Apes and Angels

The Star Quest Trilogy, Book 2

By: Ben Bova

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

Six-time Hugo Award winner Ben Bova chronicles the saga of humankind's expansion beyond the solar system in Apes and Angels, the second installment in the Star Quest Trilogy. 

Humankind headed out to the stars not for conquest, nor exploration, nor even for curiosity. Humans went to the stars in a desperate crusade to save intelligent life wherever they found it. 

A wave of death is spreading through the Milky Way galaxy, an expanding sphere of lethal gamma radiation that erupted from the galaxy's core 28,000 years ago and now is approaching Earth's vicinity at the speed of light. Every world it touched was wiped clean of all life. But it's possible to protect a planet from gamma radiation. Earth is safe. 

Now, guided by the ancient intelligent machines called the Predecessors, men and women from Earth seek out those precious, rare worlds that harbor intelligent species, determined to save them from the doom that is hurtling toward them. 

The crew of the Odysseus has arrived at Mithra Gamma, the third planet of the star Mithra, to protect the stone-age inhabitants from the Death Wave. But they'll also have to protect themselves. 

©2016 Ben Bova (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Apes and Angels

Star Quest Series consists of three full-length novels that span hundreds of decades.

Listenable SciFi series. The plot basics center on a radioactive wave of light/energy expanding from the center of the Milky Way core; it will take thousands of years for the wave to reach earth, and protections are implemented. It is up to earthlings to travel the galaxy helping to protect other life forms found. And find them they do!

Although connected via the light wave, the books stand alone in that characters are unique to each story.

Narrated nicely by Stefan Rudnicki, no complaints.

Inconsistencies kill the last quarter of the story

I'm a big Ben Bova fan but I'm not sure what happened with the plot points towards the end of the book. Like some other SciFi available technology suddenly appeared unavailable for the sake of uninteresting drama. A couple of the key characters appeared to suffer split personalities, their characters changing so radically from scene to scene. The story line was made obvious to the reader but became frustrating as the characters missed the obvious. Struggled through to the end.

All I hope for in SF is here, & I'm fussy <br />

Every Ben B. I've immersed myself in has not only story element ability, but scientific validity & vision. I've learned more about the how the universe works with each novel. The words unintended consequences are given substance here. I think longer deeper considerations now.
Oh yes, and more. I am grateful for all of it.

Imagine Star Trek without the Prime Directive

This is like Star Trek without the prime directive. In fact, it’s like Star Trek if they were just making everything up as they went along. It’s not great literature, but it’s a fun read. It is not the first book I would choose to read in the grand tour.

Another great book .

Yet another reason to listen to this title . Add this to your collection .

Enjoyable

Enjoyable, had me listening all day. Bova has a knack for making me feel very interested in the alien characters and their fate.

Really Different Couldn't Stop Listening

Generally am getting tired of listening to science fiction but this one was very different. Different in the sense that hey is no great insane technology but humans and had to sleep 400 years to get places in the Galaxy and so on...

Mediocre

The book first and foremost the story of a grown man with middle child syndrome struggling to deal with his interpersonal relationships. Too much time is spent exploring the nuances of how Brad, the main character, gets others to do things his way. Space exploration, contact with alien civilizations, and one 'battle' in nearly 90 chapters of fluff are more of an afterthought. The mediocre trip to the Brad Show ends unexpectedly, leaving you dissatisfied and cheated - just like Brad's ex.

Traditional sci. fi.

An interesting story, well told. Sci. Fi always has the advantage of limitless horizons and vast stages to play on. Ben Bova uses his tales to ask intriguing questions and make his listeners / readers think about big issues. I could have done without the rather cheesy love-life of the main character which seems to have no bearing on the narative.