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Alex Benedict #9
Village in the Sky
In Nebula Award–winning author Jack McDevitt’s ninth installment in the beloved Alex Benedict science fiction mystery series, humanity discovers new intelligent life lightyears away—only for it to disappear without a trace.
Centuries after a war with the Mutes, the first aliens to be encountered by humankind, a startling new discovery in the far reaches of the Orion Nebula appears. On a planet with conditions favorable to life, explorer vessel The Columbia comes across a small town seemingly inhabited by an intelligent species not yet discovered.
But when a highly publicized follow-up mission is sent to make contact mere months later, the entire town has vanished, leaving no trace—or such is presumed to be the case until Alex Benedict and his archaeological crew show up to investigate. Officially, their mission is to find concealed artifacts that may have been left behind, but the team’s real goal is to solve the mystery of how these aliens disappeared so rapidly—and why. In turns terrifying and miraculous, the answers raise the stakes for every member on board as they look to make their mark on history.
Nebula Award–winning author Jack McDevitt, whom Stephen King has called “the logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke,” brings back Alex, Chase, and Gabe for another brilliantly crafted science fiction mystery.
Centuries after a war with the Mutes, the first aliens to be encountered by humankind, a startling new discovery in the far reaches of the Orion Nebula appears. On a planet with conditions favorable to life, explorer vessel The Columbia comes across a small town seemingly inhabited by an intelligent species not yet discovered.
But when a highly publicized follow-up mission is sent to make contact mere months later, the entire town has vanished, leaving no trace—or such is presumed to be the case until Alex Benedict and his archaeological crew show up to investigate. Officially, their mission is to find concealed artifacts that may have been left behind, but the team’s real goal is to solve the mystery of how these aliens disappeared so rapidly—and why. In turns terrifying and miraculous, the answers raise the stakes for every member on board as they look to make their mark on history.
Nebula Award–winning author Jack McDevitt, whom Stephen King has called “the logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke,” brings back Alex, Chase, and Gabe for another brilliantly crafted science fiction mystery.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2023
79 people are currently reading
452 people want to read
About the author
Jack McDevitt
185 books1,342 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 126 reviews
November 19, 2022
Jack McDevitt started what is now known as the Alex Benedict series in 1989 with A Talent for War. After that first novel, the perspective character has changed to Chase Kolpath, the pilot and sidekick of antiquities prospector Alex Benedict, and Alex’s archeologist uncle Gabe. Each features investigations into artifacts of lost alien civilizations, which are very few and far between in McDevitt’s universe. Village in the Sky is the 9th installment of the series. The story stands alone, although there is technological development moving forward through the series.
In this episode, there has been observation of an actual living alien village on a distant planet. Mysteriously, this village seems to have some degree of technology, but to be alone on the planet. A second return mission finds that the village has disappeared. Ever in search of artifacts such as the coffee cup of the prior mission’s captain, which could command collector value, Chase, Alex, and Gabe seek out the planet for themselves. They discover the truth of the village, and embark on discoveries across the Orion Arm. As always, McDevitt’s human cultural milieu resembles 1950s and 1960s America, in social institutions and gender roles, rather than the distant future that it is described to be, hence I label it as “cozy science fiction.” Unfortunately, at this late stage of the series, when we finally do encounter living aliens, they turn out to be simplistically imagined, akin to the 1960s juvenile adventure fiction of Andre Norton. Gone is the pathos of imagined aliens and lost civilizations that characterized this series in the beginning. I have loved Jack McDevitt’s works from his early days, but no longer find innovative ideas herein – just an updation of the rather bland lives of the persisting main characters.
I read an advance Digital Review Copy of Village in the Sky in an ebook format, which I received from Saga Press through netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review on social media platforms and on my book review blog. This new title is scheduled for release on 31 January 2023.
In this episode, there has been observation of an actual living alien village on a distant planet. Mysteriously, this village seems to have some degree of technology, but to be alone on the planet. A second return mission finds that the village has disappeared. Ever in search of artifacts such as the coffee cup of the prior mission’s captain, which could command collector value, Chase, Alex, and Gabe seek out the planet for themselves. They discover the truth of the village, and embark on discoveries across the Orion Arm. As always, McDevitt’s human cultural milieu resembles 1950s and 1960s America, in social institutions and gender roles, rather than the distant future that it is described to be, hence I label it as “cozy science fiction.” Unfortunately, at this late stage of the series, when we finally do encounter living aliens, they turn out to be simplistically imagined, akin to the 1960s juvenile adventure fiction of Andre Norton. Gone is the pathos of imagined aliens and lost civilizations that characterized this series in the beginning. I have loved Jack McDevitt’s works from his early days, but no longer find innovative ideas herein – just an updation of the rather bland lives of the persisting main characters.
