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The Academy #8
The Long Sunset
From Nebula Award winner Jack McDevitt comes the eighth installment in the popular The Academy series—Priscilla “Hutch” Hutchins discovers an interstellar message from a highly advanced race that could be her last chance for a mission before the program is shut down for good.
Hutch has been the Academy’s best pilot for decades. She’s had numerous first contact encounters and even became a minor celebrity. But world politics have shifted from exploration to a growing fear that the program will run into an extraterrestrial race more advanced than humanity and war.
Despite taking part in the recent scientific breakthrough that rejuvenates the human body and expands one’s lifespan, Hutch finds herself as a famous interstellar pilot with little to do, until a message from an alien race arrives.
The message is a piece of music from an unexplored area. Despite the fact that this alien race could pose a great danger and that this message could have taken several thousand years to travel, the program prepares the last interstellar ship for the journey. As the paranoia grows, Hutch and her crew make an early escape—but what they find at the other end of the galaxy is completely unexpected.
Hutch has been the Academy’s best pilot for decades. She’s had numerous first contact encounters and even became a minor celebrity. But world politics have shifted from exploration to a growing fear that the program will run into an extraterrestrial race more advanced than humanity and war.
Despite taking part in the recent scientific breakthrough that rejuvenates the human body and expands one’s lifespan, Hutch finds herself as a famous interstellar pilot with little to do, until a message from an alien race arrives.
The message is a piece of music from an unexplored area. Despite the fact that this alien race could pose a great danger and that this message could have taken several thousand years to travel, the program prepares the last interstellar ship for the journey. As the paranoia grows, Hutch and her crew make an early escape—but what they find at the other end of the galaxy is completely unexpected.
451 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2018
177 people are currently reading
1048 people want to read
About the author
Jack McDevitt
185 books1,346 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 207 reviews
May 16, 2018
I'm hard on Jack McDevitt as I am on all the authors I truly love. I want everything he writes to be amazing. What I think this book made me realize is that amazing can mean different things. McDevitt amazing has always been about amazing reveals and interstellar science that feels like something we could achieve and white knuckle adventures. But all his stories also carry this wonderful sense of positivity. He imbues his writing with the very firm belief that the innate goodness in people will always win out over the bad. His characters often talk about how beings capable of scientific advancements like traveling through space must surely have come to understand the futility of such crude things like war and violence. Its a marvelous idea, a wonderful way to view the universe and one I wish I shared more readily.
My frustration with McDevitt often hangs on this idea. I have so much trouble agreeing with him. That with a great understanding of the world and the universe, the knowledge of how to bend it to our will must surely come wisdom. I want to have his compassion, his optimism that when it really comes down to it we will choose right over easy. But too often I think of the cities in my country, the greatest country in the world, where people can't get clean water to drink, where people can't see a doctor because they can't afford it, where a child can't get a good education because we can't be bothered to pay his teacher a living wage. I think of those things and its too easy to see us a hundred years from now soaring through space then planting out glorious flag on some planet and "educating" its natives in the ways of democracy and the gods we want them to worship so we can reap their world of all its resources. I mean we do it everywhere else.
So I don't know what happened this time as McDevitt took me on a new journey with his brilliant interstellar pilot Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins. Maybe I was just ripe for a kinder, gentler version of my world. Whatever the reason as the explorers crossing the universe in search of the origins of a mysterious signal, the first real evidence of a technologically advanced civilization other than our own come closer to their answers, I found myself wanting very much for McDevitt to be right. His characters are fighting the good fight. They've bucked the system, rebelled against a government and a people who don't want them to go lest they risk a war with whoever sent the signal. If they're powerful enough to send a message over space and time they're powerful enough to destroy us! Its too risky!
I think what it is really is that I hate that idea that because there is a chance that something bad might happen we shouldn't take the risk. The idea that the unknown isn't something to be explored rather its something to be feared, to hide from. The idea that because someone looks different, speaks differently, believes in a different god or a different way to love they should be hated.
The idea that ignorance is safer is repellent to me.
So I wanted Hutch and her companions to prove them all wrong. I wanted McDevitt to be right. I want him to be right.
There's a simplicity to this story that I don't usually find with his writing. It reads almost like a fable or a fairy tale where a rag tag band of rebels take it upon themselves to determine the fate of an entire planet based entirely on their conviction that there is more good than evil in the universe.
The book is still full of adventure and wonderful moments of excitement, McDevitt's gift for nail biting thrills is made good use of but its really the message at its heart that carried me through to its very satisfying end. Its message is louder than his other books but I think it should be.
Be open to the possibilities of the universe. When a stranger says hello, say hello back and then ask them their name, invite them to sit and tell you their story. Oh god how I wish I could do this.
How I wish we lived in the world McDevitt wrote for us.
My frustration with McDevitt often hangs on this idea. I have so much trouble agreeing with him. That with a great understanding of the world and the universe, the knowledge of how to bend it to our will must surely come wisdom. I want to have his compassion, his optimism that when it really comes down to it we will choose right over easy. But too often I think of the cities in my country, the greatest country in the world, where people can't get clean water to drink, where people can't see a doctor because they can't afford it, where a child can't get a good education because we can't be bothered to pay his teacher a living wage. I think of those things and its too easy to see us a hundred years from now soaring through space then planting out glorious flag on some planet and "educating" its natives in the ways of democracy and the gods we want them to worship so we can reap their world of all its resources. I mean we do it everywhere else.
So I don't know what happened this time as McDevitt took me on a new journey with his brilliant interstellar pilot Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins. Maybe I was just ripe for a kinder, gentler version of my world. Whatever the reason as the explorers crossing the universe in search of the origins of a mysterious signal, the first real evidence of a technologically advanced civilization other than our own come closer to their answers, I found myself wanting very much for McDevitt to be right. His characters are fighting the good fight. They've bucked the system, rebelled against a government and a people who don't want them to go lest they risk a war with whoever sent the signal. If they're powerful enough to send a message over space and time they're powerful enough to destroy us! Its too risky!
I think what it is really is that I hate that idea that because there is a chance that something bad might happen we shouldn't take the risk. The idea that the unknown isn't something to be explored rather its something to be feared, to hide from. The idea that because someone looks different, speaks differently, believes in a different god or a different way to love they should be hated.
The idea that ignorance is safer is repellent to me.
So I wanted Hutch and her companions to prove them all wrong. I wanted McDevitt to be right. I want him to be right.
There's a simplicity to this story that I don't usually find with his writing. It reads almost like a fable or a fairy tale where a rag tag band of rebels take it upon themselves to determine the fate of an entire planet based entirely on their conviction that there is more good than evil in the universe.
The book is still full of adventure and wonderful moments of excitement, McDevitt's gift for nail biting thrills is made good use of but its really the message at its heart that carried me through to its very satisfying end. Its message is louder than his other books but I think it should be.
Be open to the possibilities of the universe. When a stranger says hello, say hello back and then ask them their name, invite them to sit and tell you their story. Oh god how I wish I could do this.
