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Alex Benedict #1
A Talent for War
Christopher Sim changed mankind's history forever when he forged a rag-tag group of misfits into the weapon that broke the alien Ashiyyur. But now, one man believes Sim was a fraud, and Alex must follow the legend into the heart of the alien galaxy to confront a truth far stranger than any fiction.
310 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1989
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5345 people want to read
About the author
Jack McDevitt
188 books1,353 followersJack McDevitt is a former English teacher, naval officer, Philadelphia taxi driver, customs officer and motivational trainer. His work has been on the final ballot for the Nebula Awards for 12 of the past 13 years. His first novel, The Hercules Text, was published in the celebrated Ace Specials series and won the Philip K. Dick Special Award. In 1991, McDevitt won the first $10,000 UPC International Prize for his novella, "Ships in the Night." The Engines of God was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and his novella, "Time Travelers Never Die," was nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula awards.
McDevitt lives in Georgia with his wife, Maureen, where he plays chess, reads mysteries and eats lunch regularly with his cronies.
McDevitt lives in Georgia with his wife, Maureen, where he plays chess, reads mysteries and eats lunch regularly with his cronies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 523 reviews
February 9, 2017
This just might be some of the most creative Space Opera You've Never Heard Of. Or maybe you follow the Nebulas, the best SF nominated by other SF/F authors, and you recognize that this is fan service for and by the professionals of the field, and so praise from these people usually means that the writer has Talent.
Talent for War, or not, I have to agree in pretty much all particulars. What struck me right off the bat was the heavy elements of Mystery lit. It's solid as hell, in fact.
It's merely a strange coincidence that there's models for human minds in VR environments, FTL travel, space battles, and quite alien aliens. It doesn't change the fact that this is a good mystery. Murder is only a part of it. It has a much larger scope when it becomes a post-mortem of an old heroic battle full of buried secrets, espionage, and a complete rewriting of our future history. (Or will it be?)
We get to relive the past thanks to the future tech, but both portions of the story, whether it's with Alex, our MC, or Sim, the man who would be an iconoclast traitor. Both were fascinating.
But what made this space opera really special? The details. There are so many little quirks of the universe thrown in, from classic (and nonexistent) paintings to truly delightful worlds full of hidden mysteries. As an adventure, there's so much to get lost in and wonder about. As a mystery, the details drag you right into the tale and make you believe. :)
At least, that's what it did for me. I'm not a huge fan of space opera in general, but I ALWAYS appreciate a smart tale written smartly, and this falls under that category. It isn't overfull with overused tropes, thank the universe, but it may seem slightly slow to some fans of a certain sub-genre of the SF field because it *mostly* reads as a post-mortem on old battles, from tactics to strategy, with all the reversals of fate and the surprising revelations that the "official" records have squashed. I clicked with it because I like to dig under the surface of things, too, but in this, it's doubly fascinating because of the sheer amount of layers we get to uncover.
It's a work of Imagination and care, and that's no joke.
I was warned that I might find this slow, but thankfully, it turned out to be just my speed. :) I'll take depth AND breadth any day. :)
Talent for War, or not, I have to agree in pretty much all particulars. What struck me right off the bat was the heavy elements of Mystery lit. It's solid as hell, in fact.
It's merely a strange coincidence that there's models for human minds in VR environments, FTL travel, space battles, and quite alien aliens. It doesn't change the fact that this is a good mystery. Murder is only a part of it. It has a much larger scope when it becomes a post-mortem of an old heroic battle full of buried secrets, espionage, and a complete rewriting of our future history. (Or will it be?)
We get to relive the past thanks to the future tech, but both portions of the story, whether it's with Alex, our MC, or Sim, the man who would be an iconoclast traitor. Both were fascinating.
