Farside: 2013 Book #11

2 out of 5 stars

Ben Bova is a fairly prolific science fiction and fact author, and this is my first foray into his catalog. While I thought the concept held a lot of promise and the science behind the fiction was pretty rock solid, I found myself generally underwhelmed by the tale. It’s almost as if he was writing by formula, and a lot of the prose fell flat on the page. New character entering? Spend a paragraph describing them. Important plot point? Have a character repeat it at lease three times so we make sure to get it.

I also found a lot of key character interactions to be flawed. The whole tale is spun as a mystery – when things start going wrong on this remote moon base, it reads as if the author is trying to spin a whodunnit tale of mystery and intrigue. Yet the identity and the cause of all that’s going on can be seen coming a mile away. And despite every character in Farside being a brilliant scientist, they sure are idiots when it comes to human nature. Two competing agencies racing to discover New Earth, with billions of dollars in funding hanging in the balance. Yet the heads of each respective program think nothing of using the same scientist to help them complete their projects. Nor does anyone think of a reason why these rivals might want to sabotage each other.

In fact, the idea that Farside would allow the head of a rival program and a former employee who is now being employed by said program anywhere near their facilities is a giant plot hole. It reduced most of the believability of the plot, and rendered a lot of the characters impotent.

That said, it was still a relatively entertaining read. It moves at a brisk pace, and the threat of discovering New Earth or having the entire base fall prey to destructive influences is enough to keep the pages turning. And Simpson is an excellent character amid a sea of flat personas – his never-say-quit drive and willingness to go to any lengths for the sake of the work amid a group of scientists who seem more concerned with politics makes for a nice tension.