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The Precipice: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.02) - 634 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The first novel of the Asteroid Wars about earth's near future from the "leading light of hard Science Fiction and space advocacy"* Once, Dan Randolph was one of the richest men on Earth. Now the planet is spiralling into environmental disaster, with floods and earthquakes destroying the lives of millions. Martin Humphries, fabulously wealthy heir of the Humphries Trust, also knows that space-based industry is the way of the future. But unlike Randolph he does not care if Earth perishes in the process. As Randolph—accompanied by two brilliant women astronauts—flies out to the Asteroid Belt aboard a fusion-propelled spacecraft, Humphries makes his move. The future of mankind lies in Randolph's hands. *Booklist
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"I remember reading this masterpiece, but I can't remember when. I'm, going to go with 2004 because that is the last time I went on a reading binge. I was waiting so hard to get my hands on the next installments in the series. It was sooo good!"
— Dan (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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Stefan Rudnicki, producer and one of the performers, has picked his readers well. Each scene generally concentrates on one of the lead characters, so Rudnicki assigns a particular reader to a particular character throughout the book. The technique works.
— AudioFile on The Precipice -
“Bova gets better and better, combining plausible science with increasingly complex fiction.
— Los Angeles Daily News on The Precipice
The Precipice Listener Reviews
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" The beginning of his "Asteroid War" series. Interesting view on the effects of greenhouse gas, and capitalism run amok. Wonderful characters. "
— Rob, 1/30/2014 -
" I have never been a huge sci fi fan but bova continues to captivate me. "
— Terez, 1/27/2014 -
" This is old-school space opera, with heroes and villains and some science thrown in for validity. Fluffy, but a reasonably good read. It's the first of a trilogy and I do plan to keep going. "
— Mike, 1/20/2014 -
" I wanted a hard science fiction book but this one didn't scratch my itch. "
— Shane, 1/9/2014 -
" Good start to what I believe is a trilogy. I throughly enjoyed reading this one! "
— Battlecat, 1/2/2014 -
" book one in the asteroid wars. "
— Randy, 12/31/2013 -
" Jumped in to the middle of this series, which seems to be written to handle this. Not sure if I want to continue the trilogy of Asteroids books or jump back and read the first books. "
— Thom, 11/5/2013 -
" Not his most impressive, but at least it was a little enjoyable "
— Benny, 10/27/2013 -
" I nice book, good for people that like the Astro Corporation Arc or the Dan Randolph personage. "
— Calhariz, 10/1/2013 -
" Pretty corny fluff. I'm not sure this deserves even a two star rating, but I've got to leave room for "Camelot 30K" at the bottom. "
— Devon, 8/5/2013 -
" Took some time to get into since it's about global warming, business politics and experimental science. Eventually the "double damns" and quirky named Poncho won me over. More of a slow burn rather than a thrilling space drama. "
— Samantha, 2/20/2013 -
" This is a perfect example of what is known as hard science fiction. In other words, strictly factual in it's scientific premise, no fantasy elements. "
— Chris, 6/22/2012 -
" The Rise of Panco vs Humphries "
— Drew, 4/16/2012 -
" Another great story by Ben Bova. "
— Marquis, 11/28/2011 -
" Took me a couple chapters to get into this one but now fear I must read more of the series! "
— Allison, 5/26/2011 -
" A good read. Much more action packed than the first couple of novels in the series. The ending is a bit disappointing, leaving quite a few questions to be answered. However since there is now a fourth book in the series I think some of those will be addressed there. "
— Crusader, 2/7/2011 -
" What happens when nobody asks questions "
— Drew, 9/2/2010 -
" An interesting view of corporations, not governments, at war. This book reinforces the "power corrupts" philosophy. Well worth reading if only for the surprise ending. "
— Rob, 11/2/2009 -
" Third novel in the asteroid wars. There is a fourth I haven't read yet. "
— Randy, 7/20/2009 -
" An enjoyable sci-fci read. The concepts, cities on the moon, greenhouse disaster on Earth and corporations excerting insane amounts of influence, were very cool and timely. <br/> <br/>I would have given it a higher rating if the ending wasn't a bit lame. "
— Anthony, 7/20/2009 -
" This is the finale in the trilogy that began with The Precipice and the Rock Rats. Good hard science fiction. "
— Chris, 6/21/2009
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.
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.