The Star Conquerors

Well-known author Bova's first science fiction title, long out of print since its original 1959 edition, returns with an introductory essay by the author. Bova explains how he based the story on the biography of Alexander the Great, setting it some 1,000 years in our future and pitting his Alexander against "lizard-like aliens": "Not my best book, by far, but it seems to be fondly remembered." The setting, with a Terran Confederation served by the rigorously trained Terran Star Watch, may have inspired the Federation of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek. The story follows young prodigy Geoffrey Knowland as he rises through the ranks from "square-jawed Star Watch Officer" to lead humanity to victory against an ancient alien power. Two-dimensional characters, a predictable storyline, and all the usual 1950s technobabble—antigrav suits, tri-di broadcasts, a superlight overdrive, and an obligatory explanation of how everything works—will take readers back to a simpler age that helped build the foundations of modern military SF. (June)