How I wish we lived in the world McDevitt wrote for us.
November 12, 2018
While I can never say that these books by McDevitt are super original, he does have a talent at writing them very well. And I don't mean that they're just some super-action fluff, either, because he just doesn't write those kinds of novels.
Instead, we have a thoughtful pacing, in-depth consideration of circumstances, a deep love of curiosity and archeology, and a need to bring up issues that are just as important to us as they are for the characters in this future time.
Interstellar travel is here and it has been here for quite some time since book #6, but AGAIN Earth is hell-bent on saving resources and shutting down the programs that keep our eyes fixed on the stars. Isolationism. Again. But after a transmission from 7 thousand years ago finally reaches us, depicting intelligent aliens with music tastes that we can get behind, Hutch is asked to take a trip.
Unlike another few of these Academy novels, I actually liked the aliens. The mystery is rather more mundane and the discoveries are a lot more pleasant as a whole and I don't miss the multiple deaths that usually happened in these novels.
I really enjoyed the rescue mission as a whole. I fully expect to keep reading all about this story in the future. Big things are only beginning. :) Friendship in the stars? It's about time. :) The OTHER argument. No Dark Forest here. :)
Instead, we have a thoughtful pacing, in-depth consideration of circumstances, a deep love of curiosity and archeology, and a need to bring up issues that are just as important to us as they are for the characters in this future time.
Interstellar travel is here and it has been here for quite some time since book #6, but AGAIN Earth is hell-bent on saving resources and shutting down the programs that keep our eyes fixed on the stars. Isolationism. Again. But after a transmission from 7 thousand years ago finally reaches us, depicting intelligent aliens with music tastes that we can get behind, Hutch is asked to take a trip.
Unlike another few of these Academy novels, I actually liked the aliens. The mystery is rather more mundane and the discoveries are a lot more pleasant as a whole and I don't miss the multiple deaths that usually happened in these novels.
I really enjoyed the rescue mission as a whole. I fully expect to keep reading all about this story in the future. Big things are only beginning. :) Friendship in the stars? It's about time. :) The OTHER argument. No Dark Forest here. :)
December 30, 2018
I've enjoyed McDevitt's Priscilla Hutchins novels more than any other sf series I can think of over these last few years with the exception of his Chase & Alex novels. This latest in the series was no exception, though I really didn't like where I thought he going with it. His future is much like our own, perhaps even more like what we wanted to believe the future would be like a half-century or so ago. Old folks like me will remember the hopeful and grandiose tone of the original Star Trek series when it first aired, and it seems to me that that vision is the one McDevitt captures in his Hutch stories. He believes that people are basically good and will work together to help one another and solve whatever problems the cosmos throws at them. The alien races he introduces in The Long Sunset are no exception. There's a melancholy tone through much of the novel, because the Academy has been closed and there's a real belief that man may stop any further interstellar explorations because of fear they may lead evil aliens back to Earth. It's a silly fear on a number of levels to our intrepid hero, but it all seems to work out all right in the end. There's not a lot of real conflict in the book, and there's a decided depressive air compared to the previous books in the series, but I really enjoyed it after the last page was turned. I would definitely not recommend it as a starting point for reading the series, however.
January 19, 2023
There's a certain tone to Jack McDevitt's writing that I enjoy, but find difficult to describe. Emotional moments get underplayed, but not to an unreasonable degree. Characters may agonize about difficult decisions, but they don't externalize their struggles. They'll discuss options if there's time, but otherwise they'll go about their tasks to the best of their abilities. Hysteria and panic don't really seem to exist in McDevitt novels. I don't mean any of that as stinging criticism. It's just slightly odd.
In this book, there are difficult decisions to be made, and people make them, and things happen. A transmission from a far off galaxy is received, just as Earth seems to be on the verge of shutting down interstellar exploration for good. Pilot Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins joins a team determined to trace the signal despite a political climate that seems bent on shutting them down. What they find has far-reaching consequences for multiple races …
I'm always happy to read a Hutch novel. She's a fine character, and her adventures are always worth a read. McDevitt's books always have an old-school SF feel to them, not in a stuffy way. They just feel like they belong on the same shelf as Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein. They recall the Golden Age of SF in all of the best ways. Recommended!
In this book, there are difficult decisions to be made, and people make them, and things happen. A transmission from a far off galaxy is received, just as Earth seems to be on the verge of shutting down interstellar exploration for good. Pilot Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins joins a team determined to trace the signal despite a political climate that seems bent on shutting them down. What they find has far-reaching consequences for multiple races …
I'm always happy to read a Hutch novel. She's a fine character, and her adventures are always worth a read. McDevitt's books always have an old-school SF feel to them, not in a stuffy way. They just feel like they belong on the same shelf as Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein. They recall the Golden Age of SF in all of the best ways. Recommended!
May 3, 2018
4 to 4.5 stars. A very entertaining, and ultimately uplifting addition to the 'Academy', or 'Hutch' series. I've read all of the previous books, so I'm very familiar with Priscilla 'Hutch' Hutchins' history. The writing of the books has been spread out over a number of years, and this particular entry in the series is a classic 'Hutch' adventure.
By this stage in her life, Hutch is a highly experienced and highly regarded starship pilot. Her two kids are grown up, but her beloved husband Tor has passed away. Space exploration has gone out of fashion. Too expensive (sound familiar?) And some of those in power are paranoid and parochial in their attitudes. Fearful of the possible dangers of encountering aliens. It's all going to be shut down.
But then an extraordinary message arrives from deep space. It's an image of a beautiful waterfall, accompanied by a musical soundtrack. And it's clearly not on Earth. The first part of the book explores some of the responses to the message, and Hutch's frustration that it's going to be ignored. The politicians have put a ban on space exploration. But before the ban is slapped into place, Hutch and a small team of explorers are able to get away and head out into deep space.
This is familiar ground for readers of this series, and although it's nothing new, it's still interesting and enjoyable. And then about half way through the book or so, there are new developments. They eventually reach their destination, and a fascinating story unfolds, gripping the reader right up to the end of the book.
I did feel the depiction of the aliens was perhaps a little simplistic, but one of the fun things about this kind of 'what if?' book, is that we don't really know. What would/could aliens be like? How would we interact? Eternally fascinating questions. McDevitt's exploration of the issues surrounding his story are interesting, and even if over-simplified, they still felt realistic in terms of human reactions etc.
And how would the story end? You don't really know until the last minute (even if you can make a fair guess). The drama continues till the end. And finally, it's actually quite moving. I even shed a tear.
A worthy addition to this series. Long may Hutch continue!
By this stage in her life, Hutch is a highly experienced and highly regarded starship pilot. Her two kids are grown up, but her beloved husband Tor has passed away. Space exploration has gone out of fashion. Too expensive (sound familiar?) And some of those in power are paranoid and parochial in their attitudes. Fearful of the possible dangers of encountering aliens. It's all going to be shut down.
