Category Archives: Jack McDevitt

Happy Birthday, Jack McDevitt

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Today, April 14, is Jack McDevitt’s birthday.  He’s 85 today.  I normally reserve these birthday posts for writers, artists, and editors who are no longer with us.  But I make the occasional exception. Mr. McDevitt is one of those.  He’s among the few authors I always buy in hardcover from trade publishers.

I’ve had t he privilege of meeting him at least three different times, although not recently. He is a consummate gentleman. Jack is open, friendly, and easy to talk to.

He writes science fiction in what would probably be considered the classic vein. There’s a reason he’s a multiple award winner.  If you haven’t read him, I suggest you do yourself a favor and do so.  Start with A Talent for War (the Alex Benedict series), or The Engines of God (the Academy/ Priscilla “Hutch” Hutchison series), or some of the short stories, the most recent collection being A Voice in the Night.

Happy birthday, Jack!

A Review of Jack McDevitt’s Thunderbird

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ThunderbirdThunderbird
Jack McDevitt
Ace Books
Hardcover $26.95
ebook $13.99

Jack McDevitt’s latest novel takes up where Ancient Shores left off. This is not a stand-alone novel, although it’s not absolutely necessary to have read the first book.  He focuses on different characters to some extent in this one.  While McDevitt introduces dozens of characters whose lives are affected by the discovery of The Roundhouse, interstellar portal discovered on a Sioux reservation, his central character is Sioux Chairman James Walker.

Walker is not in an enviable position.  The President, the UN, the press, and his own tribe are all pressuring him.  Some want him to shut down or destroy The Roundhouse.  Others want access to it.  And some want to use it to colonize the tropical paradise world they’ve come to call Eden.

Walker tries to walk a careful path, not rushing and not making long term sacrifices for short term gains.   Continue reading →

Sail Along Ancient Shores

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Ancient ShoresAncient Shores
Jack McDevitt
Harper Collins
mass market paperback $7.99
ebook $6.99

Jack McDevitt has long been one of my favorite science fiction writers.  In addition to his clean prose and in-depth characterizations, his novels tend to have an element of mystery.  I think to a large extent that’s what I like about his work.

Still, McDevitt is prolific enough that I haven’t read all of his work.  Until recently, Ancient Shores fell into this category.  When I found out that this year’s novel (McDevitt typically has a new release in either November or December each year) was the sequel, I knew I needed to read Ancient Shores.   Continue reading →

Conspiracy Theories and Moon Landings

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The Cassandra ProjectThe Cassandra Project
Jack McDevitt & Mike Resnick
Ace Books, mmp, 343 p., $7.99
ebook $7.99  Kindle Nook

I’ve been a big fan of both of these authors for years, so it was with high expectations that I approached The Cassandra Project. Now the thing to keep in mind is that collaborations rarely read like the work of either author involved. In the best cases, the result is something that surpasses what either author could produce on their own. A prime example of this would be the works of Niven and Pournelle or Pohl and Kornbluth. On the other hand, when the collaboration doesn’t work, the results can be downright awful.

Fortunately, the work under consideration here is much more of the former than the latter, even if it doesn’t quite rise to the level of Niven/Pournelle or Phol/Kornbluth. I’ll say more about that shortly. First, here’s the setup. Continue reading →