But what made this space opera really special? The details. There are so many little quirks of the universe thrown in, from classic (and nonexistent) paintings to truly delightful worlds full of hidden mysteries. As an adventure, there's so much to get lost in and wonder about. As a mystery, the details drag you right into the tale and make you believe. :)
At least, that's what it did for me. I'm not a huge fan of space opera in general, but I ALWAYS appreciate a smart tale written smartly, and this falls under that category. It isn't overfull with overused tropes, thank the universe, but it may seem slightly slow to some fans of a certain sub-genre of the SF field because it *mostly* reads as a post-mortem on old battles, from tactics to strategy, with all the reversals of fate and the surprising revelations that the "official" records have squashed. I clicked with it because I like to dig under the surface of things, too, but in this, it's doubly fascinating because of the sheer amount of layers we get to uncover.
It's a work of Imagination and care, and that's no joke.
I was warned that I might find this slow, but thankfully, it turned out to be just my speed. :) I'll take depth AND breadth any day. :)
January 22, 2019
I have a very strange literary relationship with Jack McDevitt. While I love his novels, I don’t regularly recommend them to friends, since I’m never too sure whether they will like them. And yet, his work is mostly highly rated.
His Science Fiction novels are so rooted in extrapolated reality you hardly have to suspend disbelief, even though they take place thousands of years in the future. I suppose I could make an argument that he is a “story teller”, as opposed to simply being an “author”. While there are certainly some grand ideas in his books, the Science Fiction elements are almost coincidental, because of the established feel of the future history he envisions. He also doesn’t feel the need to hurry a good story, or stuff it full of redundant sub-plots.
So, A Talent For War. This is the first Alex Benedict novel, and it is one of the books readers more readily remember McDevitt for (it made a bit of a splash). However, while I liked it a lot (hence the 4-star rating) I feel that some of the later books in the series are actually stronger. The main concern that readers might have with this novel is the pacing, and yet there is no other way to tell this story. It’s a good story too. A mystery, if you will, surrounding the events of a war with an Alien race and particularly how it was ended. A prominent figure in the war was a man named Christopher Sim, who is now remembered as a bit of a hero figure. However, when antiquities dealer / archaeologist Alex Benedict “inherits” a mysterious message on his uncle’s passing, regarding a project the latter was involved with, he starts down a path of investigation and discovery that could change everything the human race believes. There are (obviously) forces at work that don’t want Benedict to uncover the truth, and thus the stage is set for intrigue, suspense and wonder.
Now, as I have already hinted at, this isn’t a fast read. If you expect a lot of big explosions, you’re going to be disappointed. While this deals with a history of warfare, and there are some depictions of military engagements, it isn’t a Military Science Fiction novel. A Talent For War reads more like a detective, or mystery, novel, albeit one that takes place on an interstellar canvas. What makes the story work is the build up of tension, the attention to detail, and the final reveal. I also appreciated the way that McDevitt presents the alien “Mutes”; they are an enigmatic part of the equation throughout, which adds a nice dimension to the mystery. We don’t learn more than is ultimately necessary for this particular story. The world building is extraordinary, not in the spectacular sense, but in how comfortable everything feels, despite being spread out over a notable portion of the Orion arm of the galaxy. Of all the futures envisioned by all the authors, this one somehow feels very real.
In the end, it unfolds as a clever and rewarding story that, ultimately, convinced me to follow the rest of the series. That in itself says enough.
P.s. – I don’t particularly like that cover much, though…
His Science Fiction novels are so rooted in extrapolated reality you hardly have to suspend disbelief, even though they take place thousands of years in the future. I suppose I could make an argument that he is a “story teller”, as opposed to simply being an “author”. While there are certainly some grand ideas in his books, the Science Fiction elements are almost coincidental, because of the established feel of the future history he envisions. He also doesn’t feel the need to hurry a good story, or stuff it full of redundant sub-plots.
