Although I usually find it extremely annoying to read a middle book of a series, with Ben Bova novels it actually seems to work out alright. Maybe that’s because his series rarely seem overly interconnected, in fact with this novel I didn’t even realize it was a part of a series until I finished. The really interesting thing about the bulk of Bova’s work is that although the stories might be loosely interconnected they feel totally independent. And that is because they are separate stories yet they inhabit the same universe. His books make subtle refrences to each other, in an offhand way that really reflects life. Yes a character might be seen in another novel, but where this person might be a bit player in one book, he is the focus of another.
As on a Darkling Plain is a part of Ben Bova’s loosely titled ‘Others’ saga, which if my assumption is correct encompasses the his Orion series too. But interestingly enough this book reads more like three. That’s probably because the story is actually a collecting and expansion/reworking of two previously published shorts written some time ago. The story, is therefore a little tenuous in its connection between sections, although each part individually is entertaining enough. The first part deals with a mission to Jupiter, this is definitely the basis of what would later become one of Bova’s most interesting novels Jupiter. The set up is very similar to the one seen in that book, and to be honest that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment at all. Jupiter is a very interesting planet that is often neglected by Sci Fi, and Bova’s ideas are quite novel. Here we get a very succinct and dark psychological drama that would work quite well as a short story. The second part of the book focuses on a Star Mission to Sirius. Once again we get a very nice little short story about first contact with a race of humanoids on the verge of extinction. I really enjoyed this part of the book, and if treated as a single story it also, works very well.
The third part of the novel is the new bit, the bit that ties the two previous stories together and by far the weakest section. This section brings the characters from the Sirius section to Titan for a final mission and reveals a fairly simplistic love triangle. The plot of this story is predictable and uninteresting. I understand the need to bring it all together, and the idea of the series as a whole. The Others premise is a good one, but this section of the book just doesn’t make the grade.
I still recommend this book despite the boring third section. The first two sections should definitely have stayed as short stories, but then again nowhere near as many people would have gotten a chance to read them. I think this book is worth the time, especially considering I managed to read the entire book in one sitting over one day. This book included a decent set of stories that I highly enjoyed, and one story that I didn’t enjoy so much. That said, check this book out if you get a chance, it’s a nice distraction.
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