The Jovian Dilemma

By: John L. Flynn

Narrated by: Geoffrey Boyes

Life on the planet Jupiter? Former Senator Mitchell Ryan had always been told the violent, storm-tossed world was devoid of life. He had dismissed rumors of a strange life form living in the energy rich atmosphere as mere fantasy. In a solar system gone mad with civil war, the last thing he needed was an unknown factor to complicate his mission to supply critical energy resources to Earth and its fracturing colonial empire. But he soon discovers the Jovians are the least of his worries. Confronted with several mysterious deaths, sabotage, and similar acts of terrorism - possibly perpetrated by wealthy politicians who profit from the current crisis of fear - Ryan faces a dilemma that will change his life and determine the fate of the solar system forever. A suspense thriller with elements of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Contact, you'll be kept on the edge of your seat until the end.

©2019 John L. Flynn (P)2019 John L. Flynn

Great Work! Visionary Speculation Come True!

I had not planned to write a review of this work. Just leave 5 stars across the board for such an extraordinary work. But when I read a recent, totally biased, juvenile and clearly uninformed review, I knew that I needed to defend this excellent work from the fan boys of the world who only read comic books while living in their parent's basement. Those comments reveal no experience with real science fiction, except for - perhaps - what was gleaned from comic books and sci-fi movies. I see nothing wrong with Styrofoam cups on a space station, particularly when they are ultimately going to be recycled into a new cup. And yes, we have that technology now, and I see no reason why it would not be employed a hundred years from now. I suppose you're going to stock the station with your mother's favorite china? I really don't think so. I also contend the details are very well researched; in fact, Flynn has proven he has a powerful imagination, considering that when the book was written in 2005, many of the discoveries that we have made about Jupiter since then were just theories and have now been proven as fact. Only a visionary would be able to make such speculation and have it come true. Yes, that is the genuine trademark of a great science fiction writer! When you compare The Jovian Dilemma with other works in the current science fiction marketplace, the other works are all the poor, derivative copies of superhero and sci-fi rip-offs, while Flynn's work is a true work of genius. Throw away your comic books, and start reading the good stuff from Heinlein and Clarke and Asimov. Once you do read some of the masters, you'll find that Flynn is following in their footsteps as one of the new masters of science fiction.

Excellent Hard SF! Great Philosophical Discussion!

The Jovian Dilemma is a first-contact story about humanity’s initial interactions with an alien species that lives in the gaseous depths of the planet Jupiter. The Jovians do not look or act like humans; they do not build structures, write great books or chronicle their histories, fight wars, or even share a familiar culture. They are not unlike the great whales or dolphins of earth’s oceans, and that gives rise to many questions and speculations in the book about their sentience as beings. What does it mean to be “sentient”? Are children born with Downs Syndrome somehow less “sentient” than those who earn Ph.D.s from the great universities? What about our dogs and other pets? Don’t they seem to function like they are tuned into our intellectual and emotional needs? People on either extreme of the argument will likely miss the point of the book: Do we as humans have the right to destroy the natural environment of the Jovians in order to mine precious resources that are needed on earth and throughout its colonies on Mars and in the solar system? That is the fundamental dilemma in the story. Environmental activists who are concerned with the current crisis of climate change on earth will see their concerns raised in the hard sf imagination of the author who, like Clarke or Baxter, views speculative fiction as the perfect medium in which to express our concerns about today’s problems. I enjoyed every minute of the audio book.

One of the Best SF Novels I've Read This Year!

The Jovian Dilemma is one of the BEST science fiction novels I've read this year. It has action, romance, adventure on a grand scale, social commentary, engaging characters, remarkable aliens (--gotta love those Jovians!!--), mystery, suspense, scientific speculation about our future, great writing, and not a single cute robot or light sabre in sight. Okay, so when does the movie come out? Can't wait to see those special effects!

Hooked from Beginning! A Throwback to Great SF!

First, let me say that I don't like most contemporary science fiction. The Golden Age of Isaac Asimov, Arthur Clarke, L. Ron Hubbard, Robert Heinlein, and Ray Bradbury has given way to uninspired, cliché-ridden stories about the military fighting aliens on cardboard worlds or alternate histories that are not all that alternate. Science fiction used to be the literature of ideas and ideals. Most modern sf is pretty lame, with the occasional work of brilliant genius. Robert Sawyer's Calculating God was a truly welcome surprise, for example. I am also pleased to say The Jovian Dilemma by Hugo-nominee John Flynn is equally brilliant and full of real genius. In the next century, part of the solar system is colonized and at war because of limited, natural resources. A rare form of energy is discovered in the atmosphere of Jupiter, and the race is on by competing powers to control that new resource. The earth has sent a Republican senator to oversee the project, and in a page stolen from today's political climate, he may be tainted by his association with previous, nefarious powers that seek to profit from the discovery on Jupiter. The real discovery, however, is that there is a very unusual lifeform, living in the Jovian atmosphere, which may or may not be sentient. Do we give into the politics of the power and greed, or protect the Jovian's natural environment? That is the dilemma. This very rare work of science fiction stands head-and-shoulders above most of the dreck that is produced today, and is a welcome throwback to Clarke and Asimov, asking very real questions about man's place in the cosmos, what determines sentience, and where did we all come from. I was hooked right from the beginning, and loved this book! It deserves a Hugo. If you want your mind enhanced (like a blast from the Krell educator) and want to think about the big questions science fiction used to ask, then you'll want to read this book. A welcome relief from all the crap that is out there.

A Cry for Environmental Change!

When I started listening to John Flynn's latest audio book, I assumed that it was yet another one of his thrillers. Only set, this time, in a science fiction locale, like a space station orbiting Jupiter. Well, it is, but it is also a whole lot more than that. Yes, there are several murders, sabotage, revenge, blackmail, espionage, and sex which are hallmarks of Flynn's Kate Dawson mystery series. I've already listened to a couple of his thrillers, and enjoyed them. What I wasn't prepared for and pleasantly surprised by was the underlying theme of the novel. The Jovian Dilemma is a cry for environmental change. Though the story is set 100 years from now, it's as much about climate change on earth and being responsible for our world's environmental problems than just protecting the Jovians and their ecological systems. I loved that aspect of the story, and I would encourage other people who are equally worried about climate change to listen to this book. A truly thoughtful work of science fiction!