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The Grand Tour is a series of novels written by science fiction author Ben Bova. The novels present a theme of exploration and colonization of the solar system by humans in the late 21st century. Most of the books focus on the exploration of one particular planet or planetary moon. Several recurring themes are presented throughout the series. In particular, most of the solar system bodies whose exploration is the focus of a particular novel are presented as having life, either past or present. Many of the expeditions which explore the planets run into serious difficulty. The protagonists of most of these books are presented as initially weak and/or lacking in ability or confidence, and as part of surviving the trials of the story become heroic. The future humanity as depicted in the ''Grand Tour'' novel series is divided between ''Greens'' (environmentalists) and wealthy industrialists, as well as between secularists/scientists and religious fundamentalists. These conflicts generally are presented as part of the background and often set up the initial conflicts of each of the books. In addition, several of the books reference, or indeed directly deal with, conflicts between wealthy industrialists and small, independent operators seeking to exploit the solar system's vast untapped mineral wealth. A major theme of the series, which takes center stage in several of the novels, is the search for life on other planets in the solar system. ''Mars'', ''Mars Life'', ''Jupiter'', ''Venus'', ''Mercury'', ''Saturn'', ''Titan'', and ''Leviathans of Jupiter'' all deal with this issue. The discovery of life in the solar system often leads to conflicts between religious fundamentalists and scientists, with the former seeing the existence of such life as conflicting with their religious doctrines. While each novel can be read independent of the others, and they can be read in any order, there are distinct story arcs within the series. The Moonbase arc (which may also include the Asteroid Wars arc), the Mars books, and the Saturn books, for instance, comprise various sagas within the series. ==List of novels, in chronological order== According to Ben Bova's official site the Grand Tour novels take place in an approximate time sequence〔(Grand Tour Series ), Official Ben Bova Website.〕 with many of the novels overlapping. However, the 'official' internal chronology of the series isn't entirely consistent; for instance, Empire builders clearly talks about Selene and the grand plaza in Selene, yet in Moon War, Selene is still called Moonbase and the great plaza is still a hole in the ground. Also, Bova himself lists ''Venus'' after ''Mercury'', but details in the two books clearly indicate that ''Mercury'' takes place after ''Venus'', as specific events from Venus are mentioned. ''Privateers'' can also be considered part of the series although as a kind of alternate history (see the Privateers entry below for more details). There are also consistency problems between the stories of Dan Randolf and Douglas Stavenger. In The Precipice, Randolf (who is in his 60s) states that Stavenger is older than him. Stavenger was 18 in Moonrise and 25 in Moonwar. Yet somehow Randolf is in his 40s in Powersat, a book which clearly takes place before the invention of the clipper ship; which are newly invented at the beginning of book one of Moonrise. Book one of Moonrise takes place before Douglas Stavenger was born. In all, at least 35 years needs pass between Powersat and The Precipice; making if hard for Dan Randolf to be in his 40s. The chronological reading order as suggested by readers of the series is: * ''Powersat'' (2005) - CEO Dan Randolph of Astro Corp. has a dream of providing a desperate world with tons of energy; provided by solar satellites located in geosync orbit around the Earth, and wirelessly transferred. However, stubborn politicians, and oil companies make the way hard; but Dan has built a space plane that will drastically reduce transportation costs, making way for cheaper and easier constructed Powersats. But when the space plane blows up upon re-entering the atmosphere, Randolph is convinced that it may not be an accident; as a shadowy terrorist group threatens to bankrupt him, and even kill him. * ''Mars'' (1992) - Navajo geologist Jamie Waterman is surprised to find that he will be going on the first mission to Mars, as part of the landing crew. They will only have a few months to explore the Red Planet; a few months to prove that this world is worth another mission, as this one took decades to put together. With limited supplies, the six men and women set out to explore the top of Mt. Olympus and the bottom of Valles