But then an extraordinary message arrives from deep space. It's an image of a beautiful waterfall, accompanied by a musical soundtrack. And it's clearly not on Earth. The first part of the book explores some of the responses to the message, and Hutch's frustration that it's going to be ignored. The politicians have put a ban on space exploration. But before the ban is slapped into place, Hutch and a small team of explorers are able to get away and head out into deep space.
This is familiar ground for readers of this series, and although it's nothing new, it's still interesting and enjoyable. And then about half way through the book or so, there are new developments. They eventually reach their destination, and a fascinating story unfolds, gripping the reader right up to the end of the book.
I did feel the depiction of the aliens was perhaps a little simplistic, but one of the fun things about this kind of 'what if?' book, is that we don't really know. What would/could aliens be like? How would we interact? Eternally fascinating questions. McDevitt's exploration of the issues surrounding his story are interesting, and even if over-simplified, they still felt realistic in terms of human reactions etc.
And how would the story end? You don't really know until the last minute (even if you can make a fair guess). The drama continues till the end. And finally, it's actually quite moving. I even shed a tear.
A worthy addition to this series. Long may Hutch continue!
June 17, 2018
I'd sworn off JM, and that was probably the right idea. Hutch is still stiff and asexual, as are McDevitt's women in general. Made out of cardboard. The dialogue between her and her kids is ridiculous. "Wonderful, son!" And her daughter, a high school teacher, addresses her students as "Boys and girls." In 2250, the highschoolers still have home rooms and sit in rows at desks...
Technologically, other than having FTL drives, we seem to be living in more or less the same world as now. People use Star-Trek style communicators on their wrists, rather than direct feeds to their brains or contact lenses the way most other SF writers imagine.
This is by way of saying that JM is a very lazy world-builder, in case you didn't know this already. I was hoping we'd finally learn something about the missing aliens, and while we do, a little, it's not very interesting. Because everyone, according to JM, in defiance of everything we know right here on earth anthropologically and ethnographically speaking, is all alike! Everyone everywhere in the galaxy will have evolved just like humanity... not all of humanity, though, WESTERN civilization-style humanity. Because, you know, it's a continuum, from tribes in the jungle to Washington, DC.
This is very convenient because although he can describe slightly different alien physiques, he doesn't have to go into complicated ecologies or cultures.
Like I said, LAZY.
So that's all I have to say about this. JM has a mentality that is trapped in the 50s.
Technologically, other than having FTL drives, we seem to be living in more or less the same world as now. People use Star-Trek style communicators on their wrists, rather than direct feeds to their brains or contact lenses the way most other SF writers imagine.
This is by way of saying that JM is a very lazy world-builder, in case you didn't know this already. I was hoping we'd finally learn something about the missing aliens, and while we do, a little, it's not very interesting. Because everyone, according to JM, in defiance of everything we know right here on earth anthropologically and ethnographically speaking, is all alike! Everyone everywhere in the galaxy will have evolved just like humanity... not all of humanity, though, WESTERN civilization-style humanity. Because, you know, it's a continuum, from tribes in the jungle to Washington, DC.
This is very convenient because although he can describe slightly different alien physiques, he doesn't have to go into complicated ecologies or cultures.
Like I said, LAZY.
So that's all I have to say about this. JM has a mentality that is trapped in the 50s.
April 25, 2018
If the book is not free from McDevitt's usual flaws (bland characters, trivial details, slowness, lack of credibility on some aspects) The Long Sunset is a very good book.
We owe it to a fascinating story from beginning to end, and to a very good ending. While McDevitt uses his count-based plots as always, as usual the space program of humanity is questioned at the beginning of the book, but the space adventure of Hutch and her companions is fantastic, the suspense is well managed, the end is thrilling.
The political and media criticism, always very present in this series, takes once more place in the unfolding of the story (especially at the beginning and at the end). McDevitt has always used the world of the 23rd century to highlight the truth of today, it is often didactic but it is much less boring than in some previous books. (I am thinking in particular of the grueling "Odyssey").
This is probably the best of all the novels of the Academy series and certainly the least frustrating!
We owe it to a fascinating story from beginning to end, and to a very good ending. While McDevitt uses his count-based plots as always, as usual the space program of humanity is questioned at the beginning of the book, but the space adventure of Hutch and her companions is fantastic, the suspense is well managed, the end is thrilling.
The political and media criticism, always very present in this series, takes once more place in the unfolding of the story (especially at the beginning and at the end). McDevitt has always used the world of the 23rd century to highlight the truth of today, it is often didactic but it is much less boring than in some previous books. (I am thinking in particular of the grueling "Odyssey").
This is probably the best of all the novels of the Academy series and certainly the least frustrating!
April 3, 2018
I kind of expected something tired. Instead this was a fast good read but with echoes of the political climate of today. The setup on the book was really strong, I almost didn't want the journey to start. The ending felt a bit abrupt, effective but too short. For awhile there I didn't think we'd get an ending to this one but it did have a solid one. This book does lean into a series trope, of going too far with not enough resources. But it ties the series together in a nice way without super stating the obvious. It made me wonder if the author had planned this book from the start or tripped over it. In any case it was an enjoyable nice surprise. And might even work if you hadn't read the series - though it wouldn't have as much of a payoff. FWIW this review was for an ARC.
December 21, 2024
*** 3.75 ***
A pretty satisfying last book in the series, leaving the door open for more if the author wants to... Loved these aliens, and I guess we are never going to meet the Monument Builders? ...
A pretty satisfying last book in the series, leaving the door open for more if the author wants to... Loved these aliens, and I guess we are never going to meet the Monument Builders? ...
April 4, 2018
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December 4, 2020
I wasn't aware this was book 8 in a series and maybe that's part of the reason I didn't enjoy it. Didn't get a connection to the story or the characters and didn't care about what was happening.
May 1, 2018
I was very excited to receive an ARC of the latest book in The Academy series by Jack McDevitt called THE LONG SUNSET.
The main character in the series is Patricia “Hutch” Hutchins. She is a spaceship pilot who has been through various adventures as the latest ship technology has advanced as the series progresses.
THE LONG SUNSET is set in 2256 (an election year!) and civilization’s attention and interest in space exploration is waning. The United States is now part of the North American Union (NAU) and one key issue in the 2256 presidential election is the Centauri Initiative, which would essentially ban any human exploration of the Galaxy further than Alpha Centauri using interstellar (faster than light) space ships. The main reason for this idea is the notion that the Universe is a dangerous place, with aliens who could potentially be thousands of years ahead of humans and unfriendly or genocidal. This, despite the fact that dozens of star systems have been explored and the vast majority have been completely devoid of life. One of the interesting features of The Academy series has been the discovery of the remains and relics of ancient alien civilizations on various planets. A few planets have been found with aliens who are in period of civilizations hundreds or thousands of years behind humanity. But back on Earth several scientists warn that it is only a matter of time before humans stumble upon aliens that are ahead of humanity, which could be a species-ending event.