I read an advance Digital Review Copy of Village in the Sky in an ebook format, which I received from Saga Press through netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review on social media platforms and on my book review blog. This new title is scheduled for release on 31 January 2023.
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October 21, 2022There’s something about McDevitt’s SF that I have yet to figure out. Despite the layers of anachronisms served up with a heaping helping of melancholy, and plots that are more and more recycling elements from earlier works, I still find them strangely compelling and readable. Reading McDevitt requires a determined suspension of reality – and a willingness to sign on to believing that life in the far future will look a heck of a lot like today, contrary to all historical evidence of sociology evolution that keeps pace or even outpaces biological evolution. It’s as if a midwestern state’s culture from the 1950’s was translated 9000 years into the future, with a few SF-ian gee gaws pasted on. The main female protagonist has some agency of her own, but in many respects is a throw back to 1950’s views of women in SF – the second banana to the male characters. The plot clips right along, propelled by the author’s carefully placed reveals, signature short sentences, and some recycled elements from other books he’s written (mysterious settlement on a distant planet with only one light on comes to mind). Some plot elements are raised and then dropped, such as one newly discovered sentient race of beings is introduced but dropped for the remainder of the book.
Again, I’ll read most anything McDevitt will write, but the cracks and rivets are starting to show.
Again, I’ll read most anything McDevitt will write, but the cracks and rivets are starting to show.
February 12, 2023
what happened?
I have read all the other books, and while not great were worth the read. Sorry to say this one really stinks.
I have read all the other books, and while not great were worth the read. Sorry to say this one really stinks.
April 4, 2023
Sadly unreadable. I’ve been enjoying McDevitt’s books for 20 years but was unable to finish this.
Although set thousands of years in a technologically advanced and somewhat socially enlightened future, the civilization seems to be permanently stuck in a semi-1950’s white suburban ethos. The author’s attempts to be “progressive” and “enlightened” might have been current for the 1990s but just serve to point out how badly out of touch he is now.
The characters spent the first 10% of the book being bored at the idea of spending eight weeks, round trip, checking out the second living alien civilization they’ve ever discovered. I’m sorry, but if they can’t muster up the enthusiasm, how can we expect the reader to care?
The writing is sloppy at times, with characters making statements that directly contradict info given previously and paying little attention to continuity. Random unnecessary digs are made for no obvious reason, like characters saying someone in charge of arranging a cultural exchange forgot she’d already called to ask him something.
Overall the book might have been salvageable with a good editor who had the authority to hold the author accountable, but I think he’s been sailing along on his reputation for too long to listen.
Although set thousands of years in a technologically advanced and somewhat socially enlightened future, the civilization seems to be permanently stuck in a semi-1950’s white suburban ethos. The author’s attempts to be “progressive” and “enlightened” might have been current for the 1990s but just serve to point out how badly out of touch he is now.
The characters spent the first 10% of the book being bored at the idea of spending eight weeks, round trip, checking out the second living alien civilization they’ve ever discovered. I’m sorry, but if they can’t muster up the enthusiasm, how can we expect the reader to care?
The writing is sloppy at times, with characters making statements that directly contradict info given previously and paying little attention to continuity. Random unnecessary digs are made for no obvious reason, like characters saying someone in charge of arranging a cultural exchange forgot she’d already called to ask him something.
Overall the book might have been salvageable with a good editor who had the authority to hold the author accountable, but I think he’s been sailing along on his reputation for too long to listen.
February 19, 2024
This latest Chase Kolpath & crew adventure is enjoyable, but not up the standard of the previous books in the series. I enjoyed the fact that McDevitt makes a good case for the preservation of art in physical versus electronic form. His quirk of having the story set nine-thousand years in the future but all of the characters sounding like rich country-club members from the Eisenhower era has grown a bit too thin. A couple of alien races show up this time, but they're more boring than alien. The rivalry of museums versus private collectors of artifacts was interesting. There's an intriguing mystery to solve (that town was right here!), but the ending was a bit flat. The big antagonists were boredom and the prime directive... the first line of the novel kind of gives it away: "I never thought the day would come when I'd settle in to write an Alex Benedict memoir in which Alex and I are the bad guys."
