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Ben Bova was a prolific American author that wrote science fiction and science fact. Born in 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he attended South Philadelphia High School and Temple University. Later on, he went back to school, enrolling at the State University of New York at Albany and California Coast University.
Order of Watchmen/The Others Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Star Conquerors | 1959 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Star Watchman | 1964 | Description / Buy | |
3 | The Dueling Machine | 1969 | Description / Buy |
Order of Exiles Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Exiled from Earth | 1971 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Flight of Exiles | 1972 | Description / Buy | |
3 | End of Exile | 1975 | Description / Buy |
Order of Kinsman Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Millennium | 1976 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Kinsman | 1979 | Description / Buy |
Chronological Order of Kinsman Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kinsman | 1979 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Millennium | 1976 | Description / Buy |
Order of Voyagers Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Voyagers | 1981 | Description / Buy | |
2 | The Alien Within | 1986 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Star Brothers | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
4 | The Return | 2009 | Description / Buy |
Order of Orion Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Orion | 1984 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Vengeance of Orion | 1988 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Orion In The Dying Time | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Orion and the Conqueror | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
5 | Orion Among the Stars | 1995 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Orion and King Arthur | 2011 | Description / Buy |
Order of The Grand Tour Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Privateers | 1985 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Mars | 1992 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Empire Builders | 1993 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Moonrise | 1996 | Description / Buy | |
5 | Moonwar | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Return to Mars | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
7 | Venus | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
8 | Jupiter | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
9 | The Precipice | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
10 | The Rock Rats | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
11 | Saturn | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
12 | The Silent War | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
13 | Mercury | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
14 | Powersat | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
15 | Titan | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
16 | Aftermath | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
17 | Mars Life | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
18 | The Return | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
19 | Leviathans of Jupiter | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
20 | Farside | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
21 | New Earth | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
22 | Death Wave | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
23 | Earth | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
24 | Uranus | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
25 | Neptune | 2021 | Description / Buy |
Chronological Order of The Grand Tour Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Powersat | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Privateers | 1985 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Empire Builders | 1993 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Mars | 1992 | Description / Buy | |
5 | Moonrise | 1996 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Moonwar | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
7 | Return to Mars | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
8 | The Precipice | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
9 | Jupiter | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
10 | The Rock Rats | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
11 | The Silent War | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
12 | Aftermath | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
13 | Saturn | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
14 | Leviathans of Jupiter | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
15 | Titan | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
16 | Mercury | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
17 | Mars Life | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
18 | Venus | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
19 | The Return | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
20 | Farside | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
21 | New Earth | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
22 | Death Wave | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
23 | Earth | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
24 | Uranus | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
25 | Neptune | 2021 | Description / Buy |
Order of Star Quest Trilogy Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Death Wave | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Apes and Angels | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Survival | 2017 | Description / Buy |
Order of Outer Planets Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Uranus | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Neptune | 2021 | Description / Buy |
Order of Sam Gunn Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sam Gunn Unlimited | 1992 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Sam Gunn Forever | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
3 | The Sam Gunn Omnibus: New Stories | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Sam Gunn Jr. | 2022 | Description / Buy |
Order of Moonbase Saga Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Moonrise | 1996 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Moonwar | 1997 | Description / Buy |
Order of The Asteroid Wars Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Precipice | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
2 | The Rock Rats | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
3 | The Silent War | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Aftermath | 2007 | Description / Buy |
Order of Billionaire's Club Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mars, Inc. | 2013 | Description / Buy |
Order of Jake Ross Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Power Play | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Power Surge | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Power Failure | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Power Challenges | 2021 | Description / Buy |
Order of Ben Bova Standalone Novels
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Weather-Makers | 1967 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Out of the Sun | 1968 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Escape! (Short Story) | 1970 | Description / Buy | |
4 | THX 1138 | 1971 | Description / Buy | |
5 | As On A Darkling Plain | 1972 | Description / Buy | |
6 | The Winds of Altair | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
7 | When the Sky Burned | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
8 | Gremlins Go Home | 1974 | Description / Buy | |
9 | The Starcrossed | 1975 | Description / Buy | |
10 | City Of Darkness | 1976 | Description / Buy | |
11 | Multiple Man | 1976 | Description / Buy | |
12 | Colony | 1978 | Description / Buy | |
13 | Test of Fire | 1982 | Description / Buy | |
14 | The Peacekeepers | 1988 | Description / Buy | |
15 | Cyberbooks | 1989 | Description / Buy | |
16 | The Trikon Deception | 1992 | Description / Buy | |
17 | Triumph | 1993 | Description / Buy | |
18 | Death Dream | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
19 | Brothers | 1995 | Description / Buy | |
20 | The Green Trap | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
