_No one expected the oil to last forever. How right they were...._
One geopolitical miscalculation sufficed to taint major oil fields with radioactivity and plunge the Middle East into chaos. What little oil remains usable is more prized than ever. No one can build solar farms, wind farms, and electric cars quickly enough to cope. The few countries still able to export oil and natural gas--Russia chief among them--have a stranglehold on the world economy.
And then, from the darkness of the outer solar system, Phoebe appeared. Rather than divert the onrushing asteroid, America captured it into Earth orbit. Phoebe was a game changer.
Solar power satellites--cheaply mass-produced in orbit with resources mined from the new moon, to beam vast amounts of power to the ground--offer America its last best hope of avoiding servitude and economic ruin. As though building miles-across structures in space isn't challenging enough, special interests, everyone from technophobes to eco-extremists to radio astronomers, want to stop the project. And the remaining petro powers will do anything to protect their dominance of world affairs.
NASA engineer Marcus Judson is determined to make the powersat demonstration project a success. And he will--
Even though nothing in his job description mentions combating an international cabal, or going into space to do it.
_"Ed Lerner's _Energized_ makes two points absolutely clear: first, we must utilize the resources of outer space to bring peace and prosperity to all of humankind; and second, we must be willing and able to protect those resources from fanatics and tyrants."_
--Ben Bova, Author of _Powersat_
"ENERGIZED _is excellent hard science fiction and a gripping adventure story. I came out of it still twitching, and sure that I'd been taught something too._
--Larry Niven, Author of _Ringworld_
_"This is a big one. A big plot with big players. Big ideas. And big, big adventure ... on earth and in outer space, too. Edward Lerner has given us a fast, futuristic, and fascinating thriller about the biggest issue we face: how do we power our planet and our private lives? A great read."
--_William Martin, _New York Times_ bestselling author of _Citizen Washington_ and _City of Dreams_
_"A taut near-future thriller about an energy-starved Earth held hostage by a power-mad international cartel ... Lerner's vision of the future is both topical and possible in this crisp, fast-paced hard SF adventure."_
--Publishers Weekly
_"Lerner plows right into orbit with this tech-filled engaging story featuring just as much fact as science fiction. And for those of us who love a love story, he puts one of those in here, too. His dialogue is cover-to-cover techie bliss and fit his characters to a T."_
--Romantic Times
_"Environmentally conscious sf makes a strong showing in Edward M. Lerner_'_s _Energized_. ... Plot and political intrigue take center stage in this sf adventure that should appeal to fans of hard sf and technothrillers."_
--Library Journal
_"An extremely clever idea for a novel--well thought out and well-constructed. There are some wonderful big ideas in here ... mixed in with a strong plot involving political tensions, personal relationships, career scientists (a strange breed!) and plenty of thrills."_
--Layers of Thought
_"An amazingly tense and for-all-the-marbles thriller."_
--SF Site
_"A magnificently fun romp, complete with espionage, international cabals, sabotage, and lots of amusing political commentary." _
--Analog Science Fiction and Fact
_"I'd recommend this to anybody that enjoys the mystery/thriller genre."_
--SFFaudio.com
_"A must l
