Hugo-winner Bova (The Green Trap
) combines cutting-edge science and geopolitics in a fast-paced but flimsy near-future technothriller. When a rogue faction of the North Korean army detonates a nuclear missile in space, an electromagnetic shockwave takes out numerous satellites and cripples communications worldwide. Fearing another attack, the U.S. military launches ABL-1, a powerful but untested 747-mounted laser that should be able to destroy a missile in flight. The effort will be a baptism in fire for the skeleton crew, one of whom may be a saboteur. Meanwhile, the president struggles to respond to the crisis without starting a world war. The tense atmosphere, swiftly unfolding plot, and scientific details do little to hide a host of meaningless subplots and shallow characters, resulting in a Clancyesque tale that lacks the power and focus of Bova's better and better-known hard SF. (Feb.)
Details
Reviewed on: 12/21/2009
Genre: Fiction
Analog Audio Cassette - 978-1-4417-2530-1
Compact Disc - 978-1-4417-2531-8
Compact Disc - 978-1-4417-2533-2
MP3 CD - 978-1-4417-2534-9
Mass Market Paperbound - 369 pages - 978-0-7653-6358-9
Open Ebook - 1 pages - 978-1-4417-2536-3
Other - 400 pages - 978-1-4299-5521-8
Paperback - 400 pages - 978-0-7653-8298-6
Pre-Recorded Audio Player - 978-1-4417-2537-0
