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Eternity Road
The Roadmakers left only ruins behind—but what magnificent ruins! Their concrete highways still cross the continent. Their cups, combs and jewelry are found in every Illyrian home. They left behind a legend, too—a hidden sanctuary called Haven, where even now the secrets of their civilization might still be found.
Chaka's brother was one of those who sought to find Haven and never returned. But now Chaka has inherited a rare Roadmaker artifact—a book called A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court—which has inspired her to follow in his footsteps. Gathering an unlikely band of companions around her, Chaka embarks upon a journey where she will encounter bloodthirsty rirver pirates, electronic ghosts who mourn their lost civilization and machines that skim over the ground and air. Ultimately, the group will learn the truth about their own mysterious past.
Chaka's brother was one of those who sought to find Haven and never returned. But now Chaka has inherited a rare Roadmaker artifact—a book called A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court—which has inspired her to follow in his footsteps. Gathering an unlikely band of companions around her, Chaka embarks upon a journey where she will encounter bloodthirsty rirver pirates, electronic ghosts who mourn their lost civilization and machines that skim over the ground and air. Ultimately, the group will learn the truth about their own mysterious past.
403 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1997
125 people are currently reading
3650 people want to read
About the author
Jack McDevitt
185 books1,344 followersJack McDevitt is a former English teacher, naval officer, Philadelphia taxi driver, customs officer and motivational trainer. His work has been on the final ballot for the Nebula Awards for 12 of the past 13 years. His first novel, The Hercules Text, was published in the celebrated Ace Specials series and won the Philip K. Dick Special Award. In 1991, McDevitt won the first $10,000 UPC International Prize for his novella, "Ships in the Night." The Engines of God was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and his novella, "Time Travelers Never Die," was nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula awards.
McDevitt lives in Georgia with his wife, Maureen, where he plays chess, reads mysteries and eats lunch regularly with his cronies.
McDevitt lives in Georgia with his wife, Maureen, where he plays chess, reads mysteries and eats lunch regularly with his cronies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 264 reviews
April 14, 2020
Note, April 14, 2020: I just edited this review to correct one small typo.
I'm taking a break from my current kick of retrospectively reviewing the classics to focus on this much more recent title, inspired by the recent review by my Goodreads friend Mike. He did his usual excellent job, but since my perspective is a bit different (he rated the book only "okay"), I thought it might be opportune to throw in my two cents worth. :-) It's only fair to note at the outset, though, that my more favorable rating is colored by the facts that I'm more of a sucker for post-apocalyptic yarns, and that unlike Mike I'm abysmally ignorant of most aspects of technology and engineering, which makes it easier for me to suspend disbelief on some points!
McDevitt structures his story around the classic quest motif. Some 700 years after the collapse of modern American civilization, some civilized but low-tech city states thrive in the lower Mississippi Valley. They have no contact with other parts of the world, though, and very little knowledge of their pre-apocalyptic ancestors, the Roadmakers. But they do possess a couple of copies of a book, The Travels of Abraham Polk, purportedly written in the immediate aftermath of the plague that destroyed the previous civilization, which describes the creation of a place of refuge called Haven, where the secrets of the Roadmakers are preserved. Nine years ago, a small band of adventurers, following clues in the Travels, set out to find Haven; but the lone survivor returned to report their failure. With his suicide near the beginning of this book, evidence comes to light that suggests that the expedition DID reach Haven after all. So a handful of people, determined to find answers once and for all, mount a second expedition. Their number includes the sister of the previous expedition's artist, a wilderness guide, a university professor, a pagan priestess who's having a crisis of faith, and the skeptical son of the survivor. Their journey will take them across much of what we once knew as the eastern U.S., now a dangerous wilderness.
McDevitt writes well, with a flowing style, descriptive but not overly descriptive, that serves his story admirably. The characters are very real and lifelike, round and believable; mostly very likeable, and even in the case of some who aren't so much so, the reader gets to know and understand them better (and like them better) by the end. You quickly think of most of them as friends, and are invested in their fate. As Mike notes, the expedition takes awhile to get underway, and into the wilderness. However, this is because McDevitt takes his time explaining the background of the situation, introducing the characters, and engaging in some serious world-building (which I felt was top-notch). This added texture, for me, gave more depth to the purely adventurous parts --and there were plenty of the latter on the group's journey. But be warned; no spoilers here, but the perils of the undertaking are real and deadly, and need to be taken seriously by the reader --as in real life, there are no guarantees of survival.
Mike made the point that there seem to be technological incongruities here. The author's post-apocalyptic culture has cartridge firearms, but not other modern utensils that might utilize similar methods of manufacture; and they're aware of ancient automobiles (though ignorant of how they were powered), but not aware of trains. There may be some merit to this criticism. At the time that I read the book, though, I took it for granted that, in a situation like this, there might be some degree of randomness in what technological knowledge would and wouldn't survive. We also have to take into account people's priorities. (Chaka's rueful thought, words to the effect that "we've forgotten how to print books, but we still know how to make guns!" speaks volumes about fallen human nature.) In the main, I found McDevitt's portrayal of his future culture(s) quite plausible, except in the religious area. He posits the total disappearance of Christianity, to the point where scholars of that day have only hazy and incomplete defective ideas about its beliefs, and its replacement by a new polytheism. Even allowing for his agnostic worldview and regardless of Christian truth claims, this isn't realistic, any more than positing the total disappearance of Islam from the Middle East, or of Hinduism from India, 700 years after the collapse of the present civilization. The discussions of theism and religious belief some of the characters have are, as well, tinctured by the author's skepticism. But they stop short of being doctrinaire anti-religious screeds; the author's agnosticism, if I interpret him rightly, cuts both ways, and he simply poses questions without implying that he knows all the answers, and knows that they're negative.
The plot incorporates a romantic thread --and it's clean romance (even though the couple experience some realistic premarital temptation), for which I think McDevitt deserves some genuine credit. He also, IMO, deserves credit for very full-orbed development of the back-story of Abraham Polk and the October Patrol, so much so that initially, I actually thought this book was a sequel to a previous novel about Polk, though that isn't the case. (Memo to McDevitt: write a prequel!)
A review on Amazon, which I read years before I read the book, raised a complaint about the ending. So after reading the book, I didn't think that objection had any merit.
In summary, I really liked this, though I didn't go to the extent of giving it five stars. Your reaction might vary; but if the flaw(s) and characteristics I've noted above aren't off-putting, I'd suggest giving it a try!
I'm taking a break from my current kick of retrospectively reviewing the classics to focus on this much more recent title, inspired by the recent review by my Goodreads friend Mike. He did his usual excellent job, but since my perspective is a bit different (he rated the book only "okay"), I thought it might be opportune to throw in my two cents worth. :-) It's only fair to note at the outset, though, that my more favorable rating is colored by the facts that I'm more of a sucker for post-apocalyptic yarns, and that unlike Mike I'm abysmally ignorant of most aspects of technology and engineering, which makes it easier for me to suspend disbelief on some points!
McDevitt structures his story around the classic quest motif. Some 700 years after the collapse of modern American civilization, some civilized but low-tech city states thrive in the lower Mississippi Valley. They have no contact with other parts of the world, though, and very little knowledge of their pre-apocalyptic ancestors, the Roadmakers. But they do possess a couple of copies of a book, The Travels of Abraham Polk, purportedly written in the immediate aftermath of the plague that destroyed the previous civilization, which describes the creation of a place of refuge called Haven, where the secrets of the Roadmakers are preserved. Nine years ago, a small band of adventurers, following clues in the Travels, set out to find Haven; but the lone survivor returned to report their failure. With his suicide near the beginning of this book, evidence comes to light that suggests that the expedition DID reach Haven after all. So a handful of people, determined to find answers once and for all, mount a second expedition. Their number includes the sister of the previous expedition's artist, a wilderness guide, a university professor, a pagan priestess who's having a crisis of faith, and the skeptical son of the survivor. Their journey will take them across much of what we once knew as the eastern U.S., now a dangerous wilderness.
