Sam Gunn Jr.
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
The final completed novel by Ben Bova
Intergalactic explorer, venture capitalist, and Casanova Sam Gunn may be gone, but his legacy lives on in his son, Sam Gunn Jr.
In his first-ever adventure, Sam Gunn Jr. sets off to fulfill his father’s left-behind mission of interplanetary enterprising. He soon learns his father’s shoes are tough to fill, but he is up for the task. Junior takes a journey through the stars, falling in love with beautiful women and leaving his unique mark everywhere he ventures. Soon, however, this trip through the universe takes a dangerous turn when Junior lands on Saturn and learns about a recent scientific discovery that will change everything, possibly forever.
Will he be able to save the universe and live up to his father’s name? Take an unforgettable ride through space in master sci-fi author Ben Bova’s exciting novel!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Multiple Hugo Award winner Bova (1932–2020) does not burnish his reputation with this turgid sequel to 1998's Sam Gunn Forever; it lacks the plausible science of his best work and is burdened by an overbusy plot and female characters that are mostly sex objects. On a far future Earth, the 19-year-old title character is stunned to learn, on his mother's deathbed, that his father was the legendary Sam Gunn, an adventurer and "space entrepreneur," famous for "wooing beautiful women while he built an interplanetary corporation." His mother dies destitute, but Gunn Jr. bluffs his way into accessing his father's assets even before a blood test establishes proof of their relationship. The Moon-based S. Gunn Enterprises is also struggling financially, forcing Gunn Jr. to undertake a number of risky ventures to stay afloat, including creating a museum on Mars with exhibits depicting the mistaken predictions about what life on that planet would look like, and a scantily clad robot based on an Edgar Rice Burroughs's Martian princess. The episodic plot fizzles and the prose never rises above being serviceable. The most devoted fans of the original might find something to enjoy here, but everyone else will be unimpressed.
Customer Reviews
Good Juvie
Didn’t know Bova did juvies and this becomes a great introduction to his version of the solar system. It entices you to look up his other books to get the details on each world Sam Gunn Junior visits, including Earth itself.