The Engines of God

Rating:
Summary: Another good one
Review: I buy a fair number of books, and many of them I struggle to finish, and ultimately get bored and put it on the shelf for another day. I never did finish "Cryptonomicon", or any of Neal Stephenson's books for that matter, even after reading hundreds of pages.

But for some reason Jack McDevitt is able to weave an interesting sci-fi story that can really keep my attention. His books focus on a single character and you are always working your way toward the conclusion of the book. You feel like you're making progress.

Engines of God is no different. There's a constant, logical progression as the characters weave their way through discoveries and ultimately wind up at finding a conclusion that you speculated about, but weren't quite sure. You really want to skip to the end and figure it out, but you don't want to wreck a really good read.

Frankly, I'd like to see a sequel to this book written about 900-1000 years in the future to see what happens.

My first McDevitt book was "Infinity Beach", then "Eternity Road", and now this. All were excellent and interesting.

If I have a complaint about McDevitt, it's that technology in his books isn't all that advanced, even 1,000 years in the future. I guess that helps with the readability, as he doesn't get carried away with tons of technobabble as most authors do.

Rating:
Summary: Good Read, Some Negative Points
Review: Engines of God was the book that first got me reading McDevitt. It's an excellent peace of anthropological science fiction. I would recommend it as a starting point for reading the author, along with Ancient Shores.

It typifies the comfortable nature of his writing style, which is some combination of Heinlein's Everyman tone with some of the hard science authors. And unlike some earlier reviewers (i.e. "superdestroyer") contend, it is not at all about "non-happenings." The novel is very much event driven, but the events are driven by the character's desire to understand a dead race and the clues they leave to a mystery that bears very much on the future of the human race.

There are only really 3 weaknesses I see in Engines of God (and McDevitt's work in general), that prevents me from giving it 5 stars:

1) The characterization is weak, not exactly Card or Donaldson or even Babylon 5. This can prove for exceedingly pointless moments as he explores characters that we don't really feel.

2) He has a way of creating slow spots in his writing that can be difficult to wade through if you don't know that there's a payoff coming. This is never really a problem in EOG, but in some of his more recent efforts like Moonfall, it can grate.

3) His writing style will never be considered highly literary. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes there are narrative flow issues related to this that can be jarring.

Ultimately, this book is for people who can enjoy what is very much an above-average prose SF book. It's not the next Stranger in a Strange Land, but -and thank God- it isn't Voyager either.

Rating:
Summary: The germ of an idea
Review: This is possibly one of McDevitt's most important work in terms of what it portends. He introduces the soulful, enticing, and always interesting "Hutch", the discovery of the Omega clouds and the presence of other sentient beings - First Contact twice removed one might say. Some have criticized the series (and his books in general) for their elusiveness, the almost ephemeral quality of the "encounters", the lack of action (quote unquote) and the timidity and rationality of the characters.

It is for those precise qualities that I value the works of Jack McDevitt. His sagas of alien encouters are more valid from a scientific point of view than most. It is doubtful that two intelligent cultures will exist at near the same technological level at the same time. Our best hopes are discovering life in its infancy or civilizations long disappeared. After all, our planet has sustained near-extinction events at least five times that we are aware. Furthermore, unless we do venture into space as an exploring / colonizing species there is a good chance that life could be exterminated on our own planet by either local or external means.

The adventure on Quraqua was near perfect with its mix of human emotions, scientific endeavors and near-catastrophic ending. Once again, the clues planted in this story are explored and expanded in the following sections (and books). Hutch is such a great character. I almost think of her as a "real" person. She has a spunk and sense of humor in this book that is missing in others, but the reflection on herself and her follies. Also present are the inner reveries in which she contemplates mankind's place among the stars, the past and the future.

Only a few cons - too many minor characters. If the character does not figure in the story use "the captain" or "the guy that loaded boxes" rather than a name and biographical information. The reader is left waiting for something to happen.introduce. The headlines, while understandable, are a distraction from the main story to this reader. Also, who really thinks it easier to terraform another world rather than change your own...but these are quibblings compared to the slow, steady surge of the story as it moves inexorably toward its conclusion. I wish this had been the FIRST Hutch story I read instead of the last. And although this is another superb effort by a great writer I am still waiting for that magnum opus, that DUNE or 1984, that will not only satisfy the reader but also stagger the imagination. Come on, Jack, hit the books!

