majkia's review against another edition
5.0
I love this series. It is hopeful, and exciting and the characters are great.
deadscreen's review against another edition
4.0
There was definitely some absurdity to the ending, though I think the author was going more for eldritch horror. Interesting journey but I'm not sure how I feel about it overall. Still, 4 stars.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
And that's a wrap. Not sure prequels count. Actually for the first two-thirds of the book I was completely hooked. And surprised. All the machinations and Earth really worked. And were pretty interesting and well done. Matt as space pilot turned real estate agent. John the bright young physicist finishing the work of his mentor. And then they end up back in space and that was also good. But they stayed too long - you'd think the author would stop playing that card. And the actual end of their voyage was an especial letdown. But still a good end of the series. And would probably work on it's own.
atarbett's review against another edition
3.0
For a book called Cauldron, it takes it sweet time Cauldron-ing. The first half is all politics and fundraising and the 3rd quarter is the road trip to end all road trips. It’s really the last quarter that’s all about the Cauldron. The epic road trip and the cauldron are interesting enough to warrant 3 stars.
majkia's review against another edition
5.0
I love this series. It is hopeful, and exciting and the characters are great.
jrug's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
Same old from McDevitt, but with the added problem that we know how the first half ends based on the premise and jacket copy, and the second half is too episodic to benefit from McDevitt's usual deft pacing.
Same old from McDevitt, but with the added problem that we know how the first half ends based on the premise and jacket copy, and the second half is too episodic to benefit from McDevitt's usual deft pacing.
sdramsey's review against another edition
3.0
I am generally a big McDevitt fan, but I found this title to be a bit slower than most of his other books. Still enjoyable, but not at the top of my list of favorites.
tony_t's review against another edition
4.0
One of my favorite SciFi authors. Believable characters, interesting plots, plausible science and great voice. What's not to like?
rpbperry's review
adventurous
informative
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
nwhyte's review against another edition
3.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2727826.html
There was a time when each year's Jack McDevitt book appeared on that year's Nebula shortlist, and just as reliably failed to win (with one exception). This one was beaten by Powers, which I felt was a rather minor Le Guin. Cauldron turns out to be the last in a series none of the rest of which I have read, which maybe accounts for a somewhat elegiac tone. I thought it was competent enough hard sf; in a relatively near future earth, a new space drive is discovered and our protagonists set off on a quest to solve a cosmic mystery, stopping off at several planets along the way (rather brave to make the non-human civilisation a bit dull). If you want a bit more spice in your genre (and I usually do) this doesn't really push the boundaries - what's really striking is how little difference there is between McDevitt's imagined future human society a couple of centuries hence, and the year 2000 - and there were at least three better books on the Nebula shortlist that year. (Little Brother, Brasyl, and Making Money.)
There was a time when each year's Jack McDevitt book appeared on that year's Nebula shortlist, and just as reliably failed to win (with one exception). This one was beaten by Powers, which I felt was a rather minor Le Guin. Cauldron turns out to be the last in a series none of the rest of which I have read, which maybe accounts for a somewhat elegiac tone. I thought it was competent enough hard sf; in a relatively near future earth, a new space drive is discovered and our protagonists set off on a quest to solve a cosmic mystery, stopping off at several planets along the way (rather brave to make the non-human civilisation a bit dull). If you want a bit more spice in your genre (and I usually do) this doesn't really push the boundaries - what's really striking is how little difference there is between McDevitt's imagined future human society a couple of centuries hence, and the year 2000 - and there were at least three better books on the Nebula shortlist that year. (Little Brother, Brasyl, and Making Money.)