The Dueling Machine - Ben Bova Book Review

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"The Dueling Machine"
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Review Summaries

"Planets both within the Terran Commonwealth and under Star Watch control, and outside it, have made use of dueling machines for many years to settle tensions and private arguments peacefully. Men in disagreements can have their brains hooked in and conduct a virtual duel with the weapons and in the environments of their choosing -- with no ultimate harm to anyone. Suddenly Odal, a warrior from the Kerak empire, somehow manages to send the Acquatainian prime minister into an irreversible coma in the dueling machine. Odal actually kills others in the machine, and the inventor Albertus Leoh can't figure out what's wrong. Leoh and his young Star Watch liaison, Jr. Lt. Hector, will eventually face Odal in the dueling machine, while Kerak obviously gears up to attack Acquataine and then even the Terran Commonwealth. How can they be stopped? This 1969 novel grew out of a 1963 Bova short story, and though the romantic subplot is leaden and cliched, the main thriller plot holds up all right."
David Loftus, Resident Ben Bova Scholar

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Overall Review

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%

Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Robots, Computers, VR Yes
Robot, PC, VR Plotlets: - virtual reality
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - bodyguard
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - politician/elected ruler
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a futuristic society - empty, or nearly empty world - big overbuilt futuristic city - very controlled society
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a fair amount of scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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