Marineris; having only each other to rely on. As the book draws to an end Waterman makes one of the biggest discoveries in the System, and finds a clue of even a bigger one. * ''Moonrise'' (1996; The Moonbase Saga, v. 1) - Moonbase is an old lunar outpost, maintained by Masterson Corporation; it bleeds money, and most members of the Board disapprove of it. However, Paul Stavenger, old astronaut, new husband to Joanna (née Masterson) and CEO of the Masterson Corporation, has a dream of creating a sustainable colony on the Moon; but not everyone agrees with him, or his marriage. * ''Return to Mars'' (1999) Jamie Waterman returns to Mars after his historic first visit, but this time there are strings attached to his mission. The new expedition is funded by billionaire Dex Trumball and his father, who have their own agenda. Rather than pursuing scientific discovery, Dex and his father want to turn Mars into an attraction for space tourists. To add to the complications, Jamie and Dex are both vying for the affection of the same female member of the expedition. * ''Moonwar'' (1998; The Moonbase Saga, v. 2) - the fanatical group "New Morality", along with their sister organizations the "Holy Disciples" and "Sword of Islam" have gained global support and power; and are dead set against anything to do with nanotechnology, which they call the "Devil's work". So when the last nations on Earth ban the practice, Moonbase is all that is left of a technology that could potentially save the entire Earth; granting asylum for a few runaways. But when the UN starts to send troops over, Director Douglas Stavenger declares independence; and begins a war that will see no one dead or all of them. * ''Privateers'' (1985; immediately precedes ''Empire Builders'', with most of the same cast of characters, but with an alternate history including a still-extant Soviet Union, because Bova wrote it before the U.S.S.R. collapsed.This book takes place between 2044 and 2048 (Jane is the 52nd president). As to whether Bova himself considers this book to be retconned from the series due to the discrepancy, he has never said, although the book is missing from the series list on his official website〔) * ''Empire Builders'' (1993) - Young industrialist Dan Randolph still seeks to exploit the mineral wealth of the asteroid belt and explore the solar system, as he believes that there is a fortune to be made from space-based industry. However, his plans for the future hit a snag when one of his closest friends and employees makes a horrifying discovery; the greenhouse effect will be more sudden and catastrophic in nature than anyone expected. In a few decades, the climate will hit a 'cliff', after which the ecosystem will undergo massive, catastrophic changes which, including terrible coastal flooding. Dan thinks the only way to avert this is to move all industry into space, removing the polluting effects of manufacturing and power generation from the Earth. However, the powerful Global Economic Council has also become aware of this dark future. They have their own response planned, and do not intend to allow Randolph to get in the way. * ''The Precipice'' (2001; The Asteroid Wars, v. 1) - when Billionaire Martin Humphries comes to CEO of Astro Corp, Dan Randolph, and freely offers him a fusion space propulsion design, Dan is at the very least curious; but with his company near bankruptcy, the "bold astronaut" has no choice. Fusion rockets will allow Randolph to realize his dream of mining asteroids at a cost effective level. However, Dan realizes that he may have gone too far this time. But Dan is uniquely motivated; the disastrous greenhouse cliff predicted years ago (see Empire Builders above) has hit. Dan, now more than ever, believes that man must harness the resources of space if humanity is to survive. * ''Farside (novel)'' (2013) - Farside, the side of the Moon that never faces Earth, is the ideal location for an astronomical observatory. It is also the setting for a tangled web of politics, personal ambition, love, jealousy, and murder. Telescopes on Earth have detected an Earth-sized planet circling a star some thirty light-years away. Now the race is on to get pictures of that distant world, photographs and spectra that will show whether or not the planet is truly like Earth, and if it bears life. * ''The Rock Rats'' (2002; The Asteroid Wars, v. 2) - Picks up right after The Precipice. Martin Humphries returns to complete his conquest of the Asteroid Belt, along with it riches of water and metal ores; but first, two rivals stand in his way. The first being Pancho Lane, new member on the Board of Astro Corp. The second being Lars Fuchs, an independent miner who has a dream of building a space habitat