Empire Builders

by
Ben Bova

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Empire Builders (Privateers #2)

by Ben Bova

3.42 of 5 stars 3.42 · rating details · 155 ratings · 10 reviews

Dan Randolph never plays by the rules. A hell-raising maverick with no patience for fools, he is admired by his friends, feared by his enemies, and desired by the world's loveliest women. Acting as a 21st-century privateer, Randolph broke the political strangle-hold on space exploration, and became one of the world's richest men in the bargain.

Now an ecological crisis thr...more

Hardcover, 383 pages

Published September 2nd 1993 by Tor Books (first published 1993)

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Nov 17, 2012 Ty rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Reading this book was a bit like going to a picnic to find that you two best friends won't be there, and they are only serving your third favorite beer. Yeah, it's free food, free beer, and better than sitting at home, probably, but had you had to miss the occasion, you wouldn't have been upset about it for long.

To begin with, I found this book at the library audio section. A cover which did not in any way indicate it was a sequel to anything. I didn't realize this until I was almost done, havin...more Reading this book was a bit like going to a picnic to find that you two best friends won't be there, and they are only serving your third favorite beer. Yeah, it's free food, free beer, and better than sitting at home, probably, but had you had to miss the occasion, you wouldn't have been upset about it for long.

To begin with, I found this book at the library audio section. A cover which did not in any way indicate it was a sequel to anything. I didn't realize this until I was almost done, having happened to check out this Goodreads page for it. t works as a stand alone piece, but not a very interesting one. I don't know if having read "Privateers" would have made this book more interesting, but I tend to doubt it.

Other than the fact that it takes place in the future, where there are a whole lot of gadgets and such, this isn't very science-fictionesque. It's really a rather dull political thriller that is rather short on thrills. Mafia. Political institutions. Mega corporations. Corruption and the few good guys to straighten it all out. Throw in a para-military firefight in a dark castle at the end, (which fizzles quickly) and you are left with an anti-climax that while not atrocious, is nonetheless not worth the investment you've made in the book.

The intervals with one-off characters drag out the proceedings. The scientific elaborations-cum-action are boring. The posturing on the issue of global warming (something I firmly believe is real) are overdone. We get it, Bova, you are warning us about global climate change. Where's the novel here?

Having been published in 1993, it has one unintentionally eerie componant...a prediction of a large wave of water coming over the levies of New Orleans as a result of a tidal wave. Thankfully Katrina was nowhere near as deadly as the fictitious event presented here, but it gave me pause nonetheless when I read it.

Yet that's all that gave me pause, or made me think, or evoked any kind of emotion, really. This accidental quasi-prediction of water wiping out a good portion of NOLA. If that is all the book has going for it, then as a sci-fi novel, it had nothing going for it.(less)

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Feb 15, 2013 David rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pretty disappointed... Action was good but the idea that businesses can be nationalized without due process or compensation due to a technicality is pretty implausible. Also, the fact that a multi-billion dollar corporation had a single lawyer on payroll doesn't make much sense...

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Jan 27, 2012 Louise rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pretty good except I got annoyed in the beginning because the backstory on Jane and their relationship, as well as some of the history on Dan, didn't quite jibe with Powersat (which took place earlier in time.

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Apr 20, 2011 Rob Roy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This book written in 1993, makes the foolish statement that the levee's of New Orleans would fail!

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Aug 21, 2012 Keith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

good solid sci-fi pulp, my first Ben Bova, looking forward to more

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Apr 07, 2012 Foxtower rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: entertainment

Very Good!

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Feb 08, 2011 Will rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dan Randolph

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Sep 02, 2010 Drew rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Run Dan Run!

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Nov 11, 2011 Amblingbooks.com marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: available-on-audio, science-fiction, audiobook

"Solid action-adventure/politicking/consciousness-raising from a veteran pro." � Kirkus Reviews

Listen to Empire Builders on your iPhone, desktop, or smartphone.

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Aug 18, 2008 Eric rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A strange blend of politics, sci-fi and crime thriller. The story moves along but the main theme of impending climate catastrophe gets lost along the way somewhere. The characters were fun to follow though.

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May 11, 2013 Benny Butler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 07, 2013 Doug Suhina marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 06, 2013 Neville Christensen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 05, 2013 Deborah Crouse marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: audible

May 05, 2013 Phil marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: all-audio, audible

Apr 29, 2013 Dmack marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 28, 2013 Neil Evans marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: ongoing-series

Apr 22, 2013 Kerry Evans rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apr 17, 2013 Louise marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 15, 2013 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apr 13, 2013 Trey Simmons is currently reading it · review of another edition

Apr 10, 2013 Michael Riber rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apr 03, 2013 Jonathan marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 03, 2013 John rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mar 30, 2013 Andreas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mar 30, 2013 Thomas Stone rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1

Mar 29, 2013 Ian Carmen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mar 31, 2013 Zoverion rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mar 23, 2013 Reuven rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mar 23, 2013 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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About Ben Bova

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 fo...more

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The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume 2A

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Empire Builders (Privateers #2)

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