Chindi

Rating:
Summary: A Great Archaelogical Mystery
Review: "Chindi" is the third novel in the Priscilla Hutchins series. The archaelogical mysteries continue.

"Hutch", as her friends call her, is fed up with her career as pilot. She gets all of the blame when things go wrong and none of the credit when things go right. She's been asked by her employer, the Science Academy, to pilot one last mission before landing a desk job: ferry the well heeled members of the "Contact Society", an E.T.-phile crowd, around in a ship they commissioned for the Academy on its maiden voyage to investigate a strange signal emanating from the vicinity of a neutron star.

We journey with the crew as they discover a network of stealth satellites engaged in the observation of several worlds. As Hutch and her passengers track down clues to who built the network and why, they visit several worlds in the network and even make first contact with a new alien species. It's significant in that most worlds explored in this series contain the ruins of long dead civilizations, with one or two exceptions.

One of Hutch's passengers is an ex-boyfriend. Readers of previous works know that Hutch has been unlucky in love. Her career doesn't leave much time on Earth for relationships. Interstellar pilot really gives a new meaning to long distance relationships. Most give up. Hutch's relationship with this ex, Tor, makes for an interesting sub-plot, though it takes a while to really develop.

I don't want to give away too much, but suffice it to say that the Contact Society may have bitten off more than it could chew. Fatal mishaps plague the expedition, but they press on. Their compelling need to get to the bottom of the mystery pushes them on. They're rewarded with the discovery of the "chindi," a massive starship that they believe is the key to the stealth satellite network. Despite everything that has gone wrong and Hutch's warnings, the remaining members of the Contact Society set out to make contact with the chindi. The story reaches its climax with Hutch setting out to rescue her passengers from the chindi after a surprise turn of events.

McDevitt's writing style returns to the top form he achieved with "Engines of God" and quite possibly surpasses it. While "Deepsix" was a bit of a disappointment to this reader, "Chindi" made up for it. While his ability to weave a good mystery has never been a problem, McDevitt's use of characterization in "Chindi" easily surpasses what he provided in the previous two novels in this series. And the level of action and suspense also return to the level presented in "Engines of God". This was a novel that I had a tough time putting down. Excellent work. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: So Boring
Review: "Deepsix" was only a little bit better. I was able to get through "Deepsix" and, though it was a bit juvenile, I was not motivated to write a bad review. For "Chindi," I'm afriad I am motivated to write a bad review. If one of the assignments for someone's High School Lit. class was to write a book, this is the kind of work I would expect from one of the students.

At first it sounds like it would be a good read -- people exploring other star systems, presumably written in the "hard sci-fi" style. But the exploration part is very, very thin, and even more juvenile. Honestly, I could have thought of something more creative than the flying Angels on the Angel planet that look so beautiful and then they kill you.

But the worst, worst part of this whole book is that the characters are so two-dimensional, and so unappealing. Hutch, the Captain, continuously makes recommendations to the passengers that they shouldn't do that, shouldn't go there, etc. But do they listen? Never. The guy who's in charge of the mission, George, always wants to do what he wants to do, and apparently doesn't think that there's any danger to landing on alien planets, contacting alien socieites, etc. It's like he doesn't know that accidently stumbling into the wrong side of town in a city on Earth could get you mugged. He's like a pre-teen who whines and begs to do what he wants to do. And Hutch is completely passive about it. Her attitude is, "Well, I don't think you should do that, because you might get killed, but if that's what you really want to do, then okay." We go through this scenario about six times throughout the book. Since after the first time two people end up dead, you would think that George wouldn't be such a loser and Hutch wouldn't be so utterly passive about what goes on under her watch.

Furthermore, because George and the rest keep making these stupid decisions, and Hutch keeps giving in, most of the book consists of these long descriptions of what everyone has to do to save the people that got themselves into trouble. That was the part that was SO BORING. These people wouldn't need these big, elaborate, drawn-out plans to save them if they weren't so stupid and selfish in the first place, and if Hutch wasn't so spineless. Chapter after chapter goes on about how they're going to save this guy who stayed too long on the Chindi. And that's how the book ends. They save the guy, at the last, last, last second. Big surprise. But who cares? At that point, you just want the book to be over with.