This is a fascinating philosophical question and the debate’s importance becomes heightened when an alien video transmission is received on Earth originating from a very distant (but accesible) star system which demonstrates that aliens exist (or existed a few thousands of years ago when the signal originated) with comparable technology to the contemporary human level.
Of course an interstellar expedition is planned to explore the transmission source and Hutch is asked to be the captain. The President becomes involved and the segment of the population which feels that interstellar exploration is dangerous takes extraordinary measures to try and prevent Hutch and her companions to leave.
Happily, they do leave (or else it would be a short book!) and what they discover when they finally reach the transmission star system is surprising and leads to new dilemmas and philosophical questions.
I don’t want to spoil that aspect of the book so I’ll just say it is very compelling and provides commentary on the philosophical question(s) they left roiling on Earth.
Overall, I wouldn’t say that THE LONG SUNSET is one of the best entries in The Academy series but it does raise some compelling philosophical questions. And the good news is that it may be the beginning of a new arc of The Academy books featuring Hutch.
Some of these questions are not exactly original (the dangerous universe notion is one of the central ideas in Cixin Liu’s THE DARK FOREST). Just because the questions aren’t original doesn’t mean that they aren’t effectively deployed in the book. I found THE LONG SUNSET so interesting I started and finished it in one sitting (on a transcontinental flight)!
Easily 4+ Stars.
The main character in the series is Patricia “Hutch” Hutchins. She is a spaceship pilot who has been through various adventures as the latest ship technology has advanced as the series progresses.
THE LONG SUNSET is set in 2256 (an election year!) and civilization’s attention and interest in space exploration is waning. The United States is now part of the North American Union (NAU) and one key issue in the 2256 presidential election is the Centauri Initiative, which would essentially ban any human exploration of the Galaxy further than Alpha Centauri using interstellar (faster than light) space ships. The main reason for this idea is the notion that the Universe is a dangerous place, with aliens who could potentially be thousands of years ahead of humans and unfriendly or genocidal. This, despite the fact that dozens of star systems have been explored and the vast majority have been completely devoid of life. One of the interesting features of The Academy series has been the discovery of the remains and relics of ancient alien civilizations on various planets. A few planets have been found with aliens who are in period of civilizations hundreds or thousands of years behind humanity. But back on Earth several scientists warn that it is only a matter of time before humans stumble upon aliens that are ahead of humanity, which could be a species-ending event.
This is a fascinating philosophical question and the debate’s importance becomes heightened when an alien video transmission is received on Earth originating from a very distant (but accesible) star system which demonstrates that aliens exist (or existed a few thousands of years ago when the signal originated) with comparable technology to the contemporary human level.
Of course an interstellar expedition is planned to explore the transmission source and Hutch is asked to be the captain. The President becomes involved and the segment of the population which feels that interstellar exploration is dangerous takes extraordinary measures to try and prevent Hutch and her companions to leave.
Happily, they do leave (or else it would be a short book!) and what they discover when they finally reach the transmission star system is surprising and leads to new dilemmas and philosophical questions.
I don’t want to spoil that aspect of the book so I’ll just say it is very compelling and provides commentary on the philosophical question(s) they left roiling on Earth.
Overall, I wouldn’t say that THE LONG SUNSET is one of the best entries in The Academy series but it does raise some compelling philosophical questions. And the good news is that it may be the beginning of a new arc of The Academy books featuring Hutch.
Some of these questions are not exactly original (the dangerous universe notion is one of the central ideas in Cixin Liu’s THE DARK FOREST). Just because the questions aren’t original doesn’t mean that they aren’t effectively deployed in the book. I found THE LONG SUNSET so interesting I started and finished it in one sitting (on a transcontinental flight)!
Easily 4+ Stars.
May 24, 2018
Gosh, this could have been written in 1964. Maybe it was. Or it's a tribute. Or a primer for beginning SF readers. Or all of those.
We start with a well-worn old plot: an interstellar ship is ready to go, the government doesn't want it to go, and our heroes do a strictly-by-formula let's-go-anyway exit. We have an FTFTL ship so we can go lots of places (others would say a ship that is coated in narrativium).
Some actual plot-advancing stuff happens as they find things. Time for a search, hop, hop hop, here's a Lost Civilization. Let's take the lander down! It's a bit cold here, but we can breathe it, how convenient. Aliens who are almost like us, with chairs (just like ours despite the residents having tails, think about that) and drawers and a kindergarten and probably comic books and gum under the desks.
Search #2, hop, hop, hop. Aha, there they are! Let's take the lander down! What could go wrong? (reader goes "heh,heh, narrativium again). Oops! Oh well, breathable air and Earthlike temperature, how convenient, and the aliens are really nice. And they have dial telephones, powerboats, churches, and all that, despite being upright dolphins that somehow evolved fingers.
Oh, remember when the author told us they cut some corners in leaving early? I reckon Jack added that after realizing that the crashed lander thing only works if they didn't get around to waterproofing the comm units, and they ALL got wet and NONE of them work. Lucky the frammis repair units stayed dry. BTW, what are we doing landing in a planet in a machine that is so fragile that a frammis might fail at any time, so much so that handy spares are always available like headlight bulbs or fuses? Let's face it, the lander crashed because the plot needed it to crash.
OK, we're flying again. Another search. So let's go to the Goldilocks formula like so many novels before us. This one's too big, this one's too small, now let's show off our SF chops: this one's tidally-locked, this one has a binary star so it's unstable, this one's all volcanoed out, ... oh look! This one's ju-u-ust right. Let's take the lander down! No need for discussion, Hutch decides and we're all cool because we know she always gets our asses out somehow.
OK, discussion has been productive, let's go back to Earth, where, as in all SF, the politicians and administrators are ALL corrupt and incompetent (although somehow they built intergalactic FTFTL, but SF books are always set in the bad-leaders years). Let's take the lander down! What could go wrong?
And we end with the story leaking to the media, as in about 50 other SF novels and probably a couple in THIS SERIES. Sigh.
HOWEVER. Underneath all that lazy plotting and lazy writing and lazy worldbuilding there hides a quite reasonable discussion of a scenario. Thing A threatened place B, they fled and left a message that we found, we look for B and find C, which is threatened by A. Can we help? Should we? Will our Evil Overlords let us? Should they?
Hmm, as I type this it reminds me remarkably of another recent read.
This is Robert Heinlein writing The Three Body Problem!
Anyway, I didn't expect a groundbreaking Nebula winner, and I didn't get it. It's a decent read.
We start with a well-worn old plot: an interstellar ship is ready to go, the government doesn't want it to go, and our heroes do a strictly-by-formula let's-go-anyway exit. We have an FTFTL ship so we can go lots of places (others would say a ship that is coated in narrativium).
