Reissued after 15 years, *Privateers* still stands out as one of Hugo-winning Ben Bova’s many outstanding efforts. Although its Cold War mentality might seem a little outdated by today’s standards, the plot remains compelling and fresh, and the story is as attention-grabbing as ever.

In a future where mankind has finally taken its first steps off of Earth and onto space stations and the moon, America has given up and thrown in the towel, leaving the way open for a smug Russia to finally take the lead in the space race. Worse yet, they dominate the markets, both on Earth and off, a tyrannical and selfish
economic domination that leaves America in the dirt, and finally opens up the way for other nations to have the spotlight. The new powers that be include Japan, Venezuela, Zaire, India, Polynesia, and the Pan-Islamic countries, all of whom possess vital manufacturing concerns situated in orbit. They are the only powers standing between the Soviets and complete control of the world.

But there’s a wild card. Dan Randolph, maverick billionaire and owner of the most powerful independent company in space, allied with Venezuela, and expatriate American, has no interest in seeing the Soviet empire expand any further. He develops a daring plan to steal a passing asteroid, and mine its resources to undercut the enemy. But when his people are kidnapped and his asteroid stolen, it’s all-out war of a new kind. If he can’t win legitimately, then he’ll apply good old-fashioned American gall to the case, and steal the resources from the Russians, exploiting obscure loopholes and straight-forward audacity. And when his people are killed, he’ll refuse to back down. America may be too scared to do a thing, but Dan Randolph and his companions, including the strong-willed Lucita Hernandez and the fiercely loyal Nobuhiko Yamagata, will do whatever it takes to break the stranglehold of Vasily Malik and the Soviet powers.

Privateers starts off on a high note, throwing us right into the action, and only then going back to fill in the back story, weaving a complicated and treacherous tale of industry, space, daring, political backstabbing, and ill-fated love. Bova stands out for his ability to mix strong characterization and the finest in science fiction adventure. While it may seem hard to envision Russia in a position of supremacy now, in the
post Cold War era, it wasn’t nearly as far-fetched when this book originally came out in 1985. That jarring and even distracting aspect aside, this is a top-notch adventure from a top-notch  author. Dan Randolph is both genius and two-fisted hero, a combination which would put Bill Gates to shame in a heartbeat.