So, A Talent For War. This is the first Alex Benedict novel, and it is one of the books readers more readily remember McDevitt for (it made a bit of a splash). However, while I liked it a lot (hence the 4-star rating) I feel that some of the later books in the series are actually stronger. The main concern that readers might have with this novel is the pacing, and yet there is no other way to tell this story. It’s a good story too. A mystery, if you will, surrounding the events of a war with an Alien race and particularly how it was ended. A prominent figure in the war was a man named Christopher Sim, who is now remembered as a bit of a hero figure. However, when antiquities dealer / archaeologist Alex Benedict “inherits” a mysterious message on his uncle’s passing, regarding a project the latter was involved with, he starts down a path of investigation and discovery that could change everything the human race believes. There are (obviously) forces at work that don’t want Benedict to uncover the truth, and thus the stage is set for intrigue, suspense and wonder.
Now, as I have already hinted at, this isn’t a fast read. If you expect a lot of big explosions, you’re going to be disappointed. While this deals with a history of warfare, and there are some depictions of military engagements, it isn’t a Military Science Fiction novel. A Talent For War reads more like a detective, or mystery, novel, albeit one that takes place on an interstellar canvas. What makes the story work is the build up of tension, the attention to detail, and the final reveal. I also appreciated the way that McDevitt presents the alien “Mutes”; they are an enigmatic part of the equation throughout, which adds a nice dimension to the mystery. We don’t learn more than is ultimately necessary for this particular story. The world building is extraordinary, not in the spectacular sense, but in how comfortable everything feels, despite being spread out over a notable portion of the Orion arm of the galaxy. Of all the futures envisioned by all the authors, this one somehow feels very real.
In the end, it unfolds as a clever and rewarding story that, ultimately, convinced me to follow the rest of the series. That in itself says enough.
P.s. – I don’t particularly like that cover much, though…
August 9, 2018
McDevitt’s first Alex Benedict novel has a unique take on space opera – A Talent for War doesn’t so much have a space opera plot as it is a detective story about a history buff investigating a space opera plot. Two hundred years ago, humanity was locked into a devastating war with the far more technologically advanced Ashiyyur, and the leader of the charge against the alien empire was Christopher Sim, a military genius who, after winning a series of impossible underdog victories against the superior forces of the alien invaders, turned the tide of public opinion in favor of war when he was killed in a Thermopylae-like last stand. Now, with the human confederation long at peace with the Ashiyyur, antiques dealer Alex Benedict and his assistant Chase Kolpath uncover evidence that the well-known historical account may be egregiously different from the truth, and that forces on both sides of the conflict would like to keep it that way. This early McDevitt novel is not as efficiently plotted as his later work, but is still a compulsive read, thanks to the slow burn reveal of its sophisticated backstory, and the steam it gathers as the past becomes dangerously relevant to the present.
August 16, 2020
4.5 stars. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's certainly mine. It had all my favorite things: evocative descriptions of alien planets, space archaeology, mysteries, library research, ancient space battles, intelligent analysis of how public opinion is swayed and changes, and characters I cared about.
It sometimes got a bit too muddled and complicated for my taste (had to rewind the audio and keep track of all names and places mentioned in order not to get lost), and sometimes it felt very "80s", but I didn't really mind that.
Its particular strengths (for me) were the sleuthing, the labyrinthine mystery being uncovered, and how smart it was when thinking about war, history-writing and public opinion.
I'm rounding down from 4.5 because you need to be the kind of person who both enjoys reading kind of slow, character-focused mysteries that involve a lot of library research and trying to make sense of and connect various old documents and witness accounts, *and* the kind of person who likes tense action scenes to really enjoy this. In addition, this was very smart and the author's thoughts on wars and culture clashes (here with an alien species) were really insightful, so it grated a little bit when occasionally, it seemed as if the secondary character was being particularly dense. I've heard this improves in future books, so I'm really looking forward to them.
It sometimes got a bit too muddled and complicated for my taste (had to rewind the audio and keep track of all names and places mentioned in order not to get lost), and sometimes it felt very "80s", but I didn't really mind that.
Its particular strengths (for me) were the sleuthing, the labyrinthine mystery being uncovered, and how smart it was when thinking about war, history-writing and public opinion.
