Neptune, as most of Bova’s books, was simple fun and entertaining. His earlier books, the Mars series in particular, seemed to have a little more depth and suspense. Although he was a sci-fi writer not in the category of Asimov and Clarke, Bova’s books are still worthwhile reading, enjoyable, and amusing at times.

I was a teenager when I first encountered he science fiction of Ben Bova and it was totally by accident.

A relative had stayed at our family cottage one summer and left behind a stack of paperbacks including a copy of Bova’s Millennium, a 1976 book about orbiting American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts working together to prevent a nuclear war between their homelands.

Perhaps it was because the story was set in a future that wasn’t so far away and the plot seemed completely plausible that it left such an impression on me or maybe it was just Bova’s easy and entertaining writing style that hooked me. I don’t really know what it was, but I became a Bova fan ever since and have been particularly attached to his Grand Tour series of books. Set in own solar system in a not-too-distant future when corporations and governments vie for control of its resources, a series of strong and interesting characters keep seeming to find life on just about every moon and planet where it has even the slightest possibility of existence. I kind of have a secret hope that is truly the case so maybe that’s another reason why I like the stories.

Neptune is the latest book in the series, which now spans 28 titles, and could potentially be the last as the American author passed away late last year at the age of 88.

While Neptune won’t be remembered as a classic of the genre, it’s a fine example of Bova’s straightforward storytelling style which will you keep you entertained and turning the pages.

Bova’s Grand Tour books are loosely connected with characters appearing in multiple volumes, but you don’t have to read them all in order to enjoy the series, although some of them are connected in sub-series, like this one which is the second part of the Outer Planets Trilogy and is a follow-up to Uranus. I hadn’t read Uranus and a bit of the background from that story flows into this one which would have been nice to read, but it didn’t really lessen my enjoyment of the book.

The plot of Neptune is about a rich Hungarian baroness who is looking for her father who was lost in an expedition in the oceans of the gas giant. She hires an experienced space explorer with knowledge of the outer planets and a younger scientist to accompany her on her expedition.

They never do find the missing father, but they do make an Earth-shattering discovery which they share with the incredulous powers-that-be who force them to return with another scientist to confirm their findings.

Various bumps and obstacles are thrown in their way during their adventures which Bova skillfully weaves into the story to keep you reading. I found myself wanting to keep reading whenever I came to the end of a chapter, which is a sign of a book that has been well written.

While I occasionally rolled my eyes at some of the science in the story, I gave Bova the benefit of the doubt and let him transport me with his words to yet another distant destination in our solar system.

If you’re a fan of space exploration stories that have a touch of realism and harken back to science fiction’s earlier days, then Ben Bova’s Grand Tour books are worth discovering and Neptune is a worthy addition to the series. The only shame is we might never get to voyage to Pluto and beyond with Bova.

Neptune by Ben Bova was a very confusing read for me. I felt that neither the plot nor the character development nor the logic contributed to the books strength. They seem to be all hastily put together without any order of semblance and it was a very disappointing read. A good subtext of dialogue would have helped this book but that also had more lows than ups and I struggled to find any good in this book.
I thank Netgalley for sharing this book with me in retrun for an unbiased feedback.

Neptune is the twenty-fifth (yes, you read that right!) novel in Ben Bova's The Grand Tour series. For the sake of honesty, I have to confess that I have not read the rest of this series. However, I was too curious to pass up the opportunity to give it a try regardless!

Set in a far future where humanity has dispersed among the stars – literally. The outer planets, such as Neptune, are in the process of being settled, though naturally, they come with their own set of challenges. The planet's atmosphere alone would create enough issues.

Enter Derek Humbolt – famous space explorer. Her ship is heading to Neptune, in part to check on the early settles. Only instead of the settlers, they find something else. Something that is going to throw their plans way off course.

Neptune is a novel with an infinite amount of potential. It makes me want to see what the rest of the series is like, truth be told. I can't imagine what the other twenty-four books much be like! Other than to assume that they cover the other planets in the solar system.

Overall, this was a quick and interesting read. I enjoyed the creativity in Bova's writing, though I'll admit that I wish there was more character development. There's a lot going on, but not a whole lot of emotional attachment to any of it, which was an odd sensation.

Still, I found the novel to be worth reading and will probably check out the rest of the series should I ever find enough time to do so.

"Neptune" by Ben Bova nicely delivered as expected. It is a space adventure that centers on a shy scientist or two, a courageous pilot, and the rich Baroness who funds a dangerous rescue mission to the uncharted oceans of Neptune and what they discover. The story was a light space adventure that was fun to read.

I thank the publisher for sharing a review copy of this book.

