Teaser

An apocalyptic shockwave is sweeping through the galaxy, wiping out every civilisation it touches. Humanity has been forewarned of this danger, but do they have what it takes to prevent galactic annihilation . . ?

Review

When I picked up Ben Bova’s New Earth a few years ago, I had no idea it would lead me down the rabbit hole. Ten books into his sprawling Grand Tour narrative, and I can safely say he’s one of my favourite authors. All of those books, however, took place before New Earth. It is only now, as I start the Star Quest series, that I see the timeline advance. Finally, I can see the fallout from the apocalyptic revelations at the end of that last book. In a sense, it feels as though the Grand Tour has been heading here all along.

On account of Bova respecting the limits of interstellar travel, Death Wave picks up two centuries after the previous book. It’s a time jump that’s on a narrative par with that between books six and seven of James S.A. Corey’s Expanse novels. Time has passed, things have changed, but all the old themes are still as relevant as ever. Plus, as a result of nanotechnology and other advanced sciences, there are a fair few familiar characters still hanging around. It’s not a full reset, but it does provide enough of a break to set this book apart from what has gone before. It’s hard not to see this four-part series an an epilogue of sorts for the entire Grand Tour universe.

Being book one in a series, this is largely concerned with setting up the future. The central question it asks is whether humanity has a duty to save other civilisations. As an avowed Trekkie, it’s an interesting inversion of the Prime Directive. Bova posits that only humanity has the technological know-how to save pre-spaceflight civilisations from the titular Death Wave. (The precise means by which this will be achieved will no doubt be explained in later volumes.) Along the way, arguments are made for both sides. Yes, saving life is an objectively good thing to do, but Bova’s humanity has brought its own existence to the brink of collapse on multiple occasions. Are we really fit to be the protectors of the universe? Or are we perhaps best left to care for for ourselves before thinking of others? There are also some great corollary arguments regarding the dissemination of information, and the needs for censorship. Should we tell people everything and potentially overwhelm them with horrifying information? Or can denying access to information ever be justified? Even by the end of the novel, there’s no clear answer given. It’s left to the reader to make up their own mind.

I have only two criticisms of Death Wave, both of them minor. First is Bova’s decision to name three characters Aditi, Adri, and Anita. All fine names, but it was easy to confuse them. The other is something that’s cropped up a few times in the Grand Tour. In this book, a woman is threatened with sexual violence. In any given book, this isn’t a problem. However, it does feel like Bova falls back on the trope whenever he needs to imperil a maiden. Not so much a criticism of this book, perhaps, but more an awareness of the series as a whole.

Neither of these did any real damage to a book that continues Bova’s impressive track record. It feels good to be moving forward with the series, and I can’t wait to read the next one.

Book Stats

• Part of the Grand Tour
• Star Quest (#1)
• Published in 2015 by Tor
• 420 pages