Rating:
Summary: Another good one
Review: I buy a fair number of books, and many of them I struggle to finish, and ultimately get bored and put it on the shelf for another day. I never did finish "Cryptonomicon", or any of Neal Stephenson's books for that matter, even after reading hundreds of pages.

But for some reason Jack McDevitt is able to weave an interesting sci-fi story that can really keep my attention. His books focus on a single character and you are always working your way toward the conclusion of the book. You feel like you're making progress.

Engines of God is no different. There's a constant, logical progression as the characters weave their way through discoveries and ultimately wind up at finding a conclusion that you speculated about, but weren't quite sure. You really want to skip to the end and figure it out, but you don't want to wreck a really good read.

Frankly, I'd like to see a sequel to this book written about 900-1000 years in the future to see what happens.

My first McDevitt book was "Infinity Beach", then "Eternity Road", and now this. All were excellent and interesting.

If I have a complaint about McDevitt, it's that technology in his books isn't all that advanced, even 1,000 years in the future. I guess that helps with the readability, as he doesn't get carried away with tons of technobabble as most authors do.

Rating:
Summary: Neither meat nor fish
Review: "The Engines of God" is Science Fiction from the category "hard sci-fi". Meaning: dabbling in the same pool as "A Space Odyssey" and so many others. Scientific ideas molten into an exciting story. At least, it says so on the covers. However, upon reading, you'll find out that there is also a great deal of sci-fi adventure involved.

Unfortunately, I cannot claim that it enhanced the whole. The adventure sequences seem to have been inserted in order to create "deadlines" for the characters. A damaged ship slowly loosing all life support, so there is only a very short time to unravel the next bit of mystery. Of that order.

It must, however, be said that this technique does work splendidly for the first part of the novel, where there's only a very limited time for the characters to discover what they have to before the planet they are on will be violently terraformed.

The second time McDevitt applies this technique, you're slightly beginning to wonder what the use of the entire new "deadline" had been, as it affected neither story- nor character-development. The third and final time you're actually frustrated, since it involved the deaths of several main characters for absolutely no conceivable purpose for any of the storylines.

It seems McDevitt wasn't too sure that his "hard sci-fi" idea would catch on, and surgically implanted several adventure sequences to decorate the whole. Because that's what it does - at least as soon as the story leaves the planet that was about to be terraformed.
His ultimate failure is the lack of depth in his characters. Good character responses and developments would have made this story above average in the end. Yet they move around, do there deeds, and feel their emotions, but aren't leading the story. Instead, the story is leading them, like a puppeteer. Whatever happens to their emotions at the end of each "adventure implant" is elbowed aside and ignored, and instead the "hard" story continues rather unconcernedly.

It has to be said that the finale does the book good. It isn't as overwhelming as in some other "hard sci-fi" novels, but it's satisfactory nonetheless. Actually, McDevitt's entire scientific plot tastes good.
Nevertheless, this cannot wipe away the sour taste of shallow characters and the poor pieces of adventure plot. McDevitt should have made this an exclusively "hard sci-fi" story, and stopped trying to do a bit of this and that.

This one gets two stars.

Bram Janssen,
The Netherlands

Rating:
Summary: The germ of an idea
Review: This is possibly one of McDevitt's most important work in terms of what it portends. He introduces the soulful, enticing, and always interesting "Hutch", the discovery of the Omega clouds and the presence of other sentient beings - First Contact twice removed one might say. Some have criticized the series (and his books in general) for their elusiveness, the almost ephemeral quality of the "encounters", the lack of action (quote unquote) and the timidity and rationality of the characters.