Rating:
Summary: A long and winding star road to first contact
Review: (***1/2)
A white-knuckle rescue mission that gets its tail singed by a supernova introduces us (those who haven't already met her in McDevitt's "Deep Six") to the gutsy superluminal pilot Hutch. She promptly accepts another mission to nanny a crew of starry eyed, deep pocketed SETI enthusiasts. There's a mysterious signal emanating from an otherwise lifeless and undistinguised double neutron star system, and they mean to check it out. The signal beam, leading on to relays, becomes a thread that traces a labyrinthine interstellar trail, with surprises and dangers at each turning. Does the trail have an end? Will the Contact Society finally meet beings from another advanced civilization face to face?

The hard science on display, and the Clarke-like restraint in not showing us too much of either the creators of the signal or the primitive aliens met along the way, had for me a comforting old-timey sci-fi feel. The book is good journeyman sf, with a few breathtaking sense-of-wonder scenes, and quite a few bursts of suspense that will keep you turning pages briskly through several chapters at a time.

On the downside, it also presents a few dry stretches. The repeated "oh, please, don't tell me you're going into that basement alone" recklessness of the Contact fans begins to stretch credulity, not to mention stretching sympathy for the party members mighty thin. And except for the clever and spectacular final rescue scheme, there's little here that's completely new. Nor is there much that provides food for thought once you step off the roller coaster at the end of the ride.

Still, if you crave your space opera with a hard science edge, "Chindi" is more than good enough to stave off your hunger pangs. And if some studio with a decent effects department doesn't pick up the movie option, they're missing a bet on an action packed summer blockbuster with an above average IQ.

Rating:
Summary: Can you plagiarize yourself?
Review: A nice mix of action and science fiction, Chindi helps move contemporary sci-fi away from the boring, pedantic grad student ramblings or poli-sci obsessions that are all too often replacing good storylines.

I would have given it four stars but it is EXACTLY THE SAME STORY AS HIS EARLIER WORK "DeepSix"! After enjoying Chindi I sought out more of his work and picked up DeepSix only to discover it is the same plot line with many of the same action sequences and basically the same dramatic climax. It was a good story once McDevitt; twice is just greedy laziness.

I won't read any more of his work as I expect he will keep recycling the same story. But if you've never read any of his work and like Sci-fi that you can read without a CRC handbook then pick up a copy of Chindi.

Rating:
Summary: Please don't bother
Review: An awful waste of time. Others have savaged the book in considerable detail, so I won't spend a great deal of time repeating their comments. The concept is hackneyed, and the characters are dumb as rocks! Their first instinct upon stumbling on any alien structure is to bust into it with a cutting torch! The result is a series of improbable "Perils of Pauline" adventures, with a last-minute rescue, after which the characters jump heedlessly into the next misadventure, in a series of incidents that resemble a plot.

Couldn't finish it, scanned ahead for the disappointing denouement and was glad I tossed it.

Rating:
Summary: A pedestrian sequel to "Engines of God." Tedious. C+
Review: As a rule of thumb, most writers tend to peak out just before they become famous. An early fan of McDevitt, I had hoped that he would escape this dreadful fate, but alas, "Chindi" rather cements my belief that Jack's golden days are over.

The third novel in the Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins saga, "Chindi" never quite captures the same sense of mystery and wonder of Jack's masterpiece (and the first novel of this series), "The Engines of God." What we have are a few promising ideas sandwiched between tedious, unimaginative chapters. In "Chindi," we are presented with a mystery of galaxy-spanning proportions: a network of stealth satellites is discovered around various planets and stars, transmitting coded signals to an unidentified location. So far, so good. The first planet our intrepid explorers find is McDevitt at his best: mysterious, macabre, with a brooding sense of loss and disaster. Wonderful. But you'd be better off skipping ahead a few chapters, because the next planet the group encounters is inhabited by angels.

No, my friend, you did not misread the word. Angels. Whom the characters name "Michael" and "Gabriel." Humans with wings. And taloned feet. And so on. Granted, we ARE reading science fiction; but still, I don't expect this kind of tacky Gene Roddenberry-esque touch from McDevitt (you know what I'm talking about: the ancient Greek gods are really aliens, God is actually a galactic prisoner waiting for Spock's brother to release Him, etc.) All that's needed is a war with the "devil-aliens" on the other side of the planet, a universal translator, and an android who wants to be human and we have the script for the next Star Trek installment.