in orbit above Ceres. Each begins to raise the ante, and none are willing to back down. * ''Saturn'' (2002) - the space habitat Goddard is launched from Earth, on a two-year journey to Saturn; twice as far from the Sun as anyone has gone or lived before. The habitat is made up of ten thousand people; most of whom are exiles from Earth, thrown out by the New Morality, Holy Disciples or Sword of Islam. As the habitat goes further into deep space, some begin to plot and scheme; to create a new society in their eyes. However, most don't realize that they are all part of an experiment. * ''Titan'' (2006, John W. Campbell Memorial Award) Goddard has arrived in orbit around Saturn, and the task of exploring the moon Titan begins. At the same time, scientist Nadia Wunderly seeks to prove that there are lifeforms living in the rings of Saturn. On top of this, scheming amongst the population complicates matters even further. * ''The Silent War'' (2004; The Asteroid Wars, v. 3) Picks up about ten years after The Rock Rats. The battle for the belt continues, as hostilities flare up once again between Astro and HSS, with Lars Fuchs still caught in the middle. Things become even more dangerous, however, as the powerful Yamagata Corporation seeks to manipulate Astro and Humphries into all-out war, with the intent of taking over the badly damaged winner and claiming the belt for themselves. * ''Jupiter'' (2001) - Takes place at least 20 years after the events of The Rock Rats. Astrophysicist Grant Archer dreams of studying black holes and pulsars, hoping to unlock the secrets of the universe. But in a world where many people are divided between being religious fundamentalists and die hard secularists, Grant is an oddity; a believer who is also a scientist. This puts him in the uncomfortable position of being recruited by the 'New Morality' as a spy. They wish to send him to Jupiter station, where the International Astonautical Authority mines the fuel for fusion power. Grant has no desire to go to Jupiter, as there is no purpose for someone of his discipline at the station, but he is in no position to refuse. Making things even more difficult, Grant has no idea what, exactly, he is being sent there to find out in the first place. * ''The Aftermath'' (2007; The Asteroid Wars, v. 4) - The novel begins at the destruction of the original Chrysalis habitat at Ceres; but with the view from the family aboard the Syracuse. As the family's ship is attacked, Victor the father separates the command module from the rest of the ship to draw the attackers away; but leaves his family no way of getting home, as they drift on a 5-year orbital journey. After life-altering changes, Dorn and Elverda travel the Asteroid Belt searching for the bodies of the dead who perished in the Asteroid Wars; but Martin Humphries is bent on destroying both of them. Kao Yuan is the captain of the spacecraft "Viking", which is on the mission to kill Dorn & Elverda; however, Humphries' former lover, Tamara is the real commander, and she begins to have plans of her own. Eventually, Fate brings all these people together at the right moments in order to restore Humanity, and bring justice. * ''Mars Life'' (2008) - Jamie Waterman is back as Director of the Mars Program; along with his wife Vijay, the beautiful Indian-Aussie, and Dex Trumball, the Director of the Board in charge of Mars financing. The death of his son bring Waterman and his wife back to Earth, and puts them both in a slump. Over the years, the New Morality has slowly been taking over the American government, and gaining power; the NM restricts and censors anything that is a threat to them, and hide behind religion. One of their biggest concerns is the Mars program, which is taking money away from projects that would benefit the dystopian-style Earth. As money is slowly cut off from Mars, Dex & Jamie rush to find a solution to keeps the exploration of Mars open; however both have different views. Waterman wants to preserve the Martian life and culture, while Dex is willing to open Mars up to wealthy tourists. The Navajo scientist and Vijay return to Mars in time of great discovering; a Martian village and relics have been found, as well as what might be a graveyard, holding remains of an ancient, intelligent Martian race. Jamie struggles to find the balance of things, as time and money begin to run out; and the answer could be found in his dreams. * ''Venus'' (2000) - Van Humphries is the younger of the two sons of Martin Humphries; a man who ultimately despises him, and regards him as a weakling. Van's older brother, Alex, was always there to protect him, until his death on the first crewed mission sent to touch down on Venus. Now three years later, Martin