Rating: 
Summary: Adventure SF - stretches credibility
Review: Eternity Road is the first book I've read by Jack McDevitt, but it will most likely not be my last. McDevitt has a style and an ease with characters that is pleasant and subdued. He offers a vivid picture of a different future than the kind we like to imagine.The book begins in a small community living on the banks of the Mississippi river, at least 700-1000 years from now. Our society, called "The Roadmasters" by the locals, were wiped out in the late 21st century by a plague of unknown origin. The locals know something about The Roadmsters, with some handwritten versions of classic literature remaining, and they constantly scour the ruins around them for clues as to how the great civilization that proceeded them achieved so much, and how it fell so quickly. The story is about an expidition from the Mississippi river to the East Coast to search for a place called "Haven", where a hero of the past allegedly saved all the great information of The Roadmakers before the plague wiped out all traces. The group that makes the trip is actually the most interesting part of the story. They aren't deepli constructed, but they are better than just sketches, each with their own fears, desires, and hopes for the journey. What they find on their travels is fascinating, but the internal struggles of the group are just as entertaining. The book is fast paced and delivers on excitement and speculation on what our civilization might be thought of once we are gone. The ending is a bit abrupt, but it answers our questions without insulting us. All in all a great read for sci-fi/fanatsy fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Ok, but another book with no ending
Review: I am beginning to see that most of this authors books do not have a proper ending. He leaves the reader guessing as to what might happen. It's not like he has a sequel coming out that answers all of the questions he leaves the reader with either. On the plus side it wasn't as boring as some of his other books and did keep me interested but I prefer stories with actual endings.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Interesting story
Review: I had seen this book a while back and almost read it, but found something else instead, so when I saw it at the Library recently, I decided to try it, especially since I have been interested in stories about Future Earth lately. This was a very good story, because while I new some of what the characters did not know, and were looking for, there was a lot of what they were trying to find out that I wanted to find out as well. How the author saw the future and the downfall of civilization was interesting to wonder about, as well as what advances were achieved after the present, but before the fall. Also, it was compelling to see how the characters approached life when they knew about some of what technology could accomplish, but were not able to duplicate. This book really did a good job of holding my interest because of those aspects. Having said that, there were some things that I found lacking in the story, mostly just with the level of detail that was presented to the reader. I would have liked more at the end about exactly what happened with the plague. I thought some of the descriptions in the book were not very well done, especially with regard to the maglev train. I just didn't see how it could look like it did when they first saw it, and how did they get the horses on to it, it seems that that should have been a bigger issue than it was. Also, there was no detail about the return journey, but it must have been an adventure as well. However, these were all pretty minor issues that I found and didn't detract much from my enjoyment of the book. I would recommend this book, and will look to read more by McDevitt.
Rating:
Summary: What will the future look like?
Review: I liked this book, although I had several problems with it. The book proposes that all books had not survived the 1000 years time after a plague wiped out almost all of humanity. Yet the dead sea scrolls and egyptian papyrus have survived far longer into our time. The characters show some modern attitudes and handle situations that a "primate" post-apocalyptic society would, I believe, react to differently. The ending is a bit of a let down, and the mysterious Ksrik Endine's reaction, destroying all those books!!! was insane, and the boatmen just watching him destroy them is nonsense. Other than that, the book does present an interesting future and interesting characters.
