Cyril Paspulaty Paspulaty itibaren 台湾新北市树林西园里 itibaren 台湾新北市树林西园里

The lifespan of a Science Fiction novel is often cut short by the backdrop their author chooses. Such is the case with Ben Bova’s Privateers, where we’re shown a near future where a Communist Soviet Union dominates space and America lies in decay. If Bova had waited a year before he started writing, he might have altered his vision entirely. As a reader, especially a reader of Science Fiction, it’s not difficult to suspend your belief enough to enjoy Privateers, but the Cold War mentality that the novel is penned around comes across slightly stunted and backwards feeling. It’s not the plot, so much as the voice and tone that leaves you feeling as though you’re reading historic, rather than futuristic, writing. Even the characters are designed in such a way that mimics all the Cold War stereotypes that seem so out of place in today’s world (not to mention our current idea of the near future). In a way, I found the experience rather saddening, as Bova’s a decent writer with fairly interesting ideas. If he’d merely taken the time to create a more lasting (universal) projection of the future, this attempt might have been more enduring. As written, the themes are all tied to the (now) outdated struggle of capitalism and communism, and how each system might or might not fare in a future where the Western hemisphere is fairly apathetic. Because of this stale depiction, this novel simply isn’t accessible as anything other than a “look back at what Sci-Fi was like in the 1980’s.” If you’re a fan of historic Sci-Fi, you might find it fun to read. If not, I’d recommend skipping it.