Ben Bova has been on my list of authors to read for a while but the one time I tried one of his books I had a hard time getting into it. I gave Neptune a try and had no difficulty - it is a good story. I was disappointed at how mundane and pedestrian this one was. The characters were mildly quirky, the space voyage was uneventful there was mild suspense both times they were in the ocean of Neptune just rather bland. There was a lot of politics and posturing. There was very little hard science or any science fiction to it. I found it to be a mundane read. perhaps his earlier books were good science fiction. I did not enjoy this one.

I have been a fan of Ben Bova’s work for a long time. I haven’t read everything he’s written, but I have read all of his Grand Tour series. Since the author passed away recently, this is probably the last book in that series.
Neptune is about three explorers on a trip to the seas of Neptune to discover the fate of one of the character’s father. Of course, in the midst of that, they discover a crashed alien ship buried on the ocean floor.
I did enjoy this book a great deal, but I’ll have to admit that I just wasn’t terribly impressed by or connected with any of the main characters. Nothing about them stood out as noteworthy to me.
It would be unfortunate if this were the last book in the series, because the author did seem to be building to something with the last two books. It’s sad to think we’ll never know what.

Summary
The wealthy Ilona Magyr can't accept that her father died researching the oceans of Neptune. So, she's funding a brand new expedition to find out the truth about what happened to him.
Review

While I’ve enjoyed parts of Ben Bova’s Grand Tour series, I found the last entry, Uranus, to be outdated and effectively past its prime. This book, while not great, is happily better, if somewhat summary in execution.

One of Bova’s strengths is usually the relative credibility of his science and engineering. Here, it’s still fairly believable, but it also feels very rushed, as does the plot. There are loose ends (e.g., a mystery signal under the ocean of Neptune that is mentioned and then never pursued), a lack of character development (which is not a Bova strength), and a certain amount of repetition. All in all, the book felt like it was released well before it was ready. The book will be released in August 2021, and Bova died in November 2020; I’m not sure if that had something to do with it. It’s unfortunate that his last book isn’t great, but at least he didn’t go out with the very weak Uranus, and he did leave a body of genuinely strong work behind.

This book is a poor starting point for an appreciation of Bova’s writing. If you are a fan of Bova or the Grand Tour, though, it’s an okay – if by no means necessary – place to stop and see him off. And, since this was billed as a trilogy, it’s possible there’s one more book left in the pipeline. This one certainly calls for a sequel, but based on its state, I suspect any final book would be even less finished.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This book is part of the author’s Solar System Series. Overall the book is better than his last effort (Uranus). This plot involves the discovery of aliens who visited Neptune over 2 million years ago and the political ramifications that take place on Earth as a result. Ben Bova fans will particularly enjoy this one.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

Oh boy.

Do not come for character development or realistic relationship building.

The overall narrative is interesting enough and the theory that drives the second half of the plot itself is fine. But the scientific consequence isn’t nearly developed enough; it’s a leap. I’m all for short sharp stories, no need for a trilogy, but this was just a bit silly.

Lots of spoilers follow.

Character development: there really is none. The woman, Ilona, whose obsession with finding her father's remains somewhere on Neptune funds the first venture to the planet, and basically drives the entire narrative? So little development as to be non-existent. The old space-sailor on his last adventure? basically no development beyond that. The scientist who doesn't actually seem to have any real knowledge of Neptune, but who is in love with Ilona after a brief meeting... is just a nothing. And even the scientist who joins the second mission, apparently as a government stooge, is just... a nothing. There are hints of the possibility of intrigue: is she deliberately seducing the other scientist? is she also just a pawn? WHO KNOWS. WHO CARES.

When Ilona and co get to Neptune they discover her father is dead - OF COURSE - but they also discover what turn out to be alien remains. And somehow, very quickly, it's decided that these aliens were responsible for destroying life on Uranus (how did we come to that conclusion? who knows!) and also an ice age on Earth. As I said, as a premise I am SO HERE for this idea. Explore the repercussions of this for me - either on Earth or in the wider galaxy! ... but that basically doesn't happen. There's a politician who is worried for his career and scientists who don't like it - which again, cool! explore this angle - but no. No exploration. It just ends up being boring.

And the conclusion is simply appalling. Like, really awful. Ilona's obsession with having lost her father leads to her bearing his clone. This is gross and nonsense and just weird.

I won't be reading anything else by Ben Bova having read this.

I enjoyed this book but I found that it was not as good as his other books that I’ve read. I found there was too much description at the start of the story. He also repeated a major part of the story. The political intrigue that drew me into his previous stories didn’t appear until later in the book. Once the book got into the major story line, I found it to be very enjoyable. Ben Bova's character development is also very good and I found myself caring about the protagonist. His description of what was found on Neptune was very captivating. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advance reader copy.