Bova, Ben. The precipice.

Tor. 422p. c2001. 0-812-57989-5. $7.99. SA

Years of the greenhouse effect have created ever more extreme floods and hurricanes, displacing and killing millions of people. There are two men, leaders in the space industry and residents of the Moon community, who can most immediately affect the outcome of everything on Earth. One is Dan Randolph of Astro Manufacturing, who wants to use an experimental fusion engine to mine the Asteroid Belt for much-needed resources and provide a cleaner energy alternative to fossil fuels. The other is Martin Humphries of Humphries Space Systems, who sees every disaster as an opportunity to make sales. With personnel and funds strained by the daily catastrophes, they must pool their resources to succeed despite their opposing goals of saving humanity versus building a monopoly.

Hindering their efforts are the sadly plausible shackles of various Earth governments refusing policy changes that adversely affect their countries' economies even while the land is disappearing under water, and the lunar colonists who feel that since Earthers created the mess, they can stew in it. Added to the mix are industrial spies stealing information back and forth, shareholders, an uninformed board of directors, the Moral Right and research personnel with hidden agendas.

Thick with accurate science and the machinations of human preference for short-term benefits, Precipice clearly spells out not only how disastrous further climate pollution could be but also just how close we are to that cliff. This is a modern tale that can also be a useful tool to put face and feelings to the ways in which humans are altering the current environment, lending awareness to daily warnings as well as potential solutions when people act for the greater good. Liz LaValley, Mattapoisett, MA