I'm rounding down from 4.5 because you need to be the kind of person who both enjoys reading kind of slow, character-focused mysteries that involve a lot of library research and trying to make sense of and connect various old documents and witness accounts, *and* the kind of person who likes tense action scenes to really enjoy this. In addition, this was very smart and the author's thoughts on wars and culture clashes (here with an alien species) were really insightful, so it grated a little bit when occasionally, it seemed as if the secondary character was being particularly dense. I've heard this improves in future books, so I'm really looking forward to them.
January 6, 2021
-¿Dónde están las nueces?.-
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Un talento para la guerra (publicación original: A Talent for War, 1989) nos presenta a Alex Benedict, arqueólogo y marchante de antigüedades, que resulta ser el heredero único de los bienes de su tío tras la catástrofe sufrida por la nave en la que viajaba. Tras una charla con una simulación digital del fallecido, Alex comienza a recorrer un camino que parece apuntar hacia la inexactitud, o quizá la mentira, que rodea uno de los hechos fundacionales de la sociopolítica actual de los planetas bajo control de la humanidad: el enfrentamiento, dos siglos atrás, contra una raza de alienígenas con capacidades telepáticas conocidos como los Ashiyyur. Pero, muy pronto, Alex descubre que parece haber intereses poderosos contrarios a cualquier investigación sobre ese asunto. Primer libro de la serie Alex Benedict.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Un talento para la guerra (publicación original: A Talent for War, 1989) nos presenta a Alex Benedict, arqueólogo y marchante de antigüedades, que resulta ser el heredero único de los bienes de su tío tras la catástrofe sufrida por la nave en la que viajaba. Tras una charla con una simulación digital del fallecido, Alex comienza a recorrer un camino que parece apuntar hacia la inexactitud, o quizá la mentira, que rodea uno de los hechos fundacionales de la sociopolítica actual de los planetas bajo control de la humanidad: el enfrentamiento, dos siglos atrás, contra una raza de alienígenas con capacidades telepáticas conocidos como los Ashiyyur. Pero, muy pronto, Alex descubre que parece haber intereses poderosos contrarios a cualquier investigación sobre ese asunto. Primer libro de la serie Alex Benedict.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
June 24, 2012
Seriously, seriously boring.
Having read and enjoyed McDevitt's Academy series, I figured I'd be just as happy starting in on Alex Benedict. Jack McDevitt is sort of my guilty pleasure reading - fun sci fi adventures, not too deep, easy reading, with the alien civilization/archaeology bits I like.
A Talent for War has just proved boring, though. I'm, I dunno, maybe halfway through, and the only thing that's happened is that Alex's uncle died and Alex is trying to figure out where he was going when he disappeared. The killer element for me is the hideous amount of back story loaded into this book... 90% of the narrative is Alex thinking or talking about a particular point in his civilization's history. It comes off as the dry history it's supposed to be for most citizens - except we don't have the benefit of thinking it's real. It just goes on and on and on...
Unfortunately I've already purchased the next two books in the series - this was how sure I was I'd like them - so I guess I'll be giving Polaris a try. I see A Talent for War was written in 1989, while the next installment didn't come along until 2004. So hopefully McDevitt has gained some storytelling expertise in the intervening time.
Having read and enjoyed McDevitt's Academy series, I figured I'd be just as happy starting in on Alex Benedict. Jack McDevitt is sort of my guilty pleasure reading - fun sci fi adventures, not too deep, easy reading, with the alien civilization/archaeology bits I like.
A Talent for War has just proved boring, though. I'm, I dunno, maybe halfway through, and the only thing that's happened is that Alex's uncle died and Alex is trying to figure out where he was going when he disappeared. The killer element for me is the hideous amount of back story loaded into this book... 90% of the narrative is Alex thinking or talking about a particular point in his civilization's history. It comes off as the dry history it's supposed to be for most citizens - except we don't have the benefit of thinking it's real. It just goes on and on and on...
Unfortunately I've already purchased the next two books in the series - this was how sure I was I'd like them - so I guess I'll be giving Polaris a try. I see A Talent for War was written in 1989, while the next installment didn't come along until 2004. So hopefully McDevitt has gained some storytelling expertise in the intervening time.
