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john_huppenthal's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is a fascinating story told in a kind of baffling way. So much of the narrative is told through the main character doing research. What his story is really about, the themes behind it, don’t become apparent until the last 15 pages or so. And it’s a really interesting turn to take! But the book gets there far too late making the most interesting ideas feel more like an afterthought than the point of the whole thing.
joshhall13's review against another edition
3.0
There's more going on here. A subtext that I really wish I listened for at the very beginning, since I feel like I missed out on it. A good candidate for a re-read through a contemporary filter.
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
A solid future history novel, this was my first McDevitt and certainly not my last.
When Alex Benedict's estranged uncle dies in a hyperspace accident, he leaves behind information on the archaeological find he was working on. The nature of it means it has to be picked up from his uncle's house. Before Alex can get to the house, thieves have broken in and stolen the information. Alex is left to reconstruct the information with the help of sophisticated house AI, named Joseph, and his uncle's business partner.
The mystery surrounds events that happened 200 years before during a war with a telepathic alien race. Although the war is long over, the peace is tenuous and shaky. Benedict walks in the path of ancient war heroes and traitors to uncover a startling truth.
It all works rather well, with the exception of a femme fatale character that is somewhat of a minor character to the grander story. What works is the futuristic world with it's artists, poets, historians, heroes and breathtaking sweep of time and space. The story even ties back in to Hellenistic Greece in a really nice way.
I started reading this series because book 6 was just nominated for the Nebula. It seemed the right time to discover McDevitt, and I wasn't disappointed.
When Alex Benedict's estranged uncle dies in a hyperspace accident, he leaves behind information on the archaeological find he was working on. The nature of it means it has to be picked up from his uncle's house. Before Alex can get to the house, thieves have broken in and stolen the information. Alex is left to reconstruct the information with the help of sophisticated house AI, named Joseph, and his uncle's business partner.
The mystery surrounds events that happened 200 years before during a war with a telepathic alien race. Although the war is long over, the peace is tenuous and shaky. Benedict walks in the path of ancient war heroes and traitors to uncover a startling truth.
It all works rather well, with the exception of a femme fatale character that is somewhat of a minor character to the grander story. What works is the futuristic world with it's artists, poets, historians, heroes and breathtaking sweep of time and space. The story even ties back in to Hellenistic Greece in a really nice way.
I started reading this series because book 6 was just nominated for the Nebula. It seemed the right time to discover McDevitt, and I wasn't disappointed.
billymac1962's review against another edition
1.0
DNF’d at 25% in. As most reviews have warned, this story is told in a very dull manner. I bought this and Polaris at the same time so hopefully that one is much better once I decide to get to it. Disappointing, though. Even with the reviews I had read I still thought this would float my boat.
kreppen's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
septomor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
tani's review against another edition
2.0
So, this entire book is based on history, which sounds weird maybe, but is true. And history, on the grand scale like this, is really not my thing. It's probably not surprising, then, that I was not thrilled by this one. The history was hard for me to keep track of and figure out. It was also kind of boring (to me, mind you). In all, this was not the book for me. I read it because the third book in the series, Seeker, won a Nebula. So, I have to assume that the series gets better. Fingers crossed!
zare_i's review against another edition
4.0
I first came across this story in the late 80's through Alef magazine (issue #6)'s short story "Dutchman".
It was great and very epic. Man who sacrificed a lot to defeat humankind's enemies gets enraged because it seems that his own side is willing to kill off his entire force without even attempting to help him. Soon he finds himself stranded on the deserted planet by his own people because they cannot let him retreat [since he is a symbol of the resistance]. Due to the twist of fate (although I hardly believe faith of that man would be any different if things went the other way) his whereabouts get lost and he is considered dead for all means and purposes and in death he becomes a central point of organized resistance, mythical person who finally manages to unite the humankind to push back at the aggressor.
After a while I came across this novel and story seemed very familiar but I did not read the book before. Apparently [a: Jack Mcdevitt|73812|Jack McDevitt|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1225722326p2/73812.jpg] took the short story as a basis and wrote a whole novel about it. Not being able to find the Alef magazine issue in question I quickly dived into this one.
Novel is great, I especially liked how historical elements got incorporated into the story. It shows how certain elements that are accepted as historical truths don't necessarily have anything to do with the truth. Well-tailored post-action stories that appeal to the people are the ones that got written down and remembered (hence the notion that history is not very precise science). Truth gets veiled by false stories to achieve the "greater good" (what would today be known as spinning the story) whatever greater good is for authors of these false stories.
Excellent book, that did not lose anything when compared to the short story. Message is more than clear - don't take anything at the face value, be aware that victors write the history but even they do not tell everything. Many a revolution devours its own children.
Highly recommended.
It was great and very epic. Man who sacrificed a lot to defeat humankind's enemies gets enraged because it seems that his own side is willing to kill off his entire force without even attempting to help him. Soon he finds himself stranded on the deserted planet by his own people because they cannot let him retreat [since he is a symbol of the resistance]. Due to the twist of fate (although I hardly believe faith of that man would be any different if things went the other way) his whereabouts get lost and he is considered dead for all means and purposes and in death he becomes a central point of organized resistance, mythical person who finally manages to unite the humankind to push back at the aggressor.
After a while I came across this novel and story seemed very familiar but I did not read the book before. Apparently [a: Jack Mcdevitt|73812|Jack McDevitt|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1225722326p2/73812.jpg] took the short story as a basis and wrote a whole novel about it. Not being able to find the Alef magazine issue in question I quickly dived into this one.
Novel is great, I especially liked how historical elements got incorporated into the story. It shows how certain elements that are accepted as historical truths don't necessarily have anything to do with the truth. Well-tailored post-action stories that appeal to the people are the ones that got written down and remembered (hence the notion that history is not very precise science). Truth gets veiled by false stories to achieve the "greater good" (what would today be known as spinning the story) whatever greater good is for authors of these false stories.
Excellent book, that did not lose anything when compared to the short story. Message is more than clear - don't take anything at the face value, be aware that victors write the history but even they do not tell everything. Many a revolution devours its own children.
Highly recommended.
rheren's review against another edition
2.0
A detective story, in a loosely sci-fi atmosphere. I found myself so bored I almost DNF, but I decided to skip the second half of the book and jump to the conclusion to see how it turned out. It was mildly interesting, might've been worth it to stick it out if I was more engaged in the story line, but it's a tremendously complex universe with dozens of names of starships and people floating around that I never felt connected to or could keep straight why they were important or relevant, and I was just done. Someone who's more into slow-paced, atmospheric detective stories in a unique setting might like it better, but life is too short, not worth it for me.