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Saturn: A Novel of the Ringed Planet Audiobook
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(3.00) - 612 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Following the bestselling, widely-praised Venus and Jupiter, Ben Bova offers a new adventure of solar system discovery like nothing previously imagined In the bestselling novels Venus and Jupiter, Ben Bova dramatized the latest discoveries about our own solar system in an epic tale of near-future exploration and development. Now Bova turns his attention to one of our system's greatest mysteries—Saturn. Earth groans under the thumb of fundamentalist political regimes. Crisis after crisis has given authoritarians the upper hand. Freedom and opportunity exist in space, for those with the nerve and skill to take it. Now the governments of Earth are encouraging many of their most incorrigible dissidents to join a great ark, a one-way expedition to Saturn, the ringed planet that baffled Galileo and has fascinated astronomers ever since. But humans will be human, so amidst the idealism permeating Space Habitat Goddard are many individuals with long-term schemes, each awaiting their moment. And hidden from them is the greatest secret of all—the real purpose of this expedition—known to only a few...
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"I really enjoy Ben Bova's novels. Saturn follows his normal formula of quick action and political intrigue layered over a hard scifi background. This book is a bit longer than some of the other planet books, which allowed for more twists and turns in the political situation, and that's a good thing."
— melody (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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The story progresses rather well and the narrators, who are good at their jobs, take us along with them.
— SFCrowsnest.com -
Bova proves himself equal to the task of showing how adversity can temper character in unforeseen ways.
— The New York Times on Venus -
With Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein gone, Bova, author of more than 70 books, is one of the last deans of traditional science fiction. And he hasn't lost his touch.
— Kansas City Star on Venus -
“Veteran sci-fi scribe Bova nails our current society on the head with this futuristic fable. Wisely cast with a skilled group of readers....Explore a world in which nanotechnology, cryogenics, virtually invisible surveillance techniques and fearless scientific investigation coexist with characters firmly committed to either freedom or tyranny. Well acted, grippingly and wittily written. Saturn runs rings around most sci-fi.
— AudioFile
Saturn Listener Reviews
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" This book was ok but not great. Lots of different shifts in terms of the power struggles that go on in the book. There are also lots of changes of perspective so you're never really sure what the whole purpose is -- until the end. "
— Mike, 2/15/2014 -
" This novel had a number of interesting elements that, in the end, just did not click. The social construct felt a bit old hat. The science, however, was interesting and, at points, provacative. The plot concluded far too quickly and predictably. During the read, I was only uncertain as to the disposition of one character - and not one I cared for. Overall, this one falls a bit short. Certainly not as well done as Bova's Mars and Return to Mars. "
— Phil, 1/25/2014 -
" I haven't read a scifi in a long time. I enjoyed exercising my imagination again. Humanity doesn't change much, even though we try. I'll have to read another Ben Bova book soon. "
— Ana, 1/14/2014 -
" Ben Bova is one of the best scifi writers and this book is excellent reading "
— Philip, 1/11/2014 -
" Holly joins the first manned expedition to Saturn because she wants a fresh start and is attacked to one of the leaders. The conflict between the the New Morality and science continues as the fundamentalist movement seeks control over mankind. "
— Fredrick, 1/6/2014 -
" Bad book about bad people. Do not waist your time! "
— Marita, 1/2/2014 -
" Leave it to Ben Bova to take a really great story line and make it weak, predictable and boring. This book was so awful that I sold it, and felt bad about having wasted my time reading it. "
— AJ, 12/29/2013 -
" Overall it was OK, a light read but nothing that stood out "
— Scott, 11/24/2013 -
" Good sci fi, interesting politicing. Nothing truly exceptional, but it's a very solid, above average read. "
— Emily, 11/16/2013 -
" A colony in place around Saturn, as a social experiment "
— Drew, 9/9/2013 -