McDevitt writes well, with a flowing style, descriptive but not overly descriptive, that serves his story admirably. The characters are very real and lifelike, round and believable; mostly very likeable, and even in the case of some who aren't so much so, the reader gets to know and understand them better (and like them better) by the end. You quickly think of most of them as friends, and are invested in their fate. As Mike notes, the expedition takes awhile to get underway, and into the wilderness. However, this is because McDevitt takes his time explaining the background of the situation, introducing the characters, and engaging in some serious world-building (which I felt was top-notch). This added texture, for me, gave more depth to the purely adventurous parts --and there were plenty of the latter on the group's journey. But be warned; no spoilers here, but the perils of the undertaking are real and deadly, and need to be taken seriously by the reader --as in real life, there are no guarantees of survival.
Mike made the point that there seem to be technological incongruities here. The author's post-apocalyptic culture has cartridge firearms, but not other modern utensils that might utilize similar methods of manufacture; and they're aware of ancient automobiles (though ignorant of how they were powered), but not aware of trains. There may be some merit to this criticism. At the time that I read the book, though, I took it for granted that, in a situation like this, there might be some degree of randomness in what technological knowledge would and wouldn't survive. We also have to take into account people's priorities. (Chaka's rueful thought, words to the effect that "we've forgotten how to print books, but we still know how to make guns!" speaks volumes about fallen human nature.) In the main, I found McDevitt's portrayal of his future culture(s) quite plausible, except in the religious area. He posits the total disappearance of Christianity, to the point where scholars of that day have only hazy and incomplete defective ideas about its beliefs, and its replacement by a new polytheism. Even allowing for his agnostic worldview and regardless of Christian truth claims, this isn't realistic, any more than positing the total disappearance of Islam from the Middle East, or of Hinduism from India, 700 years after the collapse of the present civilization. The discussions of theism and religious belief some of the characters have are, as well, tinctured by the author's skepticism. But they stop short of being doctrinaire anti-religious screeds; the author's agnosticism, if I interpret him rightly, cuts both ways, and he simply poses questions without implying that he knows all the answers, and knows that they're negative.
The plot incorporates a romantic thread --and it's clean romance (even though the couple experience some realistic premarital temptation), for which I think McDevitt deserves some genuine credit. He also, IMO, deserves credit for very full-orbed development of the back-story of Abraham Polk and the October Patrol, so much so that initially, I actually thought this book was a sequel to a previous novel about Polk, though that isn't the case. (Memo to McDevitt: write a prequel!)
A review on Amazon, which I read years before I read the book, raised a complaint about the ending. So after reading the book, I didn't think that objection had any merit.
In summary, I really liked this, though I didn't go to the extent of giving it five stars. Your reaction might vary; but if the flaw(s) and characteristics I've noted above aren't off-putting, I'd suggest giving it a try!
September 8, 2014
Well we have a sort of "here we go again" in this one. When I read books that some of my friends here like and then don't really care for them I often feel as if I should apologize. That's the case here. I see a lot of people really like this one. As I've said before, great. To each their own in literary taste...otherwise there'd be a lot fewer writers.
For me the book falls into the I don't hate it but don't really care for it category. As I've said about other books (notably many of those by Philip José Farmer) I like the idea but I don't care for the execution. This is a book of 409 pages, it takes us 150 pages to get past the background, set up, and so on and move into the wilderness. Also as in any book the attitude, prejudices and so on of the writer come into play. here they seem to come in a bit heavily (at least to me) and I got heartily tired of them.
Still the overall idea is a good one (as a matter of fact I hope I'll find another book along these lines, by someone else). I'll not ever be a fan here but many are. This one is simply a matter of taste so...
The idea here is that "some time" in the past society as you and I know it has "ended". There has been a long enough period of time for governments to have grown, fallen and been replaced in small areas. The place we start the story is apparently near what was Memphis. The Mississippi River is still the Mississippi, the Ohio is still the Ohio, but little is known about the time prior to the "fall" of our civilization. "We" or people from the past are called the Road Makers (Roadmakers) because of the well made long lasting roads that still exist and the signs along them that seem to defy time without rust. The old cities (at least nearby) are in ruins and not safe, still everyone seems to have some things from the past, though materials like plastic baffle them.
In the beginning of the book we find that a disastrous trip has been made to find a place called Haven. All but one person on that expedition died, but some things, including a book from the past made it back and raise questions later.
Another expedition is formed.
Sounds like a great idea and many like the book. I'd say try it for yourself.
For me the book falls into the I don't hate it but don't really care for it category. As I've said about other books (notably many of those by Philip José Farmer) I like the idea but I don't care for the execution. This is a book of 409 pages, it takes us 150 pages to get past the background, set up, and so on and move into the wilderness. Also as in any book the attitude, prejudices and so on of the writer come into play. here they seem to come in a bit heavily (at least to me) and I got heartily tired of them.
Still the overall idea is a good one (as a matter of fact I hope I'll find another book along these lines, by someone else). I'll not ever be a fan here but many are. This one is simply a matter of taste so...
The idea here is that "some time" in the past society as you and I know it has "ended". There has been a long enough period of time for governments to have grown, fallen and been replaced in small areas. The place we start the story is apparently near what was Memphis. The Mississippi River is still the Mississippi, the Ohio is still the Ohio, but little is known about the time prior to the "fall" of our civilization. "We" or people from the past are called the Road Makers (Roadmakers) because of the well made long lasting roads that still exist and the signs along them that seem to defy time without rust. The old cities (at least nearby) are in ruins and not safe, still everyone seems to have some things from the past, though materials like plastic baffle them.
In the beginning of the book we find that a disastrous trip has been made to find a place called Haven. All but one person on that expedition died, but some things, including a book from the past made it back and raise questions later.
Another expedition is formed.
Sounds like a great idea and many like the book. I'd say try it for yourself.
April 1, 2010
This felt like reading a Lonely Planet guide to the northeast United States many centuries in the future. McDevitt's tour centers on a post-apocalyptic world where so many centuries have past that the character’s in the novel view their world similarly to how we view mysterious ancient civilizations like the Incas—there’s enough information passed down that we can catch glimpses of what might have been, but we have very little or conflicting proof of what actually was, and yet massive monuments still exist that excite our imaginations and their culture has and continues to influence our own. The world McDevitt created is like taking a six month tour with a few day-trips along the way to get to see the locals and their societies. I found the tour very interesting and imaginative. I really enjoyed the possibilities he presented. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough in terms of character or story for me to emotionally connect with. I felt like I was sitting in a tour bus driving by all these amazing sites, but never really had the opportunity to get out and know any of the people living in them. It was those sights that managed to keep me engaged novel. But in terms of caring about the characters, their stories, or their lives, I just could not get that involved in them.
January 28, 2024
This is a complicated review because it's for both the story, and the newly released audio version.
First, I am a huge fan of Eternity Road. I read this when it first came out in 1998. You see, in the days before, post apocalyptic fiction was rare. As a genre I discovered and loved in high school in the 80s, and pre this thing we call the internet, finding PA books was time intensive. The card catalog, and librarian, were my best friends. Anything that fit the genre was read, but most only one time. Jack McDevitt hit it out of the ballpark writing an interesting current/old/future feel of what the world could become. I loved the way he wrote the old times as history within the story. Remember, given my age, I also grew up in the era of 1970s television and the movies and tv show, Planet of the Apes, was part of my programming. Like McDevitt, the future decaying man-made United States was a primary player in the Apes tv show. So, nostalgia gets me every time.
