used as a pawn of the New Morality in its efforts to spy on the Jovian explorers. Archer is sent to a space station above Jupiter and quickly learns there are mysterious goings-on, and as the story develops, he gets more and more involved with these happenings himself, until finally he must go on a high-risk exploration of the big planet itself.

I say that this novel is in the classic style of science fiction because it is reminiscent of such sci-fi giants as Asimov and Clarke. Science and scientific exploration are the most important things, and plot and character are next on the list. Nonetheless, although his characters are not all that well developed, they are not one-dimensional. Archer, in particular, is a conflicted individual, torn between the New Morality who he often agrees with and offers his only chance to go home to his wife and his own feelings that the Jovian explorers are doing a necessary thing.

I recommend this book for fans of hard science fiction, in particular, fans of classic hard science fiction. This book fits well into this genre and will not disappoint those readers.

Ben Bova has been around a long time, has written a lot of novels, and when he writes a novel it is bound to be a decent read. That is what this book is: a decent read for those of us who enjoy "hard" science fiction.
Candidly, this book is not in the same league as Bova's "Mars" or even "Moonrise" or "Moonwar." Although the story takes place almost entirely aboard a space station orbiting Jupiter, one would never know it. They might as well have been at an Antarctic research station--few of the special issues that surely would exist in such an envirnonment ever come out. The book takes a crack at being imaginative by featuring some odd aliens: a genetically modified (more intelligent) gorilla, and whale-like intelligent Jovians. It doesn't work. The ape reminded me of my three year old son except with gorilla strength, and the Jovians act just like human beings. Not at all compelling, convincing, or interesting. Well, that's my opinion, anyway.

Nor did I find the politics of the novel to be particularly interesting. In effect, the novel is set in a world where a caricature of the present American so-called "religious right" is in full control in both the future USA and other countries. Just as you'd expect, these folks (the "New Morality") are narrow-minded characters who you would not want to have a beer with. They are against science and progress because, well, they are narrow-minded characters. OK, so we know that Bova doesn't like the "religious right." We find that out in the first ten or so pages, which essentially constitute a recital as to how awful the "New Morality" is. The "New Morality" then basically drops out of the novel into the distant background, basically as a bunch of puritans who don't want the folks on the space station to explore Jupiter and find out that it contains life and maybe intelligent Jovians. They don't want people to know that there are intelligent aliens because, well, the New Morality is comprised of narrow minded characters. Ho hum.

Basically, like all of Bova's books that I have ever read (most of them) Bova paints a depressing view of the future--one in which individual liberty is very limited, and anything resembling a Jeffersonian view of freedom is a thing of the past. In virtually all of Bova's books he postulates a future in which the authorities can pretty do whatever they like to whomever they like, and generally this is pretty ugly. That is certainly the case in this book--you'll find this recurrent theme throughout. Just like in Bova's "Mars" "Moonrise" "Moonwar" and I imagine the others.

Bova's prose is good. As usual, his character development is serviceable, but none of the characters are compelling, and all are quite forgettable. Nevertheless, this is a readable book; good for an afternoon at the beach or whatnot.

Yes, I've been forced to change my tone about the author of Jupiter because of this book. Normally, I spend my time rolling my eyes and groaning in disgust at the blatant chauvinism and unending technobabble of previous novels by Ben Bova. I'm a big Sci-fi fan, and no matter what everyone says, his books are formulaic by all standards.

HOWEVER... Jupiter is another story. I often call reading a new book by Ben Bova punishment, but this time I had to eat my words. I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I thought it was the sort of sci-fi that I think should be done more often, where the reader is left with thoughts and questions and where their imaginations are challenged.

Without spoiling it, (although as I read through several of the other reviews, I shouldn't be too concerned about that since they've already spoiled part of it), I must state that my favourite character in this book, is Leviathan. I believe this story is a wonderful dance of two EXTREMELY DIFFERENT characters with almost everything else in common, a sense of wonder, exploration, defiance of rules, and most important, an insatiable curiosity and goodness.

As my friend said who also read this book... unlike most other alien encounter tales, this one allows for mutual ignorance and misunderstanding between human and alien, yet have a positive and fruitful encounter, without overdoing the whole 'first contact' concept, which is often indeed abused by other authors.

Ben Bova -- My personal message to you is, KEEP THIS UP. I loved Sheena, the dolphins, Dr. Wo, the whole thing from beginning to end, and you even gave the whole chauvinistic thing a bit of a rest (even tho occasional yet acceptable levels of it appeared on occasion to remind us this was indeed Ben Bova writing this novel)!

To other readers: His previous fans might find this book annoying, which is fine. To anyone else who may enjoy a flight of imagination, read Jupiter.

I had the chance to read this work in galley just before the holidays. I am a long-time Bova fan, beginning in my tender years when he took over Analog. Bova, probably more than anyone of his generation KNOWS the space program and this book shows it. He has a firm grasp of the physics and mechanics not only of the hardware but the human heart. There are no lightyear leaps, no warp drive, no phasers, but if you are interested in what the sons and daughters of your sons and daughters MIGHT be doing, then Bova has an option for you.

On the second stop in Ben Bova's Grand Tour of our solar system, we explore the mysteries of the planet Jupiter-the largest gas giant in the system. Though we have a good starting idea of what type of planet Jupiter is--a massive ball of gas that rotates at a high speed, with bands of clouds circling the upper atmosphere and a giant, centuries old hurricane called the Red Spot that could swallow Earth itself. We also believe that Jupiter has a liquid metal hydrogen center surrounding a small rocky ball. Most likely, Jupiter is a failed companion star to Sol that never reached enough mass to ignite; a potential companion star that has a few of its own worlds circling it, including Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, and Io...each with its own mysteries to be solved.

