Legacy of Prometheus

In the near future, an old-fashioned space race begins. Earth's energy crisis is coming to a head, and conventional alternative energies are falling short. There is increasing interest in the idea of high-orbit solar satellites that would collect the sun's direct, undiluted rays and beam energy down to the planet, but no one has yet successfully designed and launched one. Cash Carlson, a cowboy of the first order, hopes his Lone Star satellite will be the first. In his favor are incredible charisma, a top-drawer security expert, world-class press agents, money magicians, a mysterious computer genius known only as Max and Cash's new leading lady--a beauty with a mind for science and a love of space as great as his own. Cash has much to contend with, however: a proposition in the U.N. to internationally control any launched energy satellites; an aristocratic Frenchman--Jean-Claude Du Mont--with a severe Napoleonic complex; the leaching of funds by another competitor; and a great deal of serious sabotage, along with the usual problems of any space adventure. And looming in the skies may be an even greater threat. Dipping in and out of astrophysics lecture mode, the narration is light and fast paced. The characters are instantly recognizable but are not caricatures. While the ultimate outcome is never in any real doubt, each skirmish adds excitement, and the setting and technology are believable. With their fine storytelling skills and irredeemably good-guy hero, this space adventure from Kotani (a pseudonymous astrophysicist) and Roberts, coauthors of four novels including Act of God, will thrill even the most Earth-bound reader. (Apr.)