Some actual plot-advancing stuff happens as they find things. Time for a search, hop, hop hop, here's a Lost Civilization. Let's take the lander down! It's a bit cold here, but we can breathe it, how convenient. Aliens who are almost like us, with chairs (just like ours despite the residents having tails, think about that) and drawers and a kindergarten and probably comic books and gum under the desks.
Search #2, hop, hop, hop. Aha, there they are! Let's take the lander down! What could go wrong? (reader goes "heh,heh, narrativium again). Oops! Oh well, breathable air and Earthlike temperature, how convenient, and the aliens are really nice. And they have dial telephones, powerboats, churches, and all that, despite being upright dolphins that somehow evolved fingers.
Oh, remember when the author told us they cut some corners in leaving early? I reckon Jack added that after realizing that the crashed lander thing only works if they didn't get around to waterproofing the comm units, and they ALL got wet and NONE of them work. Lucky the frammis repair units stayed dry. BTW, what are we doing landing in a planet in a machine that is so fragile that a frammis might fail at any time, so much so that handy spares are always available like headlight bulbs or fuses? Let's face it, the lander crashed because the plot needed it to crash.
OK, we're flying again. Another search. So let's go to the Goldilocks formula like so many novels before us. This one's too big, this one's too small, now let's show off our SF chops: this one's tidally-locked, this one has a binary star so it's unstable, this one's all volcanoed out, ... oh look! This one's ju-u-ust right. Let's take the lander down! No need for discussion, Hutch decides and we're all cool because we know she always gets our asses out somehow.
OK, discussion has been productive, let's go back to Earth, where, as in all SF, the politicians and administrators are ALL corrupt and incompetent (although somehow they built intergalactic FTFTL, but SF books are always set in the bad-leaders years). Let's take the lander down! What could go wrong?
And we end with the story leaking to the media, as in about 50 other SF novels and probably a couple in THIS SERIES. Sigh.
HOWEVER. Underneath all that lazy plotting and lazy writing and lazy worldbuilding there hides a quite reasonable discussion of a scenario. Thing A threatened place B, they fled and left a message that we found, we look for B and find C, which is threatened by A. Can we help? Should we? Will our Evil Overlords let us? Should they?
Hmm, as I type this it reminds me remarkably of another recent read.
This is Robert Heinlein writing The Three Body Problem!
Anyway, I didn't expect a groundbreaking Nebula winner, and I didn't get it. It's a decent read.
October 1, 2024
I've been captivated by this series and the character Priscilla Hutchins from the very first book, and my fascination has only grown. Watching Hutch evolve as an individual, a mother, and a pilot has been a delight. The best part is knowing that whenever there's an incident in the depths of space, Hutch's extensive experience makes her the likely candidate to be called upon.
During a class, Dr. Derek Blanchard receives a transmission featuring a waterfall and a musical score through the telescope they're observing. His initial instinct is to investigate whether it originated from an extraterrestrial civilization. It's been 7000 years, and the majority of Earth's population is reluctant to engage with potentially hostile, advanced aliens.
Nevertheless, Dr. Blanchard is eager to seek out these beings to verify if the signal indeed came from an alien planet, rather than a terrestrial interference. To this end, Derek recruits Priscilla to navigate a ship seven hundred light-years away in search of answers. However, they encounter far more than they anticipated.
The story doesn't revolve around action, which is perfectly acceptable as it allows for a deeper understanding of the characters through their interactions. The science is sound, and the aliens, while imaginative, bear a resemblance to terrestrial fauna. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates science fiction that focuses more on exploration than combat.
During a class, Dr. Derek Blanchard receives a transmission featuring a waterfall and a musical score through the telescope they're observing. His initial instinct is to investigate whether it originated from an extraterrestrial civilization. It's been 7000 years, and the majority of Earth's population is reluctant to engage with potentially hostile, advanced aliens.
Nevertheless, Dr. Blanchard is eager to seek out these beings to verify if the signal indeed came from an alien planet, rather than a terrestrial interference. To this end, Derek recruits Priscilla to navigate a ship seven hundred light-years away in search of answers. However, they encounter far more than they anticipated.
The story doesn't revolve around action, which is perfectly acceptable as it allows for a deeper understanding of the characters through their interactions. The science is sound, and the aliens, while imaginative, bear a resemblance to terrestrial fauna. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates science fiction that focuses more on exploration than combat.
November 6, 2018
Jack McDevitt has been among my favorite authors for years, and books like this are why. An adventure that spans galaxies, with characters who are all too human and a future where some things, despite advancements in technology, are still exactly the same.
December 14, 2024
Amazing story, really gets you thinking!
July 10, 2020
Generally, I prefer stand-alone SF novels to series. One exception has been Jack McDevitt’s Academy series, at least through the first four novels or so, which are great. After that, I became habituated and so continue to read. In this latest installment, pilot Priscilla “Hutch” Hutchins is hired to take an assortment of characters out in a small starship to find the source of an enigmatic video signal received from a solar system over 7,000 light-years away. You should understand that in McDevitt’s Academy universe, intelligent life is quite rare. In fact, the only technologically advanced civilizations ever encountered to date have turned out to be ruins. Some of the most thrilling novels of this series are set against a backdrop of archaeological discovery and exploration. While each novel has its own plot conclusion, there is still a sequence to the backstory. Here is the chronological order, which differs from publication order.
Starhawk (2013)
The Engines of God (1994)
Deepsix (2001)
Chindi (2002)
Omega (2003)
Odyssey (2006)
Cauldron (2007)
The Long Sunset (2018)
In this episode, we are introduced to Hutch’s children and mother on Earth in 2256, and it is rare to see dialog more wooden and unnatural, and a future Earth less interesting. Fortunately, they are soon left behind as Hutch is propelled into her next mission. The Academy itself has been closed for several years, and political forces are tending towards a total prohibition of further space exploration. But the crew manages to depart even as the halt order is being propagated through an organizational bureaucracy. Out of contact with Earth, what they encounter is a series of unexpected discoveries that harken back to some of the archaeological mysteries that started the series. And for the first time, humans encounter live technologically advanced aliens, which ought to be a highpoint of the series. Sadly, McDevitt’s independently evolved aliens are not actually very alien – to the point of resembling 20th century Americans. Even the 23rd century human crew seems like 20th century Americans. It is as if McDevitt, at the age of 83 when this was published, has become locked into the world of his younger years. Still, it is refreshing to experience an optimistic future and the bringing out of the best in humanity rather than the worst.
This novel is really only for those already addicted to McDevitt’s Academy sequence. If it’s all new to you, start with The Engines of God, and see if it is to your liking. I recommend reading the four novels from there through Omega.
