
The Best of Bova, Vol. 2
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Narrated by:
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Vikas Adam
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Gabrielle de Cuir
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Paul Baymer
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Moira Quirk
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Emily Rankin
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full cast
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By:
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Ben Bova
About this listen
The second volume of the best stories from legendary hard science fiction writer Ben Bova, the creator of the New York Times best-selling Grand Tour science fiction series, a six-time Hugo award winner, and past president of the National Space Society.
The stories included in this volume span the five decades of Bova's incandescent career at the center of science fiction and space advocacy.
Here are tales of star-faring adventure, peril, and drama. Here are journeys into the mind-bending landscapes of virtual worlds and alternate realities. Here you'll also find stories of humanity's astounding future on Earth, on Mars, and in the Solar System beyond - stories that always get the science right. And Bova's gathering of deeply realized, totally human characters are the heroic, brave, tricky, sometimes dastardly engineers, astronauts, corporate magnates, politicians, and scientists who will make these futures possible - and those who often find that the problems of tomorrow are always linked to human values, and human failings, that are as timeless as the stars.
Full cast of narrators includes Stefan Rudnicki, T. J. Storm, and Mirron Willis.
©2017 Ben Bova (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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The Best of Bova, Volume 1
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Vikas Adam, J. Paul Boehmer, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Here are tales of star-faring adventure, peril, and drama. Here are journeys into the mind-bending landscapes of virtual worlds and alternate realities. Here you'll also find stories of humanity's astounding future on Earth, on Mars, and in the solar system beyond - stories that always get the science right. And Bova's gathering of deeply realized, totally human characters are the heroic, brave, tricky, sometimes dastardly engineers, astronauts, corporate magnates, politicians, and scientists who will make these futures possible.
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A tribute, not a gem
- By Maksim on 08-05-17
By: Ben Bova
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Carbide Tipped Pens
- Seventeen Tales of Hard Science Fiction
- By: Ben Bova - editor, Eric Choi - editor
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- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
In Carbide Tipped Pens,over a dozen of today's most creative imaginations explore these frontiers, carrying on the grand tradition of such legendary masters as Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and John W. Campbell, while bringing hard science fiction into the 21st century by extrapolating from the latest scientific developments and discoveries.
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Actually Four and a Half for Provocative Stories
- By Lisa Davidson on 04-15-16
By: Ben Bova - editor, and others
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The Winds of Altair
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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 long ago informed Earth that Altair VI had a flourishing ecology with one very tough beast at the top of the food chain, one 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.
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A classic Bova. Intriguing & Enjoyable
- By Read4Life on 08-27-21
By: Ben Bova
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Able One
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When a nuclear missile launched by a rogue North Korean faction explodes in space, the resulting shock wave destroys most of the world’s satellites, throwing global communication into chaos. U.S. military satellites, designed to withstand such an assault, show that two more missiles are sitting on launch pads in North Korea, ready to be deployed. Faced with the threat of a thermonuclear attack, the United States has only one possible defense: Able One.
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Wasted
- By Michael on 03-08-10
By: Ben Bova
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The Sam Gunn Omnibus
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- Narrated by: Richard Brewer, Emily Janice Card, Gabrielle de Cuir, and others
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- Unabridged
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Story
A hero without peer or scruples, Sam Gunn has a nose for trouble, money, and women, though not necessarily in that order. A man with the ego (and stature) of a Napoleon, the business acumen of a P. T. Barnum, and the raging hormones of a teenage boy, Sam is the finest astronaut NASA ever trained and dumped. But more than money, more than women, Sam Gunn loves justice—and he really does love money and women.
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SAM GUNN LIFE STORY
- By Professor on 11-02-12
By: Ben Bova
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The Kinsman Saga
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In a startling future that's coming closer every year, Chet Kinsman is an astronaut ace who has done everything one can in space - including commit the first murder. It's a secret he can never escape, not even on the moon, where he's head of the first U.S. lunar colony. A series of shocking yet strangely inevitable circumstances will force Kinsman to confront his hidden past and decide Earth's destiny. In a desperate countdown to nuclear annihilation, Kinsman will struggle against a deadly dilemma: if he rescues the world, he risks destroying himself.
-
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Slooow unraveling keeps you on edge of your seat
- By GH on 07-17-13
By: Ben Bova
-
The Best of Bova, Volume 1
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Vikas Adam, J. Paul Boehmer, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here are tales of star-faring adventure, peril, and drama. Here are journeys into the mind-bending landscapes of virtual worlds and alternate realities. Here you'll also find stories of humanity's astounding future on Earth, on Mars, and in the solar system beyond - stories that always get the science right. And Bova's gathering of deeply realized, totally human characters are the heroic, brave, tricky, sometimes dastardly engineers, astronauts, corporate magnates, politicians, and scientists who will make these futures possible.
