Customer Reviews

Seeker

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I really enjoyed this book. It satisfies various "itches" that I try to "scratch", by reading good mature science fiction.

One thing I appreciate about his writing in this novel (and its predecessor) is his use sometimes of fairly realistic first-person narrative, by a woman character. Male authors often don't get their female characters quite right (my wife made me especially aware of this).

McDevitt has carved out a sort of unique niche for himself, with this and some (not all) of his other novels, perhaps you might call it "future archaeology"?

For the most satisfying experience, before reading this novel you should read the two earlier, equally good novels, that take place in the same world, with the same main characters (Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath): "A Talent For War" (don't be put off by the awful title) and "Polaris".

And for "A Talent For War", you can get it by itself, or you can also get it in a book called "Hello Out There", that combines it with a rewritten earlier novel of his ("The Hercules Text").

McDevitt's other, equally good series, of "future archaeology" novels, features a different world and different main character (Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchinson". That series starts with "The Engines of God" and continues through "DeepSix", "Chindi", and "Omega".

Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath, of "A Talent for War" and "Polaris" fame, are at it again solving ancient mysteries, avoiding persistent assassins, and makin' money hand over fist in their morally ambiguous profession as acquirers of and dealers in historically relevant "antiquties".
Mr. McDevitt is in top form doing what he does best creating an intriguing S-F mystery, and taking us for a very satisfying ride.
I am somewhat curious as to how a human civilization set ten thousand years in the future could still resemble our own, except with better appliances. It reminds me of "Forbidden Planet" set hundreds of years in the future with their 50's hairstyles, and 50's attitudes toward women and everything else ("We Still Like Ike!"). Well, there were numerous "dark ages"...
Jack McDevitt rarely disappoints, and "Seeker" is one of his best! Highly recommended!

(***** = breathtaking, **** = excellent, *** = good, ** = flawed, * = bad)

McDevitt is more of an idea-guy than a writer: his characters are flat and his descriptions employ so little sensory information that he manages to make scenes like an apartment break-in by a vengeful man and a fight for survival outside of a spaceship seem boring.

BUT -- his ideas such as a journey among a telepathic alien species among whom lying is unknown, and (especially) what happened to the lost colonists of the Bremerhaven and the Seeker) are absolutely breathtaking.

Reading Seeker was sometimes a slog, but I was entertained and glad I'd read it in the end. Longer review at ImpatientReader-dot-com.

Amy Kohler shows antiques dealer Alex Benedict a decorated cup with an eagle and strange language etched onto it. Alex looks up the language and says it is Mid-American English last used in the third millennium. Amy is stunned that she possesses an artifact that is nine thousand years old, but Alex says it is probably recent with just an ancient inscription though he has no idea outside of academia who would use a dead language like English especially on a cup.

As he looks closer at the relic, Alex becomes convinced that the cup is from the mythical space vessel the Seeker that legend says along with the Bremerhaven transported 5,000 expatriates from the religious intolerance of the twenty-seventh century United States. They supposedly founded a colony on the planet, Margolia, but no one ever heard from the colonists again so they are part of the mythos. Alex and his assistant pilot Chase Kolpath begin to follow clues while a rival follows them, pirates await their return to steal their booty, aliens control information, and a Survey team wants them stopped.

This science fiction adventure is quite exciting in spite of the over kill of opponents that seem to run the gamut of outer space adventures (besides the above there are killing robots and weird aliens), Jack McDevitt spins a fun futuristic thriller. Readers will appreciate how the future looks back and interprets twenty-seventh century America the same way archeologists do to ancient and prehistorical societies. Alex and Chase come across as the good guys against a horde of nasty dudes though the heroes are artifact mercenaries (somewhat like Han Solo) in a fine tale that fans of Mr. McDevitt will appreciate.

Harriet Klausner

Let me say right off the bat that I really like Jack McDevitt and both of his series: "Hutch" Hutchins and the Chase Kolpath and Alex Benedict duo (in this series). I have tremendously enjoyed most of his other books (I wasn't wild about Ancient Shores, which doesn't belong to either of these series). Others describe the story well, so I won't go into that. McDevitt is up to his usual standard, which is pretty darn good.
My main complaint with this story is that it is very, very similar to a couple of his other books, including scenes that involve an uncomfortable meeting with the only known alien race, realistic but prolonged research phases of the story, scenes that involve narrow escapes from attempts on the main characters' lives, and a similar denger/trap when the last site or artifact is found. Also, I appreciate the fact that McDevitt's stories are built on human characters, and he never goes for the 'deus ex machina' conclusion, but rather his stories are driven by very human characters that read like people you know, or would like to know. However, this time around, McDevitt's far future feels a little TOO much like today, and I felt that way in this book more than many of his others, even though he actually offers an explanation for that similarity (there is an upper limit on the intelligence level that allows people to function well in society, once exceeded by too many members, the society begins to disintegrate).
I read a lot, and I often go several years before returning to an author and getting several of his/her books and reading them consecutively. I read more than half this book before I finally decided that I hadn't read it a couple of years ago. It was that similar to his other books.
I like the characters and the universe he's created, but I really felt that I hadn't read anything new when I finished this book.