And, growing up pre computer, I am now and always will be a paper reader, never e-reader. Paper takes up space, so I give a lot away. But not this book. I still have that 1998 copy and it has lived in 3 states now. It's falling apart, but I still read it yearly.
I'm also an audio listener. For decades I checked to see if maybe now there would be an audio version of this book. Last November you could hear the woop from my mountain home when I discovered Tantor Audio was releasing a version in January 2024. It took 26 years, but boy, was it worth the wait.
Narrator Justin Price is new to me, but now that I've listened I feel confident in saying he was perfect for this novel. I already knew the story, but he made it seem brand new to me. As a prior fan, narration choice could have ruined everything. After all, my brain knew how each character should sound and how each line should be delivered. Thank you Tantor for choosing the correct voice actor to bring alive this beloved favorite.
In case you read reviews to get quick overviews of the plot: Eternity Road is a post apocalyptic novel set far into the future where the current citizens of the land previously known as the United States explore their world seeking answers about those who came before, the Roadmakers.
First, I am a huge fan of Eternity Road. I read this when it first came out in 1998. You see, in the days before, post apocalyptic fiction was rare. As a genre I discovered and loved in high school in the 80s, and pre this thing we call the internet, finding PA books was time intensive. The card catalog, and librarian, were my best friends. Anything that fit the genre was read, but most only one time. Jack McDevitt hit it out of the ballpark writing an interesting current/old/future feel of what the world could become. I loved the way he wrote the old times as history within the story. Remember, given my age, I also grew up in the era of 1970s television and the movies and tv show, Planet of the Apes, was part of my programming. Like McDevitt, the future decaying man-made United States was a primary player in the Apes tv show. So, nostalgia gets me every time.
And, growing up pre computer, I am now and always will be a paper reader, never e-reader. Paper takes up space, so I give a lot away. But not this book. I still have that 1998 copy and it has lived in 3 states now. It's falling apart, but I still read it yearly.
I'm also an audio listener. For decades I checked to see if maybe now there would be an audio version of this book. Last November you could hear the woop from my mountain home when I discovered Tantor Audio was releasing a version in January 2024. It took 26 years, but boy, was it worth the wait.
Narrator Justin Price is new to me, but now that I've listened I feel confident in saying he was perfect for this novel. I already knew the story, but he made it seem brand new to me. As a prior fan, narration choice could have ruined everything. After all, my brain knew how each character should sound and how each line should be delivered. Thank you Tantor for choosing the correct voice actor to bring alive this beloved favorite.
In case you read reviews to get quick overviews of the plot: Eternity Road is a post apocalyptic novel set far into the future where the current citizens of the land previously known as the United States explore their world seeking answers about those who came before, the Roadmakers.
April 18, 2010
I've had very limited experience with Jack McDevitt's books. My daughter has tried lending them to me, but they just don't drag me in. I did kind of like Polaris, but I really hated the way the female POV character was written. After that experience, I was ready to write off McDevitt altogether. However, I'm going through a post-apocalyptic literature period and Eternity Road is a fairly famous example of the genre.
I really liked the book, but it felt like I had read it before. I know that the episode where Chaka talks to a holographic Winston Churchill was included as a short story in Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse, and I'm certain I've read the sequence that take place with an AI in Chicago's Union Station before. It was too darned familiar. The rest of the book didn't ring any bells though.
While I don't think Eternity Road is the finest example of post-apocalyptic literature, it was a good adventure and good speculation. I do think it could have been fleshed out better, but the conciseness makes for an engaging, entertaining read. I'd consider it to be Post-Apocalyptic Lite.
I really liked the book, but it felt like I had read it before. I know that the episode where Chaka talks to a holographic Winston Churchill was included as a short story in Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse, and I'm certain I've read the sequence that take place with an AI in Chicago's Union Station before. It was too darned familiar. The rest of the book didn't ring any bells though.
While I don't think Eternity Road is the finest example of post-apocalyptic literature, it was a good adventure and good speculation. I do think it could have been fleshed out better, but the conciseness makes for an engaging, entertaining read. I'd consider it to be Post-Apocalyptic Lite.
September 26, 2014
Our civilization has vanished. Only the concrete highways survive--and there are only legends about the "Roadmakers".
Civilization has survived; and recovered to a level of about what we had in 1800. Boats; guns; horses; even a few books. No steam engines or other power sources. There are even a few Universities.
A previous expedition east of the Mississippi learned nothing and there was only one survivor. Chaka Milana's brother was one of the fatalities. Now, nine years later, she is planning another expedition to discover what parts of the legends of "Haven" are true.
This is a good post-apocalyptic novel. Not great---but definitely three stars imho. The characters are okay and the idea is very good.
There are some gaps in the world-building. There are plot holes. And a few times you feel "there's a piece missing here" and you can't figure out which.
However, the good parts of the book outweigh the bad; There is a good deal of action; some interesting ideas and an acceptable. ending.
We are not talking award-winner here--but most SF fans will find it a pleasant and interesting read.
Read before I joined GR so dates are unknown.
Civilization has survived; and recovered to a level of about what we had in 1800. Boats; guns; horses; even a few books. No steam engines or other power sources. There are even a few Universities.
A previous expedition east of the Mississippi learned nothing and there was only one survivor. Chaka Milana's brother was one of the fatalities. Now, nine years later, she is planning another expedition to discover what parts of the legends of "Haven" are true.
This is a good post-apocalyptic novel. Not great---but definitely three stars imho. The characters are okay and the idea is very good.
There are some gaps in the world-building. There are plot holes. And a few times you feel "there's a piece missing here" and you can't figure out which.
However, the good parts of the book outweigh the bad; There is a good deal of action; some interesting ideas and an acceptable. ending.
We are not talking award-winner here--but most SF fans will find it a pleasant and interesting read.
Read before I joined GR so dates are unknown.
September 7, 2011
Anyone who has ever studied archaeology has to wonder what the modern world would look like if a cataclysm (say, a plague) was to wipe out virtually the entire population of the world and the small group of survivors had to attempt to repopulate it. After centuries, what would these survivors make of freeways, skyscrapers, railroad tracks, automobile hulks, amusement parks, churches, data centers, rail stations, radar dishes, cellular towers, and the like? In Eternity Road, Jack McDevitt does just that, positing a primitive group of survivors after not one but two societies have collapsed.
The story is built around a second mission to some legendary repository of knowledge. The first mission failed miserably and ruined a man’s reputation and life. The second is forced to discover that there may be a fine line between legend and reality, as well as the fact that some pilgrimages are more important than their original goals. Eternity Road is science-fiction in that some of the artifacts discovered by the explorers are beyond technology available today. Yet, McDevitt is light on futuristic speculation and long on looking back to a world just beyond ours through the eyes of these amateur archaeologist survivors. The expedition is costly and discouraging, but every mile along the journey is worthwhile as the reader discovers or rediscovers technology and human potential in the eyes of the protagonists.