-
-
A tribute, not a gem
- By Maksim on 08-05-17
By: Ben Bova
-
Carbide Tipped Pens
- Seventeen Tales of Hard Science Fiction
- By: Ben Bova - editor, Eric Choi - editor
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, J. Paul Boehmer, Cassandra Campbell, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Carbide Tipped Pens,over a dozen of today's most creative imaginations explore these frontiers, carrying on the grand tradition of such legendary masters as Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and John W. Campbell, while bringing hard science fiction into the 21st century by extrapolating from the latest scientific developments and discoveries.
-
-
Actually Four and a Half for Provocative Stories
- By Lisa Davidson on 04-15-16
By: Ben Bova - editor, and others
-
The Winds of Altair
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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 long ago informed Earth that Altair VI had a flourishing ecology with one very tough beast at the top of the food chain, one 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.
-
-
A classic Bova. Intriguing & Enjoyable
- By Read4Life on 08-27-21
By: Ben Bova
-
Able One
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a nuclear missile launched by a rogue North Korean faction explodes in space, the resulting shock wave destroys most of the world’s satellites, throwing global communication into chaos. U.S. military satellites, designed to withstand such an assault, show that two more missiles are sitting on launch pads in North Korea, ready to be deployed. Faced with the threat of a thermonuclear attack, the United States has only one possible defense: Able One.
-
-
Wasted
- By Michael on 03-08-10
By: Ben Bova
-
The Sam Gunn Omnibus
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Richard Brewer, Emily Janice Card, Gabrielle de Cuir, and others
- Length: 29 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A hero without peer or scruples, Sam Gunn has a nose for trouble, money, and women, though not necessarily in that order. A man with the ego (and stature) of a Napoleon, the business acumen of a P. T. Barnum, and the raging hormones of a teenage boy, Sam is the finest astronaut NASA ever trained and dumped. But more than money, more than women, Sam Gunn loves justice—and he really does love money and women.
-
-
SAM GUNN LIFE STORY
- By Professor on 11-02-12
By: Ben Bova
-
The Kinsman Saga
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a startling future that's coming closer every year, Chet Kinsman is an astronaut ace who has done everything one can in space - including commit the first murder. It's a secret he can never escape, not even on the moon, where he's head of the first U.S. lunar colony. A series of shocking yet strangely inevitable circumstances will force Kinsman to confront his hidden past and decide Earth's destiny. In a desperate countdown to nuclear annihilation, Kinsman will struggle against a deadly dilemma: if he rescues the world, he risks destroying himself.
-
-
Slooow unraveling keeps you on edge of your seat
- By GH on 07-17-13
By: Ben Bova
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Mars, Inc.
- The Billionaire's Club
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
How do you get to the Red Planet? Not via a benightedgovernment program trapped in red tape and bound by budget constrictions,that's for sure. No, what it will take is a helping of adventure, science,corporate power plays, a generous dollop of seduction - both in and out of theboardroom - and money, money, money!
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Disappointing by any standard
- By Rick Moyers on 02-10-21
By: Ben Bova
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Powersat
- The Grand Tour Series
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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 spaceflight.
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Great book but substandard recording
- By Greg on 11-25-11
By: Ben Bova
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Death Wave
- The Star Quest Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Kell and his team return to Earth many years after their departure, they find that their world has changed almost beyond recognition. Not only has a second wave of greenhouse flooding caused sea levels to rise, but society has been changed by the consequences of the climate shift. Few people want to face Jordan Kell's news. He must convince Earth's new rulers that the human race is in danger of extinction unless it acts to forestall the death wave coming from the galaxy's heart.
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complete let down don't waste a credit! !
- By Ryan on 12-02-15
By: Ben Bova
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Voyagers
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Ben Bova
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Stoner knew. The fiery object hurtling toward the Earth was an alien spacecraft. But the world might never know. He was trapped in an iron cordon of secrecy, for the discovery had shattered the world power balance, setting off a brutal struggle for supremacy that raged from the sacred halls of the Vatican to the corridors of the Kremlin and the Pentagon. The forces of fear and treachery would use any weapon at their command, from mind war to sabotage, to keep the world in darkness.
