A review by reasie
Colony by Ben Bova

2.0

I was saddened by the news of Bova's passing and wanted to read something by him. I picked the wrong book. Oh it's terrible. Not so much the writing itself, which is competent, and the tech details are fun, and there's a certain charm to world politics through a 1970s lens, but oh gaaawd ... everything involving women or minorities is gross. Black and brown men are never alone with a woman and not trying to rape her, women are raped by white men but then try to heroically save the "poor old man" later because apparently we were supposed to read that gross scene as consensual or something?

gross, gross, gross.

I suffered through to the end because I kept hoping I was reading it wrong and the true heroes were going to rise ... but no. It's all about how only a privileged blond man can really understand what the world needs.

In order to do right by a guy whose career as an editor I admire I'm going to try a more recent book now. Hopefully, there'll be some lessons learned.