A Talent for War

Rating:
Summary: A classic to read and reread.
Review: My personal experience of this novel has been similar to that expressed in 'Hrinwar's review. I can across it in a remainders bin in '94, one of my most fortunate finds ever. Since then I have read it pretty much every year, sometimes more. This is not from lack of other material to spend my time on but the levels that unravel as the story progresses, the sheer thrill of watching the clues come together, the intrigue built up around the historic mysteries, never fail to hold me entranced. I love this book and only wish others by the same author, or anyone else for that matter, could ignite my interest in the same way. However it would be an irrelevance to make comparisons with other works - put simply it is one of my most deeply held personal favourites and has stood the test of nine years repeated reading. A supreme example of a deeply satisfying reading experience.

Rating:
Summary: Good historical sleuthing.
Review: Not McDevitt's best book, but if you like a historical mystery, you'll find this an interesting diversion. The protagonist is trying to uncover mysteries which surround a great military leader who united humanity in the face of an alien threat. Not particularly fast moving, but it's interesting seeing the puzzle being pieced together. McDevitt illustrates a world with a lot of convincingly scholarly background, unfortunately as another reviewer said, the mystery isn't too hard to solve, and you wonder why noone else managed to.

Rating:
Summary: A Not-So-Good Mystery
Review: The back of this book outlines the story of a certain Alex finding clues that indicate that a interstellar hero, Christopher Sim, might not actually be what everyone thinks he is. Sounds great. I'd love to read about some of the socio-political ramifications of having someone running around trying to rewrite history based on new evidence. There might even be some cloak-and-dagger elements as Alex crosses whoever propped Sim up as a war hero.

Why was two-thirds of the book dedicated to Alex's search for this information that might prove that Sim was something other than an interstellar hero? I had already assumed he was. There's nothing really remarkable about those 200 pages. The last third of the book isn't much better. Alex eventually stumbles across the right person who tells him where is late-uncle was headed before he died (was murdered? -- it's never addressed) and the rest of the book recounts the "real" Christopher Sim.

I really wish there was something for me to sink my teeth into here. I spent a long time waiting for something to happen and I don't feel that much ever did. What's the point of a mediocre mystery novel if you've already given away the major plot point on the book jacket?