21 | The Immortality Factor | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
22 | Able One | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
23 | The Hittite | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
24 | Transhuman | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
25 | Rescue Mode | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
26 | Space Station Down | 2020 | Description / Buy |
Order of Ben Bova Short Stories/Novellas
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Next Logical Step (Short Story) | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Answer, Please Answer (Short Story) | 2023 | Description / Buy |
Order of Ben Bova Short Story Collections
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Forward In Time | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Maxwell's Demons | 1978 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Escape Plus | 1984 | Description / Buy | |
4 | The Astral Mirror | 1985 | Description / Buy | |
5 | Prometheans | 1986 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Battle Station | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
7 | Future Crime | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
8 | Challenges | 1993 | Description / Buy | |
9 | The Future Quartet: Earth in the Year 2042 | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
10 | Twice Seven | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
11 | The Towers of Titan and Other Stories | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
12 | New Frontiers | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
13 | Mercury and Prometheans | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
14 | The Best of Bova | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
15 | The Best of Bova, Volume II | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
16 | The Best of Bova, Volume III | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
17 | My Favorites | 2020 | Description / Buy |
Order of Ben Bova Non-Fiction
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Milky Way Galaxy | 1961 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Giants of the Animal World (Short Story) | 1962 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Reptiles Since the World Began (Short Story) | 1964 | Description / Buy | |
4 | The Uses of Space | 1965 | Description / Buy | |
5 | Planets, Life & Lgm | 1970 | Description / Buy | |
6 | In Quest of Quasars | 1971 | Description / Buy | |
7 | The Amazing Laser | 1971 | Description / Buy | |
8 | Man Changes the Weather | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
9 | The Weather Changes Man (Short Story) | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
10 | The New Astronomies | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
11 | Starflight and Other Improbabilities (Short Story) | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
12 | The Fourth State of Matter | 1974 | Description / Buy | |
13 | Analog Science Fact Reader | 1974 | Description / Buy | |
14 | Workshops in Space (Short Story) | 1974 | Description / Buy | |
15 | Through Eyes of Wonder (Short Story) | 1975 | Description / Buy | |
16 | Notes to a Science Fiction Writer | 1975 | Description / Buy | |
17 | Science--Who Needs It? (Short Story) | 1975 | Description / Buy | |
18 | Closeup, New Worlds | 1977 | Description / Buy | |
19 | Viewpoint (Short Story) | 1977 | Description / Buy | |
20 | The Seeds of Tomorrow (Short Story) | 1977 | Description / Buy | |
21 | High Road | 1981 | Description / Buy | |
22 | Vision of the Future | 1982 | Description / Buy | |
23 | Assured Survival | 1984 | Description / Buy | |
24 | Star Peace | 1986 | Description / Buy | |
25 | Welcome to Moon Base | 1987 | Description / Buy | |
26 | Interactions | 1988 | Description / Buy | |
27 | The Beauty of Light | 1988 | Description / Buy | |
28 | Immortality | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
29 | First Contact | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
30 | Are We Alone In The Cosmos? The Guide To The Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence | 1992 | Description / Buy | |
31 | The Craft of Writing Science Fiction That Sells | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
32 | Space Travel: A Writer's Guide to the Science of Interplanetary and Interstellar Travel | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
33 | Are We Alone in the Cosmos? | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
34 | The Story of Light | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
35 | The Living Universe | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
36 | Faint Echoes, Distant Stars | 2004 | Description / Buy |
Order of Science Fiction Writing Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aliens and Alien Societies | 1996 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Time Travel | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Space Travel: A Writer's Guide to the Science of Interplanetary and Interstellar Travel | 1997 | Description / Buy |
Ben Bova Anthologies
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Best of Science Fiction: No. 10 | 1964 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Analog Science Fiction and Fact, June 1968 | 1968 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact, July 1971 | 1971 | Description / Buy | |
4 | The Many Worlds of Science Fiction | 1971 | Description / Buy | |
5 | Science Fiction Hall Of Fame: The Novellas Book 2 | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
6 | The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume II A | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
7 | The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume IIB | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
8 | Analog 9 | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
9 | Cosmic Laughter; Science Fiction for the Fun of It | 1974 | Description / Buy | |
10 | Science Fiction Hall of Fame: The Novellas Book 1 | 1975 | Description / Buy | |
11 | Science Fiction Today and Tomorrow: A Discursive Symposium | 1975 | Description / Buy | |
12 | Analog Annual | 1976 | Description / Buy | |
13 | Aliens: 3 Novellas | 1977 | Description / Buy | |
14 | Aliens | 1977 | Description / Buy | |
15 | Study War No More | 1977 | Description / Buy | |
16 | Weird Heroes Volume 6 | 1977 | Description / Buy | |
17 | Analog Yearbook | 1978 | Description / Buy | |
18 | Novella 3 | 1978 | Description / Buy | |
19 | Rod Serling's Other Worlds | 1978 | Description / Buy | |
20 | The Best of Omni Science Fiction | 1980 | Description / Buy | |
21 | Alien Encounters | 1982 | Description / Buy | |
22 | Laughing Space: An Anthology of Science Fiction Humor | 1982 | Description / Buy | |
23 | Analog: Writers' Choice Volume II | 1984 | Description / Buy | |
24 | The Best of the Nebulas | 1989 | Description / Buy | |
25 | Power | 1991 | Description / Buy | |
26 | Analog Science Fiction and Fact, February 1997 | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
27 | Are We Alone in the Cosmos? | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
28 | Analog Science Fiction and Fact, June 2001 | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
29 | The Best Of Analog | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
30 | The Hard SF Renaissance | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
31 | Analog, January/February 2005 | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
32 | Nebula Awards Showcase 2007 | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
33 | Nebula Awards 42 (2008) | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
34 | Favorite Science Fiction Stories, Volume 2 | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
35 | Going Interstellar | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
36 | Science Fiction Gems, Volume Four, Jack Sharkey and Others | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
37 | The Callahan Kids | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
38 | Writers for Relief | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
39 | Carbide Tipped Pens | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
40 | Science Fiction Gems, Volume 9 | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
41 | Visions of the Future | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
42 | The Golden Age of Science Fiction - Volume XV | 2018 | Description / Buy |
Rosa Cucinotta was his first wife. The couple, whose marriage ended in 1974, had two children. Ben’s second wife was Barbara Berson Rose. She passed away in 2009.
