| Title | : | Orion (Orion, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0812532473 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780812532470 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 432 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1984 |
Orion (Orion, #1) Reviews
-
It starts off slow but ramps up at the end. It is little predictable, but Bova can write interesting boring material if that even makes sense.
-
Don't generally like Sci-Fi but this was pretty gripping. There seemed to be something happening on every page (I presume it's a page turner then). It's a story about the Neanderthals fighting back (jumping to & fro in time). I don't think you're supposed to know the antagonist is a Neanderthal but I guessed, even though the author kept referring to him as a non-human. Pretty sure they are human but not homo sapien sapiens such as us. On the whole I'd recommend.
-
This had an interesting premise but it ultimately didn't really work well for me. It started out as a good vs. evil kind of story but then the good wasn't so good and the evil wasn't so evil and though the individual parts were interesting the story as a whole was not very compelling.
-
I read this book in Jr. High. I loved it. This book is why all my friends consider me an expert in Zoroastrianism. I guess all those comparative religion classes in college didn't hurt. I never read any of the sequels, but if you've got a decent concept, I guess you run with it, right?
-
Interesting book, but I definitely do not agree with his views on theology and the origin of things.
-
Orion is a facinating story of a quantum-leap-esq time traveling man from the future/past (it makes sense after you finish the book). The opening line is something like "I am not superhuman". The main character is able to completely control all of the autonomic functions of his body. Good story with an interesting plot twist.
-
Certainly an original plot. I enjoyed pondering the awesomeness of perfect body control and traveling back in time and telepathy and genetic modification and the such. It was cool.
-
I read this book in High School and LOVED it. I'd be curious to see if it still holds up or not.
-
Loved it! Could not stop!
-
I love Bova's stories. They are sort of pulpy, and good yarns with engaging characters; sure, the character-building isn't often very complex or deep (though to be fair, some is!), and some of the plots are quite predictable (though to be fair, some aren't), but that's part of the charm I think. Sometimes you just want a good adventure story that doesn't make you have to think. It's like watching a good action movie: Sometimes that's about the right pace for a work-tired brain. I've always meant to go back and read more of the Orion series. I've read other books by Bova, as well as several essays he's written on science fiction and writing, and I think he's great—to a point. I can't forgive him for the way he rather ignorantly attacked female sci-fi authors in a certain speech given in
1980, nor can I forgive some of his colleagues who backed him up at the time. But hey, we all have our prejudices and biases and ignorancies (is that a word? lol)... and life eventually gives us chances to grow out of them, discard them, and learn from them. Hopefully he has learned from his. Regardless, I tend to try to look at a novel for what it is, not in light of who wrote it. Same with movies and actors. I love Harrison Ford's movies, for example, even though I really am not a fan of his NRA-supporting politics; his beliefs are not going to keep me from enjoying Indiana Jones and Star Wars. (And no; by no means am I comparing Bova to Ford.) -
Very entertaining.
Orion is a hunter. He is sent by forces greater than himself to hunt Arihman. These two men meet again and again, locked in a conflict that spans millennia.
Arihman wants to avenge the genocide of his people. Orion is the puppet of forces greater than himself, obeying Ormazd, who claims to be the god of light.
Arihman travels to pivotal points in human history, attempting to alter the course of events on a way that would destroy the human race. Orion travels to these places in time to stop him.
Greater forces are also at work. Orion keeps running into the same woman throughout history. The woman he loves. This becomes his chief motivation for forging onward. He wants to see her.
Orion eventually learns a darker truth. Ormadz created humans to destroy Neanderthals, who were Arihman's people. The humans eventually would evolve to become the godlike race Ormandz belongs to.
There are many questions this book explores. What is right and wrong. Origins. Cause and affect. Linear time.
As a Christian I do. I do not believe in the naturalistic worldview that forms the basis for the story. But it is a fun read. -
2.5 stars
Even though there are many interesting ideas in this book, the story itself was a bit of a chore to finish.
The story is basically that of Good versus Evil ... except that Good doesn't really know what it is doing, and Evil isn't really all that Evil at all. Even the Gods are a bit lost.
Good and Evil battle each other over and over again, in times ranging from the present to the distant past. And there is so much death ...
I found the ending of the book both interesting and sad, and I wanted to hear more. But then the killing started again ...
I won't continue reading this series. Looking at the reviews for the other books, I assume it is going to be more of the same. And one book of that was enough for me. -
Not for me. Generally, I enjoy works by Ben Bova.
I have the entire Orion series as audio books. I tried, I really did. The dialog was like listening to an audio book of a novel commonly called a "bodice buster". Or, it may have been like watching a particularly bad, fast moving, soap opera.
I even went as far as listening to the entire Orion #2. I hoped I'd be able to get into the series.
Sorry, way too melodramatic for me. -
3.5 stars, really. I like Bova, and I liked this book, but this one felt like it could have been edited down a bit in places, and I felt myself wanting to breeze ahead now and then. You will learn more (possibly somewhat accurate?) information about the Mongol hordes than you ever expected to from a book that features a raygun on the cover.
-
The love story was silly. The writing wasn't good. The ending wasn't worth the effort expended to get there. *Spoilers* How was Ahriman captured at that place and time just as Orion was going to die again? It seemed completely random. Then, I didn't buy Orion choosing the end of the universe if he couldn't have Anya. I like Ben Bova. I didn't like this story at all.
-
(read a audiobook)
A fun, pulpy, "science" fiction novel. Book is divided 4 sections each of which where Orion is plopped into a new scenario and needs to figure things out. What really make this a fun read is the narration of the audio book. The narrator has a deep voice which suits the macho Orion well, and the narrator has some good variety when doing other characters. -
The story goes backwards in time, which is already terrific, but the more it progresses the more surprising it becomes. Gods, normal humans and a time-traveling hero... History, myth and solid sci fi... what more can I ask in a book! For me it is one of the best :)
-
Bova's book is highly inventive and creative, blending gods, heroes and time-travel with looks at the beginnings of civilization, historical warlords, and forbidden love. In short, a classic science-fantasy.
-
Non ricordo nulla di questo romanzo tranne la struttura narrativa, che a suo tempo mi sembrò originale. Per il resto, non ricordo nulla della trama.
-
Got about 80% through before I was SURE I had read it before. A quick look at a recap of the rest of the series confirms it.
-
Da uno come Bova mi aspettavo di più.
Buon inizio promettente poi si perde. -
Silly. The "villain" was a magic Neanderthal.
-
7/10