Rating:
Summary: Failed to Deliver on a Great Concept
Review: I, like other reviewers, thought that the novel had a terrific beginning but went downhill from that point. McDevitt is not at his best when not in space. This book, though, is very, very similar to the "Hutch" series in many ways. Both works contain strong women; both works involve exploration of an unknown area; both involve science and both touch on the meaning of humanity, civilization and the future. The "eye" was a good touch but the book seemed to meander while the characters failed to grow. McDevitt is a rationalist whose characters reflect his own philosophical outlook. For this reason, we never have mass murderers or people going berserk and shooting everyone in range. No, his characters have purpose and plans - not totally realistic but certainly better than the nihilism that seems so prevalent in much of the "literature" published these days. The ending was particularly weak, especially when compared to the high hopes at the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Failed to Deliver on a Great Concept
Review: I, like other reviewers, thought that the novel had a terrific beginning but went downhill from that point. McDevitt is not at his best when not in space. This book, though, is very, very similar to the "Hutch" series in many ways. Both works contain strong women; both works involve exploration of an unknown area; both involve science and both touch on the meaning of humanity, civilization and the future. The "eye" was a good touch but the book seemed to meander while the characters failed to grow. McDevitt is a rationalist whose characters reflect his own philosophical outlook. For this reason, we never have mass murderers or people going berserk and shooting everyone in range. No, his characters have purpose and plans - not totally realistic but certainly better than the nihilism that seems so prevalent in much of the "literature" published these days. The ending was particularly weak, especially when compared to the high hopes at the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: It's Not Sci Fi, It's Fantasy
Review: Jack McDevitt's Eternity Road, a brief, post-apocalyptic travel story, shows exactly how a great idea can be executed with less than great results. McDevitt has created a fascinating and intricate society that exists some 800 years after a devastating war. Learning and study are beginning to seep back into society in a way reminiscent of the ancient Greeks, and an interest in the past sparks a group of travelers to go in search of a knowledge repository called Haven. The ancient civilization that destroyed itself (American civilization, actually) is called "The Roadmakers," and one gets a sense that McDevitt spent more time concocting this world than focusing on the story at hand. The travelers' journey is little more than a nice, if uniform, fantasy story with some science fiction elements. For a story to be true sci-fi, it has to address modern problems in far-flung ways to attempt to demonstrate current human folly. The sci-fi elements here serve only to distract, injure, and kill the band as they struggle in their "quest." If the adventure were as interesting as promised, it might have been forgivable, but even that isn't anything special - the reader is treated to different "mysteries" that turn out to be common 20th (and now 21st) century things. It's been done before, and done much better, as A Canticle for Liebowitz. But even the moral in that book is missing here, and all that happens is a few people get very rich and manage to imbibe their culture with fiction books. McDevitt is a fine author (case in point: Moonfall), but this isn't his best work. It comes across as a formulaic and dull story encased in a culture far too deep for what basically amounts to a pulp novel. McDevitt's prose, too, seems less developed, and there is often little reason to care for the characters, and little to no character development at all. In a day and age when such things don't seem to matter, Eternity Road might find readership among those who aren't used to science fiction like Liebowitz, Dune, or Stranger in a Strange Land - the same crowd that thinks Resident Evil is a good horror movie, or Triple-X is a good substitute for James Bond. McDevitt can produce high quality sci-fi, but this isn't it.
Rating:
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.
Rating:
Summary: Great beginning, disappointing ending
Review: The Prologue created enough mystery to make me purchase this book. The first couple of chapters built the anticipation of going on a voyage, but I became a little anxious when Chaka and company hadn't left until 1/4 through the book. The book did not thoroughly describe the people and events. If McDevitt would have selected fewer highlights of the first journey (with a destination closer to Illyria) he would have had more time to delve into the characters and the settings for the second group. Maybe fewer characters from the start, rather than disposing of them during the journey, would have worked just as well. I agree with previous reviewers who say the ending was too abrupt. Whereas the prologue enticed me to read on, the ending and epilogue disappointed me. The reason why all but one of the members of the first expedition died, as well as the reason for the plague were unsatisfying. Whereas half of the members of the second expedition get killed (even with the superior weapons they obtained), the complete first expedition arrives at their destination only to die without even realizing why. The reason for the plague (mentioned in the epilogue)came out of the blue. If some hints (maybe I missed them?) had been given through the story, it might have been platable. The mention of intelligent life elsewhere, to me, would indicate humanity would reach for the stars, rather than be decimated by the cause of the plague. On a positive note, I enjoyed the encounter with the Devil's eye, the Dragon and the scene in the bank. I would like to recommend Jack Vance's "The Compleat Dying Earth", for those interested in stories about Earth's last civilizations.
Rating:
Summary: good read, some minor problems
Review: This is a great beach read, quick, interesting, thought provoking. There are some problems with believability, not sure how a society that is so backwards still has zippers for instance. And several plot points don't seem to make sense. At one point the characters do away with what might have been an invaluable source of info just because they are asked too. For some reason that really bothered me. But, overall the tale is ingrossing and imaginative. Don't think too much and it is a fun read.
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