July 2, 2023
It's not a secret that the Alex Benedict series has slowly been losing momentum. I wasn't the biggest fan of Octavia Gone, but the change in writing quality for this book is unmistakably worse. The Confederacy has drawn into itself for no given reason and now discourages exploration. The Mute war has now been redefined as a minor conflict (what the hell?). Our explorers, previously used to traveling long distances in other books, now hem and haw for half the book about being gone for three months of travel. Most of the book is constant discussions of books the characters read, what meals they're eating, and various shows they're watching. It's painfully bland. I don't recognize these characters anymore, and their dialogue is all interchangeable. In fact, you wouldn't know who was speaking if the author didn't constantly insert a character's name into the lines of dialogue.
"You hear that, Alex?" she said.
or
"I didn't expect to see you back so soon, Chase," Alex said.
It's a nitpick, but the whole book is full that style of dialog. "Let's let it go, Chase." "Sure thing, Gabe." It reminds me of a dull talk show interview.
The aliens (all of them) are very underdeveloped. Overall, an odd, out of character book with little conflict or direction and a flat ending. I think the best stopping point for the series is Coming Home, or, if you don't care about series resolutions, Firebird for the stronger finish. A Talent for War is still a solid book. I don't know why this book was written, and it's a dissapointing way to conclude this series.
"You hear that, Alex?" she said.
or
"I didn't expect to see you back so soon, Chase," Alex said.
It's a nitpick, but the whole book is full that style of dialog. "Let's let it go, Chase." "Sure thing, Gabe." It reminds me of a dull talk show interview.
The aliens (all of them) are very underdeveloped. Overall, an odd, out of character book with little conflict or direction and a flat ending. I think the best stopping point for the series is Coming Home, or, if you don't care about series resolutions, Firebird for the stronger finish. A Talent for War is still a solid book. I don't know why this book was written, and it's a dissapointing way to conclude this series.
February 19, 2023
Just... never quite landed.
Like many of McDevitt's books, this one just kind of meanders. The big moments aren't big. Before you know it, you're 75% done with the book, and you realize that the Big Conflict of the story isn't going to come. Or rather, it's already come, and it just didn't work. Add to that the obligatory "dead planet with an AI" at the end, and you have classic McDevitt. I just can't recommend this book to anyone.
Like many of McDevitt's books, this one just kind of meanders. The big moments aren't big. Before you know it, you're 75% done with the book, and you realize that the Big Conflict of the story isn't going to come. Or rather, it's already come, and it just didn't work. Add to that the obligatory "dead planet with an AI" at the end, and you have classic McDevitt. I just can't recommend this book to anyone.
February 7, 2024
I knew stealing that satellite was a bad idea.
February 2, 2023
Not the strongest in the series but I do love me some Chase Kolpath. Major Outer Wilds vibes in the back half of this one, as well as some of that theme that I first associate with KSR’s Aurora; that being the futility of colonization in a hostile uncaring universe; though this doubles down on we’re all in it together (in the dark forest).
Another review says the gender politics and culture are stuck in the 50s, but I get more of a big hair 80s vibe from all of the talk shows and academic celebrity and the gender role assumptions that keep getting very awkwardly challenged as the series goes on. That makes a kind of sense to me; the far future has kept plugging on as a time capsule of when this series began. Yes, most of it requires a colossal amount of suspension of disbelief but honestly no one writes with this particular voice and I’ll frankly miss it as I gather this is the end of the line.
Another review says the gender politics and culture are stuck in the 50s, but I get more of a big hair 80s vibe from all of the talk shows and academic celebrity and the gender role assumptions that keep getting very awkwardly challenged as the series goes on. That makes a kind of sense to me; the far future has kept plugging on as a time capsule of when this series began. Yes, most of it requires a colossal amount of suspension of disbelief but honestly no one writes with this particular voice and I’ll frankly miss it as I gather this is the end of the line.
February 16, 2023
3.5 stars.
February 8, 2023
Disappointing.
I've been a McDevitt fan since his first book. This one just isn't up to par. The characters we know from earlier books appear to have lost their motivation, their purpose in life. That's true of the culture they live in. The Confederacy has lost their drive. They're afraid to explore, to find new intelligences. Why? Because of the Mutie war, we're told. That wasn't much of a war, we're also told.
