The Winds of Altair

by Ben Bova

Overview

Earth is an old planet, and her teeming masses are running out of resources . . . and time. It is up to men such as Jeff Holman to discover a haven for Earth's millions. Altair VI is one such planet, and Holman is determined to transform this world into one where the human race can survive.

Star probes had long before informed Earth that Altair VI had a flourishing ecology with one very tough beast at the top of the food chain, a beast that will have to be dealt with before the human colony ships arrive. The beast is not only tough, it is as smart as a man.

Holman is faced with a soul-wrenching decision—for to make Altair VI habitable for humans, all native life must die.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780765328311
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/30/2010
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.66(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.85(d)

About the Author

Ben Bova (1932-2020) was the author of more than a hundred works of science fact and fiction, including Able One, Transhuman, Orion, the Star Quest Trilogy, and the Grand Tour novels, including Titan, winner of John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel of the year. His many honors include the Isaac Asimov Memorial Award in 1996, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation in 2005, and the Robert A. Heinlein Award “for his outstanding body of work in the field of literature” in 2008.

Dr. Bova was President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past president of Science Fiction Writers of America, and a former editor of Analog and former fiction editor of Omni. As an editor, he won science fiction’s Hugo Award six times. His writings predicted the Space Race of the 1960s, virtual reality, human cloning, the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars), electronic book publishing, and much more.

In addition to his literary achievements, Bova worked for Project Vanguard, America’s first artificial satellite program, and for Avco Everett Research Laboratory, the company that created the heat shields for Apollo 11, helping the NASA astronauts land on the moon. He also taught science fiction at Harvard University and at New York City’s Hayden Planetarium and worked with such filmmakers as George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry.

Editorial Reviews

Stefan Rudnicki’s deep, serious voice is a perfect match for a sci-fi tale that focuses on the moral dilemmas that arise when humans attempt to conquer the planet Altair VI to escape a dying earth. He breathes life into the various characters, giving them unique qualities and convincing accents. For instance, he provides Dr. Carbo, the Italian scientist in charge of the expedition, with an accent that sounds natural and stays consistent as he expresses conflicting emotions throughout the course of the story. This story is just as fresh today as it was in 1983, when it was first published. Rudnicki’s melancholy tone builds suspense and leaves listeners with food for thought. E.E. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2013 - AudioFile