"Survival: A Novel (Star Quest Trilogy, 3)" by Ben Bova
https://www.amazon.com/Survival-Novel-Star-Quest-Trilogy/dp/0765379546/

Book number four of a five book science fiction series. I read the well
printed and well bound MMPB that I bought new on Amazon that was
published by Tor in 2017. This series is also a rough continuance of
Bova's 20+ book Grand Tour of the Solar System series. I am waiting to
purchase the fifth book in the series for the MMPB as the trade
paperback is expensive at $26 and the hardcover is $18.
https://www.amazon.com/Earth-Grand-Tour-Ben-Bova/dp/0765397196/

There is some confusion as to what is in the Grand Tour series and what
is in the Star Quest series. So, I just lumped the "New Earth" book on
into the Star Quest series. The books are:
1. New Earth
2. Death Wave
3. Apes and Angels
4. Survival
5. Earth

We humans on Earth were told about the deadly Gamma wave coming from the
center of the Milky Way Galaxy every 28,000 years by the Predecessors,
ancient intelligent machines that have seen many intelligent races
destroyed by the gamma wave. They have enlisted our help in erecting
force fields around the surrounding intelligent races around Sol to
prevent them from getting destroyed by the gamma wave that is coming in
2,000 years to the edge of the Milky Way.

A team of 2,000 Scientists and Engineers has been sent 2,000 light years
via deep sleep ship to provide shielding for a planet of intelligences
to be soon hit by the death wave. At their arrival, they find only
machine intelligences. Hostile machine intelligences at that.

The author has a website at:
http://benbova.com/

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (126 reviews)

Lynn

On Saturday, 5 August 2023 at 00:44:07 UTC+1, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> "Survival: A Novel (Star Quest Trilogy, 3)" by Ben Bova
> https://www.amazon.com/Survival-Novel-Star-Quest-Trilogy/dp/0765379546/
>
> Book number four of a five book science fiction series. I read the well
> printed and well bound MMPB that I bought new on Amazon that was
> published by Tor in 2017. This series is also a rough continuance of
> Bova's 20+ book Grand Tour of the Solar System series. I am waiting to
> purchase the fifth book in the series for the MMPB as the trade
> paperback is expensive at $26 and the hardcover is $18.
> https://www.amazon.com/Earth-Grand-Tour-Ben-Bova/dp/0765397196/
>
> There is some confusion as to what is in the Grand Tour series and what
> is in the Star Quest series. So, I just lumped the "New Earth" book on
> into the Star Quest series. The books are:
> 1. New Earth
> 2. Death Wave
> 3. Apes and Angels
> 4. Survival
> 5. Earth
>
> We humans on Earth were told about the deadly Gamma wave coming from the
> center of the Milky Way Galaxy every 28,000 years by the Predecessors,
> ancient intelligent machines that have seen many intelligent races
> destroyed by the gamma wave. They have enlisted our help in erecting
> force fields around the surrounding intelligent races around Sol to
> prevent them from getting destroyed by the gamma wave that is coming in
> 2,000 years to the edge of the Milky Way.
>
> A team of 2,000 Scientists and Engineers has been sent 2,000 light years
> via deep sleep ship to provide shielding for a planet of intelligences
> to be soon hit by the death wave. At their arrival, they find only
> machine intelligences. Hostile machine intelligences at that.
>
> The author has a website at:
> http://benbova.com/
>
> My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
> Amazon rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (126 reviews)

Is this real-world gamma radiation, how does a "force field"
stop it, is this a universe without FTL, are machine intelligences
in danger from the gamma wave too or are they just spectators,
does the gamma wave destroy life or just intelligence or just
technology, and was this mission supposed to save biological
life which upon arrival is no longer in existence anyway?

On 8/5/2023 8:15 AM, Robert Carnegie wrote:
> On Saturday, 5 August 2023 at 00:44:07 UTC+1, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>> "Survival: A Novel (Star Quest Trilogy, 3)" by Ben Bova
>> https://www.amazon.com/Survival-Novel-Star-Quest-Trilogy/dp/0765379546/
>>
>> Book number four of a five book science fiction series. I read the well
>> printed and well bound MMPB that I bought new on Amazon that was
>> published by Tor in 2017. This series is also a rough continuance of
>> Bova's 20+ book Grand Tour of the Solar System series. I am waiting to
>> purchase the fifth book in the series for the MMPB as the trade
>> paperback is expensive at $26 and the hardcover is $18.
>> https://www.amazon.com/Earth-Grand-Tour-Ben-Bova/dp/0765397196/
>>
>> There is some confusion as to what is in the Grand Tour series and what
>> is in the Star Quest series. So, I just lumped the "New Earth" book on
>> into the Star Quest series. The books are:
>> 1. New Earth
>> 2. Death Wave
>> 3. Apes and Angels
>> 4. Survival
>> 5. Earth
>>
>> We humans on Earth were told about the deadly Gamma wave coming from the
>> center of the Milky Way Galaxy every 28,000 years by the Predecessors,
>> ancient intelligent machines that have seen many intelligent races
>> destroyed by the gamma wave. They have enlisted our help in erecting
>> force fields around the surrounding intelligent races around Sol to
>> prevent them from getting destroyed by the gamma wave that is coming in
>> 2,000 years to the edge of the Milky Way.
>>
>> A team of 2,000 Scientists and Engineers has been sent 2,000 light years
>> via deep sleep ship to provide shielding for a planet of intelligences
>> to be soon hit by the death wave. At their arrival, they find only
>> machine intelligences. Hostile machine intelligences at that.
>>
>> The author has a website at:
>> http://benbova.com/
>>
>> My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
>> Amazon rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (126 reviews)
>
> Is this real-world gamma radiation, how does a "force field"
> stop it, is this a universe without FTL, are machine intelligences
> in danger from the gamma wave too or are they just spectators,
> does the gamma wave destroy life or just intelligence or just
> technology, and was this mission supposed to save biological
> life which upon arrival is no longer in existence anyway?

I am not sure how the force field machines work. Ben Bova did not go
into the specifics.

Yes, this is a universe without FTL, the space ships move at SPEOL while
the humans deep sleep. To go to a star system 2,000 light years away,
the humans will be gone for 4,000 years from Earth. The humans do not
age in deep sleep.

But, there is instantaneous communication using quantum entanglement.
Very similar to the Enderverse.

The machine intelligences 2,000 light years away are not harmed by the
death wave. In fact, they have used the death wave to take out human
competitors. But, they are not the only inhabitants of the planet.

The Predecessor machine intelligences are dying off. They are millions
of years old and do not see themselves continuing on forever.

In Ben Bova's universe, intelligent inhabitants of the Milky Way are
rare. There may be only 10,000 inhabited planets in the entire Milky Way.

Lynn