It seems McDevitt has lost his drive, too. It's been awhile since his last book, and I wonder if this one was driven more by his agent and publisher than by McDevitt.
I've been a McDevitt fan since his first book. This one just isn't up to par. The characters we know from earlier books appear to have lost their motivation, their purpose in life. That's true of the culture they live in. The Confederacy has lost their drive. They're afraid to explore, to find new intelligences. Why? Because of the Mutie war, we're told. That wasn't much of a war, we're also told.
It seems McDevitt has lost his drive, too. It's been awhile since his last book, and I wonder if this one was driven more by his agent and publisher than by McDevitt.
May 21, 2023
I am very disappointed.
I started the Alex Benedict series in the wrong book - I started with Seeker, and while none of McDevitt's other books have quite lived up to that high point, this is the first of the Benedict books which was just... bad.
Things happen. They are unchallenged and un-remarkable. Massive things happen, and are treated as nothing more than a sideshow and mild commerce and trendsetting event. That's the first 40% of the book. Then we go on a long cruise on which... very little occurs, we discover, with ease, the conceit of the central mystery, and spend a lot of time with characters who are less and less interesting as the book goes forward....
All to be wrapped up in a couple pages of blisteringly banal epilogue.
as a fan of the series, I can't help but give a painful recommendation: stop reading after Firebird. You'll be happier.
I started the Alex Benedict series in the wrong book - I started with Seeker, and while none of McDevitt's other books have quite lived up to that high point, this is the first of the Benedict books which was just... bad.
Things happen. They are unchallenged and un-remarkable. Massive things happen, and are treated as nothing more than a sideshow and mild commerce and trendsetting event. That's the first 40% of the book. Then we go on a long cruise on which... very little occurs, we discover, with ease, the conceit of the central mystery, and spend a lot of time with characters who are less and less interesting as the book goes forward....
All to be wrapped up in a couple pages of blisteringly banal epilogue.
as a fan of the series, I can't help but give a painful recommendation: stop reading after Firebird. You'll be happier.
April 2, 2023
The star ratings for this book are overly generous. If you read the descriptions, they're closer to the truth. This book is awful. I've read all of the other Alex Benedict novels and this one stands apart. The plot and pacing are all over the place. I honestly don't know why I finished reading this one. Probably because I was so familiar with the characters and the Rimway/Andiquar universe. I would recommend anyone who values their time to avoid this one.
February 6, 2023
I think Mr McDevitt needed money
While the characters were the usual crowd, the editing was not up to standard. The characters who are indigenous in the first planet are never mentioned again after they are found and the main characters to after the list village. It the the gem the first Alex Benedict, it likely would be also be the last. I suspect it is the last.
While the characters were the usual crowd, the editing was not up to standard. The characters who are indigenous in the first planet are never mentioned again after they are found and the main characters to after the list village. It the the gem the first Alex Benedict, it likely would be also be the last. I suspect it is the last.
June 20, 2023
This installment of the Alex Benedict series was...okay. It felt like ultimately nothing much really happened, despite what should have been some very exciting plot points. A lot of the novel felt secondhand; the narrator tells us a lot about the story without actually being directly involved in those events. It all felt pretty excitement-free, TBH.
March 11, 2023
I didn't hate this but it was not on the same level as previous works. I'm not sure how it was possible but the middle dragged on and on but the ending was rushed and unsatisfying. The final mission was to find artifacts [spoiler ahead] and there were opportunities to gather them but no ...
May 15, 2023
That was weird. Also unnecessary. Like a cozy interstellar cocktail party. Very disappointing after eagerly devouring and awaiting jack mcdevitt books for three decades. Nothing much if import or wonder happens and then it ends. My head is scratching itself.
October 30, 2022
Good to see Chase and Alex again. A slow moving story as they chase alien contact. Full of surprises as they find unusual and unexpected results.