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Not Quite "Rendezvous With Rama"
- By Noe on 02-26-09
By: Ben Bova
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Contamination Super Boxed Set (Books 0-7)
- The Complete Post-Apocalyptic Series
- By: T.W. Piperbrook
- Narrated by: Troy Duran
- Length: 34 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The infection has begun, ravaging the American Southwest and leaving chaos in its wake. In this new world, there will be no last meal, no dying wish. The only reward left is to survive another day...The complete Contamination series - all in this one, special edition.
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absolute garbage writing.
- By James mullins on 04-23-22
By: T.W. Piperbrook
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Hell Divers
- Hell Divers Series, Book 1
- By: Nicholas Sansbury Smith
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
More than two centuries after World War III poisoned the planet, the final bastion of humanity lives on massive airships circling the globe in search of a habitable area to call home. Aging and outdated, most of the ships plummeted back to Earth long ago. The only thing keeping the two surviving lifeboats in the sky are Hell Divers - men and women who risk their lives by skydiving to the surface to scavenge for parts the ships desperately need.
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A little cliche action hero-y but damn good story anyway
- By Jillian Noone on 09-04-19
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Infinite
- By: Jeremy Robinson
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Galahad, a faster-than-light spacecraft, carries 50 scientists and engineers on a mission to prepare Kepler 452b, Earth's nearest habitable neighbor at 1400 light years away. With Earth no longer habitable and the Mars colony slowly failing, they are humanity's best hope. After 10 years in a failed cryogenic bed - body asleep, mind awake - William Chanokh's torture comes to an end as the fog clears, the hatch opens, and his friend and fellow hacker, Tom, greets him...by stabbing a screwdriver into his heart. This is the first time William dies.
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a rather complex science fiction story
- By Midwestbonsai on 12-26-17
By: Jeremy Robinson
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Lost in Time
- By: A.G. Riddle
- Narrated by: John Skelley
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Dr. Sam Anderson is one of the most celebrated scientists in history. Ten years ago, he invented a device that changed the world forever. Now his life is about to be ripped apart—and his own creation may be to blame. One fateful morning, Sam discovers that his girlfriend has been murdered and that his daughter is accused of the crime. Sam believes she's innocent, but he can't prove it. There's only one thing he can do to save his daughter: confess to the crime. And so he does. But in the future, murderers aren't sent to prison. They're sent to the past.
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Much forgiveness needed to enjoy. I’m into forgiveness and enjoyment!
- By GM on 09-04-22
By: A.G. Riddle
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Patient Zero
- The Joe Ledger Novels, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Maberry
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week there’s either something wrong with your world or something wrong with your skills - and there’s nothing wrong with Joe Ledger’s skills. And that’s both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because he’s a Baltimore detective who has just been secretly recruited by the government to lead a new task force created to deal with the problems that Homeland Security can’t handle....
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Yes! It IS that good. Five stars and more.
- By Kim Venatries on 10-05-12
By: Jonathan Maberry
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Wild Cards I
- Wild Cards, Book 1
- By: George R. R. Martin - editor
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In the aftermath of WWII, an alien virus struck the Earth, endowing a handful of survivors with extraordinary powers. Originally published in 1987, the newly expanded saga contains additional original stories by eminent writers.
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Dry Politics
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 02-24-13
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Any Means Necessary
- A Luke Stone Thriller, Book 1
- By: Jack Mars
- Narrated by: K.C. Kelly
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When nuclear waste is stolen by jihadists in the middle of the night from an unguarded New York City hospital, the police, in a frantic race against time, call in the FBI. Luke Stone, head of an elite, secretive department within the FBI, is the only man they can turn to. Luke realizes right away that the terrorists' aim is to create a dirty bomb, that they seek a high-value target, and that they will hit it within 48 hours.
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Nice liberal story with a tough guy
- By Pattii on 09-13-16
By: Jack Mars
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The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 2-B
- By: Ben Bova, Isaac Asimov, others
- Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto, Vivienne Leheny, Gabriel Sloyer, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This last volume in the definitive collection of the best science fiction novellas published between 1929 and 1964 contains 11 great classics. No anthology better captures the birth of science fiction as a literary field. Published in 1973 to honor stories that had appeared before the institution of the Nebula Awards, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame introduced thousands of young listeners to the wonders of science fiction and was a favorite of libraries across the country.
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Great Stories and Narration - Not Properly Sectioned
- By Greg on 01-01-21
By: Ben Bova, and others
What listeners say about The Best of Bova, Vol. 2
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Anniebligh
- 08-15-17
Good Listening
first introduced to Sam Gun, I am finding these short stories too in the best tradition of science fiction.
While some are more captivating than others I have enjoyed all of them. I do like Ben Bova's introductions to each.
Some thoughtful and some humourous, all good.
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