I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Space Advisor Jake Ross takes on the challenge of his life when he decides to send humanity out to the stars and put America back on the map by establishing a permanent moon base in author Ben Bova’s final novel, “Power Challenges”, the fourth book in the Jake Ross series. 

The Synopsis

Sadly, this is the last book Ben Bova left us before his untimely death due to COVID-19 related causes on November 29, 2020.

“Far-thinking ideas and the characters’ determination to grab the last hope are characteristic. Fans won’t want to miss this coda to Bova’s prolific literary life.”―Publishers Weekly

It is time to start the colonizing the solar system. Ex-astronaut, current space advisor, and all-out trouble shooter for the President, Jake Ross, is determined to make it happen.

And what better way to return to America’s glory than by returning to the moon and setting up a permanent moon-base which can then serve as the launching pad for Mars and beyond.

But as usual, political intrigue and conflicting priorities are threatening the whole program. Add to that a President who is about to die, a strong contingent in the legislative body which thinks that money spent on a moon-base is money wasted and the general apathy of the public, and you have an almost impossible task.

Even NASA, natural enthusiasts of a project like this, are dragging their feet because they have lost control of the top spot in the project.

However, none of those opposing forces have contended with the resolve and the skill of Jake Ross. He will create the base on the moon. He will send humans out to many worlds.

The Review

While it is heartbreaking to lose a truly powerful voice within the science fiction community, this final novel from the author is the perfect example of why Ben Bova always had one hand on the pulse of this exhilarating genre. For the majority of this novel, the author took great detail in outlining the politics and struggles that someone trying to build a permanent presence in space would face in the future. From the divide in party lines in the United States to the economic and ecological struggles that would occur and so much more, this novel does an excellent job of creating not only a realistic setting but a perfect tone that highlights the real hurdles once may face in future space exploration and colonization.

The pacing of the novel was engaging, to say the least, slowly building the political thriller aspect of this sci-fi novel. The novel is perfect for both new and returning fans of this series, as newcomers like myself get the opportunity to get to know the protagonist and the supporting characters perfectly, while longtime fans will be thrilled to see the evolution of the protagonist as the story progresses. The balance of the story’s narrative with the incredible and realistic character development made this heavy sci-fi read truly memorable. 

The Verdict

Entertaining, thought-provoking, and incredibly detailed, author Ben Bova’s “Power Challenges” is the perfect sci-fi read and an incredible final chapter in a great sci-fi author’s journey. With a shocking political betrayal and the epic battle that will determine the fate of a nation, the author shocks readers and creates a memorable end to this series. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

Ben Bova was born on November 8, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1953, while attending Temple University, he married Rosa Cucinotta, they had a son and a daughter. He would later divorce Rosa in 1974. In that same year he married Barbara Berson Rose.

Bova is an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett’s fencing club. He is an environmentalist, but rejects Luddism.

Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.

In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell’s death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.

In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children’s science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled “The Search”.

Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to “Cordwainer Bird”, the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.

Bova is the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).

Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.

Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.

Bova is the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).

Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova’s works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film “Repossession Mambo” (released as “Repo Men”) starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan’s “Altered Carbon”.

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