Fifth in the series. This is one of the series I'm trying to re-read in order, but it's not necessary to do that in order to enjoy them as they stand alone very well. I've always liked McDevitt's books, they are nice snappy reading with interesting plots and action. Maybe the characters don't have an amazing amount of depth, but it's not a big fault. What I didn't remember from book to book is how similar they are. Each book so far, Alex is in search of an artifact which unbeknownst to him holds a secret that a small group of people is willing to die for. Lots of research, lots of travel, a few attempts on his and Chase's lives. I like the research - McDevitt builds a wonderful future history liberally sprinkled with mentions of (future) historical persons and events - and I enjoy the spaceflight part. By this fifth book I am rolling my eyes a little when someone tries to murder them, and they survive the inevitable aircraft crash. While I do recommend this series, I think I need to space them out a little farther. So let's see...any comments about this book in particular that aren't spoilers...McDevitt gives you a nice fat clue towards the middle about what Chase and Alex are going to find. I would have liked what they found to be more exotic, and the fact that it wasn't sets up an entirely new set of questions that McDevitt doesn't even acknowledge. Maybe in another book?
This one is just as great as the rest of his books! McDevitt is the greatest story teller ever!