Starhawk (2013)
The Engines of God (1994)
Deepsix (2001)
Chindi (2002)
Omega (2003)
Odyssey (2006)
Cauldron (2007)
The Long Sunset (2018)
In this episode, we are introduced to Hutch’s children and mother on Earth in 2256, and it is rare to see dialog more wooden and unnatural, and a future Earth less interesting. Fortunately, they are soon left behind as Hutch is propelled into her next mission. The Academy itself has been closed for several years, and political forces are tending towards a total prohibition of further space exploration. But the crew manages to depart even as the halt order is being propagated through an organizational bureaucracy. Out of contact with Earth, what they encounter is a series of unexpected discoveries that harken back to some of the archaeological mysteries that started the series. And for the first time, humans encounter live technologically advanced aliens, which ought to be a highpoint of the series. Sadly, McDevitt’s independently evolved aliens are not actually very alien – to the point of resembling 20th century Americans. Even the 23rd century human crew seems like 20th century Americans. It is as if McDevitt, at the age of 83 when this was published, has become locked into the world of his younger years. Still, it is refreshing to experience an optimistic future and the bringing out of the best in humanity rather than the worst.
This novel is really only for those already addicted to McDevitt’s Academy sequence. If it’s all new to you, start with The Engines of God, and see if it is to your liking. I recommend reading the four novels from there through Omega.
May 20, 2018
I've been reading Jack McDevitt for sometime but I must admit I gave up on him these last few years. I missed his last Priscilla Hutch book but I decided to give him another try. McDevitt's earlier work was of more substance as to what Priscilla was doing and how it was being explained. In The Long Sunset there is a clear meaning in the book as to the state of Earth and the cosmos, it seems that everyone on the planet is terrified of space and what other planets and aliens might mean to our ordered ways of life.
Leaders like the President and so forth demand that aliens never be encountered as a more advanced alien race is seen as a major threat to our existence. I think that the fear is a religious one, never to know too much, never to read too much, stay only to your own, is definitely of the ancient religions. Problem is there may be some validity to the premise. At least in McDevitt's view of space, as many planets seem to be rather like Earth. Regardless of the aliens odd looks they to have religion, and here McDevitt makes no sense at all, plainly stating that everything in the Universe must have a religion. I think McDevitt is showing some signs of age.
The aliens, the ones we meet the most are like dolphins but they appear to have 'emotions' like man and woman, a very unlikely occurrence on an alien planet. Fact is a tree on another planet is not a tree. Not Physics but Creativity may be at work. McDevitt is on a limb for most of the book as he finally sends his crew out to space to see what a transmission to earth of a waterfall meant.
Everything on McDevitt's earth is frighteningly like today, except for the cowardly warnings about not exploring space because of dangerous aliens etc, etc. I can only laugh at this, it's truly funny that man and woman don't want to encounter other beings. Don't use the stupid 'life' word, it sure isn't that! Fact is I wouldn't use that word to much down here either. It's all pat thinking in this book of McDevitt. He seems to have lost some passion and perhaps he could just let 'Hutch' go next time, she needs a real challenge, not taking orders from the ground and in space by know it alls and loose cannons.
No there isn't anything here for Hutch to sink her teeth into. McDevitt knows Hutch very well but this isn't the way to present her, he maybe should have skipped this story and waited for a more powerful one up ahead.
Maybe McDevitt should himself read more Military Science Fiction, Neil Asher perhaps... might give a few ideas...
Leaders like the President and so forth demand that aliens never be encountered as a more advanced alien race is seen as a major threat to our existence. I think that the fear is a religious one, never to know too much, never to read too much, stay only to your own, is definitely of the ancient religions. Problem is there may be some validity to the premise. At least in McDevitt's view of space, as many planets seem to be rather like Earth. Regardless of the aliens odd looks they to have religion, and here McDevitt makes no sense at all, plainly stating that everything in the Universe must have a religion. I think McDevitt is showing some signs of age.
The aliens, the ones we meet the most are like dolphins but they appear to have 'emotions' like man and woman, a very unlikely occurrence on an alien planet. Fact is a tree on another planet is not a tree. Not Physics but Creativity may be at work. McDevitt is on a limb for most of the book as he finally sends his crew out to space to see what a transmission to earth of a waterfall meant.
Everything on McDevitt's earth is frighteningly like today, except for the cowardly warnings about not exploring space because of dangerous aliens etc, etc. I can only laugh at this, it's truly funny that man and woman don't want to encounter other beings. Don't use the stupid 'life' word, it sure isn't that! Fact is I wouldn't use that word to much down here either. It's all pat thinking in this book of McDevitt. He seems to have lost some passion and perhaps he could just let 'Hutch' go next time, she needs a real challenge, not taking orders from the ground and in space by know it alls and loose cannons.
No there isn't anything here for Hutch to sink her teeth into. McDevitt knows Hutch very well but this isn't the way to present her, he maybe should have skipped this story and waited for a more powerful one up ahead.
Maybe McDevitt should himself read more Military Science Fiction, Neil Asher perhaps... might give a few ideas...
September 9, 2022
A feel-good story to round of the Academy series (hopefully)
DeWitt follows in the trail of Becky Chambers Wayfares series, with a novel focused on people of all races (including aliens) getting along and helping each other.
It's a slow burning story, but fans of the Academy series will be used to that by now, my only complaint is that a large part of the story felt like something i had read in another DeWitt novel.
DeWitt follows in the trail of Becky Chambers Wayfares series, with a novel focused on people of all races (including aliens) getting along and helping each other.
It's a slow burning story, but fans of the Academy series will be used to that by now, my only complaint is that a large part of the story felt like something i had read in another DeWitt novel.
April 21, 2018
Well, there was a big problem, and an eventual solution.
I'd have to say that the overall scope of things was not as wide as previous Academy scenarios.
I'd have to say that the overall scope of things was not as wide as previous Academy scenarios.
December 22, 2018
"There's nothing as boring as friendly aliens."
This is a quote from the book and, strangely enough, also sums up my reaction to it. I've read a lot of McDevitt's books and really enjoyed a lot of them. I recommend Polaris and Deepsix, particularly. This book, however, I found very frustrating. The whole arc of the book was the mission to find and meet the aliens whose presence was detected from Earth. On the way, they actually find multiple intelligent aliens, but are remarkably incurious about them, since they're not the ones they were looking for. Not only that, but it seems that all aliens follow the same basic pattern as humans, both in terms of evolution and technology. The characters have multiple conversations about how this is inevitable -- of course the aliens are bipeds, smile and clap and shake hands, and have steamboats and telephones that look just like those from Earth. In fact, the aliens seemed decidedly less alien to Western readers in their culture and mode of thought than humans from India or China might be. I can handle very human-like aliens in some contexts (Star Trek, e.g.), but when the whole point of the story is the mission to discover aliens and see what they're like, it's rather disappointing. The disappointment was only heightened by the discovery that each of the alien races they met had little to no experience of murder and war, and welcomed them with easy friendliness and no hint of danger (or even much difficulty learning the language and getting along). So yes -- there's nothing quite so boring as friendly aliens.
If you've never read McDevitt, and definitely recommend giving him a try, but start with a different book.
