Orion: Orion Series, Book 1

Absolutely brilliant story idea, beautifully told. I wish Ben Bova had stopped with one. No sequel in the series lives up to the promise of this first book.

Wonderful story, bit rushed but satisfying for the first book in there series. Well worth the purchase and read. Great

Not "Lord of the Rings" by any stretch but a great concept. Fast read. I look forward to getting the rest of the series.

I read this book the first time over 30 years ago and it left such an impression… I reread it again with all the same fervor and enjoyment. One to book 2!

I first read the Orion series when they were first published in paperback. I enjoyed them and re-read them until the paperbacks fell apart. Ben Bova's stories were always interesting and, when I found the Orion series on Amazon, I brought them. I have re-read the series and, after all these years, the books still held my interest,

Ben Bova has been a big name in the world of science fiction for a long time. Although he has no truly classic stories, his body of work as both an author and editor has at least carved out a niche for him. In Orion, he takes a bit of a break from his usual hard science fiction to pen a tale of the title character, divinely appointed to fight against an evil entity.The premise to the book is intriguing enough, even if not completely original. Taking pages from various mythologies, but focusing primarily on Zoroastrianism, Bova puts Orion at war with Ahriman, a Satanic figure intent on destroying humanity. Ahriman has pinpointed certain key points in human history and tries to alter them to his benefit. Orion is out to stop him.The story is told episodically, with Orion being reborn in different eras but with memories of his past (actually his future, since he is moving back in time) and with the same exceptional physical abilities. In every era, he also encounters a woman who he is in love with but whose true origins are a mystery to him (though not the reader).While interesting enough in theory, this novel is only okay in execution. Bova's writing is not particularly good; while not bad either, it is rather flat and none of his characters are all that compelling. Although he has a decent enough plot twist towards the end, it is not that difficult to figure it out, and his epilogue is really bad, as it cheapens the sacrifices that the hero has made. This is not an awful book, but I know Bova is capable of better. He may never be in the top tier of science fiction writers, but this is not even second-tier material. It is mid-level quality, a basic three-star book.

This is my absolute favorite type of book: Well written science fiction with historically-based story lines. Usually fight scenes are a real snoozer for me, but none of the four Orion books put me to sleep. I just wish there were more books in this series!

Recommended to me by author Marc Alan Edelheit (A great writer himself). I enjoyed this book and it is a classic.

Every book this author has written is totally beyond epic, for over 20 years he’s kept my sifi dreams alive, OMG if they could only make a searies out of this, it would put everything else to shame, absolutely 100/100,

I'm a Ben Bova fan, having red 'Saturn' many years ago in a hotel in Moscow. This story was a great concept & tied in Science Fiction quite nicely with some major historical events. Really enjoyed it.

Fantasy attraverso il tempo, nel quale un campione viene incaricato di affrontare in diverse ere un'oscura entità intenzionata ad annientare l'umanità. Il romanzo è stato scritto nel 1984.PRO:- Premesse semplici, storia semplice.- Lettura relativamente breve, ideale per rilassarsi.CONTRO:- La scrittura dei personaggi è di un'altra epoca, forse un po' troppo semplicistica nei giorni moderni.- Chi cerca una storia complessa rimarrà deluso.

Rereading a book that I first read over 30 years ago

Das Leben ist nicht immer leicht. Selbst wenn man übermenschliche Fähigkeiten besitzt, ist man manchmal ziemlich angeschmiert.Alles was Orion will ist ein ruhiges Leben zusammen mit seiner Geliebten. Statt dessen wird er von einem undurchsichtigen Auftraggeber durch die Zeitgeschichte geschleudert und muss einem übermächtigen Feind bekämpfen. Er kann diesen Feind nicht besiegen, bestenfalls gelingt es ihm immer wieder ein Unentschieden zu erringen. Außerdem bedrängt ihn immer mehr die Frage: Kämpft er für die richtige Seite?Dieses Buch ist er Anfang einer ganzen Serie, aber es steht auch sehr gut für sich allein.