Not having read any other works by McDevitt, I don’t know if Eternity Road is typical of his style. If so, I have mixed feelings. In one sense, the craftsmanship is impeccable. McDevitt is an artisan who builds the texture of the story by placing one brick carefully upon another. Yet, there can be times when it feels like there is too much “stage description” and not enough action. To be sure, there is action. It is a story where death comes in logical, but surprising ways. Further, McDevitt is to be commended for a near-flawless point-of-view in which survivors with a primitive perspective judge their technological predecessors. I was jolted by an out-of-perspective observation when someone referred to aluminum. I wasn’t sure how a primitive society would understand this metal or refer to it by name. Yet, that is an extremely minor quibble and shouldn’t really detract from the masterful job of maintaining POV that McDevitt presents. But the biggest downside of the novel is that while I felt smaller arcs of tension throughout the novel, there was no overarching urgency to keep me reading. I didn’t feel like there was a clock ticking on the exploring party and I felt like the book could have used such a conceit. Of course, the Romans used to say “de gustibus non est disputandum” (if my rusty, rusty Latin is correct) and, indeed, there is no argument concerning taste.
The story is built around a second mission to some legendary repository of knowledge. The first mission failed miserably and ruined a man’s reputation and life. The second is forced to discover that there may be a fine line between legend and reality, as well as the fact that some pilgrimages are more important than their original goals. Eternity Road is science-fiction in that some of the artifacts discovered by the explorers are beyond technology available today. Yet, McDevitt is light on futuristic speculation and long on looking back to a world just beyond ours through the eyes of these amateur archaeologist survivors. The expedition is costly and discouraging, but every mile along the journey is worthwhile as the reader discovers or rediscovers technology and human potential in the eyes of the protagonists.
Not having read any other works by McDevitt, I don’t know if Eternity Road is typical of his style. If so, I have mixed feelings. In one sense, the craftsmanship is impeccable. McDevitt is an artisan who builds the texture of the story by placing one brick carefully upon another. Yet, there can be times when it feels like there is too much “stage description” and not enough action. To be sure, there is action. It is a story where death comes in logical, but surprising ways. Further, McDevitt is to be commended for a near-flawless point-of-view in which survivors with a primitive perspective judge their technological predecessors. I was jolted by an out-of-perspective observation when someone referred to aluminum. I wasn’t sure how a primitive society would understand this metal or refer to it by name. Yet, that is an extremely minor quibble and shouldn’t really detract from the masterful job of maintaining POV that McDevitt presents. But the biggest downside of the novel is that while I felt smaller arcs of tension throughout the novel, there was no overarching urgency to keep me reading. I didn’t feel like there was a clock ticking on the exploring party and I felt like the book could have used such a conceit. Of course, the Romans used to say “de gustibus non est disputandum” (if my rusty, rusty Latin is correct) and, indeed, there is no argument concerning taste.
January 19, 2009
I've been trying to figure out just what it was about this book that left me wanting and it boils down to there being a severe lack of characters in this book. The people in the book, as they exist are nothing more than placeholders. They're cardboard cutouts meant to stand in place and die on cue when it serves the plot. When the first death occurred, it took a page or two before I realized that they weren't coming back. The event was so sudden and random that I didn't think the character would just be eliminated with so much of their backstory still missing. That this happens more than once is just plain innexcusable. The story itself is fine. Even the seemingly rushed ending works within this context but, ultimately, it's not enough. The motivations of each of the characters are flimsy even when the reasons they give are valid.
There's a great book in here somewhere, but the one that made it to print isn't it.
There's a great book in here somewhere, but the one that made it to print isn't it.
May 16, 2018
Eternity Road is a post-apocalypse novel. No one knows who the Roadmakers were, but the remnants of their civilization can be seen everywhere in the vast ribbons of concrete that crisscross the countryside, and in the crumbling towers along the banks of the Mississippi. Legend has it that they were decimated by a great pague. Whispers also speak of a place called Haven, a stronghold where the ancients preserved the secrets of their civilization.
Chaka’s brother died years ago on on an expedition searching for Haven, an expedition that left only one survivor. After inheriting a pristine copy of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, a book previously believed lost to history, she begins to suspect that the expedition had been more successful than believed, and she begins to organize a second. But the journey is long and perilous, and some of the Roadmaker’s machines still work …
At heart, this is a road novel--parts of it reminded me of Stephen King’s Dark Tower books, for instance--and McDevitt delivers a splendidly evocative journey through the ruins of America, hitting locations like Chicago, Detroit, and Niagara Falls along the way. The characters are solid and believable. The ending is perhaps a touch weak. Narratively, there's a need for some climactic struggle at the end of their journey, sure, but this one feels a bit tacked on. We do get a lovely Where Are They Now? style coda. I’ve yet to read a Jack McDevitt book that I didn't at least like. Recommended!
Chaka’s brother died years ago on on an expedition searching for Haven, an expedition that left only one survivor. After inheriting a pristine copy of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, a book previously believed lost to history, she begins to suspect that the expedition had been more successful than believed, and she begins to organize a second. But the journey is long and perilous, and some of the Roadmaker’s machines still work …
At heart, this is a road novel--parts of it reminded me of Stephen King’s Dark Tower books, for instance--and McDevitt delivers a splendidly evocative journey through the ruins of America, hitting locations like Chicago, Detroit, and Niagara Falls along the way. The characters are solid and believable. The ending is perhaps a touch weak. Narratively, there's a need for some climactic struggle at the end of their journey, sure, but this one feels a bit tacked on. We do get a lovely Where Are They Now? style coda. I’ve yet to read a Jack McDevitt book that I didn't at least like. Recommended!
July 9, 2024
Ugh, what a slog! This book couldn't hold my attention whatsoever. Not recommended.
April 18, 2012
An interesting post-apocalyptic story that paints a less-bleak view of the future than more recent books of this type (The Road, for instance). Pockets of humanity continue to exist after an unknown cataclysm in the distant past, but many are isolated from eachother, and civilization for the most part is at a pre-industrial, agricultural level. Superstition replaces science: belief in demons, ghosts, gods has supplanted most scientific knowledge which has been lost. No one even knows how long ago the Roadmakers (that's us) civilization crumbled, or what the cause of its demise was. Little is known of the people who left behind the unfathomable ruins of massive roads, bridges, burned out cities and towns. It's an interesting premise.
I do wonder, though, how society has remained at such a stunted level for so many years, possibly thousands of years. It only took our civilization 2000 years to go from the pyramids to airplanes and automobiles, and there's not even any mention of the wheel in Illyria. Books are virtually non-existent, and the lure of the myth of people who preserved the ancient tomes proves irresistible to two different groups who go looking for "Haven" for different reasons. The first group is decimated, only the leader returns, but on his death bequeaths the only known copy of Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" which he brought back from his journey, to a woman he barely knows, the sister of one of his expeditions' lost members. This sets her on the path to find out what really happened to her brother, and why for ten years after returning to Illyria alone, Karik never mentioned the existence of the priceless book to anyone.
Despite some questions about the societal structure (which honestly could go in so many directions, and this is just one possibility and that's fine) this was a very enjoyable read. McDevitt is a good writer, and it's a fun story. I enjoyed the ending, not at all what I expected.
I do wonder, though, how society has remained at such a stunted level for so many years, possibly thousands of years. It only took our civilization 2000 years to go from the pyramids to airplanes and automobiles, and there's not even any mention of the wheel in Illyria. Books are virtually non-existent, and the lure of the myth of people who preserved the ancient tomes proves irresistible to two different groups who go looking for "Haven" for different reasons. The first group is decimated, only the leader returns, but on his death bequeaths the only known copy of Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" which he brought back from his journey, to a woman he barely knows, the sister of one of his expeditions' lost members. This sets her on the path to find out what really happened to her brother, and why for ten years after returning to Illyria alone, Karik never mentioned the existence of the priceless book to anyone.
