Bova, Ben. The Empire Builders. Grand Tour No. 3. Tor, 1993.
Dan Randolph is back in The Empire Builders, and he is even more a Heinleinian magnate than before. A scientist has discovered that there will be a massive global warming “cliff” within a decade that will increase sea levels quickly. Randolph encourages a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to make the disaster survivable, but it will depend on expanding the space program and developing new space-born technologies. The UN goes along, but there are unintended consequences—the powers that be confiscate his company and make him an outlaw on the Moon. The part of the plot that deals with the problem of hiding out on a controlled environment like the Moon is fun. The political drama and the usual romantic complications of Dan’s life are less so. 3.5 stars. ( )

In [b:Powersat|267291|Powersat (The Grand Tour, #1)|Ben Bova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385225039s/267291.jpg|259144], the big bads were terrorists. In [b:Privateers|267332|Privateers (The Grand Tour, #2; Privateers, #1)|Ben Bova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1299514897s/267332.jpg|893485], the Russians. In [b:The Empire Builders|1907799|The Empire Builders (The Australians, #9)|William Stuart Long|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333824480s/1907799.jpg|1909649] it's... global warming and the mob?

Given how times have changed, it's amusing to see the specter of a 'greenhouse cliff' looming over the world, with no one believing at first that such a thing is even possible. Nowdays, you'll see arguments over if it's happening or not (more and more rarely) and if we caused it in the first place (of course we did), but you'd be hard pressed to find too many people that have never even heard of the idea. That's what you get for reading near future sci-fi written a quarter century ago I guess. It's a straight forward enough plot with a few twists through politics, squatters on the moon and natural disasters and an engaging read. I find myself increasingly interested in what happens to this other Earth.

Surprisingly, I find myself actually like Dan Randolph slightly more than either of the previous books. He's still crazy sexist and unable to see his own faults, but beneath all that... he really does want to do the right thing and will go through some fairly crazy lengths to make it happen. So... well written Ben Bova I guess?

Characterwise, it's most interesting to see the growth of Vasily Malik and his relationship with Randolph. Again, I didn't expect to sympathize as much with Malik as much I as I did. It probably helps that with the fall of the Soviet Union (in the real world), the Russians aren't quite as much the cartoonish villains this time around. It's kind of a bummer not to see Teresita Hernandez at all and only a little of the elder Saito, although what we get is interesting and good characterization for him and Dan and might just set up for something later (I honestly don't remember).

Overall, it's my favorite of the series so far.

Next up: [b:Mars|267282|Mars (The Grand Tour, #4)|Ben Bova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1173282407s/267282.jpg|1932635]! I remember quite enjoying that book. ( )

A good listen that, were it not for a lunar thing, would be just good fiction. A hegemonic, Russian Communist style dominatation and is bested by the corporate good guys in white hats. Enter love interests, sister hating and other human foibles and this could just as easily been the 11th century. Good, fun read, but don't expect much sci-fi. ( )

This outing for Dan Rudolph is perfectly readable as a stand-alone novel and has more of the gung-ho chauvinism and courageousness that is typical of early Bova. Set in an alternate time-line, Empire Builders still roughly adheres to the Grand Tour series, however it is less about science fiction than political power struggles and character building. Although that may sound off genre, there are plenty of entwined strands of deception, revenge and good old plans of murder. This is played out both upon the Earth and Moon with a sweeping story about (the then hot topic) of the Greenhouse Effect. Although at times stereotypical enough to make you wince and let down by a weak by-the-numbers finale, it is engaging and most importantly entertaining. ( )