September 1, 2024
Ear read 2024 (9.8hrs)
5.799/10 the start of this book was ok for the first few pages and then it nosed dived into telling instead of showing. Months of crucial exploration are just skipped over. The actual discovery of an alien looking race is brief and then finally alex and chase go out to save the story … oh and the day. I was a third of the way through before i realised this was a series book. It has enough legs to stand on its own. But being the 9th book in the series with such mediocre prose i’m not sure if i’d want to try some of the earlier books in the series (just listened to 'prayer for owen meany' and it had great prose compared to this). The narrator she had a great voice in timbre, but she spoke stiltedly and half the time i couldn’t tell who the characters were (i thought chase was male and alex was female until i really concentrated on the dialogue and realised i was wrong. I loved the pull up your sleeves mentality of alex and crew to do the right thing and help out. Twas refreshing (especially after the blunder with the satellite souvenir). Oh and the title i found misleading and the story never really living up to it.
5.799/10 the start of this book was ok for the first few pages and then it nosed dived into telling instead of showing. Months of crucial exploration are just skipped over. The actual discovery of an alien looking race is brief and then finally alex and chase go out to save the story … oh and the day. I was a third of the way through before i realised this was a series book. It has enough legs to stand on its own. But being the 9th book in the series with such mediocre prose i’m not sure if i’d want to try some of the earlier books in the series (just listened to 'prayer for owen meany' and it had great prose compared to this). The narrator she had a great voice in timbre, but she spoke stiltedly and half the time i couldn’t tell who the characters were (i thought chase was male and alex was female until i really concentrated on the dialogue and realised i was wrong. I loved the pull up your sleeves mentality of alex and crew to do the right thing and help out. Twas refreshing (especially after the blunder with the satellite souvenir). Oh and the title i found misleading and the story never really living up to it.
February 18, 2023
Village in the Sky, the one in which Alex spreads disease and plague. Whoops.
This book is exactly what an Alex Benedict novel is meant to be. It isn't exciting, it feels like you're sitting in a friend's living room and they're telling you about a vacation from which they just returned. They read like bedtime stories and I kinda like that.
I started comparing it to Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, which I recently DNF'd and derided for being boring (with at least five Os). This book is similarly uneventful, but it isn't self-aggrandizing like T and T and T.
Well narrated.
This book is exactly what an Alex Benedict novel is meant to be. It isn't exciting, it feels like you're sitting in a friend's living room and they're telling you about a vacation from which they just returned. They read like bedtime stories and I kinda like that.
I started comparing it to Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, which I recently DNF'd and derided for being boring (with at least five Os). This book is similarly uneventful, but it isn't self-aggrandizing like T and T and T.
Well narrated.
February 4, 2024
I figured I would give this series a shot. A combo of scifi, mystery snd archaeology! But it isn't my cup of tea. I didn't find the characters especially compelling and it was depressing to note how unimpressive the human milieu looks in 9000 years. Still have tv talk and news shows, corporations, museums, collectors, zillionaires, etc. IOW, not much positive to look forward to in the far future!
October 13, 2023
This is twice now that I have tried to read this book. It seems to be more important to talk about 20th century " artifacts" (8000 years later) than the current aliens. I like the first book so much better.
December 8, 2024
Well, this was an utter waste of time. I had no idea it was possible to make the far future and aliens so boring.
The good: There is actually a decent mystery hidden in there. Shame everyone treats it with utter indifference, including the author. Even the protagonistst barely get started and are multiple times on the brink of just shrugging and giving up.
The bad:
As mentioned, everybody's indifference (except for the haters).
This is a short version of the first half or so of the book:
A large part of the book is dedicated to the detailed description of random mundane things happening. Seriously, I kept waiting for those things to have any kind of significance for the story, but they don't. Or maybe the significance is to show how boring and trivial everything is, including aliens.
I found the inherent sexism of McDevitt's imagined, supposedly far future culture particularly grating this time. Here is a quote to illustrate (very minor spoiler):
Seriously? This should barely be worth mentioning. And it gets worse.
The worst thing is, though, that the premise of the book seems to be: There is only one way to be and it's the American way – as seen by a conservative older white guy who doesn't believe there is something (worthwile) beyond his own experience.
And "so many" apparently means "one". What a disappointing lack of imagination.
The good: There is actually a decent mystery hidden in there. Shame everyone treats it with utter indifference, including the author. Even the protagonistst barely get started and are multiple times on the brink of just shrugging and giving up.
The bad:
As mentioned, everybody's indifference (except for the haters).
This is a short version of the first half or so of the book:
Why, oh why are we so alone? (Well, except for the Mutes, but they're not like us.)
Oh, look, there are aliens who kind of look like us. – Ah, whatever, they're boring, let's not look beyond the shallowest of surface levels.
