Voyagers

By: Ben Bova

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Ben Bova

Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Aided by a brilliant Soviet linguist and a lovely young student, Stoner planned a desperate mission, a wild, heart-stopping gamble to preserve the legacy of the star voyager for all mankind.

Hi-fi sci-fi: listen to the second book in this series, Voyagers II: The Alien Within, and the third book, Voyagers III: Star Brothers.

©1981 Ben Bova (P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Science Fiction, 2007

"The most plausible and convincing account I have ever read of how the human race might really react to first contact." (Analog)
"Voyagers marks the return of one of SF's pros to his favorite subject: first contact. The bureaucratic politics of space is classic Bova...and the sense of awe when Stoner finally gazes upon an alien is pure art." (Chicago Tribune)

Not sci-fi so much as soft-porn

There is a remarkable percentage of this book devoted to the sexual tension between scientists. I'm not being prudish, just saying that there is VERY little science or fiction - mostly angst and drama - and juvenile at that. Pass this one by.

A Seventies Flashback

An interesting book, but from almost 40 years past where it was written, it sounds alot like 'Contact.' The political information is so dated that it was distracting (USSR v US). I didn't find the characters very believable, either.

Boring

The story moves sooo slowly with no new sci-fi ideas to inspire the reader. The story takes place during the cold war and everything is so out dated compared to these days.

I found this book boring.

More sex than Science Fiction

I was greatly disappointed in this book and only made it a third of the way through it. Sexual themes drive many of the interactions, with older men using their position to hook up with women a generation younger than them being common. There is more workplace sexual harassment in this book than true science fiction. The Rama series and the Death Wave series were much better.

Decent story but sexist.

I used to read Bova when I was younger, but I certainly didn't remember his sexist bent. The story was decent, but all of his portrayals of female characters were what I would consider very sexist. The younger ones were all either sex objects or used their bodies as currency. The older ones were sterotypical obnoxious old crones. Very few showed much intelligence. Maybe a sign of the times, but pretty disappointing and one dimensional.

Frank

This is the worst Bova book I have read or listened to.
The first 80% of the book is a soap opera, the last 20% is just STUPID.

It’s a shame, I liked the story premise, but cliche of horny 20’s girls graving crusty old dudes is for a very targeted audience

Couldn’t get through the first few chapters… tired of the same old mid-life crisis for men in their 40’s /50’s

not really impressed

slow slow plot. relies on endless and boring boy vs girl Bull. trying to put spys into a space opera. the dynamic is too old. RUSSA IS NO LONGER THE USSR. please stop this I regret starting it.

Unbareably sexist

The first contact scenario holds interest for me, but sadly this aspect is drowned by endless chauvinistic scenes of proper objectification and harassment

At least it is honest

I've come to actually respect those authors who don't hide it.

This book spends a significant amount of time in the opening chapter describing how sexy the shape of a female is, and how much it fires the blood of a male character.

Some day, I will find decent scifi that doesn't use the puerile crutch of porn fantasy.

This is not that day.