October 13, 2024
Ismerős motívumok: egy régiségkereskedő Alex Benedict, aki kicsit Indiana Jones, kicsit Sam Spade, nagybátyjától nagy vagyont és egy még nagyobb titkot örököl, ami az egész Államszövetség létét fenyegeti. Megtehetné persze, hogy fogja a titkot, elássa a kert végében, aztán a legnagyobb lelki nyugalommal nekiáll elverni mesés örökségét, de nem, erre szervileg képtelen. Következésképp rejtélyeket fejt meg, olyan emberekkel kezdeményez beszélgetést, akiknek eszük ágában sincs beszélgetni vele, és közben - ez csak természetes - fenekedik rá az életveszély. Ami a slusszpoén, hogy ez a klasszikus detektívzsáner tudományos-fantasztikus háttér előtt bonyolódik. Mert ha nem mondtam volna, a távoli, hű de távoli jövőben járunk, ahol az emberiség épp egy idegen fajjal (a Némákkal) vívott háború utáni törékeny békét élvezi, és a Benedict által kapargatott kérdések eléggé alkalmasnak tűnnek ahhoz, hogy megbontsák a fegyvernyugvást. A sci-fi használata pedig számos extrát visz bele a nyomozós-kincskeresős alapszituációba: például egyes gyanúsítottak több méter magas telepaták, és ha meg kell szerezni egy kéziratot, akkor nem a szomszédos Pasadenába kell átugrani, hanem hatmillió fényévet kell utazni valami feltérképezetlen csillagköd közepébe. Amelyek persze nem szerkezeti, csak felületi változások, de tagadhatatlanul jól mutatnak.
Nem érzem, hogy McDevitt bármelyik zsánert megújítaná, vagy egyáltalán kiemelkedőt alkotna bennük. Ugyanakkor mindkét elemet tisztességesen és okosan bonyolítja, mondhatjuk, hogy egy megbízható kismester szintjén műveli a művelnivalót: ügyesen bontja ki a cselekményt, elfogadhatóan épít karakter és világot, láthatóan megtanulta a fokozás és a jelenetépítés művészetét. Központi konfliktusa is érdekes: milyen következményekkel jár, ha nagy társadalommegtartó hazugságainkon (azaz mítoszainkon) az igazság pörölyével elkezdünk lyukakat ütni. Mindez elegendő arra, hogy végig lekössön - bár arra azért nem, hogy személyes irodalmi panteonomban saját szobát kapjon.
Nem érzem, hogy McDevitt bármelyik zsánert megújítaná, vagy egyáltalán kiemelkedőt alkotna bennük. Ugyanakkor mindkét elemet tisztességesen és okosan bonyolítja, mondhatjuk, hogy egy megbízható kismester szintjén műveli a művelnivalót: ügyesen bontja ki a cselekményt, elfogadhatóan épít karakter és világot, láthatóan megtanulta a fokozás és a jelenetépítés művészetét. Központi konfliktusa is érdekes: milyen következményekkel jár, ha nagy társadalommegtartó hazugságainkon (azaz mítoszainkon) az igazság pörölyével elkezdünk lyukakat ütni. Mindez elegendő arra, hogy végig lekössön - bár arra azért nem, hogy személyes irodalmi panteonomban saját szobát kapjon.
November 30, 2022
Ok let me say one thing first so that no one else makes the same mistake I did: This is not a typical military sci-fi. If you are expecting a war with wall to wall action, you will be disappointed. Once I realized A Talent for War is a historical mystery in space, and adjusted my expectations, my enjoyment grew tenfold.
Basically picture Sherlock but on other planets and in space. There is an ethical debate on war, tough and exciting situations, futuristic technology, aliens, and many war stories, but we are learning about a 200 year old war through Alex Benedict’s eyes as he tracks down clues to try to explain why a large passenger transport carrying his uncle disappeared.
You want Sherlock in space, 100% keep reading. I originally picked up books 2-4 in this series at a yard sale, then bought this one so I could start at the beginning. Reading in chronological order is not necessary though to enjoy the series
...
