Helpful Score: 3
McDevitt's books provide reliable entertainment for me. If you like his books, you'll like this one. Science fiction with a mystery twist, pretty much like all his books. This is the first in the Alex Benedict/Chase Kolpath series.
Helpful Score: 1
Lost interest halfway through the book and I usually like his.
Helpful Score: 1
A Talent For War is pretty good science fiction. It's set in the far future, after humanity has had first contact with aliens, and fought a war with them. The story revolves around someone trying to find out what really happened to a war hero who turned the tide of that battle.
I found the characters reasonably well developed, though not perfect, the descriptions of future technology were interesting and well done, and the story moved along at a good clip, mostly without bogging down. From me, given my recent reactions to science fiction, that's high praise.
If I have a complaint it is that some of the story winds up being a bit opaque, and I am still not entirely clear on what really happened in the history being described. Then again it is, after all, history, and that may well be deliberate.
There are two more books in the series, or so I am informed: Polaris and Seeker. I will probably look them up.
I found the characters reasonably well developed, though not perfect, the descriptions of future technology were interesting and well done, and the story moved along at a good clip, mostly without bogging down. From me, given my recent reactions to science fiction, that's high praise.
If I have a complaint it is that some of the story winds up being a bit opaque, and I am still not entirely clear on what really happened in the history being described. Then again it is, after all, history, and that may well be deliberate.
There are two more books in the series, or so I am informed: Polaris and Seeker. I will probably look them up.
From Amazon:
he uncle of a dealer of antiquities, Alex Benedict, dies and leaves him his fortune. The uncle was a prominent, if controversial, amateur archaeologist and was working on a project that could have Galactic repercussions. Benedict slowly becomes entangled in his uncle's work after he travels to his uncle's planet to resolve his affairs. Benedict first trys to figure out what his uncle was working on, and subsequently trys to finish the project. This is a hard sci-fi mystery in which the protagonist ultimately attempts to resolve a 200 year old enigma. McDevitt created an intricate, detailed, and believable history surrounding his characters.
he uncle of a dealer of antiquities, Alex Benedict, dies and leaves him his fortune. The uncle was a prominent, if controversial, amateur archaeologist and was working on a project that could have Galactic repercussions. Benedict slowly becomes entangled in his uncle's work after he travels to his uncle's planet to resolve his affairs. Benedict first trys to figure out what his uncle was working on, and subsequently trys to finish the project. This is a hard sci-fi mystery in which the protagonist ultimately attempts to resolve a 200 year old enigma. McDevitt created an intricate, detailed, and believable history surrounding his characters.
In this, the first of the Alex Benedict/Chase Kolpath books, reputations are made and lives are threatened as they duo escape numerous threats on the way to discovering the truth about the Greatest War Hero of their past. Part science fiction, part thriller, part detective novel, this is a great read. Highly recommended.
actually, a really entertaining mystery, with a satisfying end. McDevitt's books seem to be hit-or-miss with me, but this one was pretty cool.
McDevitt can tell a good story and this is another one.
This is the first of the Alex Benedict novels and introduces him plus Chase Kolpath. It's a rather leisurely novel. I expected a bit more drama after the initial set-up, when someone breaks into the house and steals information, wiping the memory of the house AI along the way. But not much more happens for a long time except Alex's travels, unearthing a bit of information here and there. Nice build-up to the revelation at the end, there are multiple layers to the real story. McDevitt does a great job creating a far-future culture with all the references he gives to their art and literature.
Just starting to get into McDevitt, so far I'm liking it a lot.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
The plot in this book seemed to drag along slowly, then quickly moved at the ending. Most of the book seemed to be an excuse for the author to present his philosophical leanings. And some reviews of the sequel help me decide to skip it. Not my cup of tea.
Yet there are others who rate this book highly.
Yet there are others who rate this book highly.
My first McDevitt novel and I don't know if I will return to him. The central mystery was interesting enough but I found his main character lacking in personality and his world-building left much to be desired. Gave up after 80 pages.
Very satisfying, readable SF mystery. The great strength of the two Alex Benedict novels I have read so far is the interesting background that McDevitt has created for his amateur sleuths Benedict and his "Watson," Chase Kolpath. The thousands of years of history of McDevitt's "Confederacy" of far-flung planets settled by humanity in the distant future is fed to us in dribs and drabs -- hints of war and suffering, triumphs and discoveries, even pop culture references to poets, playwrights and sport obsessions -- and it makes it feel like there is a very rich, detailed and real background to their world. It's a post-scarcity society: the challenge that this sets McDevitt is motivation: when no one needs to work, and the sky is, quite literally, the limit, what would provoke someone to murder? In "A Talent for War," the novel introducing his "gentleman detective," McDevitt rises to the challenge, coming to grips with factors beyond greed that expose the flaws in this would-be paradise.
It isn't a deep read! However, I'm looking forward to further books in the series -- when I want "good read"!
It isn't a deep read! However, I'm looking forward to further books in the series -- when I want "good read"!
