When Keith Stoner awoke, he found himself in a world changed almost beyond recognition. Eighteen years before, Stoner had been the American member of a joint U.S.-Soviet mission to capture an alien ship. The Soviets had to pull out, but Stoner persisted, and while on the strange ship, he fell into suspended animation. Jo Camerata, the ambitious young student who fell in love with Stoner, is now head of Vanguard Industries, which has recovered the alien ship. As a result, her company is now in control of its vast new technology and the fortune it reaps--and in control of Keith Stoner. What Camerata doesn't know, however, is that someone else has been awake, someone who dwells within Stoner's mind. The alien presence that has kept Stoner alive all this time is now free and intends to explore our world, letting nothing stand in its way.
| Series |
Voyagers |
| Volume |
2 |
| Cover Price |
$3.50 |
| No. of Pages |
344 |
| Height x Width |
6.6
x
3.9
inch |
| Original Publication Year |
1986 |
|
| Read It |
Yes (6/25/2011) |
| Store |
Wooden Spoon |
| Purchase Price |
$2.50 |
| Purchase Date |
6/24/2001 |
| Owner |
John |
| Links |
Amazon
|
|
Voyagers II: The Alien Within (1985) 382 pages by Ben Bova.
This is the continuation of Voyagers, picking up 18 years after that book concluded. Bova skipped over the part where the world, including Jo becoming a powerful executive, pushing the space program forward to initiate the recovery of the alien ship, which held Keith Stoner's frozen body. The story begins with Stoner having been revived from suspended animation, being held in the lab at Vanguard Industries headquarters.
Stoner learns that that there have been many advances in technology gleaned from the alien spacecraft, including plentiful cheap energy, while staying in the Vanguard lab. But that is very isolated and he knows nothing of the world. There are internal politics within Vanguard, spurring Jo to take Keith away from Hawaii. Keith has some new found powers. Persuasion being the first one, and he leaves Jo's Italian hideaway, and learns more about the world, and especially the war or wars in Africa.
The plot is consistent, though at the end he manages to put in layers/twists. The story follows Stoner and his coming to terms with the alien presence in his mind, switching to a few other characters to forward the plot.
The book was fun to read. It kept a steady pace. I was able to put it down for a few days and pick right back up into the story. Excellent book.
