Echo by Jack McDevitt
an audiobbok review by Steven Brandt
It all started innocently enough. A woman places a local ad to have a stone tablet removed from the
house she recently purchased. The tablet made a nice centerpiece for her garden for a while, but now
she is tired of it and is willing to offer it to anyone willing to come and haul it away. Interstellar
antiquities dealer Alex Benedict is instantly intrigued by the photo of the stone, which is inscribed
with runes that do not appear to be in any language known to man. Alex and his assistant, Chase Kolpath,
have no idea that they are about to embark on a path that could uncover a monumental tragedy that
occurred thirty years ago -- if they live long enough to reach its conclusion.
Outbound by Jack McDevitt
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
This book is a collection of stories and essays from throughout the author's career. What they reveal is a writer
whose work is firmly within and a part of the modern science fiction tradition. The stories also show a concern for events, and their
consequences, that are a little closer to the here and now than readers usually find in his more future-centered, space-oriented
novels.
Polaris by Jack McDevitt
reviewed by Steven Sawicki
We return to the universe inhabited by Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath, last seen in A
Talent For War (1988). Benedict is a seller of antiquarian artifacts mostly having to do with space travel and he's got a current
crop from the spaceship Polaris. Decades earlier, the Polaris ran into trouble, sent out an SOS but when help arrived, was
found adrift and empty. The Polaris had been chartered to take a mixed group of individuals to witness the death of a far-off
solar system. Benedict's interest is piqued when someone apparently wants these artifacts destroyed, along with anyone who gets in the way.
Chindi by Jack McDevitt
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
We're dropped into a whirlwind of a novel, as the Captain and crew of the City of Memphis journey
from one awe-inspiring, death-defying adventure to the next. It starts when a strange signal, and the relay system passing it
on, is discovered around a nearby neutron star. Priscilla
Hutchins, a starship captain who has become a little bored with the routine of hauling freight from one star system to the
next, is hired to lead an expedition to follow the signal and find out who or what is at the other end.
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Moonfall by Jack McDevitt
reviewed by Donna McMahon
The novel begins as Vice President Charlie Haskell arrives on the moon to preside over a terrific
photo op -- the official ribbon-cutting of an ambitious new moonbase, which promises to make the space program
not just feasible, but economically profitable. Unfortunately for Haskell, astronomers have just discovered a
large interstellar wanderer (comet) heading for a collision with Earth's moon. In five days moon and moonbase
will be smashed into a cloud of rubble.
Deepsix by Jack McDevitt
reviewed by Hank Luttrell
This is a pressure cooker of a novel. Intense popular and scientific interest is focused on a planet
destined to be destroyed by a collision with a gas giant. Teams of scientists and tourists have gathered in starships
to watch the fireworks. At the last minute, archaeological remains are discovered
on the planet. A make-shift, emergency team is sent to the surface to study and collect everything it can grab.
Infinity Beach by Jack McDevitt
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
This novel is, in the end, a kind of story that the author does very well. There are mysteries to be solved, both personal and
scientific, and the background is well thought out, both in the human society depicted and in the astronomical
details that play a part in the narrative.
Infinity Beach by Jack McDevitt
reviewed by Catherine Asaro
This novel is an engrossing science fiction mystery. In addition to
telling a great story, it offers the reader thoughtful questions about what it means for humanity to mature rather than
stagnate as a species. The author has served up another exciting, literate yarn.
Moonfall by Jack McDevitt
reviewed by Steven H Silver
In celebration of his 200th review (to browse others, drop by Steven's Web site),
Steven chose to read Moonfall. Jack McDevitt has a clear writing style which allows him to fully participate in the
act of storytelling. He has ideas which, when you read them, make you say, "Wow, that's cool!" without
being dropped out of the story. SF needs more storytellers like Jack McDevitt.
Eternity Road by Jack McDevitt
reviewed by Steven H Silver
In a post-apocalyptic world, civilization is just re-beginning.
Steven tells us that McDevitt has shown himself capable of better work.
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