Rating: 
Summary: A plot-driven and rather unusual first contact novel
Review: This is my first time reading Jack McDevitt. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the way he mixed in murder and intrigue, science fiction, and even a ghost story. The plot twisted and turned enough to engage even the most jaded reader who has experienced every recycled plot in the known universe. It's difficult to write in any of these genres, but McDevitt melds them together so seamlessly that you don't realize how cleverly he's lured you in. I enjoyed all his alien vistas and there seemed to be a good dollop of hard facts behind his fiction. Alnitak and the Horsehead Nebula are real and he painted them in such spectacular starshine that they glittered from the pages like diamonds. Yes, McDevitt is that good. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, are his characters. They take a back seat to his plot, which pilots everything. Kim Brandywine is a thinly contrived female character who seems to wander aimlessly from one situtation to another. She is put on the scent of the Hunter by her former professor, and one wonders why she waited so long to investigate her sister's disappearance. If, like her society, she was growing complacent, then what was it about him that made her jump into action? After that, she transforms into this impulsive creature who sees nothing wrong with breaking the law to get at the truth. So, while the characters are not especially memorable or even all that likable, this is still a damned good read from a fine writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but some holes big enough to hide a starship...
Review: This was the first book I've ever read by Jack McDevitt; I'm glad I read this one and I'd definitely pick up another of his titles. The characters were wonderful for the most part: they were complex, made mistakes and had self-doubts. They were confronted with questions forcing them to balanced concern for humanity against personal motivation. The science was believable, though unremarkable considering the story takes place almost 1,000 years in the future. Some may be disappointed that little description of the science was provided. Yet these qualities are contrasted and offset by some crippling inconsistencies that form the backdrop for the story. First, McDevitt describes an economy where anyone, if they choose, can lead a life of leisure, living off of a government-supplied pension. At the same time, all of the goods and services were supplied by private firms and entrepreneurs. How? The reader is left to resolve the question of why anyone would choose to engage in a low-pay, low-reward career when they can simply relax on the beach. Secondly, it is difficult to believe that any collection of intelligent beings placing so much thought and resources into finding other sentient species has given so little thought to what they would do when they actually found them. The behavior of the characters during first and second contact was astonishing, making the scene sound more like an alien encounter with a Space Shuttle crew in 2001. Confusion and surprise in such a situation is understandable, but to have no plan, no protocol, nothing when exploration and discovery of other life forms this is the primary reason for the expedition only casts doubt on the entire plot.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Give Up - It Gets Better
Review: Three quarters of the way through this one I was convinced it was destined for a three ("my better than a poke in the eye" category.) However, the last fourth was superb, leading it overall into the "really good read" area. We open with the starship "Hunter" and two of it's crew obviously doing battle with a extraterestrial. There's just no doubt about what or when this is occuring. The author then warps us ahead a few decades to a time when humanity has finally given up ever making contact with another intelligent species in this galaxy or any other. Having explored a vast amount of the local space, colonizing nine worlds, and finding no evidence at all of another species, the human race has begun to turn to introspection and some say, decay. It is here we find Kim, our brave tenatious protagonist, who at the bequest of her college mentor begins a search for "the truth." Her old professor insists "there is something in the forrest of Severin" near the last known location of most of the Hunter's crew; among who was her sister that never returned from it's final mission to find extraterrestrial intelligence. Three of the crew disappeared or died mysteriously soon after. The lone survivor perishing a few years later in an act of heroism. This forrest exploration by Kim begins her step by step methodical approach to finding the answer of what really happened to Hunter and her sister. The problem with this bit, is that it is written with too much attention to the methodical and logical (as fascinating as it is.) There is just not enough attention to character development. Along the way we have love, a bit of juvenile sex, and a heroic act that really few readers will waste any emotion on. A solid three. The rest, well it must be taken in by you the reader. Just remember what I say, it definately pulls the book into a really really good read. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Polished hard-SF mystery-thriller first-contact story.
Review: __________________________________________
Infinity Beach stands out for its polished, adult prose, and for its
complex, conflicted characters, muddling through life. McDevitt's
writing is clean and mature. The plot is twisty, genre-bending,
romantic, recomplicated. Experienced readers will have seen all of his
plot-elements before, but McDevitt plants enough red herrings to keep
you guessing (me, anyway). This is a world-class novelist writing at the
height of his powers. A Nebula award nominee, and not to be missed. Infinity Beach features some of the creepiest aliens since, well, "Alien".
At least three times, I felt the hair rise up on the back of my neck.... it's
been awhile since that's happened. I liked this book a lot. A definite
keeper. "Jack McDevitt is that splendid rarity, a writer who is a
storyteller first and a science fiction writer second... If you've
never read McDevitt before, you couldn't find a better book to
start with than Infinity Beach, a nail-biting neo-Gothic tale that
blends mystery, horror, and a fascinating look at how first contact
with an utterly alien species might happen. I simply couldn't put
it down - I was up until long past midnight and loving every minute
of it. Kim Brandywine is one of McDevitt's most engaging
characters, both real and appealing. Snatch this baby up, all
right? You're going to love it even if you think you don't like
science fiction. You might even want to drop me a thank-you note
for the tip before racing out to your local bookstore to pick up
the Jack McDevitt backlist."
-- Stephen King, at McDevitt's website. Happy reading!
Pete Tillman
| 