In "Jupiter", young, astrophysics graduate Grant Archer has his eyes set on studying black holes from the moon for his graduate studies; newly married, Grant must serve out four years of Public Service to the state for their generous funding of his education, and what better way, Grant believes, than this. But, the state, which is controlled by the New Morality, has other ideas for Grant: as a spy on Space Station Gold circling Jupiter where scientists are defying the state's desires and studying life on Jupiter's moons and in Jupiter itself. This study of extraterrestrial life has the potential of challenging the New Morality's view of reality, and they don't like it at all. Grant--a believer, but not a Zealot--is miffed at the idea, especially since there is no astrophysics research being conducted at Jupiter; a complete waste of his talents and time he believes. But, Grant has no choice, Public Service is Public Service; and if he can find out what the New Morality wants to know quickly, then maybe they will ship him back to the moon where he belongs.

What Grant is yet to learn, is what role he will ultimately play within the secretive space station and its mission of discovering what the large shapes moving around inside of Jupiter's world spanning ocean are...and are they intelligent?

Ben Bova weaves a tight, straight forward tale about a mission to the heart of Jupiter where our understanding of fluid dynamics are incomplete when it comes to the dynamics of a gas atmosphere that subtly becomes liquid ammonia-laced water without a distinct boundary. Bova speculates on the potential of a gas giant like Jupiter to support life--both microscopic and large and intelligent. I have recently read a few books that bring in gas giant life forms into the storyline, but "Jupiter" tackles the topic head on.

Unlike some of the more multi-layered space opera being crafted today, Ben Bova is a bit more old school; and, that is not a bad thing. It is a nice change of pace to read a good book about space exploration that is a simple adventure tale while tackling our understanding of our solar system and the universe at large. And, I enjoyed what is also a simple moral tale as well, where a young self- absorbed grad student grows up and discovers the difference between right and wrong without the help of a "New Morality".

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

John Campbell, arguably the best known editor in the history of science fiction, once demanded of his writers, "Write me a story about an organism that thinks as well as a man, but not like a man." Probably the best known successful response to that challenge was Stanley Weinbaum's pseudo-ostrich Tweel in "The Martian Odyssey". It's only my opinion, of course, but I believe that Hal Clement's Mesklinites, the bizarre natives of a world of frozen methane and ammonia crushed with a gravity over 700 times that of earth also completed Campbell's imaginative challenge.

But, that was then and this is now. If John Campbell were still alive, I'm sure he would agree that Leviathan, Ben Bova's sentient colossus swimming the storm tossed globe-girdling oceans of Jupiter, a planet so massive that it is within an ace of self-igniting into a star, would also qualify as a winner in his alien life-form fiction sweepstakes.

As part of the continuing "Grand Tour of the Universe" series, "Jupiter" is certainly high falutin', rootin' tootin' space opera replete with all the high-tech gadgets, personalities, heroism and skulduggery that one would expect of any self-respecting member of this venerable sci-fi sub-genre. The basic plot idea is simple. It's the story of mankind's establishment of an experimental space station orbiting Jupiter, the development of research programs investigating Jupiter's large moons - Io, Ganymede, Europa, Callisto - and, ultimately, the first tentative exploration of the amorphous surface of Jupiter, the discovery of Jovian lifeforms and the realization that at least one of these species is sentient, intelligent and capable of communication. Bova has transformed a very basic scientific idea into an exciting plot-line with plenty of edge of the seat moments and lots of imaginative science that isn't entirely off the radar screen of credibility.

But, for me, what really pulls "Jupiter" into the 5-star range is Bova's portrayal of the ultra-right wing religious opposition to this basic scientific research and the philosophical discussion of humanity's conflicted reaction to, first, the possibility and, finally, the reality of sentient extra-terrestrial life.

Bova's "Grand Tour of the Universe" series is a continuing joy. Naturally, with such an extended series, some of the novels are much better or much worse than their siblings. "Mercury", for example, was much more soap opera than space opera. But "Jupiter" definitely fired on all cylinders and was an all out success. Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

Grant Archer is the prototypical reluctant hero. All he wants is to work out his public service obligation on the moon, writing his dissertation on harmless (to the ruling religious parties) astronomy. Instead, the draft board sends him to Jupiter to spy on the scientific base there.

Grant is torn between his identity as a man of faith, and that as a scientist. Still, something is going on in orbit around Jupiter and he finds himself involved.

Ben Bova is a longtime master of SF, and JUPITER is certainly a credible addition to the collection. In some ways, Grant is a throwback to the SF of the fifties and sixties (teen is thrown into adventure and saves the universe), but Bova adds science, political speculation, and a bit of a mystery to round out the novel. Positioning Grant as a man of both faith and science adds a dimension to the character missing in more pot-boiler SF.

I've read a few of Bova's works, His short stories, Mars, Return to Mars, I enjoyed them all but none better then this bok Jupiter. Bova's imagination is great and he does not exceed the point where you say "Hey that could never happen". Bova tells a great tale and I recomend anyone who has enjoyed his books to read this, any sci-fi fan this is a must.

Jupiter is easily compared to Bova's earlier novel, Venus. Like Venus, it follows a familiar form of someone reluctantly adventuring to another planet. It also similar to the Mars (Mars and Return to Mars) and Moon (Moonrise and Moonwar) series, and actually shares the same "universe" as those books.

However, I would recommend the Moon and Mars books before reading either Jupiter or Venus. Then, if you like those, I would then recommend Jupiter and Venus. Furthermore, the books are all loosely connected, in sharing the same "universe", time, and making some references to one another. They also seem to take place in approximately the order they were written.

However, beyond the throw-away connections, each "planet" stands alone, so they can be read in any order and independent of one another.