Farside

By: Ben Bova

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Farside, the side of the moon that never faces Earth, is the ideal location for an astronomical observatory. It is also the setting for a tangled web of politics, personal ambition, love, jealousy, and murder.

Telescopes on Earth have detected an Earth-sized planet circling a star some 30 light-years away. Now the race is on to get pictures of that distant world, photographs and spectra that show whether or not the planet is truly like Earth - and if it bears life. Farside observatory will have the largest optical telescope in the solar system as well as a vast array of radio antennas, the most sensitive radio telescope possible, insulated from the interference of Earth’s radio chatter by a thousand kilometers of the moon’s solid body.

Building Farside is a complex, often dangerous task. On the airless surface of the moon, under constant bombardment by hard radiation and in-falling micrometeoroids, builders must work in cumbersome spacesuits and use robotic machines as much as possible. Breakdowns - mechanical and emotional - are commonplace. Accidents happen, some of them fatal. But what they ultimately find will stun everyone, and the human race will never be the same.

©2013 Ben Bova (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc

Critic reviews

"I believe that by far the science fiction author who will have the greatest effect on the science fiction world, and the world as a whole, is Ben Bova." (Ray Bradbury)

Not too far to want to pick it and enjoy

Would you listen to Farside again? Why?

I don't make a habit of listening to BOT twice.

If you’ve listened to books by Ben Bova before, how does this one compare?

Shockingly, this is my first time with Ben Bova, but certainly won't be the last!

What does Stefan Rudnicki bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His accents and innonation are outstanding. Truly on of the better narrators on audible IMHO.

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

Farside: Lunar Deception

Any additional comments?

This is an excellent introduction to Ben Bova, from what I can tell. The ending is a bit clunky, but overall recommend this to true sci fi fans.

Good but not up to Grand Tour par.

Where does Farside rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was a good book but is hovering in the middle ground as far as what I expect from Bova

Would you be willing to try another book from Ben Bova? Why or why not?

I will always give Bova a shot. This book felt a lot like a fill in the gap rushed book.

Which scene was your favorite?

This was a big problem in this book is that nothing really stood out.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No it was ok to split up the listening time.

Any additional comments?

This book was full of mindless sexual content and a lot of re-hashing old plots... OH NO ITS NANO BUGS AGAIN!!!! The plot of leading to finding another world was a great one but little was on that. It seemed like a last minute fill in for the real novel that will be to travel to this new world.

Another excellent story from Bova!

Bova's attention to detail and significant character development contributes to a believable story of a future life on the moon.. It's also a fun read.

Not super impressed to be honest

I was a bit surprised when I read this book. It was my first Ben Bova story and I was expecting something a little better. Right from the start, I found that the story wasn't very descriptive. The dialog was weak in my opinion and I had hope the author would ad more to the scenes. If I am missing something, then feel free to recommend another book of his.

Engaging

For the most part this kept my interest. The character interaction held together, but some of the motivations just seemed forced.