Despite some questions about the societal structure (which honestly could go in so many directions, and this is just one possibility and that's fine) this was a very enjoyable read. McDevitt is a good writer, and it's a fun story. I enjoyed the ending, not at all what I expected.
September 9, 2011
I am not a sci-fi fan. I never have been and probably never will be. Weird names, exotic locales and technology that just doesn’t make sense have never appealed to me. However, there are a few bright spots in this genre and Jack McDevitt is one of those.
True, “Eternity Road” is not exactly a true science fiction novel. Yes, a story set 1,000 years in the future isn’t what you would call “contemporary” but that’s easy to overlook because this story is so much more than just some predicted fantasy of the author.
And that predicted fantasy of McDevitt’s is what makes “Eternity Road” work so well. I’ve read my fair share of novels about a future in which the human race has excelled, conquered the stars, and flown to other galaxies, but i’ve always preferred books that follow the idea of a dystopian, ruined future. Aside from that, McDevitt’s characters and general storyline move “Eternity Road” along a believable plot and incredibly enjoyable quest.
The 4 star rating comes because of a few minor problems I encountered. I didn’t like the idea of the weird ghost/machine apparition that encouraged Chaka. It would be bad enough if it was just a ghost, but it’s insinuated that this apparition was brought to life by a strike of lightening (which to me seems a bit childish in light of how great McDevitt’s skills are). I also found the technology described here to be a bit unbelievable. How could computers, robots, and other forms of AI still function after 1,000 years of neglect and abandonment?
Overall, I must say that after 2 novels by Jack McDevitt, I am becoming a fan. I suppose, now, it’s possible that I may even begin to like tales of other worlds and aliens with names that take up a whole line of text. The simple fact is that Jack McDevitt is a very skilled and talented writer and should not be overlooked.
True, “Eternity Road” is not exactly a true science fiction novel. Yes, a story set 1,000 years in the future isn’t what you would call “contemporary” but that’s easy to overlook because this story is so much more than just some predicted fantasy of the author.
And that predicted fantasy of McDevitt’s is what makes “Eternity Road” work so well. I’ve read my fair share of novels about a future in which the human race has excelled, conquered the stars, and flown to other galaxies, but i’ve always preferred books that follow the idea of a dystopian, ruined future. Aside from that, McDevitt’s characters and general storyline move “Eternity Road” along a believable plot and incredibly enjoyable quest.
The 4 star rating comes because of a few minor problems I encountered. I didn’t like the idea of the weird ghost/machine apparition that encouraged Chaka. It would be bad enough if it was just a ghost, but it’s insinuated that this apparition was brought to life by a strike of lightening (which to me seems a bit childish in light of how great McDevitt’s skills are). I also found the technology described here to be a bit unbelievable. How could computers, robots, and other forms of AI still function after 1,000 years of neglect and abandonment?
Overall, I must say that after 2 novels by Jack McDevitt, I am becoming a fan. I suppose, now, it’s possible that I may even begin to like tales of other worlds and aliens with names that take up a whole line of text. The simple fact is that Jack McDevitt is a very skilled and talented writer and should not be overlooked.
January 9, 2022
A postapocalyptic novel that kind of resembles Fallout, without the satire. I enjoyed its overall optimism.
August 28, 2013
This is really 3 1/2 stars. I can't bring myself to give it a four due to its flaws, but I did enjoy it for the most part.
"Eternity Road" follows the journey of a small group of people from the post-apocalyptic Mississippi area several centuries after the world we know ends. They are searching for Haven, a town that stories tell was set up after the catastrophic event that killed off the Roadbuilders (us), and that may have historical and scientific information that has otherwise been lost. A mysterious item--a copy of Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court", previously thought to be lost forever--left behind by the sole survivor of the previous, tragic expedition to Haven, offers the group a tantalizing hope of what wonders they might find.
The first 150 pages or so are a bit slow--just buildup to the group leaving. After that, however, it gets a lot more interesting. They make a lot of discoveries, and it's very clear how little they understand of much of what they find. Most technology is lost--travel is done on foot or horseback and books are all handwritten. (One character makes note of how humanity forgot how to make a printing press but remembered how to make guns.) Not all of it really makes sense--at one point the group meets a man who has basically re-invented the steam engine and the hot air balloon (and apparently knows some kind of chemistry as he refers to hydrogen), but no one has come up with a printing press still? That seems unlikely.
The characters are pretty flat and most of them come off more as checklists of traits rather than real people. (The one I felt was the best written was of course the first to die.) The romance, if you can call it that, was dry and forced and a complete waste of words. Not every books needs a damn romance, especially if it's just pasted on for a little extra word count.
However, what really detracts from this book is the ending--or should I say, the lack thereof. The book builds up and builds up and builds up the mystery about what happened to the Roadbuilders and what they would find in Haven, but then it ends
So while the book is pretty compelling during the journey, it falls flat in end and leaves way too many loose ends. All in all, a decent but ultimately unsatisfying read that could have been great with a little more thought and a proper ending.
"Eternity Road" follows the journey of a small group of people from the post-apocalyptic Mississippi area several centuries after the world we know ends. They are searching for Haven, a town that stories tell was set up after the catastrophic event that killed off the Roadbuilders (us), and that may have historical and scientific information that has otherwise been lost. A mysterious item--a copy of Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court", previously thought to be lost forever--left behind by the sole survivor of the previous, tragic expedition to Haven, offers the group a tantalizing hope of what wonders they might find.
The first 150 pages or so are a bit slow--just buildup to the group leaving. After that, however, it gets a lot more interesting. They make a lot of discoveries, and it's very clear how little they understand of much of what they find. Most technology is lost--travel is done on foot or horseback and books are all handwritten. (One character makes note of how humanity forgot how to make a printing press but remembered how to make guns.) Not all of it really makes sense--at one point the group meets a man who has basically re-invented the steam engine and the hot air balloon (and apparently knows some kind of chemistry as he refers to hydrogen), but no one has come up with a printing press still? That seems unlikely.
The characters are pretty flat and most of them come off more as checklists of traits rather than real people. (The one I felt was the best written was of course the first to die.) The romance, if you can call it that, was dry and forced and a complete waste of words. Not every books needs a damn romance, especially if it's just pasted on for a little extra word count.
However, what really detracts from this book is the ending--or should I say, the lack thereof. The book builds up and builds up and builds up the mystery about what happened to the Roadbuilders and what they would find in Haven, but then it ends
So while the book is pretty compelling during the journey, it falls flat in end and leaves way too many loose ends. All in all, a decent but ultimately unsatisfying read that could have been great with a little more thought and a proper ending.
January 15, 2021
Another one for my "Unfinished" shelf, primarily because I could not maintain interest in the unconvincing female protagonist. All of her actions and decisions, even where they show bravado, were precipitated by men. Even in a medievalist patriarchy like McDevitt has imagined here, I don't buy that a smart, skilled, marriage-averse woman would be waiting around for men to put ideas in her head and make all things possible. Certainly there would be practical considerations of how a woman accomplishes anything under the thumb of strict paternalism, but that is separate from the thoughts in her own head and her own personal ambitions, which McDevitt depicts as still deeply influenced by only men.
In fact, his protagonist does not seem to know or be close to any women. A trait which makes her feel less like a woman living in a patriarchy, who would probably have been surrounded by mostly women, and a lot more like a modern "cool girl"--the kind who sets many women's alarm bells off by saying self-outing things like, "I don't have women friends."
Additionally, McDevitt's vision of a medievalist post-apocalyptic future lacks...not depth precisely, but a solid imagining of the world's epistemology. That might be what I mean. I could not help but contrast it with the world imagined in ,A Canticle for Liebowitz, which envisioned much more compellingly how a non-industrial group of people would interact with the scant knowledge and writing left by their technologically more sophisticated forebears.
