-
Able One
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $19.56
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Kinsman Saga
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a startling future that's coming closer every year, Chet Kinsman is an astronaut ace who has done everything one can in space - including commit the first murder. It's a secret he can never escape, not even on the moon, where he's head of the first U.S. lunar colony. A series of shocking yet strangely inevitable circumstances will force Kinsman to confront his hidden past and decide Earth's destiny. In a desperate countdown to nuclear annihilation, Kinsman will struggle against a deadly dilemma: if he rescues the world, he risks destroying himself.
-
-
Better than reported!
- By Matthew on 11-01-13
By: Ben Bova
-
Peacekeepers
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the next century, the United States and Russia have joined forces to form the International Peacekeeping Force. The IPF is charged with controlling the satellite network and preventing nuclear missile launches. But many factions resent this orbital police force - and attempt to seize control of the satellites.... and the IPF itself.
-
-
Old school Ben Bova story is new again!
- By Matthew on 02-19-15
By: Ben Bova
-
The Sam Gunn Omnibus
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Richard Brewer, Emily Janice Card, Gabrielle de Cuir, and others
- Length: 29 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A hero without peer or scruples, Sam Gunn has a nose for trouble, money, and women, though not necessarily in that order. A man with the ego (and stature) of a Napoleon, the business acumen of a P. T. Barnum, and the raging hormones of a teenage boy, Sam is the finest astronaut NASA ever trained and dumped. But more than money, more than women, Sam Gunn loves justice—and he really does love money and women.
-
-
Quaint collection of short stories
- By HL on 10-04-13
By: Ben Bova
-
The Precipice
- Book One of The Asteroid Wars
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Scott Brick, Amanda Karr, cast
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once, Dan Randolph was one of the richest men on Earth. Now the planet is spiraling into environmental disaster, with floods and earthquakes destroying the lives of millions. Martin Humphries, fabulously wealthy heir of the Humphries Trust, also knows that space-based industry is the way of the future. But unlike Randolph, he does not care if Earth perishes in the process.
-
-
Space Opera Fun ( not for Kids)
- By Lori on 02-08-06
By: Ben Bova
-
The Winds of Altair
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Earth is an old planet, and her teeming masses are running out of resources - and time. It is up to men such as Jeff Holman to discover a haven for Earth’s millions. Altair VI is one such planet, and Holman is determined to transform this world into one where the human race can survive. Star probes long ago informed Earth that Altair VI had a flourishing ecology with one very tough beast at the top of the food chain, one that will have to be dealt with before the human colony ships arrive. The beast is not only tough, it is as smart as a man. Holman is faced with a soul-wrenching decision - for to make Altair VI habitable for humans, all native life must die.
-
-
Before Avatar was Altair
- By Chavous Camp on 10-03-16
By: Ben Bova
-
Mars, Inc.
- The Billionaire's Club
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do you get to the Red Planet? Not via a benightedgovernment program trapped in red tape and bound by budget constrictions,that's for sure. No, what it will take is a helping of adventure, science,corporate power plays, a generous dollop of seduction - both in and out of theboardroom - and money, money, money!
-
-
Disappointing by any standard
- By Rick Moyers on 02-10-21
By: Ben Bova
-
The Kinsman Saga
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a startling future that's coming closer every year, Chet Kinsman is an astronaut ace who has done everything one can in space - including commit the first murder. It's a secret he can never escape, not even on the moon, where he's head of the first U.S. lunar colony. A series of shocking yet strangely inevitable circumstances will force Kinsman to confront his hidden past and decide Earth's destiny. In a desperate countdown to nuclear annihilation, Kinsman will struggle against a deadly dilemma: if he rescues the world, he risks destroying himself.
-
-
Better than reported!
- By Matthew on 11-01-13
By: Ben Bova
-
Peacekeepers
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the next century, the United States and Russia have joined forces to form the International Peacekeeping Force. The IPF is charged with controlling the satellite network and preventing nuclear missile launches. But many factions resent this orbital police force - and attempt to seize control of the satellites.... and the IPF itself.
-
-
Old school Ben Bova story is new again!
- By Matthew on 02-19-15
By: Ben Bova
-
The Sam Gunn Omnibus
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Richard Brewer, Emily Janice Card, Gabrielle de Cuir, and others
- Length: 29 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A hero without peer or scruples, Sam Gunn has a nose for trouble, money, and women, though not necessarily in that order. A man with the ego (and stature) of a Napoleon, the business acumen of a P. T. Barnum, and the raging hormones of a teenage boy, Sam is the finest astronaut NASA ever trained and dumped. But more than money, more than women, Sam Gunn loves justice—and he really does love money and women.
-
-
Quaint collection of short stories
- By HL on 10-04-13
By: Ben Bova
-
The Precipice
- Book One of The Asteroid Wars
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Scott Brick, Amanda Karr, cast
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once, Dan Randolph was one of the richest men on Earth. Now the planet is spiraling into environmental disaster, with floods and earthquakes destroying the lives of millions. Martin Humphries, fabulously wealthy heir of the Humphries Trust, also knows that space-based industry is the way of the future. But unlike Randolph, he does not care if Earth perishes in the process.
