A young woman approaches the Emperor of the Hundred Worlds with a plan to save Earth--through astrophysics and engineering--before the Sun explodes and wipes out the last genetically unaltered humans in the universe. Reprint.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
When the Empire of the Hundred Worlds receives the news that Earth's sun is dying, the aging emperor supports a young scientist's attempt to save humanity's seed-world--despite the objections of bureaucrats who feel that Earth has outlived its usefulness. This collaboration between sf veteran Bova ( Mars , LJ 2/15/92) and first-timer Austin results in a generation-spanning novel of sf adventure and high intrigue. Although characterization takes a backseat to plot, this fast-paced story belongs in most sf collections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Born in Philadelphia, Ben Bova worked as a newspaper reporter, a technical editor for Project Vanguard (the first American satellite program), and a science writer and marketing manager for Avco Everett Research Laboratory, before being appointed editor of Analog, one of the leading science fiction magazines, in 1971. After leaving Analog in 1978, he continued his editorial work in science fiction, serving as fiction editor of Omni for several years and editing a number of anthologies and lines of books, including the "Ben Bova Presents" series for Tor. He has won science fiction's Hugo Award for Best Editor six times.
A published SF author from the late 1950s onward, Bova is one of the field's leading writers of "hard SF," science fiction based on plausible science and engineering. Among his dozens of novels are Millennium, The Kinsman Saga, Colony, Orion, Peacekeepers, Privateers, and the Voyagers series. Much of his recent work, including Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, The Precipice, and The Rock Rats, falls into the continuity he calls "The Grand Tour," a large-scale saga of the near-future exploration and development of our solar system.
A President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past president of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, in 2001 Dr. Bova was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He lives in Naples, Florida, with his wife, the well-known literary agent Barbara Bova.
A published SF author from the late 1950s onward, Bova is one of the field's leading writers of "hard SF," science fiction based on plausible science and engineering. Among his dozens of novels are Millennium, The Kinsman Saga, Colony, Orion, Peacekeepers, Privateers, and the Voyagers series. Much of his recent work, including Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, The Precipice, and The Rock Rats, falls into the continuity he calls "The Grand Tour," a large-scale saga of the near-future exploration and development of our solar system.
A President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past president of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, in 2001 Dr. Bova was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He lives in Naples, Florida, with his wife, the well-known literary agent Barbara Bova.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
To Save the Sun so that you can Fear the Light (or reading the second book),
By
This review is from: To Save The Sun (Mass Market Paperback)
(This review is for both To Save the Sun and To Fear the Light as they are, together, one story)
Science Fiction veteran Ben Bova and rookie A. J. Austin have crafted a very attractive story idea with To Save the Sun and To Fear the Light: Humanity has spread out among 100 planets and are loosely collected in the Empire of a Hundred Worlds. When the empire's scientists determine that Sol, the sun of mankind's origin and genetic seed planet Earth is likely to start dying with a few centuries, it is a young scientist, Adela de Montgarde, from a frontier world that boldly proclaims that she can save the sun and thus the foundation of the species. The scientists are all skeptical as their centuries of life have stifled all inquisitiveness and creativity from them. Many a bureaucrat believes the idea to be folly - including the Princess Rihana, wife of the Emperor's son Prince Javas. But Dr. Montgarde wins the support of the Emperor who initiates the grand scheme. In the process, Dr. Montgarde wins the heart of Prince Javas who discards Rihana like excess baggage when the Emperor moves the seat of power from Corinth to Earth's Moon. This generation spanning tale starts with much promise, the storytelling delivers with a sweeping grand scope of style that sees the progress of the effort to save the sun first from the political standpoint and necessity and then from the scientific viewpoint. But as the first book, To Save the Sun, progresses, the story starts to loose focus; by the end of the first volume, it is apparent that nothing significant will come to pass before the second book. Unfortunately, another aspect of the plot starts to become very obvious by the end of To Save the Sun: the 700+ pages of these two books is really just about the power struggle - and not a very interesting one at that - between two women, Adela de Montgarde and Rihana, and the the sons that both women have "with" the Prince (I put with in quotations because there is little normal or natural about how any of this plays out). So, by To Fear the Light, this once promising story looses all focus and becomes a book about the struggle between these two women and basically humanity's seemingly unrealistic fear of an alien race. What does the second half of this story have to do with saving the sun? Only as much as that idea can interfere with the authors' determined attempts to loose all focus. And that is the sad part, because there is real promise buried inside of this story, which could have been one very good book of hard science fiction. >>>>>>><<<<<<< 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.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to put down.,
By Nate Dizzle "tech guru" (Florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: To Save The Sun (Mass Market Paperback)
I first read this book many years ago when it first came out. I found it very difficult to put down. I was a full time student at the time and had very little free time. Yet I still managed to read it in 3 days (usually at the expense of sleep). The other 2 reviews gave a fairly good description of the story outline. Though I would add there is a good amount of political intrigue. The parts that actually take place on earth are probably some of the most memorable. I would say that it is a fairly positive outlook on humanity of the far future. Very much worth reading.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Cover review,
By Ray Francis "sci fi enjoyeur" (St. Joseph, MI United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: To Save The Sun (Mass Market Paperback)
from the back cover of the December 1993 TOR paperback edition
Cover art by John Berkey Ancient Earth is doomed. Its sun will explode, not millions of years hence but in mere lifetimes - violently enough to scour Earth clean and leave the Empire of the Hundred Worlds adrift. For the handful of "primitives" left on Earth are the baseline for humanity's ever-diversifying genetic stock. Every other human world sends regular delegations to check their own genetic pool against "Earth normal". Now the center will hold no longer. The Empire's scientists deem that nothing can be done. The age of heroism is past: this is the long, stagnant afternoon of the human race. Until - over massive opposition - a single young woman makes her way to the Emperor with that rarity, a new scientific insight...and a plan, flowing from its implications, to mobilize humanity's slumbering energies toward a millennium-long effort of applied astrophysics. Of engineering carried out on the hearts of stars. A plan to save the Earth. To save the Sun.
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