If you come into this one expecting a slow burning mystery you will be on the right track. I loved discovering the true history along with the main character as he read through archives, talked to descendants of fighters and resistance advocates, saw it through interactive video, and eventually went out to discover the “artifact” in question.
Plus there’s the present day mysteries of ‘What the heck happened to the transport carrier with all those people on it, why did it just disappear?’ Was it an accident or foul play? Then you trace back in history to which stories are true, false, embellished, which leaders are frauds? The clues leading back from Alex’s uncle’s library through time present a rather tragic puzzle of the history humans manufacture and the legends we create.
I think those are the main themes too. Who writes history and what shape does it take? How concrete is the truth that evolves 200 years down the line? What does humanity need to hear to move forward? Who even creates the heroes? This book reminded me a lot of the Civil War in American history, in the way that the South created a totally glorified mythos and down the timeline erected many monuments, the motivations for which the general public are just now broadly being educated about.
There’s a lot of good sci-fi here too. Some of my favorite aspects included his exploration of old time battle ships and deficiencies in early space travel. There are also the terraforming marvels on various worlds like Fishbowl and plenty of ‘ooh-ahh’ moments in the stars. The holo-sim reenactments would be cool too if they actually existed.
Alex Benedict is a likeable enough character on his own, but McDevitt isn’t the best at character building. His female sidekick showed up fairly randomly and for some reason latched onto Benedict. None of his females have a lot of personality although for me it’s a not a big deal. The characters aren’t the focus at all even though I was definitely rooting for them.
I docked a star because there were way too many names and places to keep track of. Some were dead ends and it’s ok to forget them but I feel like I didn’t entirely grasp everything.
All in all, I really liked this book. I had to google what the prologue and epilogue referred to and had a huge AHA moment. Once A Talent for War got going, I really got lost in the mystery and surprises and tension building in both the present day, and past times. I love reading history and considering how it is written too. If you also like history’s mysteries and science fiction, I would totally recommend this one
Basically picture Sherlock but on other planets and in space. There is an ethical debate on war, tough and exciting situations, futuristic technology, aliens, and many war stories, but we are learning about a 200 year old war through Alex Benedict’s eyes as he tracks down clues to try to explain why a large passenger transport carrying his uncle disappeared.
You want Sherlock in space, 100% keep reading. I originally picked up books 2-4 in this series at a yard sale, then bought this one so I could start at the beginning. Reading in chronological order is not necessary though to enjoy the series
...
If you come into this one expecting a slow burning mystery you will be on the right track. I loved discovering the true history along with the main character as he read through archives, talked to descendants of fighters and resistance advocates, saw it through interactive video, and eventually went out to discover the “artifact” in question.
Plus there’s the present day mysteries of ‘What the heck happened to the transport carrier with all those people on it, why did it just disappear?’ Was it an accident or foul play? Then you trace back in history to which stories are true, false, embellished, which leaders are frauds? The clues leading back from Alex’s uncle’s library through time present a rather tragic puzzle of the history humans manufacture and the legends we create.
I think those are the main themes too. Who writes history and what shape does it take? How concrete is the truth that evolves 200 years down the line? What does humanity need to hear to move forward? Who even creates the heroes? This book reminded me a lot of the Civil War in American history, in the way that the South created a totally glorified mythos and down the timeline erected many monuments, the motivations for which the general public are just now broadly being educated about.
There’s a lot of good sci-fi here too. Some of my favorite aspects included his exploration of old time battle ships and deficiencies in early space travel. There are also the terraforming marvels on various worlds like Fishbowl and plenty of ‘ooh-ahh’ moments in the stars. The holo-sim reenactments would be cool too if they actually existed.
Alex Benedict is a likeable enough character on his own, but McDevitt isn’t the best at character building. His female sidekick showed up fairly randomly and for some reason latched onto Benedict. None of his females have a lot of personality although for me it’s a not a big deal. The characters aren’t the focus at all even though I was definitely rooting for them.
