tanya_the_spack's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it. I could not in good conscience call this quality literature, but it was enjoyable fluff of the sci-fi persuasion.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
Exhausting. An endless cycle of bravery and idiocy and desperate rescue missions in which someone must die. Interesting and inventive but still with a minimum of believable character development. But the ideas and concepts are mostly worthwhile. But too long and with too much repetition. So not soft enough for space opera and not hard enough for hard science. And not gripping enough to really recommend. 3.5 of 5.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a little long. I liked the mystery aspects of it, but the action was a little too Hollywood and a little too drawn out.
gamma's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
furicle's review against another edition
2.0
Fun concept, but the characters are unbelievably stupid time after time. UFO nuts have spaceship, will travel.
Laura Croft is a cautious, careful, reverent, painstaking archeologist in comparison.
Not to mention the really far fetched forced problems used to push the story. Compare 30 km/r to 1/3C....
Skip this one.
Laura Croft is a cautious, careful, reverent, painstaking archeologist in comparison.
Not to mention the really far fetched forced problems used to push the story. Compare 30 km/r to 1/3C....
Skip this one.
majkia's review against another edition
5.0
Archaeology in SSSSssspppppppaaaaaacccccceee! Dangerous Archeology in space. Especially when you turn up an alien space craft you don't understand, and get trapped there.
I really enjoy this series. Lots of fun stuff, lots of nail biting, great main character who is a kick-ass female captain, who backs off from nothing, and will do all in her power to protect her passengers, even when they are exceedingly stupid.
Definitely continuing on with this series.
I really enjoy this series. Lots of fun stuff, lots of nail biting, great main character who is a kick-ass female captain, who backs off from nothing, and will do all in her power to protect her passengers, even when they are exceedingly stupid.
Definitely continuing on with this series.
jerefi's review against another edition
5.0
My friend sent this to me with a post it saying, "I don't know what you will think of this, but it set my imagination on fire."
Well friend, it set my imagination on fire too. I really liked this book. Very interesting prospective.
Well friend, it set my imagination on fire too. I really liked this book. Very interesting prospective.
garretreece's review against another edition
4.0
Another Library of Babel recommendation; I'd never heard of [a:Jack McDevitt|73812|Jack McDevitt|http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1225722326p2/73812.jpg] before. The one line review is "Indiana Jones, in space, no Nazis."
This is not the first book in this series; it appears that [b:Deepsix|352780|Deepsix (The Academy, #2)|Jack McDevitt|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1322689032s/352780.jpg|1117220] chronologically precedes this one. That said, as only passing reference to the first book is made (and if I hadn't noticed it on the shelf at the library when I got this book, I could believe that no book existed), this book stands on its own just fine.
The plot follows a small exploration ship that is tracing narrow signals found from something orbiting a neutron star way out in space; this signal is the first indication of a still extant spacefaring alien species, and the ship is owned and crewed by members of a society whose main goal is intelligent alien contact.
For lack of a better term (I'm crazy short on sleep) this is a very comfortable book; fun to read, engaging, and overall quite pleasant.
This is not the first book in this series; it appears that [b:Deepsix|352780|Deepsix (The Academy, #2)|Jack McDevitt|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1322689032s/352780.jpg|1117220] chronologically precedes this one. That said, as only passing reference to the first book is made (and if I hadn't noticed it on the shelf at the library when I got this book, I could believe that no book existed), this book stands on its own just fine.
The plot follows a small exploration ship that is tracing narrow signals found from something orbiting a neutron star way out in space; this signal is the first indication of a still extant spacefaring alien species, and the ship is owned and crewed by members of a society whose main goal is intelligent alien contact.
For lack of a better term (I'm crazy short on sleep) this is a very comfortable book; fun to read, engaging, and overall quite pleasant.
otherwyrld's review against another edition
2.0
A lot of people seem to like this book, but I found it pretty annoying for the most part. In the not-too-distant future, a large part of the galaxy has been explored by humanity but few other intelligent species have been found. A group of rich people who are determined to make first contact commission a new starship and hire Captain Priscilla Hutchins (called Hutch for most of the time) to investigate a mysterious signal found in orbit around a neutron star. From there, they make the discovery of a lifetime, tracking signals from a massive alien relay system from one planet to another, each with its own intelligent life(though some are long dead) until finally they come across a huge starship that they call the Chindi (after a supernatural creature) which proves to be treasure trove they were seeking.
Sounds great in principle, but the reason I disliked the book was that the characters were so awful. Most of the passengers are rich and spoiled, and treat Hutch with a sneering contempt every time she urges caution. Even when her warnings prove true and people die (and lots of people do), they still fail to listen, blundering into one situation after another.
They may be an archeological expedition, but it's strictly amateur hour here. Not one of them even thought about getting any qualifications in the fields they might need on such an expedition, which is hardly surprising when their numbers include a stripper/porn star, an artist and a funeral director!
Hutch is just as bad at times, as she constantly fails to assert her authority on these unruly and badly behaved children. Even when two other starships are destroyed, she still doesn't pull the plug. Even though she was picked for the mission, it feels as if she was chosen because she could be bullied into doing things that she knew was a mistake, and I have a horrible suspicion that the character was made female just to make this point. There is always a faint suspicion of sexism throughout the story - nothing too overt, but it made me uneasy.
The story picks up a bit towards the end, but even then it has failings as Hutch attempts a desperate and foolhardy rescue of someone trapped aboard the Chindi, and all for the sake of "Twue Wuv" as she has decided that it it was a mistake to breakup with this guy as she had done years before. The action and rescue attempt itself almost, almost made me give it 3 stars, but it was too little, too late.
Captain Picard would have thrown this lot in the brig.
Sounds great in principle, but the reason I disliked the book was that the characters were so awful. Most of the passengers are rich and spoiled, and treat Hutch with a sneering contempt every time she urges caution. Even when her warnings prove true and people die (and lots of people do), they still fail to listen, blundering into one situation after another.
They may be an archeological expedition, but it's strictly amateur hour here. Not one of them even thought about getting any qualifications in the fields they might need on such an expedition, which is hardly surprising when their numbers include a stripper/porn star, an artist and a funeral director!
Hutch is just as bad at times, as she constantly fails to assert her authority on these unruly and badly behaved children. Even when two other starships are destroyed, she still doesn't pull the plug. Even though she was picked for the mission, it feels as if she was chosen because she could be bullied into doing things that she knew was a mistake, and I have a horrible suspicion that the character was made female just to make this point. There is always a faint suspicion of sexism throughout the story - nothing too overt, but it made me uneasy.
The story picks up a bit towards the end, but even then it has failings as Hutch attempts a desperate and foolhardy rescue of someone trapped aboard the Chindi, and all for the sake of "Twue Wuv" as she has decided that it it was a mistake to breakup with this guy as she had done years before. The action and rescue attempt itself almost, almost made me give it 3 stars, but it was too little, too late.
Captain Picard would have thrown this lot in the brig.