10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
War Is Hell, August 27, 2006
The Silent War (2004) is the third SF novel of the Asteroid Wars series, following The Rock Rats. In the previous volume, Lars Fuchs was caught in an ambush by HSS mercenaries, was returned to Ceres, and then was exiled by the Rock Rats. Amanda Cunningham divorced him and married Martin Humphries to keep Lars from being hurt by any HSS goons. But Amanda also has plans to implant an embryo fertilized by Lars within herself and to carry it to term.
In this novel, Yamagata Corporation is moving back into space ventures after years of rebuilding Japan. Saito Yamagata is leaving corporate management to his son Nobuhiko, but providing advice as requested. Saito has insisted that the corporation should remain in the background until their position is assured. Most of their efforts have been focused through Nairobi Industries, an African conglomerate with little overt experience in such ventures.
Covertly, Yamagata Corporation is picking off freighters from both Humphries Space Systems and Astro Manufacturing. Now each of these corporations blames the other for their losses. Martin Humphries and Pancho Lane are ready to make war of each other. The Humper is reestablishing the base on Vesta and equipping it with a dozen attack craft. Pancho is arming her freighters.
Lars Fuchs is unaware of most of these warlike preparations, but he is continuing his war against HSS. Dorik Harbin, commander of the HSS mercenaries, is still trying to lure him into a trap, but without luck. Still, Lars has learned about Amanda's pregnancy, but not about the heritage of the embryo.
Eight years after her marriage to Humphries, Amanda makes her first move in the long held plan to implant herself with the cryogenically preserved embryo of Lars and herself. She is supposedly carrying Humphries's baby and only Douglas Stavenger and Pancho Lane know that the embryo's heritage is quite different. She has even changed the DNA codes in Humphries's medical records to throw off suspicion of another paternity. Now if she can just carry the baby to term without the Old Humper learning of her duplicity.
The characters in this novel have well developed, but trite motivations. Of course, trite means commonplace and they are very common personality types. Especially Humphries, who learned early that his father cared nothing for him; now he is marking people notice him by force (mostly economic). Pancho is a white-hatted cowboy, out to do good in the world, but otherwise liable to play practical jokes and other highjinks. Lars Fuchs has been forced into a psychological corner by the Old Humper and differs greatly from his previous self-image. All are what they are due to circumstances beyond their control, just as are you and I.
The prologue and epilogue to this work occur six years after the body of this novel. An alien object, thought to be an artistic work, has been discovered and sold to Martin Humphries. Except for the discovering family and the initial security detail, no one else has seen the object. The results of viewing the object are variable, but profound.
This novel is the final volume in the Asteroids Wars series, but the consequences carry throughout the Grand Tour universe. Some of these effects have already reached publication in other works, most notably Venus, which is a direct sequel, although taking place over a decade after this volume. Others are still to come.
Recommended for Bova fans and for anyone else who enjoy tales of high adventure, technical warfare and naked slaughter.
-Arthur W. Jordin
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
terrific conclusion to the action-packed Asteroid Wars, April 29, 2004
This review is from: The Silent War: Book III of The Asteroid Wars (Hardcover)
Earth still remains in the cataclysmic grip of economic failure coupled with crippling environmental disaster. Little hope remains on the planet with the best chance to renew the orb being the vastly rich asteroid belt. Though the potential wealth seems astronomical, two rivals have merged trying to gain control of the resources (see THE ROCK RATS). Pancho Lane heads Astro Corporation while Martin Humphries leads Humphries Space Systems with the former wanting to share the affluence in an effort to save earth and humanity while the latter wants to control everything and everyone.
Pirate Lars Fuchs lost his beloved spouse Amanda to Humphries when she offered herself in exchange for his freedom several years ago. Not long afterward, Amanda dies giving birth. Humphries assumes that the child is of his seed and so does Lars who is still mourning his loss and seeking revenge by killing Humphries. Meanwhile on a solar system level, the conflict between Astro Corporation and Humphries Space Systems flares encouraged by a third interested party, Yamagata Corporation, who plans to gain control of everything once the two giants pound each other into stardust.
This exciting tale is a terrific conclusion to the action-packed Asteroid Wars (see THE PRECIPICE and THE ROCK RATS). The story line moves faster than the speed of life until the final confrontation. Though Martin remains as an extreme example of a mega maniac as one will see embrace a novel, the rest of the cast does not seem as one dimensional. Fans will appreciate this fabulous tale as well as the rest of a wonderful futuristic solar system that seems so bleak except for a one sparkle of starlight.
Harriet Klausner
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Did some other author write the last chapter ?, October 21, 2005
This review is from: The Silent War: Book III of The Asteroid Wars (Hardcover)
The "3" rating is most definitely an average of a "1" and a "5".
Until the very end, this book exemplified all the best features of this series, with a lot of corporate manipulation and dramatic action. I was hooked quickly. I found myself looking forward to the 2 new books in the Grand Tour that Bova has published since The Silent War. I even joined Bova's mailing list to hear about future books.
Then the last chapter descended on me like a sudden laser blast from space. It was so different in tone and theme that it did not even seem like something Bova would have written. It was not a fitting concluson, nor was it likely to appeal to the kind of reader who would have enjoyed the rest of the book or the rest of the series. If it was a jumping-off point for the next books, it was too sudden and unwelcome.
Is the Grand Tour taking a new route? If so, I'm not sure I want to go along.?
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