McDevitt's medievalist dystopia bears a closer resemblance to the medievalism of Game of Thrones, i.e., to a pure fantasy heavily inflected with modern misapprehensions about the Middle Ages. I suppose I wanted a truer medievalist dystopia, something constructed like a scifi dystopia might be...with lots of thought given to the attendant science. In this case, I wish McDevitt had consulted an actual medieval cultural or intellectual historian and that he'd given more research to what a semi-literate, non-industrial society actually looks like, how they treat knowledge and writing and speaking. And, of course, it's possible these are moot criticisms because the rest of the novel addresses them, but I am not the person to read enough more of it to know.
In fact, his protagonist does not seem to know or be close to any women. A trait which makes her feel less like a woman living in a patriarchy, who would probably have been surrounded by mostly women, and a lot more like a modern "cool girl"--the kind who sets many women's alarm bells off by saying self-outing things like, "I don't have women friends."
Additionally, McDevitt's vision of a medievalist post-apocalyptic future lacks...not depth precisely, but a solid imagining of the world's epistemology. That might be what I mean. I could not help but contrast it with the world imagined in ,A Canticle for Liebowitz, which envisioned much more compellingly how a non-industrial group of people would interact with the scant knowledge and writing left by their technologically more sophisticated forebears.
McDevitt's medievalist dystopia bears a closer resemblance to the medievalism of Game of Thrones, i.e., to a pure fantasy heavily inflected with modern misapprehensions about the Middle Ages. I suppose I wanted a truer medievalist dystopia, something constructed like a scifi dystopia might be...with lots of thought given to the attendant science. In this case, I wish McDevitt had consulted an actual medieval cultural or intellectual historian and that he'd given more research to what a semi-literate, non-industrial society actually looks like, how they treat knowledge and writing and speaking. And, of course, it's possible these are moot criticisms because the rest of the novel addresses them, but I am not the person to read enough more of it to know.
March 27, 2010
An intriguing premise once again derailed by staid prose.
The future, a hundred or two years after a plague wipes out the Roadmaker culture (that would be us, dude), on the Mississsippi is low-tech (not even steam engines), simple, and at peace. The rumour of a place called Haven--where there are books and everything from the old culture was saved--resurfaces after the man who lead the last mission east to find it dies and leaves a copy of a Mark Twain book to a young woman. She gathers a crew and sets out to find where her brother died.
McDevitt, interestingly, moved our culture forward almost a hundred years, so he gets to invent new technology for us, then make it into ruins for his characters to pass through.
Too bad the novel reads like a list of dry goods rather than an adventure story--you may be interested in the sundry dry goods, but they ain't that exciting.
Still, I read to the end to find out what is at Haven--talk about anti-climatic.
The future, a hundred or two years after a plague wipes out the Roadmaker culture (that would be us, dude), on the Mississsippi is low-tech (not even steam engines), simple, and at peace. The rumour of a place called Haven--where there are books and everything from the old culture was saved--resurfaces after the man who lead the last mission east to find it dies and leaves a copy of a Mark Twain book to a young woman. She gathers a crew and sets out to find where her brother died.
McDevitt, interestingly, moved our culture forward almost a hundred years, so he gets to invent new technology for us, then make it into ruins for his characters to pass through.
Too bad the novel reads like a list of dry goods rather than an adventure story--you may be interested in the sundry dry goods, but they ain't that exciting.
Still, I read to the end to find out what is at Haven--talk about anti-climatic.
July 14, 2012
This is an excellent story, one of McDevitt's best, which is saying a lot. The story takes place in a far-future America, long after some disaster that destroyed most of the technology and left the world in a must less sophisticated state. In fact, the people of Earth's past are called "The Roadmakers" because of the highway systems that still exist. These are magnificent ruins that crisscross the continent. Other artifacts of the former civilizations like jewelry and combs are considered precious. Books are very rare.
This story is about a journey taken by a small band of people in which they encounter all sorts of obstacles and mysteries and learn much about their mysterious past.
Highly recommended!
This story is about a journey taken by a small band of people in which they encounter all sorts of obstacles and mysteries and learn much about their mysterious past.
Highly recommended!
April 20, 2021
The book is set roughly 1000 years after a plague has destroyed civilisation as we know it, and has left mainly ruined cities and roads. There is a functioning society with some technology, laws and so on, but at a level equivalent to somewhere in the 1800s. There are some artifacts and equipment left from 'The Roadmakers' but things like engines and plastic are mysteries.
A group sets off from a town somewhere near where Memphis is now to find Haven, where it is rumoured that knowledge and artworks from the past have been preserved. It's a bit slow going at times, but I really enjoyed seeing what the groups encounters on their journey and how they interpret it.
A group sets off from a town somewhere near where Memphis is now to find Haven, where it is rumoured that knowledge and artworks from the past have been preserved. It's a bit slow going at times, but I really enjoyed seeing what the groups encounters on their journey and how they interpret it.
February 24, 2021
The lost city of Haven is desperately sought for its cultural heritage in the form of its library from before the Fall of Mankind.
McDevitt's fascinating novel about post apocalyptic America shows people at their finest when they are honest to each other and themselves.
McDevitt's fascinating novel about post apocalyptic America shows people at their finest when they are honest to each other and themselves.
July 2, 2019
This post-apocalyptic novel occurs long after the fall of civilization. Humans in an agrarian society along the Mississippi River yearn to learn more about the Roadmakers, so named because of the enormous network of roads left behind. Little else survives other than six books and a lot of garbage impervious to decay. Ten years after a quest to learn more ends in tragedy, the lone survivor's death leads to a discovery in his belongings. This sparks a dangerous new quest by a small band to cross the continent and find a legendary place where civilization endured. Jack McDevitt's novel is a love letter to the importance of books. The best moments see the protagonists puzzle over ancient objects and places they encounter. The pacing is pokey until it races to a last-third payoff resolving the core mystery in a satisfying way. Seeing humans grapple with ways to invent better engines for river travel reminded me of Philip José Farmer's Riverworld, another work that venerates human ingenuity.
January 19, 2018
Mankind was decimated in almost three centuries ago and most technology was lost and books are rare. A decade ago an expedition set out to find the mythical city of Haven. Only one returned. Now a new group sets out on the same mission but with different individual goals.
September 1, 2025
A wonderfull post apocalyptic story. I love it when our culture becomes the myths of the surviving settlements, and this book is one of my favorite examples of that.
July 4, 2024
A rich, intriguing and soulful novel in which people from a future human civilisation pore over the relics of our own. The tone of the story put me in mind of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, which remains one of my all-time favourite books, balancing a sense of loss and sadness with a very human sense of hope. Highly recommended.
November 17, 2021
According to GR's synopsis, this story is set a thousand years in the future, but I didn't find evidence in the text that the author had any particular number of years in mind, other than a whole lot. At one point, the characters learn that the old civilization, whose crumbled ruins are still all around them, ended in the year 2079. However, that means nothing to them, as they no longer use the same calendar.
At any rate, enough time has passed for new provisional governments to rise and fall in various locations and to be replaced by different systems. Fragments of the old knowledge remain: It is understood that the cycle of day and night is caused by the Earth's rotation, that infections are caused by organisms too tiny to see, etc., but these are mostly just truths handed down through the generations.
The story concerns a few people who, at the outset, live in a town alongside the Mississippi River. As in the Pelbar series of books (one of which I comment on here), that location is the center of a league of cities, but the inhabitants have little knowledge of places any distance away.
