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Ngu Family Saga #2
Ceres
Nominee for the 2010 Prometheus AwardIn the 22nd century people have spread into the Solar System. Born and raised in a twentieth of Earth's gravity on the asteroid Pallas, young skater Llyra Ngu is grimly determined to compete and win on mankind's homeworld—an ambition that many say will cripple or kill her. Her older brother Wilson is equally set on quitting his job as a surveyor's apprentice to become an asteroid hunter, a calling fraught with the promise of fabulous riches and the danger of sudden death. He will find a full share of romance and disappointment, love and loss, and pursue the asteroid hunter's holy grail, the legendary Diamond Rogue. Llyra's training will require years, and a journey that will take her to Ceres, at one tenth Earth's gravity, where her father bosses the Ceres Terraformation Project, to the one-sixth gravity of the Moon, to Mars and one third gravity, and finally to Earth. Along the way, she will survive jealous rivals, a hostile press, terrorist attacks, and the hijacking of a spaceliner in order to achieve her goal. In the end, Llyra and Wilson will hear the call of the stars, themselves.
492 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2009
6 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
L. Neil Smith
39 books69 followersL. Neil Smith was a Libertarian science fiction author and gun rights activist.Smith was born in Denver, Colorado.
Smith began publishing science fiction with “Grimm’s Law” for Stellar 5 (1980). He wrote 31 books, including 29 novels, and a number of essays and short stories. In 2016, Smith received the Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contributions to libertarian science fiction.
He was editor of LEVER ACTION BBS [now defunct], founder and International Coordinator of the Libertarian Second Amendment Caucus, Secretary and Legislative Director of the Weld County Fish & Wildlife Association and an NRA Life Member.
Smith passed away on August 27, 2021 in Fort Collins, Colorado at age 75 after a lengthy battle with heart and kidney disease. Smith is survived by daughter Rylla Smith and wife Cathy Smith.
Smith began publishing science fiction with “Grimm’s Law” for Stellar 5 (1980). He wrote 31 books, including 29 novels, and a number of essays and short stories. In 2016, Smith received the Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contributions to libertarian science fiction.
He was editor of LEVER ACTION BBS [now defunct], founder and International Coordinator of the Libertarian Second Amendment Caucus, Secretary and Legislative Director of the Weld County Fish & Wildlife Association and an NRA Life Member.
Smith passed away on August 27, 2021 in Fort Collins, Colorado at age 75 after a lengthy battle with heart and kidney disease. Smith is survived by daughter Rylla Smith and wife Cathy Smith.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 28, 2019
Another great L. Neil Smith adventure
L. Neil Smith tells great stories. Set in deep space, Mars & the asteroids the Ngu family battles environmental terrorists bent on destroying them and all space exploration forever. For the good of humanity, with them in charge of what's good, of course.
L. Neil Smith tells great stories. Set in deep space, Mars & the asteroids the Ngu family battles environmental terrorists bent on destroying them and all space exploration forever. For the good of humanity, with them in charge of what's good, of course.
November 8, 2013
CERES is a solid sequel to L. Neil Smith's classic novel PALLAS. The Ngu family are fascinating folks with astute minds for freedom, individualism and business. Yes, this is libertarian science fiction and Smith pulls no punches. The story revolves around Llyra Ngu, whose goal is to win an ice skating competition on Earth; and her brother, Wilson Ngu, who aspires to be successful at harvesting asteroids for valuable minerals. In fact, Wilson is looking for the ultimate prize in the Belt. Llyra's goal is a tall order as she is a resident of Pallas, an asteroid with a mere 1/20th of the gravity of Earth. She toughens herself up by first skating on the Moon, then Mars, and only then making the trip to Earth, each locale requiring her to adjust to the heavier gravity. Along the way, she and her Russian assistant endure lecherous advances, bad "Moose and Squirrel" puns, and a hijacking of the space liner they are on.
Wilson's path is not easy either. He learns the ropes, getting detoured briefly by a romantic episode with a woman he loves but she is part of a very strange spacefaring family that was only interested in getting his DNA.
The ending for both tales is quite satisfying. CERES is a very good read and I recommend it, especially if you are a libertarian!
Wilson's path is not easy either. He learns the ropes, getting detoured briefly by a romantic episode with a woman he loves but she is part of a very strange spacefaring family that was only interested in getting his DNA.
The ending for both tales is quite satisfying. CERES is a very good read and I recommend it, especially if you are a libertarian!
October 30, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed this book - the second in the Ngu family saga - more than I had it's forerunner. The story felt better paced, and I enjoyed the references to Sci-Fi and geek culture. (I think I actually laughed out loud on learning the name of the astronomical observatory on the dark side of the moon.)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews