Ben Bova has been writing science fiction for over 25 years, winning the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation in 2005.  He was an executive in the aerospace industry before turning to writing.  Now he is a frequent commentator on radio and television and a widely-popular lecturer.   His best known series, sometimes called the “Grand Tour”, describes a near future in which humanity has reached outposts in the Solar System.  A lesser known series, the Orion novels, features John O’Ryan who  is transformed into Orion the Hunter, a superhero whose intervention keeps the history of mankind on track.  The first book in the series, Orion (Simon & Schuster, 1984) was followed by five sequels.  For Bova this series is a way to examine periods of history that interest him.  The first novel focuses on the disappearance of the Neandertals, a mystery that still puzzles anthropologists.  Another is set in the dying days of the age of dinosaurs.  Now, after a hiatus of 18 years, comes the sixth Orion book , Orion and King Arthur (Tor, 7/2012).  This episode finds Orion in post-Roman Britain, where he becomes squire to a young King Arthur, whom he guides toward greatness.  Orion’s only ally is Anya, his creator, with whom he has fallen in love.

posted 7/26/2012