Chindi

Rating:
Summary: Third Rate "Rendezvous With Rama"
Review: I've been a fan of Jack McDevitt's earlier work, since much of it is as well thought out and written as some of Arthur C. Clarke's. However, "Chindi" comes across as a watered-down, badly written version of Clarke's "Rendezvous with Rama" combined with some of same kind of banal dialogue and unbridled optimism found in much of Robert Heinlein's work, most notably his "Lazarus Long" and "Podkayne of Mars" sagas. The only engaging novel twist in McDevitt's latest novel, is the inadvertent discovery of intelligent life by a civilian crew aboard a pleasure yacht; not the more typical military warship or scientific research vessel. To his credit, McDevitt has written a quick page turner. However, for a more meaningful look at first contact in a similar vein, read instead "Rendezvous with Rama" if you haven't already.

Rating:
Summary: awesome!
Review: In CHINDI, readers are reintroduced to McDevitt's heroine Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins. She pilots a superluminal to the farthest regions of known and unknown space, with a group of people desperately in search for further proof of extraterristial life. "The Contact Society", is mocked by real scientists, yet the affluent group's zeal for their mission is untainted by skeptism, or sarcasm, even when their quest costs lives.
Chindi is a term for spirit, or ethereal presence in this novel, and the namesake fits the vessal. Mcdevitt guides readers' to wondrous descriptions and incredible vistas of space as he creates alien worlds and beings. He has been compared to such luminaries in the field as Clarke and Asimov, by many fans and critics alike including no less a personage than Stephen King. There are some obvious parallels to Clarke and Lee's Rama series. The Chindi in many ways (intentionally?) evokes memories of Rama for those readers familiar with that craft.
Mcdevitt, though having said that has his own clear resonant voice and is a masterful storyteller in his own right. He controls pace with aplomb and keeps the tension and suspense high throughout the novel. In "Hutch" he has created a remarkable and likable heroine, and in this novel he has provided an excellent supporting cast of strong characters.
This novel is an excellent blend of odes to sci-fi classics of yore and a trend-setter for the future of science fiction.

Rating:
Summary: exciting space opera
Review: In the far distant future, man has learned to travel at FLS (faster than light speed) but has also terraformed other planets so that humans could colonize them. One thing mankind has not found is a sentient species that is their equal or superior. They have found remnants of other civilizations that have long since died when man was crawling out of the caves and they have found a warlike race of beings that have depleted the resources of their planet with their many wars.

Priscilla Hutchins, Hitch to her friends, is a very good space pilot in the academy who is nearing burnout and ready to retire. She is asked, on behalf of the academy, to take control of the civilian spaceship the City of Memphis and guide the crew, members of the contact society, into deep space in hopes of meeting intelligent alien life. They discover that someone has left a series of stealth satellites in orbit around space bodies all across the galaxy. Every time they find one of their trackers, they beam something new about this universe and those who have and continue to inhabit it.

CHINDI is a space opera with plenty of action and unexpected developments in almost every sense. Jack McDevett has created a realistic space-faring universe mindful of Star Trek that is just waiting to be explored by Hutch, her fellow adventurers, and readers. There are many characters in this novel that deserve to have their own story told.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Good page-turner
Review: In this future, humanity is exploring the galaxy with faster-than-light travel, but no intelligent life has been discovered. A group called the Contact Society organizes an expedition to investigate probes discovered around a neutron star, hoping they mean intelligent life. The Academy, the primary explorers, humors them with a pilot since the Society founder is a major donor to the non-profit Academy.

The adventure begins, with nice space opera touches, including the trademark McDevitt alien ruins. All the while, Academy bureaucrats take credit or hand out blame for events they had no control over. With the FTL radio, conversations have long gaps, and clever characters use them to be deliberately unhelpful to the meddling bureaucrats.

Speaking of clever characters, there's Hutch, the practical and competent Academy captain whose professional life is better than her personal life; Tor, a famous artist and an ex-lover of Hutch's; Bill, the ship's AI, who changes personality to fit the situation; and Alyx, a famous actress/spokesperson for the Contact Society. However, some expedition members never focused for me.

I do like how the same characters act intelligently sometimes, and foolishly at other times. One character talks about all-female space ship crews: all male crews are too competitive and mixed crews have women raising men's testosterone levels into doing something stupid, an idea I found amusing and believable.

Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: One little, two little, three little...
Review: Indians!!

Agatha Christie meets bad sci-fi. Don't like any of the characters (except the obvious one) too much--'cause they're going to DIE!!!!

I really like McDevitt's early work--"A Talent for War" (this is a great work), and "The Hercules Text" (Almost Great). I liked "Ancient Shores" and to some degree "Deepsix". But "Chindi" is a huge step backwards. Heir to Heinlein? Not even a hair of Heinlein should be wasted on this book.

The plot is predictable, and for at least the third (maybe 4th) time, McDevitt introduces us to an unknown alien race that "collects" other culutures. McDevitt tries to make archeology sound better than collectors, but that's what they are. It just doesn't work. The characters are vapid, and obtuese. As well as one dimensional in thought and action.

