From Publishers Weekly
Bova's polemical near-future SF thriller will appeal most to established fans who share his pro-space exploration politics. After Dan Randolph's Astro Corporation loses its experimental space plane on re-entry to the atmosphere, Dan discovers that the plane was destroyed by a terrorist conspiracy headed by "tall, bearded Saudi" Asim al-Bashir, who wishes to sabotage Astro's plans to put satellites in geosynchronous orbit capable of beaming solar energy in microwave form to earth. Al-Bashir has powerful allies, among them oil magnate Wendell T. Garrison, but Dan can turn to his own friends, including a female staff member who penetrates al-Bashir's organization. Dan later recruits to his cause some independent-minded FBI agents and Sen. Jane Thornton, with whom he renews their old affair (despite Jane's being secretly married to a senator running for president). While the straightforward motivations of both heroes and villains verge on the simplistic and the plot holds no surprises as it builds to a climactic confrontation over Washington, D.C., the author supplies a suspenseful ride and plenty of high-tech hardware. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Book Description
Two hundred thousand feet up, things go horribly wrong. An experimental low-orbit spaceplane breaks up on reentry, falling to earth over a trail hundreds of miles long. And it its wake is the beginning of the most important mission in the history of space.

America needs energy, and Dan Randolph is determined to give it to them. He dreams of an array of geosynchronous powersats, satellites which gather solar energy and beam it to generators on Earth, freeing America from its addiction to fossil fuels and breaking the power of the oil cartels forever. But the wreck of the spaceplane has left his company, Astro Manufacturing, on the edge of bankruptcy.

Worse, Dan discovers that the plane worked perfectly right up until the moment that saboteurs knocked it out of the sky. And whoever brought it down is willing and able to kill again to keep Astro grounded.

Now Dan has to thread a dangerous maze. The visible threats are bad enough: Rival firms want to buy him out and take control of his dreams. His former lover wants to co-opt his unlimited-energy ideal as a campaign plank for the candidate she's grooming for the presidency. NASA and the FAA want to shut down his maverick firm. And his creditors are breathing down his neck.

Making matters even more dangerous, an international organization of terrorists sees the powersat as a threat to their own oil-based power. And they've figured out how to use it as a weapon in their war against the West.

A sweeping mix of space, murder, romance, politics, secrets, and betrayal, Powersat will take you to the edge of space and the dawning of a new world.



From the Back Cover
"Bova gets better and better, combining plausible science with increasingly complex fiction." --Los Angeles Daily News

"Bova proves himself equal to the task of showing how adversity can temper character in unforeseen ways."
--The New York Times on Venus

"Hard-charging... Bova keeps the pages turning."
--Publishers Weekly on The Rock Rats



About the Author
A past president of the National Space Society and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Ben Bova is the author of many novels and works of nonfiction about science, technology, and the future.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Six-time Hugo Award￯﾿ﾽwinning author and editor Ben Bova explores the early life of one of his most intriguing characters -- the hard-driving space entrepreneur Dan Randolph -- in Powersat, a high-tech thriller about the maverick's struggle to create giant satellites that can gather and utilize the sun's energy.

If realized, Randolph's dream to manufacture powersats that gather solar energy and transfer it to generators on Earth would end America's dependence on fossil fuels forever. In the character's own words: "If we could convert even a tenth of one percent of￯﾿ﾽsunlight into electricity, the world would never have a power shortage. Ever." But standing in his way are numerous powerful opponents: NASA, the FAA, fanatical ecological groups, international oil corporations, and a terrorist organization called The Nine -- whose ultimate mission isn't only to make America dependent on Middle East oil but to destroy the nation altogether.

Bova's mastery of mixing hard scientific theories with compelling romantic and political intrigue is evident once again in Powersat, where the plotlines concerning experimental low-orbit spaceplanes and mile-long solar satellites are flawlessly intertwined with complicated relationships, including Randolph's ill-fated love affair with a U.S. senator and his tumultuous friendship with the head of a Japanese corporation trying to take over his floundering company. Not surprisingly, the prolific Bova's provides a page-turner of the highest order, as entertaining as it is inspiring. Readers will have a hard time putting this book down. Classic Ben! Paul Goat Allen

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Two hundred thousand feet up, things go horribly wrong. An experimental low-orbit spaceplane breaks up on reentry, falling to earth over a trail hundreds of miles long. And in its wake is the beginning of the most important mission in the history of space." "America needs energy, and Dan Randolph is determined to provide it. He dreams of an array of geosynchronous powersats, satellites that gather solar energy and beam it to generators on Earth, freeing America from its addition to fossil fuels and breaking the power of the oil cartels forever. But the wreck of the spaceplane has left his company, Astro Manufacturing, on the edge of bankruptcy." "Worse, Dan discovers that the plane worked perfectly right up until the moment that saboteurs knocked it out of the sky. And whoever brought it down is willing and able to kill again to keep Astro grounded." Now Dan has to thread a dangerous maze. The visible threads are bad enough: Rival firms want to buy him out and take control of his dreams. His former lover wants to co-opt his unlimited-energy ideal as a campaign plank for the candidate she's grooming for the presidency. NASA and the FAA want to shut down his maverick firm. And his creditors are breathing down his neck.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Bova's polemical near-future SF thriller will appeal most to established fans who share his pro-space exploration politics. After Dan Randolph's Astro Corporation loses its experimental space plane on re-entry to the atmosphere, Dan discovers that the plane was destroyed by a terrorist conspiracy headed by "tall, bearded Saudi" Asim al-Bashir, who wishes to sabotage Astro's plans to put satellites in geosynchronous orbit capable of beaming solar energy in microwave form to earth. Al-Bashir has powerful allies, among them oil magnate Wendell T. Garrison, but Dan can turn to his own friends, including a female staff member who penetrates al-Bashir's organization. Dan later recruits to his cause some independent-minded FBI agents and Sen. Jane Thornton, with whom he renews their old affair (despite Jane's being secretly married to a senator running for president). While the straightforward motivations of both heroes and villains verge on the simplistic and the plot holds no surprises as it builds to a climactic confrontation over Washington, D.C., the author supplies a suspenseful ride and plenty of high-tech hardware. Agent, Barbara Bova. (Jan. 13) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

The explosion of a low-orbit spaceplane while on its test run nearly ruins the private business of its owner, Dan Randolph. Determined to create a new, space-based source of energy, Randolph finds himself in an all-out war with corporate rivals and agents from countries supplying fossil fuels to the United States and other energy-dependent nations. Bova's (The Silent War) dedication to space exploration as well as his grasp of today's discoveries makes his sf tales some of the most down-to-earth explorations of the real possibilities of future technology. A strong addition to most sf collections, with additional appeal to YA audiences. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews