Infinity Beach

by Jack McDevitt

We are alone, because centuries of SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) missions found nothing. Until Dr Kimberly Brandywine seeks her clone-sister and the last lost expedition from the Nine Worlds settled from Earth. The ship's log was faked. She loses her career and her lover, steals a starship, and learns too much truth.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Science Fiction Fantasy, Mystery, Ebooks, Space

510 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 26, 2000

About the author

Jack 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.

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polished SF mystery-thriller first-contact story

Infinity Beach stands out for its polished, adult prose, and for its complex, conflicted characters, muddling through life. McDevitt's writing is clean and mature. The plot is twisty, genre-bending, romantic, recomplicated. Experienced readers will have seen all of his plot-elements before, but McDevitt plants enough red herrings to keep you guessing (me, anyway). This is a world-class novelist writing at the height of his powers. A Nebula award nominee, and not to be missed.

Infinity Beach features some of the creepiest aliens since, well, "Alien". At least three times, I felt the hair rise up on the back of my neck.... it's been awhile since that's happened. I liked this book a lot. A definite keeper. Review from first reading, June 2001

Reread notes, 12/22/16. Still a crackling good yarn, though this time it seemed a bit overlong, at 435 pp. (hardback). Could have used some tightening up. Kim, the protagonist, a physicist turned PR-person: it's interesting watching her develop from a goody-two-shoes to a very, well, goal-oriented person. 3.6 stars this time. Not quite up to the best of the Priscilla Hutchins adventures -- Deepsix is my favorite -- but certainly worth reading.

My 2001 review (when I first read it), with links, some dead:
http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfict...
Gee. I put a LOT of effort into writing this one up for i+! Must have had time on my hands that week.... 😇

[Kerry Nietz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I “discovered” Jack McDevitt after he was already a well-established sci-fi writer, I’ve read a good share of his books now—most notably the series featuring Priscilla Hutchins (Engines of God, Deepsix, Chindi, etc.). McDevitt does a great job, I think, at illustrating the grandeur, adventure and danger of space travel. I like his writing enough that occasionally I’ll mine his older works. I’m sure eventually I’ll have read them all.

Infinity Beach is one of his earliest novels, and as such, I think it stands up pretty well. It does start slower than most, and as other reviewers have noted, the first third of the book is more a murder/disappearance mystery than a standard sci-fi novel. Only the fact that the mystery happens in the future makes it speculative at all.

After the initial mysteries began to get solved is when Infinity Beach really started moving for me. That’s also when the “grandeur and danger” McDevitt style started to shine through. From there it was one revelation after another, mixed with some fun action and adventure, and a little social commentary.

Infinity Beach isn’t my favorite McDevitt novel, but it has a great premise, good characterization, an interesting (though uneven) plot and a satisfying conclusion. Not a bad winter read!

[Mary JL · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is on of Jack McDevitt's early SF works. The premise is interesting and he portrays a docile, almost decadent society. The assumption is that discovering we are alone in the universe has affected humanity's development.

Perhaps the author deliberately paced the first third of the book a bit more slowly to emphasis the languid, we-don't care attitude of most persons in the Nine Worlds.

But although this book did not grab me at first, as you keep reading it get much better. The main character--Dr. Kimberly Brandywine--is very well drawn and the supporting characters are also good. I especially liked Dr. Tolliver, so watch for that name--those chapters I found really likeable.

A really good premise; good characterization and dialogue and a bit of a slow start---recommended for any science fiction fan.

[Clint Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fine SF novel. I read it a long time ago, but have vivid memories of the plot. It really stuck with me.

[PRJ Greenwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

For reasons known only to publishers, this was called Slow Lightning here in Australia. OK, that aside, what we have here is an engaging work of science fiction. In fact, if you removed the spaceships/SF component of it, and turned Alnitak into a distant tropical island on Earth, it'd work just as well...and just as effectively, if not more so. Maybe, just maybe, it would've been a stronger effort for it. Sometimes I feel having things take place in a future setting actually interferes with a good story.

Either way, I enjoyed it. McDevitt's style is to keep things marvellously simple. There's no wading through acres of narrative here - it's all very concise and to the point. If you're after a satisfying blend of SF, mystery and horror, then don't pass up this one.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so good I read it TWICE!

Okay, so I actually read it a second time after I forgot I read it the first time. Let's be honest with ourselves: Jack McDevitt books mostly have the same plot (humanity thinks it's alone in the universe / finds a tiny clue that it's not / ALIEN ARTIFACT!!). So perhaps I can be forgiven this lapse.

At any rate, the main storyline of the book is so generically interchangeable with a thousand other sci-fi books that it wasn't until I started reading the big climax that I had the sinking realization that yes, I'd read this before. Not another similar book. This EXACT book.

It was after this incident that I started rigorously reviewing the books I read, if only for my own sanity.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an earlier Jack McDevitt novel which I'd somehow missed. I enjoyed it, and thought that it read like something of a dry-run for the Kolpath/Benedict or Priscilla Hutchins books. It begins, as do many of his works, with a mystery and the investigation leads off in many directions. I found it amusing that there was a spoiler in, of all places, the "Acknowledgements" page at the front of the book; I've complained of having spoilers on the fly-leaf or the cover or in blurbs, but this may be a first. Anyway, Dr. Kimberly Brandywine is a fine heroine, not quite as charming and clever as Hutch or as hard-core and competent as Chase, but a good character in her own right, and INFINITY BEACH is a very good interstellar mystery/adventure.

[Rob Hopwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Infinity Beach by Jack McDevitt

Infinity Beach, first published in 2000, is set on a colony planet called Greenway, which has three moons, and a single continent in a worldwide ocean. The planet was originally barren before terraforming took place, but it has now been seeded with life from Earth. It is one of the “Nine Worlds” linked by regular interstellar flights. The society of Greenway is peaceful and prosperous, and people may choose between a pursuing a profession or living in relatively comfortable idleness supported by government subsidies.

The humans of the Nine Worlds have concluded that they are probably alone in the universe and that no other spacefaring civilizations exist. The urge to explore has therefore all but died out along with the accompanying curiosity, resulting in increasing cultural stagnation. And this is worrying to some, who fear they may be witnessing the start of a new dark age.

Politicians are content with the status quo, and are resistant to change, and the only ones swimming against the tide of apathy are scientists who have devised a project to artificially detonate a series of novas at precise intervals in order to send a last signal out into the universe and hope that any aliens will take note and seek out humanity in a few millennia.

Years previously, a small group of idealists had steered their spaceship, the Hunter, out into the unexplored depths of the Belt of Orion seeking a first-contact experience. However, due to experiencing engine problems, they were soon forced return to Greenway without ever reaching their destination. Soon after arrival at the space port, female crew members Emily and Yoshi vanished without a trace, and of the remaining two male members, one died in a mysterious explosion, and the other fell into a depression and retired into obscurity. Thereafter, the region around the explosion was rumored to be haunted, and the population moved away.

Now, a couple of decades later, Emily’s sister, Kim Brandywine, who has never really given up the hope of finding out what happened to her sibling, has her curiosity piqued by her former teacher and (at first reluctantly) agrees to investigate the affair, even though most others would prefer to leave it buried.

This is a murder mystery with plenty of descriptions of sleuthing, which is really what this author seems to do best. It is also an imaginative first-contact novel which develops in a unique way, and is (in my opinion) somewhat stronger than most of the Alex Benedict novels. I often find that McDevitt's standalone stories are better than the ones which belong to a series.

Jack McDevitt may be described as a good storyteller first and foremost, and a science fiction writer second. Infinity Beach probably would not be classed as "hard" science fiction, but it definitely possesses elements of that genre. It may thus appeal to quite a wide range of readers, as there are big ideas without technical complexity.

The characterizations are fairly good, but the strong point is the pacing, which quickens as Kim becomes more and more convinced that something is amiss and that only she can bring the truth to light. And, of course, at the end of the twisting, turning plot, she finally manages to achieve just that.


Following are some pertinent quotations from the text of the book:

“It’s obvious that Whoever designed the cosmos wanted to put distance between His creatures.”

We’re trying to say hello in a scientific way, but nobody expects a reply for millennia.

But the extension of life had underscored quite clearly what scientists had always known: that truly creative work must be done during the early years, or it will not be done at all. Genius fades quickly, like the rose in midsummer.

The surface of Lake Remorse gleamed in the sun. The skeletal houses provided a grotesque mixture of transience and majesty. Kim wondered what it was about desolation that inevitably seemed so compelling.

Kim had sworn she’d never do anything like it herself. When someone is gone, she’d decided, she’s gone . Using technology to pretend otherwise is sick . It had turned out to be easier to make the pledge than to keep it, though.

The belief that society was in decline was a permanent characteristic of every era. People always believed they lived in a crumbling world. They themselves were of course okay, but everybody around them was headed downhill.

No two interstellar liners look completely alike. Even those sharing the same basic design are painted and outfitted so there can be no question of their uniqueness. Some have a kind of rococo appearance, like a vast manor house brought in from the last century; others resemble malls, complete with walkways and parks; and still others have the brisk efficiency of a modern hotel complex. Starships, of course, have few limitations with regard to design, the prime specification being simply that they not disintegrate during acceleration or course change.
There must be a part of us, she thought, that’s wired to accept the paranormal. Science and the experience of a lifetime don’t count for much when the lights go out.

“The problem with that,” she said, “is that we’ve become complacent and self satisfied. Bored. We’re shutting down everything that made us worthwhile as a species.” “Kim, I think you’re overstating things.” “Maybe. But I think we need something to light a fire under us. The universe has become boring. We go to ten thousand star systems and they’re always the same. Always quiet. Always sterile.”


One assumes the kindness of a friend; But the kindness of a stranger, Ah, that is of a different order of magnitude— —SHEYEL TOLLIVER, Notebooks, 573

“Cyclic development,” Kim explained. Dark ages. Up and down. “It looks as if we can’t rely on automatic progress. We’ve had a couple of dark ages ourselves. The big one, after Rome, and a smaller one, here. The road doesn’t always move forward.”

But the species may have learned something. Survey’s exploration teams, who are carrying on the search for whoever else might be out there, are extensively trained in how to respond to a contact. Similar training is now required of anyone seeking to purchase or pilot a deep-space vessel.

[D. Krauss · Rating 4 out of 5]

About ten years ago I tried to read Jack McDevitt’s Eternity Road, and stopped after about 75 pages. Can’t really say why; I don’t remember what I had for breakfast anymore, much less things from ten years ago, but I have a general sense of dissatisfaction with the book. And 75 pages into this one, oh no, deja vu all over again because it’s dissatisfying, too, BUT... this time I know why: the characters are too book. You know, they act and react in a manner calculated to move the plot along, not in a manner you’d expect from normal people. Which is annoying; if you want to stay with the story, you have to give it great benefits of doubt.

I mean, I suppose there could be a planet-wide bláse attitude towards a massive mountain-killing explosion initiated by some kind of antimatter leak, but it’s not the reaction you’d expect. Most of us would be running around waving our arms in the air and screaming “What the hell was that?”, but the inhabitants of the planet Greenway merely sniff, say, “Hmm. Too bad about the mountain and the dam and the village and all the dead people. Let’s just avoid that area from now on, okay, sweetums?” Underwhelming, to say the least, and I suspected I was heading towards another Eternity Road type read and braced for tossing this across the room but stayed my hand because McDevitt is rather well regarded in the scifi community and one does not get such regard without some merit so I read on to discover if such regard was indeed, merited. Or have tens of thousands of discerning scifiers somehow lost their sense of taste, a literary COVID-19 attack? Man, that virus is nasty.

As it turned out, there WAS a reason for the planet-wide indifference, the lack of affect, the dull response to rather disturbing phenomena, and a rather chilling reason at that: by this time in human history, we’ve lost it. The sense of adventure, the spirit of St. Louis, what’s over the next horizon, ‘up and at ‘em’ and can do, is dead. Kaput. Finito. We have finally become the lotus eaters that politicians seem intent on making us. Leisurely, we are, flying our gliders and FTL transports among the Nine Inhabited Worlds where we languish in languor and luxury and engage in mildly interesting pastimes, undisturbed and unbothered. No more worlds to conquer. We’ve already conquered them. We don’t even have kids anymore. We have clones.

Dr. Kimberly Brandywine is a spokeswoman and fundraiser for a scientific institute on the planet Greenway. The institute is intent on finding evidence of extraterrestrial life by blowing up stars. Uh, what? Yeah. Apparently somebody thought it was a good idea to nova a series of stars as a way of saying ‘Hi!’ to any other civilizations out there. Of course, any other civilization noting that we are blowing up stars may be a bit wary of saying ‘Hi!’ back, at least, not without some means of blowing up our star in retaliation. What a hare-brained idea, the first of many hare-brained ideas and situations that made me despair of this. Like the disappearance years before of Dr. Brandywine’s sister, who isn’t really her sister but a clone (uh what? Of who? Her or her parents? Never mind. Just go with it). The not-sister and a friend vanished out of a taxi moments after returning from an aborted interstellar mission to locate ETs. This, on a planet and in a society where everything and everybody is tracked 24/7 and where crime is so rare as to elicit worldwide response whenever someone jaywalks. And then that mountain blows up, wiping out hundreds of square miles around the house of the guy who flew the aforementioned aborted mission on which Kim’s sister and friend had been crewmen.

Hmm.

Now you and I would immediately think something was rotten in Denmark, but Greenway is astonishingly uninterested in these events, which roused my suspicions that something else was going on here because even the most obtuse of authors (I’m looking at you, Dan Brown) couldn’t be this obtuse. Right?

Right. Very right. As it turns out, McDevitt has, rather brilliantly, shown us the consequences of our lotus-eating urges.

Here and there other reviewers have posited that lack of extraterrestrial contact has driven the adventure out of Greenway’s inhabitants, but it seems to me that spirit was dying centuries before. The Nine Worlds have quite a rousing history, as alluded to here and there in the book, including dictatorships and interplanetary warfare, but then all that is set aside as we become more civilized. And everyone gets what they want. And everyone is taken care of. No need to struggle. No need to challenge yourself. Or anything. Pass the grey poupon, Muffy.

Remember that when you vote.

[Marshall Pickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

How would we actually react to first contact? Are there other civilizations out there among the stars? Does it even matter? Jack McDevitt is a master of setting good stories in a future world. His stories could be set at any time and still be just as good, he just chooses to set it in the future. This story is a mystery. A classic who-dun-it. But at the same time it raises the question about status quo vs. exploration. It is the age old question of the devil we know vs. the devil we don't. Humanity will always choose to suffer evil while that evil is sufferable rather than head off into the unknown. So why do we look out "there"? Are we looking for truth, for some meaning beyond what we can get here? I, personally, would love to find others out there. There are people I know who would say that aliens don't fit with their religious view point, and I really haven't thought that much about it, but I still would love to see aliens. Wander through their version of the great pyramids on a world with four moons. Awesome. Did God make us special and the rest of this is all just to show us how amazing He is? Could be. But that would be amazingly boring.

In the end I would recommend this book if you enjoy mystery novels because the sci-fi stuff is just there, and not that important to the story, and as a mystery it is above average.

[Tasula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another exciting space opera from the always reliable Jack McDevitt. Kim, a PR specialist in the far future when space travel has become routine becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her clone sister, who seemed to disappear after entering a cab shortly after a space flight. Coincidentally (or not?), none of the rest of the crew from that flight survived long. They had been searching for signs of another intelligent species, and Kim gets the idea they may have made contact but kept it a secret. She enlists some help investigating- looking for logs from the flight, interviewing relatives of the crew, searching the abandoned villa of a crew member, and hijacking a spaceship, among other things. She becomes relentless in her quest to find out what happened, even as the search takes its toll on careers and lives. (So I got a little irked with her after a while, especially when she would say "It's not my fault", because it WAS her fault.) The author does a good job with characters, making the reader warm up to them or despise them.

Kim reminded me a bit of Chase Kolpath from the author's series about antiquities seekers and traders (Alex Benedict and Kolpath), which is very enjoyable.

[Scooby Doo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good enough, but not great. I finished it, which says something. It dragged in places.
Because we know from the prolog that some kind of ET exists, much of the first half is frustrating to read as the characters stumble around looking for proof. The romance angle seemed gratuitous. The main point of describing the second expedition was to have the ET's come back to Greenway and then radio home where the human home world was. But we never find out why that happened, which seemed like a significant plot development that went unexplained.
The ending was a let down for me. After so much of the story was the concern about whether ET's will be hostile or friendly, in the end it gets resolved so fast it seemed like a children's story. The ending is just "we learned the ET's language and now everything is hunky dory." After all the buildup, it was disappointing. Also, since so much of the story is about the spooky/dangerous ghost of Severin , to have it discounted at the end as "oh, it was just deranged" seems really contrived.

[Wade Grassman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely one of the best Sci Fi books I've enjoyed in a very long time. I'm not sure Mr. McDevitt is the next Asimov or Clarke - I need to read more of his works. I mention this only because that's all I get in the reviews.
I don't like getting into the plot too much, but to avoid giving anything away this may be the best "first contact" book I've ever read. However don't be too sure there is anything to contact...
A scientist's sister goes missing after an attempt to discover another life form in the cosmos. Several mysterious events occur at the same time - including the destruction of a mountain. She (the living scientist) begins to believe that her sister's expedition actually did make alien contact for the first time.
What follows is a part "who done it"; adventure story; and an excellent science fiction tale. The characters are believable and, for the most part, likeable.
I fully recommend this story to SCI FI fans who are getting tired of SCI FI Military stories....

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really did not find this as compelling as some of McDevitt's other work. It starts out slow (the gimmick the main character is promoting seems unethical at best and criminally effing stupid at worst) and the mystery doesn't really seem to resonate with the main character. Nothing gains any traction until about three quarters of the way through, which is way too late for anyone but a dedicated reader.

[Hubcon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd never read anything by this author before, but now want to read more. Slightly slow to start, but then becomes strangely gripping. Some interesting ideas about first contact, and a mystery thrown in. I got some of the plot ideas in advance of the main characters, who should have got them sooner. We all have preconceived ideas about first contact, and this book gives a good new one.

[Rod Hyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just short of a perfect read, one of those you just works for the day and can't wait to get home and get back to it.

All the characters are absorbing. it's full of mystery, it's science fiction, it's got space travel, it's got other worlds, it's got technology, it's got drama, it's got a love story, emotional sequences and it's a murder mystery all wrapped up in one tree

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good mystery disguised as a space opera. The story moves along at a somewhat leisurely pace that slowly reveals more and more unexpected layers so that you are hooked! This was a book I literally could not put down, and I read it in a day and a half.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book at a discount bookstore along with some of the author's other works and this one caught my attention a bit more while in the store. While the endorsement by Steven King on the cover might be a bit of a grandiose stretch, the writing is quite sharp and the story telling is interesting.

The main story line takes place a little short of 1,000 years in the future. Humanity has explored, settled, and terraformed eight plants beyond Earth but has since settled into doldrums finding that we are apparently alone in the universe. Or are we? The idea of an extraterrestrial intelligence (celestials in the book) is a constant theme in novel, which attempts to thread a needle between a detective story and science fiction. The author has imagined a society and culture that closely resembles the our own, but with space travel, human clones, and Universal Basic Income. It's entirely possible that a good writer could even tweak most of story to take place in the present day.

However, that's not really a critique of the story. The plot is engaging and lack of extravagant displays of technology helps things along since it frames the philosophic elements of the story on the idea of humans being alone. Worth picking up to read at least once, particularly if you are interested in science fiction with a mystery twist.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a thousand years of searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, and six hundred years after expanding human existence beyond our solar system, waning interest in fruitless searching causes the cancellation of additional exploratory flights when the last interstellar research vehicle, the Hunter, returns empty handed and the crew all tragically dies or disappears very shortly thereafter. Dr. Kim Brandywine, the sister of one of those crew members, has followed in her sister’s footsteps, leading ambitious program to contact extraterrestrial life and invite them to human space. This is where the story, in a science fiction setting, becomes a mystery. Despite the technological success of Brandywine’s Beacon project, more and more pressure comes to shut the project down, including from family members of the Hunter crew, who rapidly changed from supporters to distancing themselves from Brandywine and her project. The discovery that the ship’s logs of the final Hunter mission were faked leads Brandywine on a search for a sister who may still be alive after all, and to salvage her project.
Vividly imagined setting with a good mystery and the preparatory question of how prepared are we for a first contact?

[Thomas J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A combination of SCI Fi and mystery

An interesting take on the possibility of alien life, but parts seemed a bit contrived. The protagonist, Kim, seems to always be one step ahead of people who have other intentions for what she has discovered. The end seemed to set up a cliffhanger with the last minute breakthrough in alien contact. That part seemed very rushed to me.

I do like McDevitt’s consistent theme throughout his books that alien life in the universe is sparse. It seems to align better with recent science on the fact that there are significant numbers of planets, but limited ones in what is considered the habitable zone around stars. Also the fact that 99.9% of the time there has been life on Earth, there wasn’t an intelligent, tool making species.

I also (as a biologist) had a great deal of difficulty with an intelligent alien race only two inches high. How would they possibly have enough neural substrate to be a capable intelligent species? They would have to possess cell structures much smaller than those on earth to have the neural capacity to be a tool making species. Or their intelligence would have to be based on a totally different biological design. That would make for an interesting study in biophysics.

[Paul Pferdner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for this kind of science fiction novel -- recognizable people in very different circumstances than are possible today, including extended lifespans (up towards 200 and maybe beyond) while keeping young for most of that time, no need to work if you don't want to, and rapid interstellar travel via some kind of hyperspace drive. The key issue in the novel is that, in several hundred years of interstellar travel, no evidence of life, let alone intelligence, has been found anywhere, in spite of plenty of likely worlds. So humanity has settled on a few worlds, and settled back to enjoy life. Life which is too easy, and so humanity's drive to do new things seems to be dying away. And then stuff happens.

I have some problems with the plotting of this book, there are some things that are not remotely logical, and the action sequences go on for too long -- I ended up just scanning through those until they were over. Some of the plot turns were utterly predictable, and it became annoying waiting for the characters to catch up. But still, I kept going and finished the 500+ page book in short order. Worth reading, I think, if you like that sort of thing.

[David Hibberd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have discovered something about myself. In my later years in life it appears that books I enjoyed reading years ago still appeal to me. It also appears that although I have some vague recollections of maybe having read a book a long time back, I don't remember much about them.
So it is with Infinity Beach, my third print book in a row that I read for a second time. Now, as back then, I enjoyed the story. This involves first, second, and subsequent encounters with intelligent life in the galaxy.
Mankind has progresses to the Nine Worlds that Earth has settled. Dr. Kim Brandywine seeks answers to questions regarding the disappearance of her clone-sister, Emily who was one of four crew on the first encounter.
Kim resorts to a number of criminal activities to uncover the truth, including grand theft starship. She is able to discover what happened on the original voyage and get the answers she is seeking.

[Elliot Ensink · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this story is meant to demonstrate how humans could completely bungle the first contact with another intelligent species than it is a success. I have to believe the author intentionally meant the encounter to feel clumsy and under-prepared. Even though the crew was on a mission to look for intelligent life they seemed completely ill-equipped to meet the demands. The main character (despite having no concrete training to speak of) somehow manages to become the center of unraveling the cover-up and mysterious of this first encounter debacle. Character development felt contrived and lacked interesting development. However, to it's credit there are many interesting and creative elements including the clever way the title is hinted at in the text and the imaginative nature of the celestial beings. Overall it is a decent mix of mystery, cosmic horror, and science fiction adventure but it leaves something to be desired in terms of compelling character narratives.

[Jrubino · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is ambitious, but it’s also slightly flawed. 



There’s much to like about the plot, which takes a common Sci Fi idea and then adds a couple of twists. The characters are enjoyable enough, though a bit one-note and dull. However, the main problem is that the story is drawn out, as if McDevitt needed to fill pages in order to stretch this into something novel-length.



Many chapters are no more than a narrative of the characters’ commute: get ready, get on the train/aircraft, look out the window, have some lunch, get off the transport, go to hotel, describe the room, etc. Pages are filled whereas a simple paragraph or two would suffice. 



Overall, it’s a good enough read. But with a little more oomph to the plot, this could’ve risen to a real joy.

[Steve822 · Rating 2 out of 5]

First McDevitt book I've read and with Stephen King waxing lyrically about it on the front cover I was intrigued to read it. It was okay, I finished it but wasn't King wowed by it. I didn't have a lot of sympathy for the main character or the reasoning of the plot (the great 30 year old mystery involving the disappearance of her sister which she suddenly takes an interest in). It wasn't too sci-fi or at least the bits there I managed to get my head, mostly, around. It did thought provoke me regarding how some scientists think they have a right to push the boundaries, possibly to the harm of the rest of us, or science stagnates - so the book did achieve something to me.

[Annik Dupuis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kind of stumbled upon this author and immediately wondered why I hadn't heard of them before. The synopses sound good so what's the catch ? I am delighted to discover that there is no catch, this book was excellent! It was written in the 90s, so there's a 90s aesthetic going on such as carpets and drapes and fancy tablecloths in the interstellar vessel , but that only makes the book more charming for me. The story had me on the edge of my seat, the characters were interesting, and the writing style was engaging and poetic. My eyes were watering at the end.

[Claus M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novel take on a first contact story, in large part because of how much goes wrong, even with the best of intentions.

Similar to The Devil's Eye, McDevitt takes a dim view of the willingness of politicians to do the right thing when it is the harder thing. My other difficulty with the book is how headstrong and self centered all of the primary decision makers are, always taking the narrow road of self-interest without regard for the risks to others. While this is necessary to the plot design, it reflects a disappointing (but perhaps realistic) view of human integrity.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book - Lots of sci-fi elements, first contact (that maybe didn't go quite right?), imagining a future culture that makes one ponder where we might be.

The first half seemed a little slow but interesting nonetheless. But then I like constant action and adventure so just a personal preference. The second half had me rapt and life was put on hold until I finished the book.

Well worth the read.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see Kim Brandywine as a Chase Kolpath prototype. I've just been rereading The Devil's Eye and in it, Chase and Alex Benedict are isolated in a remote house by bad guys/girls and have to wait until more enemies arrive to hurt them. The exact same thing happened in Slow Lightning/Infinity Beach! Still really enjoyed both books - I think Devil's Eye is the second-best book in its series after Seeker.

[Marne Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I watch a movie about first contact, I think of this book! It took me a long time to figure out the author and title, but I finally got there through some painstaking detective work. I tried to read it again, but since I already know what happened in the end, it doesn’t hit the same. Still, it’s a very original plot. If you like movies like Contact or Arrival, you should definitely read this one.