• Earth

  • The Grand Tour Series, Book 23
  • By: Ben Bova
  • Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
  • Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (258 ratings)

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Earth  By  cover art

Earth

By: Ben Bova
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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Publisher's summary

Earth is the latest science fiction novel from multiple Hugo Award winner Ben Bova, author of Apes and Angels and Survival.

A wave of lethal gamma radiation is expanding from the core of the Milky Way galaxy at the speed of light, killing everything in its path. The countdown to when the death wave will reach Earth and the rest of the solar system is at 2,000 years.

Humans were helped by the Predecessors, who provided shielding generators that can protect the solar system. In return, the Predecessors asked humankind’s help to save other intelligent species that are in danger of being annihilated. 

But what of Earth? With the Death Wave no longer a threat to humanity, humans have spread out and colonized all the worlds of the solar system. The technology of the Predecessors has made Earth a paradise, at least on the surface. But a policy of exiling discontented young people to the outer planets and asteroid mines has led to a deep divide between the new worlds and the homeworld, and those tensions are about to explode into open war.

©2019 Ben Bova (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

What listeners say about Earth

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Good listen but Seems rushed

Overall a quick book on revisiting Jupiter. I wish the story would expand more and delve deeper into the twists.

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2 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Outdated and slow

I had to stop mid way through and look up the publication date of this, as it reads like something written in the 50s or earlier, but nope, 2019. The character development is thin, the attitudes of nearly everyone antiquated and everyone is constantly making references to literature and people from hundreds of years in our past, which would be far further in their past. It is baffling and incongruous.

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1 person found this helpful

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Not quite as good…

Not quite as good, but it brings you up to date. It fills in some of the history and includes a love story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Every Book by Ben Bova

I have listened to several of Ben Nova’s books and every one of them so far has been great. I recommend them all. I also enjoy this narrator’s skillful reading, depth of voices and pacing.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

good

it was an interesting story. I enjoy science fiction stories and this was done well.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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It was a struggle to finish

I'm sure it's difficult to write a decent book so who am I to criticize. This one was just seemed to go on and on and never quite pulled me in.

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good story space Opera

It was a very good story but the storyline seemed a bit predictable. slow is very well with the rest of this series of books sad to see it end.

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    3 out of 5 stars

So much eyebrow action!

I love Ben Bova universe and the storied that stem from it. I'm not sure what the intention was behind this particular story but it came across as if it were written to be more of a movie script than any of the other stories I've come to love. Nonetheless, this is quality work!

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always great can't wait for the next one

always great can't wait for the next one always great can't wait for the next one

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  • Mr J A Wilson
  • 12-21-22

Really enjoyable listen and fast paced.

Really enjoyed listening to this book. I’ve been a fan of his writing and this one is fast paced and an easy listen.

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  • tleaf100
  • 02-26-22

More of the same.

If you have read any or all of the other 22 books in the grand tour series, it helps.
Your satisfaction levels depend on what your expecting, having read most of the grand tour, earth makes more sense to me than it obviously has for some other listeners.
If you expect proper "hard" Sci fi, don't read bova, most of his books are more about relationships and vary from no Sci fi and lots of badly done sex, like voyagers series, to later novels with more Sci fi, he has been around a long time, some have aged badly, such as voyagers, series started in 1981 and it shows, 40 years later.

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  • Jenette Hale
  • 01-07-22

Just as well it was free!

Garbage
Garbage and even ..
Garbage!
And I am so grateful it cost me zip, nada, zero!
Apart that is the few hours I’ll never get back!

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 08-11-22

Racially insensitive

I was enjoying the book mildly up to a point. I felt all the characters to be simplistic and two dimensional. In all, rather immature. It does not have the feel of a mature, experienced writer.

I was especially disturbed, nay, horrified by the repetitive use of the word "abo" to describe an indigenous Australian character. That is horribly insensitive and offensive, on a par with the use of the "n***er" word in American culture. That alone makes this book unacceptable. I do not know how that got past any editors. This book should have been checked for cultural sensitivity before being published.

I have read and heard great things about Ben Bova but find this, my first introduction to his works very concerning and question whether it is worth reading any of his other works.

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