This is a quote from the book and, strangely enough, also sums up my reaction to it. I've read a lot of McDevitt's books and really enjoyed a lot of them. I recommend Polaris and Deepsix, particularly. This book, however, I found very frustrating. The whole arc of the book was the mission to find and meet the aliens whose presence was detected from Earth. On the way, they actually find multiple intelligent aliens, but are remarkably incurious about them, since they're not the ones they were looking for. Not only that, but it seems that all aliens follow the same basic pattern as humans, both in terms of evolution and technology. The characters have multiple conversations about how this is inevitable -- of course the aliens are bipeds, smile and clap and shake hands, and have steamboats and telephones that look just like those from Earth. In fact, the aliens seemed decidedly less alien to Western readers in their culture and mode of thought than humans from India or China might be. I can handle very human-like aliens in some contexts (Star Trek, e.g.), but when the whole point of the story is the mission to discover aliens and see what they're like, it's rather disappointing. The disappointment was only heightened by the discovery that each of the alien races they met had little to no experience of murder and war, and welcomed them with easy friendliness and no hint of danger (or even much difficulty learning the language and getting along). So yes -- there's nothing quite so boring as friendly aliens.
If you've never read McDevitt, and definitely recommend giving him a try, but start with a different book.
February 5, 2019
This book is the eighth book in "The Academy" series by Jack McDevitt. In this one the world governments are losing interest in continued funding of the exploration of interstellar space. Also many are worried that even though mankind has found no living advanced intelligence that one day we will run across a hostile civilization bent on our destruction. There is much pressure to shut down the continued exploration and confine our space activities to our solar system and to star systems where we have already established a presence. Then a signal from a distant star system is discovered showing a video of a beautiful waterfall accompanied by human sounding music. It is decided to send a ship to investigate with Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins as the pilot. At the last minute, the trip is canceled but Hutch and her team are already on board the ship and defy orders and leave anyway. They discover evidence of several civilizations both still active and long extinct. One of the civilizations is in extreme danger of being destroyed by a black hole and Hutch and her team must try to find a way to save them. Also, another clue to the long extinct Monument Makers is discovered. This is another great read in this series and I recommend it to all Jack McDevitt fans.
September 27, 2018
I have to say that I have enjoyed the Academy novels, and I'd somehow managed to miss the last two being published, I have already finished and reviewed the previous book (the prequel – Starhawk) and this one brings me back up to date.
There is something quite old fashioned about these books – travelogue in space, with social issues and particularly opinions on spending money on space exploration discussed. Nothing wrong with that, although arguably a bit strange to feel nostalgic with a new book.
This is a very decent entry into the series, Hutch is getting older, but is still the 'go to' pilot for interstellars, hardly surprisingly given her experience and, largely, success in the role. This time she's hired to transport a science group to investigate the origins of an extraterrestrial signal apparently sent by an advanced civilisation, there is political resistance because of fear of the aliens, and its an election year so, you know how it goes, whip up the masses to get votes.
An excellent read, if a bit panglossian at the end.
There is something quite old fashioned about these books – travelogue in space, with social issues and particularly opinions on spending money on space exploration discussed. Nothing wrong with that, although arguably a bit strange to feel nostalgic with a new book.
This is a very decent entry into the series, Hutch is getting older, but is still the 'go to' pilot for interstellars, hardly surprisingly given her experience and, largely, success in the role. This time she's hired to transport a science group to investigate the origins of an extraterrestrial signal apparently sent by an advanced civilisation, there is political resistance because of fear of the aliens, and its an election year so, you know how it goes, whip up the masses to get votes.
An excellent read, if a bit panglossian at the end.
June 10, 2019
I really enjoyed this science fiction novel. I loved Hutch, our interstellar pilot heroine. Here she and a group of explorers go in search of the origin of a snippet of video from another civilization, an image of a waterfall with beautiful music, despite strong political pressure not to go. There are discoveries and perils, and encounters with various intelligent aliens. One reviewer found this a depressing novel, but it is only the human politics that I found depressing. I thought the overall tone was quite hopeful about our future.
January 17, 2019
Far-future, hard (techy) SF that I usually use as an escape but found a quote the author included in this book to be timely:
"Freedom of conscience, of education, of speech, of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged."
~Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a 1940 letter to W. N. Hardy
"Freedom of conscience, of education, of speech, of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged."
~Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a 1940 letter to W. N. Hardy
July 21, 2021
The Long Sunset is the eighth and, I think, final The Academy Series novel starring interstellar space pilot Priscilla Hutchins. She was actually retired in the prior novel but was asked to pilot a mission, and was again called on to pilot one more mission in this novel. It felt like the end of series despite the fact that there may be room for a sequel. But it was evident that she wanted to spend more time with her kids and new love interest and settle down a bit. And, the mystery introduced in the very first series novel The Engines of God was solved in this novel making it feel like this was a fitting way to wrap it all up.
In this novel, Priscilla is called on to pilot an interstellar to a planet in which an audio (music) and video signal had been detected by a new high-powered telescope. This is the first ever alien signal received by Earth. Since we last left off in this series there had been breakthroughs on Earth regarding anti-aging treatment to one's telomeres and human life spans were increasing so you would think the most notable interstellar pilot would have all kinds of work lined up. This is not the case as the world governments have changed their attitude regarding interstellar exploration, and now believe it to be unnecessarily costly and possibly dangerous as the last thing humans want is to call attention to advanced, malevolent lifeforms or bring back some horrible space virus from another world. The whole interstellar space operation was being shut down and ships dismantled.
Like most of the other McDevitt novels I've read this one moves along and is never boring. He has a knack for writing really good science fiction mysteries. It felt like the characters were pretty fleshed out in this one and we got to know the main character better, building on what we knew from prior novels. The book starts out with heavy drama and the plot picks up speed once the starship Eiferman launches. There is plenty of action, not the space battle kind, and a lot of cool technology on display. The novel is set just over 200 years in the future. What I didn't like so much was the fact that the aliens were fairly similar to humans, not so much by looks (but were bipeds), and their society seemed to be too similar to ours. And inhabited planets seemed to be very similar to earth - comfortable temperature, safe to breathe, tons of water, edible foods - they didn't feel *that* alien. It all felt a bit Star-Treky in that regard.
This was a fun read and and a nice ending if indeed it is the final novel in the eight-novel series. I have yet to read the prequel which was written just before The Long Sunset but it is sitting on my book shelf so its just a matter of time.
In this novel, Priscilla is called on to pilot an interstellar to a planet in which an audio (music) and video signal had been detected by a new high-powered telescope. This is the first ever alien signal received by Earth. Since we last left off in this series there had been breakthroughs on Earth regarding anti-aging treatment to one's telomeres and human life spans were increasing so you would think the most notable interstellar pilot would have all kinds of work lined up. This is not the case as the world governments have changed their attitude regarding interstellar exploration, and now believe it to be unnecessarily costly and possibly dangerous as the last thing humans want is to call attention to advanced, malevolent lifeforms or bring back some horrible space virus from another world. The whole interstellar space operation was being shut down and ships dismantled.