This is another story set in the universe of "A Talent For War", some years after Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath made their discovery about Christopher Sim. It follows the earlier "Polaris".

This story gives us more background on how humans left Earth in the 3rd and 4th millenia. Here, for instance, we find that English was no longer spoken after the 3rd millenium. And that the colonisation of nearby star systems took centuries. With early efforts marked by failure. It also places the stories some six thousand years in the future. Whereas the earlier books were somewhat unclear about when they were set, relative to our time.

The plot follows McDevitt's usual quiet pace. Too quite for some readers. But he has attracted a decent readership with his other books, who will not be disappointed here. The ideas here are fairly ingenious. He has put some thought into the scenario of a lost colony. Of how it got lost and how it survived.

Perhaps a disappointment, and which is constant in this series, is how few advances in longevity have occurred. No diseases are mentioned to afflict people. But the average life span is discernibly little improved over ours. People are considered middle aged at 60 and elderly at 90.

I am a huge fan of Jack McDevitt. I have at least enjoyed every one of his books. However, for the past few years, I think he's slipped a bit. Deepsix, Chindi, and Omega all were a bit over the top when it came to the huge adventure scene. McDevitt is at his best when the mystery drives the entire story.

I think his top two books are Engines of God, and Infinity Beach. Seeker steps right in at number 3. I'd recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed any of his books.

Having read almost everything McDevitt has ever written, I must say one of his major weaknesses is his ending: he always ties the story together, but he is so good at the buildup that the ending usually comes as an anti-climax, it's never as dramatic as I hope it will be. Seeker absolutely does not suffer from this. This story follows McDevitt's Alex Benedict character and is told from the point of view of his assistant, Chase Kolpath.

The chapters that follow Chase through Mute territory and back to Earth make this book into a great adventure spanning most of this universe's galaxy, but (thankfully) don't drag into onerous side plots. While the major conflict strains credibility slightly (although much less than in other books), the ending is absolutely epic in proportion - beautifully crafted and wildly imaginative - far moreso than any of McDevitt's other works. You know it's coming but that doesn't make it any less fantastic.

This book is well worth the read for the world created in the Epilogue alone, but a great space mystery/adventure at the same time. The little tidbits thrown in almost in passing that allude to Kolpath's personal life are a nice polishing touch that makes the book flow much smoother as well.

A pleasant read and somewhat engaging but not something I can strongly recomend. Altogether to predictable and the ending has no drama. Dirk Pit has nothing to fear of these futuristic treasure hunters if this any indication.

Seeker is the third book in the continuing adventures of Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath, star-hopping antiquities hunters. Fortunately, you do not need to read the previous two books, "Talent for War" and "Polaris," to enjoy this one.

Ten thousand years from now, humans have spread over much of the Orion arm, and they've left ruins and lost cities scattered among the stars. Alex and Chase make a living finding artifacts from these sites and selling them to rich clients. This time, the story begins when a woman brings in an unlikely artifact: an ancient plastic cup with an inscription in unreadable "English characters." They discover that the cup is from a colony ship, the Seeker, that left Earth 9000 years ago. The group has never been heard from since, and their story has become legend. Where did the cup come from? What happened to the Seeker and its colonists? The mystery leads Alex and Chase out among the stars, to search for the lost ship and its crew.

The books in this series follow a definite pattern. In each, an "impossible" artifact surfaces. Alex and Chase do research and begin digging up clues. Alex relies on his intuition to piece things together, while Chase (an interstellar pilot) travels to interview experts or witnesses. With each clue, the mystery deepens. An unknown enemy finds their efforts threatening, and they escape multiple assassination attempts, thanks mostly to Chase's quick thinking. In the end, they survive a final confrontation to unearth another Find of the Century.

Formulaic, yes, but it's a good formula. It's like watching a new episode of a TV show you like; you know pretty much what to expect, and the show delivers. Same with McDevitt. The stories are good, the characters agreeable, the mysteries intriguing. And it's fun to imagine a time when our future is as ancient and mythical to historians as Troy or Atlantis is to us.

McDevitt is a capable writer. The story moves at a good pace. The world of the "Confederacy" is well fleshed out, and the characters are very comfortable in it. Chase, the narrator, sprinkles her narrative with natural, off-hand references to pop culture, history, restaurants, fashion, and so on, which give the world a realistic, lived-in feel.

All in all, an enjoyable read.