Mercury

By: Ben Bova

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Arte Johnson, Moira Quirk

Despite Mercury's desolateness, there are still those who hope to find diamonds in the rough. Saito Yamagata thinks Mercury's position will make it an ideal orbit point for satellites that could someday create enough power to propel starships into deep space. He hires Dante Alexios to bring his dreams to life. Astrobiologist Victor Molina thinks the water at Mercury's poles may harbor evidence of life, and hopes to achieve fame and glory by proving it. Bishop Elliot Danvers has been sent by the religious sect, "The New Morality", to keep close tabs on their endeavors, which threaten to produce results that contradict biblical teachings.©2005 Ben Bova (P)2005 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

• 2005 Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award, Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Best of Series So Far

i have been working through the entire Grand Tour series. Thos is the best so far i think. i think it really halps to appreciate it if you do the previous books

One of Bova's Best

This is one of my favorite Ben Bova books. The use of three narrators was very effective. I love listening to Stefan Rudnicki - he really brings the characters to life. Arte Johnson and Moira Quirk also did very well. I was so looking forward to listening to someone read the description of the collapse of the sky tower and I was not disappointed.

Someone really needs to make a movie based on this book. Can you imagine the fun the special effects team would have with the collapse of the sky tower? And how much fun it would be to watch it?!

The Best! Loved it!

If you could sum up Mercury in three words, what would they be?

Very interesting and fast paced!

Who was your favorite character and why?

the engineer who built the elevator.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Stephan is just the best in the World!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Mercury

Any additional comments?

Ben Bova is a fantastic writer, and important for our time as a cultural leader.

One of Ben Bova's best

I've now read or listened to all of Dr. Bova's "Grand Tour" series and "Mercury" is second only to "Saturn" in my book. It has all the great themes and characters you expect from Bova, deftly exploring what some see as the un-avoidable conflict between science and religion, and others may view as nut cases versus normal people (you decide which is which). It's a little faster paced than "Saturn", and there are a few of the same characters (unfortunately no Poncho Lane in this book). The recording technique of using 3 or 4 different voices really adds drama and atmosphere to the narration. Overall very entertaining as well as thought provoking.

A grand story in the traditions of Ben Bova

Ben Bova has become one of my favorite Science Fiction writers. Mercury, like many of Ben Bova's other books, is written around the same future history and events (e.g.,Saturn, Jupiter, etc) but is mostly about other topics and event and not so much about the planet Mercury itself. The motivation for the main character was revenge, which I found too shallow a motivation for such an otherwise intelligent character, but overall, the books themes and events kept me listening to the end. I'd have preferred a better set of outcomes, but I didn't write the book so didn't get to choose the endings. I'd read this book again if I had it to do over again.