Oh, look, there are aliens who are kind of like us. – Ah, whatever, they're ugly and too smart. Bye-bye.
Let's contemplate the inevitable emptiness of the cosmos and sameness of existence instead.
A large part of the book is dedicated to the detailed description of random mundane things happening. Seriously, I kept waiting for those things to have any kind of significance for the story, but they don't. Or maybe the significance is to show how boring and trivial everything is, including aliens.
I found the inherent sexism of McDevitt's imagined, supposedly far future culture particularly grating this time. Here is a quote to illustrate (very minor spoiler):
Seriously? This should barely be worth mentioning. And it gets worse.
The worst thing is, though, that the premise of the book seems to be: There is only one way to be and it's the American way – as seen by a conservative older white guy who doesn't believe there is something (worthwile) beyond his own experience.
“But I suspect what we’re going to learn is that there are only so many ways to make a civilized society work. The species that can’t figure it out probably will never get past a primitive existence.”
And "so many" apparently means "one". What a disappointing lack of imagination.
February 13, 2023
I love me some Alex and Chase novels. Like the last few, I don't know that this would be a good first Alex Benedict novel for newcomers. The story is self-contained, and it doesn't have a lot of antecedent action you need to know about, but it's a sedate read where you're just kind of hanging out with these characters until suddenly stuff starts happening and you can't stop reading. I actually get the impression that McDevitt is winding the series down, based on some of Chase's philosophizing and a couple things that happen in Alex's life. Not to mention a bunch of stuff that comes up on the second to last page (third to last if you count the very short epilogue). Still fun to read though.
May 27, 2025
This reminds me a bit of early Star Trek, firs there is a prime directive to break, there are aliens that must be saved, and a couple of new alien races in a universe that up till then only had humans and Muties.
It starts out with the discovery of a single village on a distant planet, the discoverers return without contacting the aliens. On their return, there's another alien race that comes bearing books, my kind of alien. It feels forced and there's too much coincidence, and these aliens weren't required. The first third is a bit meh.
Things pick up rapidly, when the first group goes back to observe the village, they find it's missing. Finally Alex gets involved, finds the missing village, meets with them, and offers his help with a deadly disease. Goodbye prime! The ending has enough twists and action that I continued reading past my bedtime. A fun read.
It starts out with the discovery of a single village on a distant planet, the discoverers return without contacting the aliens. On their return, there's another alien race that comes bearing books, my kind of alien. It feels forced and there's too much coincidence, and these aliens weren't required. The first third is a bit meh.
Things pick up rapidly, when the first group goes back to observe the village, they find it's missing. Finally Alex gets involved, finds the missing village, meets with them, and offers his help with a deadly disease. Goodbye prime! The ending has enough twists and action that I continued reading past my bedtime. A fun read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2023
Village in the Sky is the ninth book in the long-running "Alex Benedict" series by Jack McDevitt. I love this series and look forward to each new book. The future in which these novels take place is a place that I would very much like to live. I love reading about Alex and Chase. Alex Benedict and his assistant Chase have adventures that I would enjoy in the same type of circumstances. All the major characters are vivid, and the story is too. It was wonderful to have a new chapter in the lives of these characters who have felt like friends for a long time. A must-read for fans of Jack McDevitt.
March 9, 2023
It's time to hang up the hat on this series, Mr McDevitt. The last three have been bore fests.
April 29, 2023
What happened?
Jck McDevitt's books used to be fun and reasonably well thought out. This book seems like a rush job. Really disappointing.
Jck McDevitt's books used to be fun and reasonably well thought out. This book seems like a rush job. Really disappointing.
July 20, 2023
Made it half way through. The book keeps going on about character actions that don’t seem to move the plot along, like a sitcom having filler episodes to save money on effects.
June 29, 2023
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5
It has been over a century since the war between the humans and the 'Mutes' (the only other known race of intelligent beings in the universe - they don't speak but communicate through telepathy). Despite vast exploration, due in part to faster-than-light travel, the universe has turned out to be quite empty, with the Mutes the only other known life form. But when an explorer vessel in the Orion Nebula reports of a village on a small planet, interest is high.
Interest is replaced by intrigue when a follow-up mission arrives a few months later and there are no signs of the village. How does a town completely vanish - buildings and all? This is a question that Alex Benedict, archeologist/explorer/antiquities dealer wants to know as well. And of course, if there is any small artefact left behind, it could bring a good price at auction. Alex and his associate Chase Kolpath and Alex's uncle Gabe head out for the long voyage and will get more than they bargained for.