It's almost as if "the real" Jack McDevitt had stepped out to take a powder, leaving someone else to do the writing. He returns just in time, however; after the encounter with the angels, our heroes stumble upon twin gas giants which are home to a classic "locked door" mystery. At last, Jack seems to hold out the kind of wonderous narrative that makes reading his stuff so worthwhile. But it's a brief ride, though; maybe McDevitt picked up a copy of his novel "Moonfall," or caught a rerun of "The Towering Inferno" on the late movie -- whatever the case, chapters 27 through 37 are the most tedious exercise in "how do we rescue this guy" I have ever read. And I've read a lot. Goodbye alien monuments; goodbye our chances of meeting another intelligent lifeform; goodbye mysteries of the universe. Hello car chase; hello sword-rattling egotism; hello chapter 38, where the heck have you been all this book?

Don't get me wrong; I like McDevitt. But if he's going to insist on re-writing "Moonfall" with every book (how many daring-rescues-by-the-seat-of-our-pants are we going to have to flip through to get to the good stuff?); if he's going to become increasingly twee with his name choices (calling the faux-city on Quraqua's moon by the term "Oz" was amusing; calling a space blizzard "the Slurpy," a barbell shaped asteroid "the Dogbone," and a pair of gas giants "the Twins" reminds one of a conversation with an excitable ten-year old); and if he's going to rely on the old "human-with-an-animal-head" formula for an alien species (we are treated to a werewolf in formal wear, a bulldog in a vest, a race of "near human" basketball players, and a grasshopper wearing a hat), I'd just as soon read Piers Anthony. And I won't be reading Piers Anthony.

There's still plenty to wonder about in this book. Unfortunately, it's bogged down with tedious, overwrought, Hollywood-formula action that does nothing to further the plot, and appears to have been added to increase the size of the manuscript; or maybe there's a movie in the works, and pointless action sure keeps the popcorn moving.

If you want to read McDevitt at his finest, try "The Hercules Text," "A Talent for War," "The Engines of God," or "Standard Candles." A person could do worse.

Rating:
Summary: Nice try but...
Review: Basically a rehashing of the classic Rendezvous with Rama. Some interesting plot twists and "hard" science fiction in here, but overall any book that is written about searching for intelligent beings and never finding them is kind of like going out to the driving range and then skipping the round of golf. Cool cover though!

Rating:
Summary: Loved It
Review: Bought it in an airport for something to read, loved it. What a great change from the fantasy junk that floods the SF market! Good science, clever premise, suspenseful story.

Rating:
Summary: We are just ants to them
Review: Chindi has a premise that I found both amusing and intriguing. What if we found an advanced civilization, but it turns out that we are nothing more than an intellectual curiosity or occasional entertainment to them. Add in a ragtag crew of overly optimistic alien seekers, mix in a lost love, and you've got the start of a solid story.

The characters managed to be interesting despite the fairly predictible archetypes. I especially watching the characters dealing with the fact that the aliens didn't seem to care that they had found humanity. The author did an excellent job of painting the pictures of the places they visited. I especially liked that with a minimum amount of actual conflict this story managed to have a tenseness and strong sense of impending disaster including quite a few deaths. A nice portrayal of the dealing with the dangers of the complete unkwown.

All in all, an enjoyable read, that despite its length, continued to pull me into starting the next chapter.

Rating:
Summary: Reasonably Engaging
Review: Chindi is a tale of alien encounters in the classic Sci-Fi mold, and with a lot of the classic flaws.The story is strong enough, but the characters are as flat as you'll find in Sci-Fi. And there's a bit too much obvious foreboding. Remember the standard sacrificial Star Trek character? McDevitt has a knack for introducing characters drawn sketchily enough that you just know the're only role is to be kibble for some nasty beastie. His female characters are as bad as any male writer has ever drawn- the average female reader will probably be rolling her eyes a lot as she reads this one. The attempts at technical exposition are clumsy at best.

But really, who cares? McDevitt has crafted an interesting universe sparsely populated with alien civilizations, as opposed to the usual Sci-Fi epic that's pretty much teeming with friendly life. He knows how to pace a story and just how long to dangle a cliffhanger before wrapping it up. Despite the various and sundry flaws this is still an enjoyable yarn that will keep the reader turning pages. A good winter read.