Humphries is offering a 10-billion dollar reward to anyone who can bring his elder son's body home...from the hellish surface of Earth's sister. Van is bent on proving his father view of him wrong, while rescuing his beloved brother's body; and 10-billion dollars, which he desperately needs, as his father has cut off his "allowance". But as Van and his crew near Venus, Lars Fuchs comes racing out of the belt; determined to find Alex's body, and receive the reward from his nemesis M. Humphries. Unpredicted problems, and grand discoveries are made and prove disastrous, as the two crews are brought together..somewhat. * ''Mercury'' (2005) - Industrialist and founder of Yamagata Corporation Saito Yamagata dreams of transforming the planet Mercury into a launching point for deep space missions. He has the knowledge, the funding, and the power to realize this dream, but an unexpected plot related to a disaster that occurred over a decade ago may derail his efforts. Further, evidence has been discovered that life may exist on a planet which was thought to be utterly uninhabitable to even the most elementary, and hardy, forms of life. * ''Leviathans of Jupiter'' (Feb 2011) - Grant Archer is now director of Jupiter Station, and his mind is consumed with his one driving ambition; twenty years ago, he descended into the seas of Jupiter and encountered the massive, city sized lifeforms known as the Leviathans. Now, Grant wishes to prove what he has long suspected; that the amazing creatures are intelligent. The IAA, however, has other plans. *''The Return'' - The fourth and final book of the Voyagers saga bridges the Grand Tour with the Voyagers novels, as Keith Stoner, along with his wife and children, return to Earth to find it ruined by the greenhouse flooding and out of control religion. Stoner's efforts to save the Earth become intertwined with the life of Raoul Tavalera, as well as numerous other figures. (It is somewhat unclear when this novel occurs in relation to Leviathans of Jupiter, as Leviathans occurs twenty years after Jupiter, whereas the Return seemingly takes place no more than a few years after the events of Titan, which does not seem to take place more than a decade or less after Jupiter.) * ''New Earth'' (July 2013) - The entire world is thrilled by the discovery of a new Earth-like planet. Advance imaging shows that the planet has oceans of liquid water and a breathable oxygen-rich atmosphere. Eager to gain more information, a human exploration team is soon dispatched to explore the planet, now nicknamed New Earth. All of the explorers understand that they are essentially on a one-way mission. The trip takes eighty years each way, so even if they are able to get back to Earth, nearly 200 years will have elapsed. They will have aged only a dozen years thanks to cryonic suspension, but their friends and family will be gone and the very society that they once knew will have changed beyond recognition. The explorers are going into exile, and they know it. They are on this mission not because they were the best available, but because they were expendable. Upon landing on the planet they discover something unexpected: New Earth is inhabited by a small group of intelligent creatures who look very much like human beings. Who are these people? Are they native to this world, or invaders from elsewhere? While they may seem inordinately friendly to the human explorers, what are their real motivations? What do they want? Moreover, the scientists begin to realize that this planet cannot possibly be natural. They face a startling and nearly unthinkable question: Could New Earth be an artifact? ''Tales of the Grand Tour'' (2004) (short story collection. This work contains stories that span much of the timeline of the Grand Tour) Official Grand Tour Chronology: 〔http://www.benbova.net/gradtourlist.html Ben Bova's official website〕 * ''Powersat'' (2005) * ''Empire Builders'' (1993) * ''Mars'' (1992) * ''Moonrise'' (1996; The Moonbase Saga, v. 1) * ''Moonwar'' (1998; The Moonbase Saga, v. 2) * ''Return to Mars'' (1999) * ''The Precipice'' (2001; The Asteroid Wars, v. 1) * ''Jupiter'' (2001) * ''The Rock Rats'' (2002; The Asteroid Wars, v. 2) * ''The Silent War'' (2004; The Asteroid Wars, v. 3) * ''The Aftermath'' (2007; The Asteroid Wars, v. 4) * ''Saturn'' (2002) * ''Leviathans of Jupiter'' (Feb 2011) * ''Titan'' (2006, John W. Campbell Memorial Award) * ''Mercury'' (2005) * ''Mars Life'' (2008) * ''Venus'' (2000) *''The Return'' (2009) * ''Farside (novel)'' (2013) * ''New Earth'' (July 2013) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Grand Tour (novel series)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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