It is for those precise qualities that I value the works of Jack McDevitt. His sagas of alien encouters are more valid from a scientific point of view than most. It is doubtful that two intelligent cultures will exist at near the same technological level at the same time. Our best hopes are discovering life in its infancy or civilizations long disappeared. After all, our planet has sustained near-extinction events at least five times that we are aware. Furthermore, unless we do venture into space as an exploring / colonizing species there is a good chance that life could be exterminated on our own planet by either local or external means.

The adventure on Quraqua was near perfect with its mix of human emotions, scientific endeavors and near-catastrophic ending. Once again, the clues planted in this story are explored and expanded in the following sections (and books). Hutch is such a great character. I almost think of her as a "real" person. She has a spunk and sense of humor in this book that is missing in others, but the reflection on herself and her follies. Also present are the inner reveries in which she contemplates mankind's place among the stars, the past and the future.

Only a few cons - too many minor characters. If the character does not figure in the story use "the captain" or "the guy that loaded boxes" rather than a name and biographical information. The reader is left waiting for something to happen.introduce. The headlines, while understandable, are a distraction from the main story to this reader. Also, who really thinks it easier to terraform another world rather than change your own...but these are quibblings compared to the slow, steady surge of the story as it moves inexorably toward its conclusion. I wish this had been the FIRST Hutch story I read instead of the last. And although this is another superb effort by a great writer I am still waiting for that magnum opus, that DUNE or 1984, that will not only satisfy the reader but also stagger the imagination. Come on, Jack, hit the books!

Rating:
Summary: Retro SF
Review: The Engines of God is a typical golden-age hard SF novel - that just happens to have been written in 1994. And although the book displays both the strengths and weaknesses of SF novels, it has some peculiarities and weaknesses all its own. It may be retro SF, but it isn't a classic.

Reading Engines, I kept checking the copyright date. I'd happen upon some strange anachronism - people in 2200 still driving cars, for example, or the clunky, non-networked computers widely featured in 1970s SF - and think, wait, this must be a reprint. Flip to the copyright. No, it still says 1994. Back to the book, where I can't help but notice that people might have personal energy shields allowing them to walk naked in space, but back on Earth they're still using the internal combustion engine and reading all the same newspapers we have today. McDevitt does make some predictions of future technology and future changes in his book, but, just like in traditional hard SF, the underlying culture is unchanged. The result is a future that's unconvincing.

But that wouldn't be a problem - after all, traditional SF was fantastic despite its limitations - if the core puzzle of the book was good enough. Unfortunately, it isn't. And I found that frustrating. It's amazingly easy to solve the archeological mystery at the heart of the book; the average reader will figure it all out before the midpoint, and will spend the rest of the novel waiting for the big surprise that doesn't come. Worst of all, the "surprise" revelation at the ending is stunningly silly; I closed the book thinking "How could a race that advanced never have heard of *domes*?"

However, Engines does have strengths. It's fast-paced, with lots of action; really, it's more thriller than pure SF. It's light, easy to read, zippy - a beach kind of book. And on that level, it works. Just don't come to this novel expecting anything more.

So this isn't the book to read if you're looking for solid predictions or a dazzling future world. It's also not the book for you if you're hoping for a traditional SF puzzle. But if you want solid escapist fiction, action-packed and non-threatening, you'll love Engines of God.

Rating:
Summary: Too slow - almost boring
Review: The idea is not bad. But a book has to inspire its readers for the whole length of it, not only for the last 100 or so pages, when the story finally picks up some speed. Long dialogues and descriptions are alright when they contribute to the development of the plot, but they are not a value in itself, as which we can see them here very often. The characters may be conceivable, but their actions are slow and sometimes their motivation remains in the dark. Often the descriptions of the circumstances blur your imagination rather than make things clear.The fact that there is no ending makes me fear there will be sequel. I am not sure I will read it.

