Power Play (Tor Science Fiction)

Ben Bova, six-time winner of the Hugo Award, brings us a fascinating look at the future in Power Play.

Astronomer Jake Ross wants nothing more than to teach a few university classes each semester and continue his research. However, Frank Tomlinson, an ambitious politician with his eye on the U.S. senate, is determined to land Dr. Ross as his science advisor.

Tomlinson is in need of an edge that will allow him to defeat his opponent at the polls, and Dr. Ross can contribute just that edge with a new innovation that will allow electricity to be generated at less than half the price of nuclear power. But the technology is still in its infancy, and although the outlook is extremely promising, there are great---and deadly---risks.

Dr. Ross soon discovers that the world of politics carries its own dangers. Nothing has prepared Dr. Ross for the extreme tactics that desperate and powerful people are willing to use.