-
-
Space Opera Fun ( not for Kids)
- By Lori on 02-08-06
By: Ben Bova
-
The Winds of Altair
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Earth is an old planet, and her teeming masses are running out of resources - and time. It is up to men such as Jeff Holman to discover a haven for Earth’s millions. Altair VI is one such planet, and Holman is determined to transform this world into one where the human race can survive. Star probes long ago informed Earth that Altair VI had a flourishing ecology with one very tough beast at the top of the food chain, one that will have to be dealt with before the human colony ships arrive. The beast is not only tough, it is as smart as a man. Holman is faced with a soul-wrenching decision - for to make Altair VI habitable for humans, all native life must die.
-
-
Before Avatar was Altair
- By Chavous Camp on 10-03-16
By: Ben Bova
-
Mars, Inc.
- The Billionaire's Club
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do you get to the Red Planet? Not via a benightedgovernment program trapped in red tape and bound by budget constrictions,that's for sure. No, what it will take is a helping of adventure, science,corporate power plays, a generous dollop of seduction - both in and out of theboardroom - and money, money, money!
-
-
Disappointing by any standard
- By Rick Moyers on 02-10-21
By: Ben Bova
-
Voyagers
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Ben Bova
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stoner knew. The fiery object hurtling toward the Earth was an alien spacecraft. But the world might never know. He was trapped in an iron cordon of secrecy, for the discovery had shattered the world power balance, setting off a brutal struggle for supremacy that raged from the sacred halls of the Vatican to the corridors of the Kremlin and the Pentagon. The forces of fear and treachery would use any weapon at their command, from mind war to sabotage, to keep the world in darkness.
-
-
davjonz
- By David on 08-21-06
By: Ben Bova
-
Power Challenges
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is time to start colonizing the solar system. Ex-astronaut, current space advisor, and all-out troubleshooter for the president, Jake, is determined to make it happen. And what better way than to return to America’s glory by returning to the moon and setting up a permanent moon-base which can then serve as the launching pad for Mars and beyond. But as usual, political intrigue and conflicting priorities are threatening the whole program.
-
-
Happy Ending
- By Phillip Smith on 09-03-21
By: Ben Bova
-
Space Station Down
- By: Ben Bova, Doug Beason
- Narrated by: Samantha Desz
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When an ultra-rich space tourist visits the orbiting International Space Station, NASA expects a $100 million win-win: His visit will bring in much needed funding and publicity. But the tourist venture turns into a scheme of terror. Together with an extremist cosmonaut, the tourist slaughters all the astronauts on board the million-pound ISS - and prepares to crash it into New York City at 17,500 miles an hour, causing more devastation than a hundred atomic bombs. All that stands between them and their deadly goal is the lone survivor aboard the ISS, Kimberly Hasid-Robinson.
-
-
Zero gravity thrill ride
- By Ryan Hooey on 08-29-20
By: Ben Bova, and others
-
Steel World
- Undying Mercenaries, Book 1
- By: B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 20th century Earth sent probes, transmissions, and welcoming messages to the stars. Unfortunately, someone noticed. The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn't the only requirement for survival. We also had to have something of value to trade, something that neighboring planets would pay their hard-earned credits to buy. As most of the local worlds were too civilized to have a proper army, the only valuable service Earth could provide came in the form of soldiers....
-
-
Not plausible. Even for science fiction.
- By Smurfberry on 09-28-19
By: B. V. Larson
-
The Kaiju Preservation Society
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food-delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization”. Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on. What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at at least. In an alternate dimension, dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world.
-
-
How does one make Kaiju unappealing?
- By Jim on 03-20-22
By: John Scalzi
-
Backyard Starship
- Backyard Starship, Book 1
- By: J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Van Tudor returns to his childhood home, he inherits more than the family farm. His grandfather used to tell him fantastic stories of spacemen and monsters, princesses and galactic knights. Little did Van realize, the old man's tales were more than fiction; they were real. Hidden beneath the old barn, Van’s legacy is waiting: a starship, not of this world. With his combat AI, an android bird named Perry, Van takes his first steps into the wider galaxy. He soon finds that space is far busier and more dangerous than he could have ever conceived.
-
-
holy smokes
- By Tod on 12-14-21
By: J.N. Chaney, and others
-
Cast Adrift
- Cast Adrift, Book 1
- By: Christopher G. Nuttall
- Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the years, humans have grown used to their position within the empire, serving as soldiers and spacers for alien masters as well as building a place in the universe for themselves. But now, in the aftermath of a violent interstellar war that shattered the power of the Alphans, humanity has rediscovered its pride.
-
-
well done
- By alan on 12-13-21
-
Artemis
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Rosario Dawson
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent. Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down.
-
-
Finally a book I didn’t want to turn off…
- By Love me some on 02-27-18
By: Andy Weir
-
Firing Point
- By: George Wallace, Don Keith
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 17 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the top of the world… at the bottom of the sea… a war has begun. Below the polar ice cap, an American nuclear submarine moves quietly in the frigid water, tailing a new Russian sub. But the usual, unspoken game of hide-and-seek between opposing captains ends when the Americans hear sounds of disaster and flooding, and the Russian sub sinks at a depth of a thousand feet. The American sub rushes to help, only to join its former quarry in the deep. The situation ignites tensions around the world.