A few years earlier, a party of 12 explorers had set out to locate a fabled "Haven," where someone had supposedly preserved records of the old civilization. That venture had cost the lives of all but the leader, Karik Endine, who'd returned home broken and uncommunicative. But upon his death it's discovered that he had in his possession an ancient copy of Mark Twain's novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Evidently, they must have found something after all!
This discovery leads to the formation of a small band who resolve to try again. There's Karik's son Flojian, scholarly old Silas Glote, Chaka (the sister of someone who died in the previous group), Avila (a disillusioned religious woman), a woodsman named Shannon, and an all-round sort of guy named Quait. Shannon knew the guide on the earlier expedition, and knows how to read markings he'd left to show the route they'd taken. Also, Chaka's brother had sketched various landmarks along the way, which provide confirmation that they're on the right path.
The quest and the unlikely travelers reminded me somewhat of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. I wonder if anyone else has thought of that. They don't encounter orcs or goblins or anything quite so fantastic—but there are certainly dangers and wonders along the way.
For readers who're interested, the author provides enough clues to trace their route: north from the ruins of Memphis to the Ohio River junction, then east into Kentucky along the path of what may have been Hwy 60, then north up the length of Indiana into what's left of Chicago, east through Ann Arbor and across a piece of Canada to Niagara Falls and on across New York, now apparently following I-90. (River crossings are not easy, as the old bridges are gone, but the wondrous twin paths of the "Roadmakers'" old interstate system provide compelling evidence that something of great significance had been lost. Occasionally, however, an observation is made that the vanished people may not have been so smart after all.)
The dialogue here is pretty good, and each character's motivation is plausible. The story includes some deaths that I didn't expect, and that adds a degree of credence, I think. My only misgiving concerns the ending. As the number of remaining pages dwindled, with the characters still short of their objective and very far from home, I began to fear that the story would be continued in a sequel. That's not the case, but the ending does feel quite rushed, and not as easy to accept as everything that had come before. I wonder what the explanation is for that.
At any rate, enough time has passed for new provisional governments to rise and fall in various locations and to be replaced by different systems. Fragments of the old knowledge remain: It is understood that the cycle of day and night is caused by the Earth's rotation, that infections are caused by organisms too tiny to see, etc., but these are mostly just truths handed down through the generations.
The story concerns a few people who, at the outset, live in a town alongside the Mississippi River. As in the Pelbar series of books (one of which I comment on here), that location is the center of a league of cities, but the inhabitants have little knowledge of places any distance away.
A few years earlier, a party of 12 explorers had set out to locate a fabled "Haven," where someone had supposedly preserved records of the old civilization. That venture had cost the lives of all but the leader, Karik Endine, who'd returned home broken and uncommunicative. But upon his death it's discovered that he had in his possession an ancient copy of Mark Twain's novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Evidently, they must have found something after all!
This discovery leads to the formation of a small band who resolve to try again. There's Karik's son Flojian, scholarly old Silas Glote, Chaka (the sister of someone who died in the previous group), Avila (a disillusioned religious woman), a woodsman named Shannon, and an all-round sort of guy named Quait. Shannon knew the guide on the earlier expedition, and knows how to read markings he'd left to show the route they'd taken. Also, Chaka's brother had sketched various landmarks along the way, which provide confirmation that they're on the right path.
The quest and the unlikely travelers reminded me somewhat of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. I wonder if anyone else has thought of that. They don't encounter orcs or goblins or anything quite so fantastic—but there are certainly dangers and wonders along the way.
For readers who're interested, the author provides enough clues to trace their route: north from the ruins of Memphis to the Ohio River junction, then east into Kentucky along the path of what may have been Hwy 60, then north up the length of Indiana into what's left of Chicago, east through Ann Arbor and across a piece of Canada to Niagara Falls and on across New York, now apparently following I-90. (River crossings are not easy, as the old bridges are gone, but the wondrous twin paths of the "Roadmakers'" old interstate system provide compelling evidence that something of great significance had been lost. Occasionally, however, an observation is made that the vanished people may not have been so smart after all.)
The dialogue here is pretty good, and each character's motivation is plausible. The story includes some deaths that I didn't expect, and that adds a degree of credence, I think. My only misgiving concerns the ending. As the number of remaining pages dwindled, with the characters still short of their objective and very far from home, I began to fear that the story would be continued in a sequel. That's not the case, but the ending does feel quite rushed, and not as easy to accept as everything that had come before. I wonder what the explanation is for that.
July 9, 2022
I really like this book. Even though I found the first chapter a bit hard to get through, by the end of the 2nd I was hooked. Also felt like the last quarter of the book was a bit rushed, like he had enough and just wanted to finish the book off.
After all that, I still really liked it and wish there was more of this world to read and see, love the setting and the characters and feel quite sad there isn't more of it. ...
After all that, I still really liked it and wish there was more of this world to read and see, love the setting and the characters and feel quite sad there isn't more of it. ...
June 10, 2015
This is a difficult book to review, as it contains a great deal of aspects I like in fiction, such as a post apocalyptic setting and exploration of societies that would exist in such an age. The story involves a group of people living in the Mississippi valley several centuries after a plague wipes out the majority of humanity, and follows the group as they trek across the continent in search of Haven, a place they believe contains remnants of the lost civilization. A previous expedition Haven returned years earlier and brought a copy of a Mark Twain novel, which sets our characters on the hunt as stories left behind from past humans are extremely rare for some reason.
Across the way, they encounter pirates, tribes people, and a number of A.I. left behind by past humans. The story maintained my interest by dangling the promise that at the end of the journey, secrets will be uncovered about how and why most of humanity died out. The characters start out assuming that a plague wiped everybody out. Then the author drops hints that things may not have happened as the characters believe.
*spoilers*
For example, the characters notice a lack of corpses, and that items were left strewn about as if people were going about their daily lives and didn't have time to prepare for the end. A friendly A.I. in the ruins of A Chicago train station tells the characters that he does not know what happened to humanity. One day, people simply stopped coming to work, and nobody arrived on the trains. Hmmmm...
Which is my biggest problem with the novel... Turns out it was a plague after all. In fact, a virus from the rain-forests(how the characters know what a virus or a rain-forest is is never explained) that was released as a means to check overpopulation. Released by the plants. As in the movie The Happening. Yes. That is what we are left with after 300 pages.
I got the impression that McDevitt meant for something greater for the ending, but either ran out of time or ideas, because the characters arrive at their destination, find nothing left behind by super advanced, late 21st century humanity but a bunch of books hand written and bound in cabinets. So we are to believe that not only was most of humanity wiped out by a virus that spread and killed so quickly nobody had time to react, and that these super advanced humans whose trains and power systems still work to some degree after centuries unmaintained left behind practically no stories or records of their life in written or electronic form. Once you think about it, the entire premise sort of falls apart.
I recommend the story for fans of post apocalyptic fiction, or fans of McDevitt. Just keep in mind you may be very disappointed by the end.
Across the way, they encounter pirates, tribes people, and a number of A.I. left behind by past humans. The story maintained my interest by dangling the promise that at the end of the journey, secrets will be uncovered about how and why most of humanity died out. The characters start out assuming that a plague wiped everybody out. Then the author drops hints that things may not have happened as the characters believe.
*spoilers*
For example, the characters notice a lack of corpses, and that items were left strewn about as if people were going about their daily lives and didn't have time to prepare for the end. A friendly A.I. in the ruins of A Chicago train station tells the characters that he does not know what happened to humanity. One day, people simply stopped coming to work, and nobody arrived on the trains. Hmmmm...