" Yet another great Grand Tour book - I love reading these, they just fly for me! Saturn and Titan should be read close together since they're basically one continuing story. "
— Stacy, 7/12/2013 -
" Finished "Saturn" by Ben Bova. This didn't even get interesting until most of the way through book 1. After that, the author liked to show his hand a lot, so it was really only alright. "
— Brett, 2/18/2013 -
" Entertaining book, but with characters that are one dimensional and at times cartoonish. Makes good airplane or easy beach reading. "
— Chris, 10/16/2012 -
" Pretty good - took me a long time to read it because I kept setting it aside for other books. I don't read as much sci-fi as I used to. While this was a sci-fi book, it also turned suspenseful as it got towards the end. Interesting concept on the planet of Saturn and its rings. "
— Debi, 10/16/2012 -
" Follows my favorite formula. People on a spaceship creating an "ideal" environment. "
— Kami, 8/23/2012 -
" Ben Bova is a writer who is able to take you on a visionary journey, weave in a story and leave you looking at the stars. Having read one of his grand tour books you will want to read the rest... "
— Chris, 5/21/2012 -
" A book about nothing. "
— Valev, 3/11/2012 -
" Crap. Plain and simply put. "
— Steven, 12/21/2011 -
" Not a bad book, the characters seemed a bit off from his usual well rounded characters. Not a waste of time to read, but not anything special. "
— Allen, 11/5/2011 -
" The science is good. The characters are cartoons. The soap opera drama is so bad it's hilarious. Yeah this book was actually kinda fun believe it or not. "
— Bob(by), 7/6/2011 -
" Good sci fi, interesting politicing. Nothing truly exceptional, but it's a very solid, above average read. "
— Emily, 5/29/2011 -
" Finished "Saturn" by Ben Bova. This didn't even get interesting until most of the way through book 1. After that, the author liked to show his hand a lot, so it was really only alright. "
— Brett, 3/7/2011 -
" Entertaining book, but with characters that are one dimensional and at times cartoonish. Makes good airplane or easy beach reading. "
— Chris, 1/24/2011 -
" Mike and I both completely forgot that we had read this until we found it on our shelf. That should tell you about how much we liked it. I remember that the idea of the habitat was cool, but not a ton happens plot-wise. <br/> <br/>Read Jupiter. It's the best one. "
— Jen, 10/3/2010 -
" A colony in place around Saturn, as a social experiment "
— Drew, 9/2/2010 -
" Pretty good - took me a long time to read it because I kept setting it aside for other books. I don't read as much sci-fi as I used to. While this was a sci-fi book, it also turned suspenseful as it got towards the end. Interesting concept on the planet of Saturn and its rings. "
— Debi, 6/27/2010 -
" This book was ok but not great. Lots of different shifts in terms of the power struggles that go on in the book. There are also lots of changes of perspective so you're never really sure what the whole purpose is -- until the end. "
— Mike, 9/27/2009 -
" Yet another great Grand Tour book - I love reading these, they just fly for me! Saturn and Titan should be read close together since they're basically one continuing story. "
— Stacy, 9/7/2009 -
" Not a bad book, the characters seemed a bit off from his usual well rounded characters. Not a waste of time to read, but not anything special. "
— Allen, 7/7/2008 -
" Soap Opera along the lines of trashy romance novels. <br/> <br/>Interesting end though with the discovery at Saturn's rings. "
— Tom, 5/9/2008 -
" Follows my favorite formula. People on a spaceship creating an "ideal" environment. "
— Kami, 4/26/2008 -
" Bad book about bad people. Do not waist your time! "
— Marita, 4/26/2008
About Ben Bova
Ben Bova (1932–2020), American author of more than one hundred books of science fact and fiction, was awarded posthumously the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award. His work earned six Hugo Awards. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation in 2005, and his novel Titan won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best science fiction novel of 2006. In his early career, he was a technical editor for Project Vanguard, the United States’s first effort to launch a satellite into space in 1958. He then was a science writer for Avco Everett Research Laboratory, which built the heat shields for the Apollo 11 module. He held the position of president emeritus of the National Space Society and served as president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
About the Narrators
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.