Colony

By: Ben Bova

Narrated by: Kristopher Tabori

In the future, everything is different—but nothing has changed.

"The Earth has been poisoned by pollution, choked by overpopulation, and ravaged by the mindless greed of power-hungry corporations. A fragile peace is threatened by landless revolutionaries and global anarchy seems imminent.

Yet a single ray of hope remains…."

Island One is a celestial utopia, and David Adams is its most perfect creation - a man with a brain as advanced as any computer and a body free of human frailties. But David is a prisoner - a captive of the colony that created him - destined to spend the days of his life in an island-sized cylinder that circles a doomed and desperate home planet. Thousands of miles below him, a world trembles; its people cringe in terror and despair in anticipation of an impending apocalypse. And fate has cast one extraordinary human in the role of savior. For David Adams has a plan - one that will ultimately ensure the salvation of his species... or its annihilation.

©2013 Ben Bova (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Complex Classic Sci-Fi Thriller -- Must Read

Colony is a classic Sci-Fi thriller. The plot is the world is overpopulated while a space colony, in space called Island 1, has lush greenery and is untouched by Earth's woes. This tale is complex with many threads which Bova does a fabulous job laying out and pulling altogether. I say it is complex because there are numerous characters each with their own agendas. In fact there are numerous antagonists and arguably two hero characters.

In true Bova style, he weaves intrigue with a splash of violence to keep you on the edge of your seat. This work was written when there was still a Soviet Union and worries about population global population explosion -- so the premise may be dated a bit but it is still relevant today. Narration was goo -- it didn't get in the way.

This book will appeal to Bova fans. There is sex in the book and Bova doesn't shy away from innuendoes -- there is no gritty details. No more than Hunger Games or other such current thrillers. I recommend this novel.

Feels like this could actually happen today

Ben Bova’s Colony was written in 1978, yet it feels like this scenario could actually happen today. The Earth is sinking into a morass of environmental degradation along with ever growing inequality, while large corporations essentially control everything. Colony is a space station built as a secure and comfort-able retreat for the wealthy. One man living there represents their attempts at genetically engineering human perfection. He hopes to help Earth and eventually escapes Colony and experiences a series of adventures on Earth, while at the same time the main backer and proponent of Colony has been secreting supporting the radical masses in the hope of fomenting worldwide civil war. What transpires is a race to save Colony.

Bova seems quite prophetic in terms of recognizing space as an outlet for wealthy individuals with little interest in addressing problems on Earth. The main character, while genetically enhanced, is completely ignorant of actual life on Earth, but determined to assist.

The narration is great with solid character distinction. Pacing is smooth.

Excellent story,,, needed different narrator

I love Ben Bova Stories ! Tabori's narration seemed a little rough. I guess I have been spoiled by Stephan Rudnicki's characterizations. After a while this narration grows on you. Give it a chance ! The story is really good.

Great story but sometimes difficult to listen to

Enjoyable and engaging story describing man’s earlier efforts to move into space. Contains both political intrigue and much action. Again, Bova creates characters the reader cares about.

The reader’s characterization of the different characters was well done, but the dynamic range of his reading was so great that his lower volume segments were difficult to understand.

Could have benefited from an editor's red pen

I read the reviews before purchasing. However, none were obviously made by a woman or a person of color. I have read everything Ben Bova has written and have been a Science Fiction fan since I found used paperback version of "I Robot" in a desk drawer 30 years ago. However, I found I had to skip about 5-6 chapters detailing the race war and rapes in the cities. The plot was implausible and assumed that the revolutionaries were idiots without a plan. There was no explanation of their actions except murderous intention and no attempt to show them as anything more than caricatures This was not the worst. Once our heroine "Sherherazade" met the hero she turned from the revolutionary leader and light of the PRU to a simpering female who could be overcome by her lover grabbing her and planting a big one. He did everyrthing except grab her by the hair and drag her into the cave, YUK!
Somewhere near the end, the character become something more than cutouts. However, I found the resolution simplistic and naive. I won't even begin to talk about the narrator.
Every character sounded like an old " geezer". He would do better a a member of an ensemble.
Well, I am off to find my next selection.