24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A departure from previous Benedict novels..., December 27, 2008
This review is from: The Devil's Eye: An Alex Benedict Novel (Hardcover)
I was very excited to get the new Alex Benedict novel by Jack McDevitt, having read "Seeker" and "Polaris" and being a big fan of both. In those, the author wove together hard sci-fi with intriguing archaeological mysteries for the characters to unravel. "The Devil's Eye" begins much the same way as previous books, with a tantalizing cryptic message, a seemingly impenetrable puzzle, and what appears, at first, to be an unrelated historical occurrence. But the mystery, which grabbed me and kept me reading, is fully resolved halfway through the novel, and that's when, in my opinion, the story takes a nose dive. Instead of mystery and suspense, McDevitt turns "The Devil's Eye" into... well, into "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" - in short, it becomes a novel about political posturing. The author is experienced enough to never let the story get bogged down too much, but the novel feels like two different books, and to my taste, they don't mesh well, and frankly, it's not what I've come to expect from this fictional duo.
My other disappointment was how the author appears to be running out of original ideas; the SF here isn't mind-blowing, I won't give it away, but I was let down by the reveal. And there are moments where the author steals ideas from his previous novels, and he even repeats events *within* "The Devil's Eye" - there are at least two crises which are duplicated, with small changes, later in the story. Finally, the ending seems rushed and all too convenient - tacked on to provide the requisite happy ending for all involved. He doesn't even give Alex an archeological puzzle to solve, which has been the cornerstone of the two previous books - here, the token "treasure" pretty much falls into his lap. I've viewed the Alex Benedict books as a kind of "Indiana Jones" of the future, but this one changed the pattern, to lesser effect. All in all, a disappointing entry.
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is good, clean science fiction., July 29, 2009
This review is from: The Devil's Eye: An Alex Benedict Novel (Hardcover)
Do you have a sweet tooth for good, clean science fiction? Not for one of the scores of so-called "novels" that exploit the Star Trek or Star Wars franchises, but something worthy of Arthur C. Clarke, or something as good as Joan D. Vinge's Catspaw. If your sweet tooth is aching, pop this book into your mouth and start chewing.
As far as I know, Jack McDevitt has no degrees in science. He knows enough to satisfy me, though I am just a lowly math-science salutatorian from high school, supplemented by a few college-level courses. And Jack doesn't flaunt his knowledge. Nor does he bog the reader down in any lengthy passages of dull description. His prose is responsibly written in contemporary style. It's streamlined, well-polished, and easy to read. Everything that is needed to move the story along is there, and nothing more is there.
The Devil's Eye has much dialog, which makes it a quick read, but the dialog is necessary and appropriate. And it's not excessive, like that in Isaac Asimov's novels.
Some readers may consider one or more of the action sequences a bit unconvincing, if not sleazy. I think they are tolerable, except for one escape sequence. (I won't spoil the story by describing it.) Certainly you will not have to stomach anything like Rambo's charge of a line of Vietcong who are firing automatic rifles, leaving Rambo unscratched.
The Devil's Eye has a good science-fiction mystery. It is not obscure, and you might figure it out. I was disappointed that I did not figure it out, because once it was revealed, it seemed fairly obvious. But I think that is a kind of mystery that is pleasant, the kind that you have a decent chance of figuring out and that makes you wonder why you did not figure it out.
I have read hundreds of novels, most of which were science fiction or fantasy. I have read all but one of the fourteen novels that I know Jack McDevitt has had published. (My local library did not have A Talent for War, which I am now waiting to receive from an amazon seller.) I understand what good, clean science fiction is. So far Jack's novels have qualified, including The Devil's Eye.
Notwithstanding the weak action sequence, I am giving this book five stars. Jack's grasp of science, his good prose, and the mystery make it deserving.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
like visiting old friends, August 16, 2009
While this is far from McDevitt's best or most original work, I always enjoy going back to the Benedict/Kolpath universe for another visit. This series of books, along with the Hutch novels are a nice change from the heavier stuff I also like to read, such as Baxter and Reynolds. McDevitt's style always gets me engaged and eager to find out where the story is going. The one specific plot item that I think he's gone to the well once too often with, is the sabotaged transport vehicle that is good for a few pages of mild or little suspense, since the reader knows darn well that nothing is going to happen to the principle character(s) so early on in the narrative. I hope that's the last we see of that. Other than that, the story unfolded with enough originality to have made it well worth my while.
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