McDevitt makes you want to care, but as the Indians, I mean "crew", begin biting the dust, it just doesn't matter anymore. I wanted this book to be different, but it was anothe "Moonfall" and "Engine of the Gods", full of neat sounding ideas, that turn very boring when expanded upon.

Don't waste your time, I did.

Rating:
Summary: I loved every minute of this thrilling s-f adventure
Review: Jack McDevitt is probably my favorite author currently writing science fiction, and Chindi was a particularly fascinating, thrilling read. Like one of the spaceships in the story, the novel takes a little while to get up and going, but once it does, it is edge-of-your-seat action all the way. The story starts with a mysterious signal picked up in the vicinity of a neutron star. Satellites are left in orbit, and five years later they pick up the indecipherable signal again. Priscilla Hutchins ("Hutch") is chosen to pilot a craft housing members of the Contact Society (a private group of extraterrestrial enthusiasts and believers) to the star, while another ship travels to the possible destination of the signal. Here begins a monumental, interstellar journey filled with great discovery and great tragedy. Hutch and her passengers pursue the signal through several star systems, finding proof of advanced alien civilizations but no aliens they can speak to. When they attempt to explore one world populated by large, clothed avian beings, their hopes of making contact are dashed rather brutally. One of the most interesting sites they explore is the Retreat, a large house filled with seemingly human, albeit over-sized, artifacts-library, desks, shelves of books (frozen in the cold vacuum), beds, etc. The Retreat sits on a small moon offering a gorgeous view of a two-star system of great majesty and beauty. It is here that they discover another ship, proof of advanced extraterrestrial life, and the rest of the plot revolves around their attempts to learn the secrets the ship holds and to return home. Finding their way back ends up being the most difficult and definitely most thrilling part of their journey.

Chindi actually marks Hutch's third appearance in McDevitt's novels, a fact which I did not discover before I was well into the story. It is not necessary to know the story of Hutch's earlier missions in order to read and enjoy this particular novel, though. The cast of characters is interesting but improbable-the Contact Society team members are not scientists. They include an actress/producer, an artist, a funeral home director, and similarly unscientific men and women. One is, of course, a former love interest of Hutch, and that adds a little more flavor to the pot. These people make mistakes, and some of them pay with their lives, yet they all emerge as truly heroic souls who want nothing more than to answer the cosmic questions man has been posing as long as he has looked at the stars and wondered if he was alone in the universe. The science of McDevitt's science fiction works pretty well, although I have a problem with a couple of things that happened. I found McDevitt's characters to be vibrant, real, and interesting, although I understand some readers apparently do not find them as interesting as I do. We don't get to the essence of them all, and Hutch's future is left quite unresolved at the end, but I came to know and like everyone in this novel, despite their blunders and often childlike enthusiasm. There is a whole lot of action in these pages, particularly in the latter half of the novel, and I was flat-out riveted by it. Hutch in particular is almost unbelievably heroic yet constantly vulnerable and afraid (i.e., real). I heartily recommend Chindi to fans of great science fiction. It is one of the most memorable science fiction novels I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Blends romance and action
Review: Jack McDevitt's Chindi blends romance and action. A courageous space pilot finds herself involved in a series of alien encounters equal to none other as she follows the wishes of her ship's owner in this compelling story.

Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Idea, but a Dull Book
Review: Jack McDevitt's new book, Chindi, starts out with an interesting idea. What would happen if a group of armchair adventurers hired a spaceship and made first contact with an alien civilization? The idea is intriguing but the author is unable to pull it off. The characters are caricatures, the pacing of the story is off, and the climax feels like a let down. After reading 400 pages I wanted some answers about who (or what) the aliens were. All that I got was a brief epilogue explaining that we still do not know what is going on. Where Jack McDevvit really shines is his ability to imagine grand astromonical settings for his story. His descriptions of the newly discovered planetary systems manage to evoke a sense of awe. Unfortunately this was not enough to hold my interest. Chindi is an interesting idea, but a dull book.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally Annoying
Review: Many genre plots are driven by irresponsible and dangerous decisions on the part of the main characters. This seems more than usually the case in Chindi. I'm about 2/3 of the way through it, but don't think I can finish it. The ideas aren't very compelling, the most nearly appealing characters have mostly been killed off, and I wouldn't miss the others.

Like an earlier reviewer, I generally like McDevitt. Hopefully his next outing won't feature a band of idiots repeatedly falling into tedious perils.

Rating:
Summary: Science Fiction for the Hopelessly Mediocre
Review: Master of the bland SciFi, Mr. McDevitt writes a novel representing a juxtaposition to his futuristic without being futuristic Murder She Wrote embarassement called "Infinity Beach". Riddled with exotica called Canadians and Germans the best part in Chindi is when the major character, Star Trek wannabe, "Hutch" sits down and has a "Blue Giraffe and a Melted Cheese" for breakfast. Cheesy indeed.