-
-
Excellent thriller. Can't wait for more!
- By Bob on 08-20-12
By: George Wallace, and others
-
Mission One
- Titan Chronicles, Book 1
- By: Samuel Best
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jeff Dolan always wanted to be an astronaut. After helping a private space company build a ship that can travel to Saturn's largest moon in five months, he gets his chance. Shortly after launch, a devastating malfunction forces Jeff and the crew to make a choice: continue to Titan or go back home. As the truth about their mission unravels, one thing is clear: Someone on Earth knew about the system flaw and covered it up. Yet surviving the journey isn't the crew's only concern. Even if they make it to Titan, they will face another problem: Something is already there.
-
-
Well worth the credit
- By Tm on 04-12-22
By: Samuel Best
-
The Gripping Hand
- By: Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, award-winning authors of such best sellers as Footfall and The Legacy of Heorot, return us to the Mote, and to the universe of Kevin Renner and Horace Bury, of Rod Blaine and Sally Fowler. There, 25 years have passed since humanity quarantined the mysterious aliens known as Moties within the confines of their own solar system. They have spent a quarter century analyzing and agonizing over the deadly threat posed by the only aliens mankind has ever encountered - a race divided into distinct biological forms, each serving a different function: Master, Mediator, Engineer, Warrior.
-
-
*Click*
- By Erik Back on 04-09-19
By: Jerry Pournelle, and others
-
Warship
- Black Fleet Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Joshua Dalzelle
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 25th century, humans have conquered space. The advent of faster-than-light travel has opened up hundreds of habitable planets for colonization, and humans have exploited the virtually limitless space and resources for hundreds of years with impunity. So complacent have they become with the overabundance that armed conflict is a thing of the past, and their machines of war are obsolete and decrepit. What would happen if they were suddenly threatened by a terrifying new enemy?
-
-
A compelling and satisfying underdog space opera
- By Elliot on 12-22-15
By: Joshua Dalzelle
Publisher's Summary
When a nuclear missile launched by a rogue North Korean faction explodes in space, the resulting shock wave destroys most of the world’s satellites, throwing global communication into chaos. U.S. military satellites, designed to withstand such an assault, show that two more missiles are sitting on launch pads in North Korea, ready to be deployed. Faced with the threat of a thermonuclear attack, the United States has only one possible defense: Able One.
ABL-1, or Able One, is a modified 747 fitted with a high powered laser able to knock out missiles in flight. But both the laser’s technology and the jet’s crew is untested. What was originally a training flight with a skeleton crew turns into a desperate race to destroy the two remaining nukes. Will Able One’s experimental technology be enough to prevent World War III—especially when it becomes clear that a saboteur is on board?
Able One is a timely thrill-ride by one of science fiction’s most respected novelists.
Critic Reviews
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about Able One
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Michael
- 03-08-10
Wasted
A mind is a terrible thing to waste. So is an Audible credit. You will waste over eight hours of your mind and a credit if you buy and then read this techno-borer. The historical development is silly, the characters are juvenile, and the reader sounds as though his batteries are running out. The suspense, techno-thriller, electro-magnetic pulse, near end of the world genre has many entertaining works. This is definitely not one of them.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Jerry
- 03-03-11
Scared the BEJESUS out of me.
Loved the book but it is only fiction because it hasnt happend YET! This novel was completly beliveable and was acualy late for work because I couldn't stop listening. I only gave it 4 stars because I thought they raced through the book too fast. Should have been longer and thought much more could have been added. A wonderful listen all-in-all and highly recomend it to all listeners.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
- Christopher J. Ward
- 12-13-10
A dash of cold reality
As someone who has spent a lifetime being worried and concerned about the proliferation of nuclear weapons and what rogue states might do under certain circumstances, the subject of North Korea always comes up. I am a very quiet fan of Ben Bova but I have not read all of his works. His Martian trilogy is quite interesting if somewhat hokey in spots and Voyager was great listening. This particular novel is close to William R. Forstchen's "One second after" and John Birmingham's "Without Warning" but is a more up beat about the outcome of an EMP attack on the US. As usual, the narration was excellent and Stefan Runicki's diction made the characters come to life. This is not the best of all possible books dealing with this subject but it is certainly gripping and I could not stop listening.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brian R.
- 05-18-22
A good listen
Stefan Rudnicki is very talented at reading this and other books. Regardless of the story, he tells it well.
Ben Bova is one of my favorite authors. Every story he writes is captivating. Able One proves true to it's author's legacy.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John Ben Sutter
- 04-04-19
Outstanding
Intelligent, highly interesting and timely, suspenseful, well-paced, Bova has a remarkable gift in his understanding of science, politics, international affairs, and human motivations. And he’s a damned fine writer. I’m thrilled to have discovered him. An A-double plus also for Stefan Rudnicki’s performance as well!