Which is my biggest problem with the novel... Turns out it was a plague after all. In fact, a virus from the rain-forests(how the characters know what a virus or a rain-forest is is never explained) that was released as a means to check overpopulation. Released by the plants. As in the movie The Happening. Yes. That is what we are left with after 300 pages.
I got the impression that McDevitt meant for something greater for the ending, but either ran out of time or ideas, because the characters arrive at their destination, find nothing left behind by super advanced, late 21st century humanity but a bunch of books hand written and bound in cabinets. So we are to believe that not only was most of humanity wiped out by a virus that spread and killed so quickly nobody had time to react, and that these super advanced humans whose trains and power systems still work to some degree after centuries unmaintained left behind practically no stories or records of their life in written or electronic form. Once you think about it, the entire premise sort of falls apart.
I recommend the story for fans of post apocalyptic fiction, or fans of McDevitt. Just keep in mind you may be very disappointed by the end.
August 12, 2016
Eternity Road
First Impressions:
I love Jack McDevitt’s space opera series such as his Priscilla Hutchins books (about a woman space pilot and her adventures – a comment on the space program) and Infinity Beach (a warp to another planet but on Native American property).
This one is different! Not to belabor the plot since other reviewers did a better job, but the story centers around a dystopian society, about a thousand years after ours bit the dust in “The Plague.” It’s a vague plague (yeah, sorry), since there’s not a lot about it in the story.
The story starts out with the remnants of a journey to Haven, a place where the remains of The Roadmakers (that’s us) still exist and there are books there. Books are rare and to find any is amazing. Odd that after a thousand years the society is still quite primitive, up to a Cowboy style civilization, complete with repeater guns and horses.
Chaka is our strong female lead and she wants to find out about the death of her brother. She forms a group and sets out to find out what’s happened. Along the way she meets ancient Roadmaker machines that still operate. Labeled as demons and magic, these machines are somewhat sentient and there’s a bit of humor in dealing with them.
After many adventures and unfortunately many deaths (several good characters were killed off unnecessarily in my opinion) Haven is located. In fact its location and technological discoveries start turning the place around.
Bottom Line, Observations:
Eternity Road is not a bad novel, just takes 200 pages to get going. But once we’re going, the adventures kept my interest and the losses shocked. The discoveries interested me and piqued the curious bone. Recommended.
Interesting that McDevitt, as he has done before, explores the theme of what a sentient computer would do after being unable to live life as a being, other than commit suicide. This theme is explored in one of his short stories in the collection Cryptic, an anthology that I highly recommend.
Enjoy.
First Impressions:
I love Jack McDevitt’s space opera series such as his Priscilla Hutchins books (about a woman space pilot and her adventures – a comment on the space program) and Infinity Beach (a warp to another planet but on Native American property).
This one is different! Not to belabor the plot since other reviewers did a better job, but the story centers around a dystopian society, about a thousand years after ours bit the dust in “The Plague.” It’s a vague plague (yeah, sorry), since there’s not a lot about it in the story.
The story starts out with the remnants of a journey to Haven, a place where the remains of The Roadmakers (that’s us) still exist and there are books there. Books are rare and to find any is amazing. Odd that after a thousand years the society is still quite primitive, up to a Cowboy style civilization, complete with repeater guns and horses.
Chaka is our strong female lead and she wants to find out about the death of her brother. She forms a group and sets out to find out what’s happened. Along the way she meets ancient Roadmaker machines that still operate. Labeled as demons and magic, these machines are somewhat sentient and there’s a bit of humor in dealing with them.
After many adventures and unfortunately many deaths (several good characters were killed off unnecessarily in my opinion) Haven is located. In fact its location and technological discoveries start turning the place around.
Bottom Line, Observations:
Eternity Road is not a bad novel, just takes 200 pages to get going. But once we’re going, the adventures kept my interest and the losses shocked. The discoveries interested me and piqued the curious bone. Recommended.
Interesting that McDevitt, as he has done before, explores the theme of what a sentient computer would do after being unable to live life as a being, other than commit suicide. This theme is explored in one of his short stories in the collection Cryptic, an anthology that I highly recommend.
Enjoy.
September 7, 2021
This is quite a bit different than any of the other Jack McDevitt novels I've read, though some form of archeology is a common theme. Eternity Road is set sometime in our future, no exact date given. Some sort of plague wipes out most of humanity and hundreds or more probably thousands of years later the remnant has a foothold on recovery. Our civilization is remembered as the road builders. Ruins are found everywhere, what I found was not discussed, but I wondered where all the skeletons went. There must have been piles of them left, but only once was this brought up. The people are superstitious, believing in demons, and a rudimentary civilization. Travel is by horse, they have boats, but find going against the current too much for sending goods.
What did live down the ages was a tale of Haven, a sanctuary where the lost knowledge had been stored and kept. An expedition had left in search of this Haven. Only one member came back and he was reluctant to talk other than to notify next of kin about their loved ones. But on the death of this survivor, he bequeathed a book to Chaka, the sister of one of the original expedition, the book was A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain. Previous to this only fragments of Mark Twain was known. This whole book was like a gift from the gods. It had never been known that this book was brought back. Now Chaka wants to form another expedition. If this one book had been found what other treasures could be found?
This is a straightforward adventure tale in an apocalyptic setting. As usual McDevitt's writing is up to the task. This was my third McDevitt novel, and while reading I've stockpiled his remaining books, so I'll be reading many more of his works.
What did live down the ages was a tale of Haven, a sanctuary where the lost knowledge had been stored and kept. An expedition had left in search of this Haven. Only one member came back and he was reluctant to talk other than to notify next of kin about their loved ones. But on the death of this survivor, he bequeathed a book to Chaka, the sister of one of the original expedition, the book was A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain. Previous to this only fragments of Mark Twain was known. This whole book was like a gift from the gods. It had never been known that this book was brought back. Now Chaka wants to form another expedition. If this one book had been found what other treasures could be found?
This is a straightforward adventure tale in an apocalyptic setting. As usual McDevitt's writing is up to the task. This was my third McDevitt novel, and while reading I've stockpiled his remaining books, so I'll be reading many more of his works.
April 10, 2013
I quickly got into the storyline of this book. It was a new, fresh take on the old world-is-dead idea. The far future is running around checking out the old technology. But in this book, they don't have new tech to replace it. They are mystified by the cars they see alongside all the roads. They call them hojjies. They don't have any use for our buildings either. It's a pretty neat concept, and real easy to get lost in the world he creates for you.
The story is mainly hinged on the group of characters interested in finding out what happened to a previous expedition that went north to find 'Haven'. It's a fairy tale land that might not even exist. But everyone who went north before didn't come back. Well, except for one guy. And he didn't talk. So my take on this, and don't read any further if you haven't read the book, is
The story is mainly hinged on the group of characters interested in finding out what happened to a previous expedition that went north to find 'Haven'. It's a fairy tale land that might not even exist. But everyone who went north before didn't come back. Well, except for one guy. And he didn't talk. So my take on this, and don't read any further if you haven't read the book, is
June 30, 2022
excellent craftsmanship
Some books become a sort of ‘eternity’ but this one held my interest to the final page, which, by the way, seemed to arrive far too soon. Only one complaint: the conclusion is truncated as if the author was limited to a certain # of words or pages and had to wrap it up FAST. Otherwise I found it totally engaging and believable.
Some books become a sort of ‘eternity’ but this one held my interest to the final page, which, by the way, seemed to arrive far too soon. Only one complaint: the conclusion is truncated as if the author was limited to a certain # of words or pages and had to wrap it up FAST. Otherwise I found it totally engaging and believable.
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