Like most of the other McDevitt novels I've read this one moves along and is never boring. He has a knack for writing really good science fiction mysteries. It felt like the characters were pretty fleshed out in this one and we got to know the main character better, building on what we knew from prior novels. The book starts out with heavy drama and the plot picks up speed once the starship Eiferman launches. There is plenty of action, not the space battle kind, and a lot of cool technology on display. The novel is set just over 200 years in the future. What I didn't like so much was the fact that the aliens were fairly similar to humans, not so much by looks (but were bipeds), and their society seemed to be too similar to ours. And inhabited planets seemed to be very similar to earth - comfortable temperature, safe to breathe, tons of water, edible foods - they didn't feel *that* alien. It all felt a bit Star-Treky in that regard.
This was a fun read and and a nice ending if indeed it is the final novel in the eight-novel series. I have yet to read the prequel which was written just before The Long Sunset but it is sitting on my book shelf so its just a matter of time.
July 4, 2019
I enjoyed reading the book, but it required a ton of suspension of disbelief. People just don't act like that. If there are aliens, I'm quite sure that they don't act like that either. If you identify 30-some planets within the "Goldilocks zone" (I like that concept) of their stars, and three or four turn out to have life not dissimilar to Earth life...well, it's fiction, but sooo unlikely. The book would make a good kids' cartoon show. Hutch travels around the galaxy, checks out various planets--only ruins here, old spaceship out there, lonely AI wants to talk with us, a black hole is swallowing that star system, ooh, cute aliens, let's go look at them. All with no weapon power more than box cutters (but they're laser box cutters). The political stuff on Earth is also, imo, quite unrealistic. Also, not so consistent from book to book in this series. And I won't mention gender roles (okay, I just did).
I like books with spaceship travel, aliens, cool astronomical stuff, and a mostly nonmilitary slant. I just wish there were more good books in that genre. By good, I mean more convincing than this.
I like books with spaceship travel, aliens, cool astronomical stuff, and a mostly nonmilitary slant. I just wish there were more good books in that genre. By good, I mean more convincing than this.
December 24, 2019
This is exactly what I want out of a Jack McDevitt book. Aliens, strange star systems, dead civilizations, and characters who eat sandwiches.
Another reviewer here described this book as "Robert Heinlein writing The Three Body Problem" and that's exactly it. I find it funny that people criticize McDevitt for not depicting a human society that's completely different a few hundred years in the future, but at this point is he charmingly old-school or actively swimming against the tide? Maybe the humans of 2300 will be biohacked cyborgs untethered from any ancient concepts of race, creed, and gender--and I've read many great SF novels recently that try to imagine what that would be like. But who knows, maybe McDevitt's more right than wrong and that society might not change quite as radically as we might expect. In any event, it's no more ridiculous than Star Trek. These books are not about imagining cultural change, they place our culture in a future with interstellar ships and then tell a story about exploration, curiosity, and adventure.
Also, is it boring or interesting that the aliens in this novel aren't evil, aren't plotting something, are trying to be good people but have to deal with the difficulties of society and bureaucracy? I was relieved, to be honest, that characters who could've easily been depicted as cliched villains ... just weren't. Not every book needs massive character conflict. The giant planet-eating black hole and the soul-crushing bureaucracy that might let millions of sentient beings die... there are enough antagonists here already.
Another reviewer here described this book as "Robert Heinlein writing The Three Body Problem" and that's exactly it. I find it funny that people criticize McDevitt for not depicting a human society that's completely different a few hundred years in the future, but at this point is he charmingly old-school or actively swimming against the tide? Maybe the humans of 2300 will be biohacked cyborgs untethered from any ancient concepts of race, creed, and gender--and I've read many great SF novels recently that try to imagine what that would be like. But who knows, maybe McDevitt's more right than wrong and that society might not change quite as radically as we might expect. In any event, it's no more ridiculous than Star Trek. These books are not about imagining cultural change, they place our culture in a future with interstellar ships and then tell a story about exploration, curiosity, and adventure.
Also, is it boring or interesting that the aliens in this novel aren't evil, aren't plotting something, are trying to be good people but have to deal with the difficulties of society and bureaucracy? I was relieved, to be honest, that characters who could've easily been depicted as cliched villains ... just weren't. Not every book needs massive character conflict. The giant planet-eating black hole and the soul-crushing bureaucracy that might let millions of sentient beings die... there are enough antagonists here already.
June 28, 2023
I liked this book, I felt like I was listening to the aliens as they spoke, and overall message was meaningful and the connection between the two species was surprisingly wholesome. I did feel like McDevitt did fast forward in some areas that could have had more detail, but he got the point across. A lot of the issues earth faced in this future setting were ones that we are dealing with now and what we could see develops in the future, I thought that was interesting as well.
Overall, I liked it.
Overall, I liked it.
May 31, 2018
This pains me, as I've been reading McDevitt for most of my adult life. He fills a very obscure niche in Science Fiction - indeed he's pretty much the only author to write what I'd call "Xeno-archaeological Adventures", where the alien ruins stand alone and as somber as our own, rather than serving as the usual world-ending plot mcguffin or somesuch, and he writes them well. Usually.
Now, Cauldron was short, and seemed like an attempt to wrap up loose ends in his fictions universe before age took him out or something. It wasn't the best, the answers weren't what we expected, but I appreciated the gesture since too many authors craft a great mystery and leave it hanging forever.
Long Sunset is just thin, though. The dialogue is forced, and in places just plain...bad... and the characters are cardboard. Even Hutch, unfortunately. The plot is there, and I can see the explanation he wanted to send about his long-mysterious "Monument Makers" without explicitly laying it out as he did with things in Cauldron, but it's still thin as rice paper.
It's...it's hard to explain, it's just not a well written novel. Both the plot depth and narrative craft displayed in Deep Six or Seeker is completely absent here. It's the kind of work I'd expect to read from a junior unpublished novelist, and I have to question who edited it, or indeed if McDevitt wrote this at all vs. a ghost writer. :/
Now, Cauldron was short, and seemed like an attempt to wrap up loose ends in his fictions universe before age took him out or something. It wasn't the best, the answers weren't what we expected, but I appreciated the gesture since too many authors craft a great mystery and leave it hanging forever.
Long Sunset is just thin, though. The dialogue is forced, and in places just plain...bad... and the characters are cardboard. Even Hutch, unfortunately. The plot is there, and I can see the explanation he wanted to send about his long-mysterious "Monument Makers" without explicitly laying it out as he did with things in Cauldron, but it's still thin as rice paper.
It's...it's hard to explain, it's just not a well written novel. Both the plot depth and narrative craft displayed in Deep Six or Seeker is completely absent here. It's the kind of work I'd expect to read from a junior unpublished novelist, and I have to question who edited it, or indeed if McDevitt wrote this at all vs. a ghost writer. :/
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