Mission to Methone

By: Les Johnson

Narrated by: Robert Rossmann

The year is 2065 and an accidental encounter in space leads to the discovery that we are not alone in the universe - and that our continued existence as a species may be in jeopardy.

Chris Holt, working in his office at the Space Resources Corporation, discovers that one of the asteroids he is surveying for mining is actually not an asteroid at all but a derelict spaceship. The word gets out and soon the world's powers are competing to explore and claim for themselves the secrets that it holds.

What they don't know is that across the galaxy, a war has been underway for millennia. A war between alien civilizations that have very different ideas about what should be done about emerging spacefaring civilizations like our own. The artificial intelligence resident in the derelict Holt discovered has been in our solar system since before the dawn of human civilization, watching, waiting and keeping quiet lest the interstellar war return and wipe out the sentient race that now resides there - humanity.

And that war might soon be again coming to our front door. The truth can only be discovered on Methone, a tiny, egg-shaped moon of the planet Saturn. Who will get there first? And will it be in time?

©2017 Les Johnson (P)2020 Tantor

Great hard sci fi book with realistic geopolitics

Great story, science, characters, and interesting geopolitics - definitely recommend for fans of the likes of Arthur C Clarke.

hard core science fiction emphasis on the science!

since I work in blue and paint and barely have time to pick up a physical broken and roll my eyes over actual words I was delighted to find Les' book one Audible.

now it's possible only pick up the Bova /Johnson book...

the story reminded me a bit of the fictional part National Geographic presentation Mars. but for that program there were a few flashes back to very real scientists and astronauts involved in SpaceX. less simply writes the real science into the book. The Real science was present in the fictional part of Mars absolutely! And that's kind of a feel here real science play good story. and like all great science fiction somewhat dated to the era that it was written:-)

let's talk about the narrator. mr. Roseman accomplices an accent and specific total value and pronunciation giving each character its own personality and identifiable voice. Okay that's the good stuff I had to listen to this book at 1.35 * speed. Otherwise droll and drag something slow and in some places almost sounds like a really good digital reader. and I have a sister one that I employ as well the books I can't find on Audible:-) or gaming manuals that I need to listen to in advance of being able to prepare the wait for the adventures.

at 1.35 * speed I found the book quite enjoyable. The voice was just fast enough without sounding silly and preserved and even accentuated the differences between the speakers. what I think was really cool about this book that you don't often see is that Les Johnson the physicist rocket scientist and solar sail developer at NASA rings his Noggin full of space fiction and space science to the book and gives you a lesson in quantum physics specifically Quantum tunneling. actual stuff pretty cool science kids! Be sure to listen to the very very end. Now I happen to know this isn't the very very end because it's another book out :-) I'm going to go see if possible actually has it even if the same guy reads it. Actually on the physical copy of this book and it is autographed by the author. I'm not a groupie. Just a friend of the family.