The author’s resume includes stints at Project Vanguard, Avco Everett Research Laboratory, and Analog Science Fact and Fiction, where Ben worked as an editor. The author was a science adviser on ‘The Starlost.’ Though, he left the TV show because of contractual issues.
He wrote an episode for the TV show ‘Land of the Lost,’ edited a science fiction magazine called ‘Omni,’ consulted on the movie ‘Repo Men,’ and the ‘Altered Carbon’ adaptation, etc.
Ben Bova lived a rich and illustrious life, winning the hearts and minds of science fiction readers in the US and abroad. The author started reading science fiction at a young age. A child of the Great Depression, he discovered astronomy when his class visited the planetarium.
When they switched the stars on, Ben was in awe. He developed a fascination with astronautics. Soon after, the writer discovered science fiction, a genre that used fiction to explore the possibilities of science.
Ben did not hesitate to remind people that he wasn’t a professional scientist. The author was a journalist and educator who was fortunate enough to work under Doctor I.M. Levitt, the planetarium director. Levitt introduced Ben to numerous scientific texts that fed his hunger.
When the writer learned of the US’s intention to launch an artificial satellite, he sought a position at Glenn L. Martin Co. as a technical editor. Ben’s superiors hired him because he told them that the public was interested in project Vanguard. He had the skill to turn the engineering concepts at the heart of the undertaking into prose the layperson could digest.
Even though he was an avid science fiction reader for many years, Ben did not realize that science fiction had a passionate fanbase until David Kyle called and asked him to participate in the World Science Fiction Convention in New York (1956). This marked Ben’s first encounter with science fiction conventions. He recruited some engineers from project Vanguard and took them to the convention on Labor Day Weekend.
The engineers were apprehensive when they saw the costumed fans at the convention. But they overcame their doubts once they met notable figures like Arthur C. Clarke, who had the science community’s love and respect.
Ben Bova Awards
Ben received Hugo, Nebula, Prometheus, and John W Campbell Memorial Award nominations. He won six Hugo awards and a Robert A. Heinlein Award.
Best Ben Bova Books
The author died in 2020 from a stroke and COVID 19 complications. Ben’s best books include:
Venus: Van Humphries will probably die on Venus. Things don’t look good for him. Venus is a hostile place. The air pressure is strong enough to crush spacecraft landers. The heat will melt aluminum. Human flesh won’t survive the sulfuric acid that covers the sky.
Van’s older brother tried to land on Venus. He would have become the first man to set foot on the planet if he had succeeded. But he failed, and in the eyes of their father, Van sinned because he survived when his brother died.
But now, Van has a chance to fix things. His father intends to give $10 billion to the person that can retrieve his dead son from Venus. Van has accepted the challenge.
Jupiter: Grant is on a dangerous mission to Jupiter, a planet that dwarfs the earth significantly. The New Morality wants Grant to disprove the notion that Jupiter has intelligent life.
The religious order will do everything it can to discredit the discoveries their enemies have made. But Grant has no intention of doing the bidding of his masters. The young scientist is a man of faith, a believer born to a minister. However, he rejects the notion that faith and science cannot co-exist, and he is determined to explore Jupiter with an open mind.
The things he sees will destroy everything the elders of the New Morality believe.
When Does The Next Ben Bova book come out?
Ben Bova doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Answer, Please Answer and was released on November, 30th 2023. It is the newest book in the Ben Bova Short Stories/Novellas.