Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Saturn
Go here to see the "shepherd moons" at Saturn's F-ring, Pandora and Prometheus. A brief summary of Saturn in science fiction (sorry, I can't remember all the titles and names):
As I mentioned yesterday, I finished Stephen Baxter's Titan, reviewed here. I won't quibble with the review. The book was well-written, but what nagged the critic also nagged me. I will admit I couldn't put the thing down, reading about 2/3rds on Friday night and finishing it off the next morning.
A year or two I read Ben Bova's Saturn. I wasn't really thrilled with it, but I did finish the book, which might be saying a lot these days. When I was a kid, my rule was to always stick it out to the end with a book. These days, time is more precious. The book's not so much about Saturn, but a ship on its way to Saturn. Bova's not my favorite sf author, but many like his style.
Several years ago, I read a paperback about the sun swelling to red giant stage, and people needed to leave the Earth. Where did they go? Saturn. Intriguing idea: living in floating cities, breathing a helium-oxygen atmosphere instead of nitrogen-oxygen. (I'm just glad I didn't hear the book-on-tape narrated in a helium atmosphere.) People got used to squeaking (you can actually breathe 80% helium with no ill effects -- except for your listeners), and the little book was a fun read, involving the rescue of a princess, if I recall. Unfortunately, I don't recall author or title.
Champion of all would be Isaac Asimov's Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn. Reviewed here, you can also see the cover page. I found this book to be the most enjoyable of the Lucky Starr series. It was also the last SF book Asimov penned in his early active period (1950-58). A good novel for an older kid, well-plotted, and of course, Saturn.
If I think of more fiction on Saturn, I'll post later. If you have a favorite, feel free to leave a comment.