Rating:
Summary: Seek us by the light of the horgon's eye
Review: I hold Jack McDevitt's writing in high regard and always enjoy his science fiction epics a great deal. While his writing has become somewhat formulaic, The Engines of God provides further proof that the man knows how to tell a good story. This novel is the first to feature renowned pilot Priscilla Hutchinson ("Hutch"), a character who has been involved in more grand missions and suffered some of the most globally cursed misfortunes of any character in the universe. This story is built around the mysterious Monument Makers. Saturn's moon Iapetus houses the first such monument discovered by mankind, a mysterious, winged ice sculpture bearing an indecipherable inscription; its existence fuels the search for more monuments, of which a good dozen are located throughout the galaxy. Following in the footsteps of the unknown cosmic entities is as close as mankind has come to interacting with intelligent life elsewhere. On earth, the ecology has progressed beyond the point of no return, and man is looking outward for new earths to be populated. One possible site is Quaraqua, whose civilization has already collapsed. The Academy struggles to learn all they can about this society underneath the waters of the planet at a site dubbed the Temple of the Winds. Hutch is sent to evacuate the scientists before a terraforming project destroys whatever priceless knowledge lies hidden in the watery depths. For me, this first section of the book was the most exciting. Afterwards, having detected a radio signal, Hutch and several others journey to a more distant system, following the path left by the Monument Makers. They finally end up on yet a third planetary body seeking factual data on the mystical "engines of God" alluded to in alien scripts discovered and interpreted along the way.

For me, the plot started to collapse in on itself slightly in the second half of the book. On moons orbiting the important sites they visit are huge, fake cities (dubbed Oz) laid out in obsessively straight lines and right angles which have suffered serious charring at times of planetary catastrophe from an unknown source. Apparently, the inexplicable cosmic force they eventually get a look at has an innate attraction to linear geometries-this part of the story, which becomes very important toward the end, seemed a little ludicrous to me. Another thing that bothers me is that, aside from Hutch, the other characters who survived until the end seemed to be the least important and inscrutable of the bunch. McDevitt has no qualms about sacrificing major characters at any time and any way; it's refreshing to see an author do that, but it is sometimes slightly frustrating to finally get to know a character and then see him/her dispensed with rather arbitrarily. This leads to another weakness in the novel. I did not think the character development was very good, especially that of Hutch. McDevitt always seems to want to add a touch of romance and smoldering desires to his books, and in this case it detracts from my admiration from Hutch. She is a brave, heroic woman, yet she can't go on a mission anywhere in the universe, it seems, without at least one former or hopefully future love interest. McDevitt just doesn't handle this type of emotional content well here, and it detracts somewhat from a great story.

I think this book made McDevitt a better writer. The flaws that seem to stand out in this effort are much less prominent in his later novels. I felt pretty good about this particular plot up until the fourth and final section; at that point, some of the science seemed to fall apart, and the ultimate conclusion comes off as somewhat improbable and anticlimactic. Some of the decisions made on all sides along the way are incredibly criminal and oftentimes juvenile, and the same mistakes (such as the continued exploration of alien worlds with little or no weapons) have a way of repeating themselves over and over again. I remained incapable of buying into the supposed purpose for the strangely hewn alien Oz sites, and since the final section's activity was based around a scientific interpretation of those sites' significance, the final pages left me somewhat nonplussed. Flawed as this novel is, though, it is certainly a science fiction adventure worth taking. Hutch is a fascinating character whose richness does not really come through in these pages as it does in the follow-up novels Deepsix and Chindi, but this is a more than worthy introduction to her noble character. Sometimes I feel like McDevitt is taking me somewhere I have already visited with him in the past, but I am more than happy to follow him each and every time.

Rating:
Summary: I liked it enough to read the next book, but...
Review: Yes, I did buy Chindi (and am now reading it), but I can't say I LOVED this or Deepsix (if you want a book you'll love, try Eternity Road). What brought me back was the finely drawn Patricia Hutchins, and the interesting adventures. What annoys the hell out of me is that no one seems to learn anything.

DANGER! POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD!

And look, I am very anti-gun, but you could you PLEASE tell me why, through 3 books, people who are running off to planets with potentially hostile environments (and history tells them they always are) don't carry some sort of weapon? It just defies explanation. Long before the end of this book I was tired of people a) getting stuck on a planet with something big coming (just like in Deepsix) and b) blithly ignoring the certainty of hostile animals. I mean, would YOU walk into the Amazon rainforests without something to protect yourself with?