Berkley, 1980, $2.50, ISBN 0-425-04525-0, 441 pgs., paperback

The yellowing pages of this 1980 book combine Bova’s three novels: Exiled from Earth (1971), Flight of Exiles (1972), and Exiled from Earth (1975). I don’t recall reading these before, but I recall reading Bova before. Besides, at 50 cents, how could you go wrong?

Earth, circa sometime in the future, holds 20 billion people or so, most infesting cities like feral creatures while a small minority are the well to do. The UN is now the world government, and the geniuses in command decide that breakthroughs in genetics and astrophysics are too volatile for the population. So they round up the scientists and exile them to an orbital space station.

About 2000 get packed off to high orbit and it doesn’t take long for them to cook up an “escape to the stars” plan. Off they go to colonize Alpha Centauri, turning the space station into a generational ship.

Bova wraps interesting characters around the wagon train to the stars concept, inserting obstacles natural and man-made along the way. Each book stands on its own, as the years between novels don’t allow them to carry on. Thankfully, this is one book that has no evil aliens in it. Evil humans, yes, but aliens, no. And it’s based on harder science than you might be used to, but that’s a bit of a relief as well. It makes the plot all the better.

This is a good read, the plot moves along, the characters are interesting, and the premise works. Oh, you can pick a nit or two, but by and large, this is a pretty good book.

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