Rating: 
Summary: Great all the way up to the end.
Review: It was a page turner that kept me guessing not sure what to expect next. As you may have read the ending gets pretty bad. I felt that there were too many loose ends and they way things are "resolved" (if you can call it that) was a cheap, hokey way to do things. If you can have that expectation going into the book vs. being suprised by it (like I was) then you might give this a higher rating.
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging archeological SF!
Review: Jack McDevitt has the tongue of a storyteller and the pen of a poet. If you love the mysteries of archeology combined with the visions of SF, as do I, do not be without him.
--Allan Combs; author of The Radiance of Being, and Synchronicity
Rating:
Summary: An engaging and realistic novel.
Review: Jack McDevitt is one of the better "hard" science fiction writers of today. His books are eminently readable, reasonable, and believable. "Ancient Shores" is no exception.What would happen if an undeniably alien artifact was discovered in the middle of a farmer's field? What would be the reaction by the press; the local townspeople; the government; the scientific community? If a device was found that could immediately transfer a person to another world, what might that person find and experience? To all these questions, McDevitt provides intelligent and plausible answers. Reading McDevitt is a joy I hope to have for many years to come. PS Mr. McDevitt, your choice of Charles Curran as your book's theologian, cost you a fifth star!
Rating: 
Summary: Good idea, but that's about it.
Review: Just didn't go where it should have. The characters were not developed well at all. Nor are they interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad yarn.
Review: McDevitt again explores the theme of how our society would react to the discovery of alien technology, which he previously visited in 'The Hercules Text'. This time, a farmer discovers an alien yacht buried in his field, and subsequently all hell breaks loose as the repercussions for society and industry become understood. Meanwhile, there's a gateway to other worlds on native American land to explore. I enjoyed the excavation but was a bit disappointed by a deus ex machina sort of ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Snapshot of Potential Human Behavior
Review: McDevitt tells another good story, just like I expected, he builds conflict and suspense just like I expected. And, as expected, he creates lots of questions and answers most of them (McDevitt has a habit of creating more questions than he answers, in my opinion). The only reason I didn't give this work a fourth star is McDevitt's use of current day celebrities, while true to his intent to tell a story as close to our times as possible, seems a little "cheesy" and stilted in its execution. Overall, I like McDevitt's ideas and storytelling ability; he creates another fun story and keeps it interesting and satisfying to read, dispite a few stumbles.
Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: My only disappointment is that there is no sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, but light
Review: Not as good as Eternity Road or Engines of God, but still enjoyable. The cover art is bad, the gratuitous use of famous people at the end is sappy and, as with all of his books, there's no huge resolution at the end, but it moves quickly and makes good airplane or beach reading.
Rating:
Summary: A stroke of good luck
Review: One time when I was camping I ran out of books to read. I ran into the nearest book store, picked out a bargain book, and settled down to read. Choosing Ancient Shores turned out to be a stroke of good luck. Though I was simply expecting something wearily plodding to tide me over during the long car ride home from Montana, it turned out to be one of the best books I've read. The story is very interesting, I like to wonder what made him think of such an intriguing story. He was one of the author's who made me desire to become a writer myself, and though I am only a teenager I am working on several stories. I recommend this book, if only for the story, to anyone. I had my sister and friends read it, all concurred with me. For a time Ancient Shores was my favorite book ever.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting characters, but little sci-fi adventure
Review: The concepts of star gates has long been a staple in sci fi. Most authors focus on adventures into the great unknown and/or an encounter with the builders. In this novel, the author chose to focus on the socio-economic effects of the discovery of these jumpgates (called a Roundhouse) rather than who built them or why. At the end, we never know anything about the builders or who the invisible visitor was. If we are to focus on politics on planet Earth, .. well. .. I found it hard to believe that the government did not seize the
Roundhouse early in the novel. No way would they have sat on the problem as the fictitious president did in this novel! Not on this planet. I did like the newsclippings and media interviews throughout the novel. Very believable. I also liked that the Sioux are portrayed honourably in the book. I give it a shaky thumbs up. It's an ok read, but nothing special.
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