I haven't reviewed many of the Alex Benedict books prior to this (only one, in fact), but I have read - or, more accurately, listened to - the entire series. My wife and I have found that this is a series we both enjoy and we listen on our long drives. Seeing that there was an advanced copy of the newest book in the series available, I was definitely interested.
This felt like one of the most 'direct' stories in the series. Generally it seems that the journey Alex and Chase start out with often takes a number of twists and turns and ends up quite different. Not so here. We've got an eye on the prize and we stay that we through the book. The prize might wander but it's still the same goal we start with.
Through the course of the previous eight books in the series we've really gotten to know Alex and Chase, and to a lesser degree, Gabe. The relationship building has been an important side bar to the stories. For that reason I wouldn't recommend jumping right in wit this, the 9th book. Although I think you could. I believe you get to know enough about these people to enjoy the story at hand. What makes a series fun to read is getting to know the characters and watching them grow. It takes a skilled author like McDevitt to give us that growth in a series but make an individual book standalone readable.
This is not my favorite in the series (that might go to the only other book in the series that I've reviewed - Seeker) in part, I think, because of the open-endedness of the story. There is a sort of finality put to some of the characters, but even that 'finality' leaves me with more questions.
I really don't want to give too much away or spoil any surprises. This is definitely a science fiction book worth reading, particularly as part of this series. The more you know about the world (universe) McDevitt has created, the more you will appreciate this story within that world. And fans of the series can likely expect more stories, given the way this ends. Sorry to be mysterious .. seriously, go read the first three books and see if you aren't interested in reading the next six!
Looking for a good book? Village in the Sky by Jack McDevitt is the 9th book in the Alex Benedict series. It takes us to some new places with interesting new characters that will likely feature more in upcoming books.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
It has been over a century since the war between the humans and the 'Mutes' (the only other known race of intelligent beings in the universe - they don't speak but communicate through telepathy). Despite vast exploration, due in part to faster-than-light travel, the universe has turned out to be quite empty, with the Mutes the only other known life form. But when an explorer vessel in the Orion Nebula reports of a village on a small planet, interest is high.
Interest is replaced by intrigue when a follow-up mission arrives a few months later and there are no signs of the village. How does a town completely vanish - buildings and all? This is a question that Alex Benedict, archeologist/explorer/antiquities dealer wants to know as well. And of course, if there is any small artefact left behind, it could bring a good price at auction. Alex and his associate Chase Kolpath and Alex's uncle Gabe head out for the long voyage and will get more than they bargained for.
I haven't reviewed many of the Alex Benedict books prior to this (only one, in fact), but I have read - or, more accurately, listened to - the entire series. My wife and I have found that this is a series we both enjoy and we listen on our long drives. Seeing that there was an advanced copy of the newest book in the series available, I was definitely interested.
This felt like one of the most 'direct' stories in the series. Generally it seems that the journey Alex and Chase start out with often takes a number of twists and turns and ends up quite different. Not so here. We've got an eye on the prize and we stay that we through the book. The prize might wander but it's still the same goal we start with.
Through the course of the previous eight books in the series we've really gotten to know Alex and Chase, and to a lesser degree, Gabe. The relationship building has been an important side bar to the stories. For that reason I wouldn't recommend jumping right in wit this, the 9th book. Although I think you could. I believe you get to know enough about these people to enjoy the story at hand. What makes a series fun to read is getting to know the characters and watching them grow. It takes a skilled author like McDevitt to give us that growth in a series but make an individual book standalone readable.
This is not my favorite in the series (that might go to the only other book in the series that I've reviewed - Seeker) in part, I think, because of the open-endedness of the story. There is a sort of finality put to some of the characters, but even that 'finality' leaves me with more questions.
I really don't want to give too much away or spoil any surprises. This is definitely a science fiction book worth reading, particularly as part of this series. The more you know about the world (universe) McDevitt has created, the more you will appreciate this story within that world. And fans of the series can likely expect more stories, given the way this ends. Sorry to be mysterious .. seriously, go read the first three books and see if you aren't interested in reading the next six!
Looking for a good book? Village in the Sky by Jack McDevitt is the 9th book in the Alex Benedict series. It takes us to some new places with interesting new characters that will likely feature more in upcoming books.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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