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Summary: Post Apocolyptic Page Turner
Review: So it's a bug that brings down civilization, and not the bomb, but in a very readable style, Jack takes the reader on a tour of the North American continent of the future that reminds me more of an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel I once read than most of the gendra. BTW, while I don't remember the name of the novel, the ERB version is still worth a read.
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Summary: Kept My Interest!
Review: This is the first novel by Jack McDevitt that I have read and I was impressed by his talent. ETERNITY ROAD is set approximately 1000 years in the future, a plague has decimated Earth's population, and in the United States, where this novel concerns itself with, small cities have banded together and formed the 'Mississippi League'. Ruins from the 'Roadmaker' era are everywhere and the 'Roadmaker' civilization is an enigma, with many questions unanswered. It is from the League that a second expedition sets forth in search of the perhaps mythical 'Haven' where knowledge was supposedly safeguarded after the plague, as civilization unraveled. The first expedition ended in disaster, with only one person returning from the sometimes dangerous wilderness, with an atmosphere of secrecy and intrigue. One person, Chakra, had a brother who was killed on the first expedition, and she wants to find out what happened to him, as the only survivor of the first expedition is the scholar Karik, who did'nt say much about what happened, adding to the mystery. There are several other interesting characters in addition to these. As per another reader here I also found similarities between this novel and A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ, a much older novel, and a fine read also. I found ETERNITY ROAD to be engrossing, I found myself reading more and more pages everyday to see what would happen, McDevitt is a master storyteller and very adept at character development and plot layout. In my view the only criticism I see here is that various machines from the Roadmakers were still operating after perhaps one thousand years, that stretches credulity indeed, I take one star off for that. As for comparing this novel to the standard of 'the end of the world as we know it' novels, which is EARTH ABIDES, the later is better, although ETERNITY ROAD is excellent nevertheless.
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Summary: Masterful Epic Sci-Fi
Review: Eternity Road is a novel in the grand tradition of the mid to late-20th century masters of science fiction - Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke and others. Immediately, McDevitt captures the reader's attention by presenting an eerie and mysterious vision of the future, one in which life as we know it no longer exists and society has regressed socially and technologically. McDevitt never really tells the reader what happened - the events are only referred to as the "plague" and specifics aren't mentioned. Fortunately for the readers, the main characters decide to search for the mysterious "Haven" where, during the plague, the vestiges of society were supposedly rounded up and saved for all eternity. To me, this concept was irresistible. McDevitt not only delivers on wonderful and innovative ideas but also creates very real, fully developed characters. While reading, I couldn't help think of similarities between the movie Logan's Run and A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller. Eternity Road is a wonderfully entertaining novel well worth the time and money.
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Summary: Slow start...but DEFINITELY worth reading.
Review: What a fun book! I just finished and had to come here to let you all know you should pick it up. The first 100-150 pages are pretty slow and seem pointless, but they help you to get to know the universe McDevitt has created and his characters. Once you get past that, it's hard to put it down. I started looking at our own roads in a much different light. Imagine where we were 1000 years ago, and imagine where we will be a 1000 from now. Add to that a major catastrophe that destroys all records of history -- what would people think our roads were used for? Beyond roads, what about cars, trains, shops, etc? What would survive 1000 years from now? Would the people then know how to make these things work? What would they BELIEVE had happened? Would there be peace? Find out by getting this book!
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Summary: A marvelous and memorable book
Review: Eternity Road has a visual and visceral quality that tempts me to think of parts of the story, months later, as my own memories. And they are, in a manner possible only by such an adept writer as McDevitt. This is a powerful and alluring book. It also happens to involve the original time machines, books.
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Summary: End of the world in a different light.
Review: Although this book started off a little slow (I must admit I almost put it down several times during the first several chapters) it turned out to be an enjoyable read. Jack McDevitt throws a different twist to the end of the world genre. Worth reading!
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Summary: Eternity Road
Review: As I was looking on the shelves of my local bookstore, I came across this non-descript binding only showing the words Eternity Road and a small picture of what looks like a broken bridge. I figured that I might as well look to see what something so plain could offer in the realm of flashy Sci-Fi book covers. I soon found a masterpiece laid out in a similar fashion as David Brin's "Postman." McDevit emerses the reader in the country of Illyaria located just out of the burnt ruins of Memphis, a Roadmaker city. The Roadmakers' ruins were located everywhere, most were overgrown and worn to almost nothing but all still inspired awe. The novel follows the travels of a mismatched group of Illyarians through the wilderness in search of Haven, a mystical place which holds the key to the dissapearance of the Roadmakers. I highly reccomend this book.
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Summary: Great story...
Review: Earth, after the fall of man, where people treat books like relics from an ancient time and have little idea about what is over the next hill. A mystery set in a world of ruins and inquisitive characters. You WANT to find out what is at the end of the road.
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Summary: Jack McDevitt is wonderful
Review: Eternity raod is a very realistic view of our future demolished. The book is a fast read and very exciting.
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Summary: Mind expanding!
Review: I found this to be one of the better books I've read. It was easy to read, and it made me want to read it at every possible point when I had freetime. The Roadmakers (Our civilzation) left behind relics from when they misteriously vanished. When I was reading the book it made me think. They viewed the Roadmakers in kind of the respect we view the Roman civilization. But for them, they had no records of us besides the structures we left behind, they didn't know how our life was. Some were obsessed with learning about the Roadmakers though. They viewed the Roadmakers and a great and wonderous civilation, where merely the steam engine defied their current science "laws". Everywhere there were ruins. And it makes you think, how WILL it end? Will we become the second Romans, the fall? How will later generations view us? Would they judge us on our highways, our roads, partially crumbled buildings? It remains open for debate, but this book helped put things in perspective! I'd recommend it to almost anyone! :)
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