I docked a star because there were way too many names and places to keep track of. Some were dead ends and it’s ok to forget them but I feel like I didn’t entirely grasp everything.
All in all, I really liked this book. I had to google what the prologue and epilogue referred to and had a huge AHA moment. Once A Talent for War got going, I really got lost in the mystery and surprises and tension building in both the present day, and past times. I love reading history and considering how it is written too. If you also like history’s mysteries and science fiction, I would totally recommend this one
April 3, 2013
I was hesitant about trying McDevitt again after reading Time Travelers Never Die. I'd described that book as "light and fluffy" and while I didn't think it was BAD, it wasn't the sort of thing I would purposely seek out.
However, I'm glad I gave A Talent for War a shot, because it was fabulous. It's basically a historical fiction mystery in a sci-fi setting. McDevitt has painted this really rich and captivating history about a war hero and the questions that main character Alex Benedict starts asking about these legendary heroics.
From nearly the first chapter I was dying to know more, and I actually dragged out finishing it a little bit just so I could get to enjoy it longer. One of the details I liked was that even though they had futuristic space travel capabilities, these capabilities are by no means perfect. They still have difficulty with extreme precision when jumping through space and sometimes eerie disasters strike when ships jump and never reappear. It made the world that McDevitt built less shiny and a little more real.
However, I'm glad I gave A Talent for War a shot, because it was fabulous. It's basically a historical fiction mystery in a sci-fi setting. McDevitt has painted this really rich and captivating history about a war hero and the questions that main character Alex Benedict starts asking about these legendary heroics.
From nearly the first chapter I was dying to know more, and I actually dragged out finishing it a little bit just so I could get to enjoy it longer. One of the details I liked was that even though they had futuristic space travel capabilities, these capabilities are by no means perfect. They still have difficulty with extreme precision when jumping through space and sometimes eerie disasters strike when ships jump and never reappear. It made the world that McDevitt built less shiny and a little more real.
June 4, 2012
I can't believe I slogged through this entire book. I can't remember the last time I read a more tedious book. A completely unlikable protagonist, dialog that is mostly the reading of history books, and a plot that is so bland, it barely qualifies as a plot.
October 15, 2008
This is the first in a series by one of my favorite authors.
Alex Benedict learns that his uncle, who raised him, has disappeared along with several hundred other people aboard a space space headed for a remote location. His uncle leaves him the entire estate, along with the mystery that consumed his life before his disappearance. But Alex isn't the only one trying to solve the ancient puzzle of what happened to the Confederacy's most admired war hero and the other parties involved are much more ruthless.
I first read the second book in the series, "Polaris," not knowing there was one before. The second book is narrated by Alex' assistant, Chase Kolpath. If I hadn't read the second book first, I might not have continued the series. Mr. McDevitt made a good decision switching from the hesitant Alex to the sassy Chase. "A Talent for War" dragged and I found myself preferring what Q was watching on tv as opposed to reading the book. (You know it's not an exciting read when the lame "Sandhogs" wins out.)
Alex Benedict learns that his uncle, who raised him, has disappeared along with several hundred other people aboard a space space headed for a remote location. His uncle leaves him the entire estate, along with the mystery that consumed his life before his disappearance. But Alex isn't the only one trying to solve the ancient puzzle of what happened to the Confederacy's most admired war hero and the other parties involved are much more ruthless.
I first read the second book in the series, "Polaris," not knowing there was one before. The second book is narrated by Alex' assistant, Chase Kolpath. If I hadn't read the second book first, I might not have continued the series. Mr. McDevitt made a good decision switching from the hesitant Alex to the sassy Chase. "A Talent for War" dragged and I found myself preferring what Q was watching on tv as opposed to reading the book. (You know it's not an exciting read when the lame "Sandhogs" wins out.)
February 19, 2024
When a sci-fi novel starts out with some religious mumbo jumbo around Catholicism, that is usually not a great sign. I read this because the 3rd book of this series, Seeker won the Nebula in 2007 and I wanted to be up to date for it, but I was disappointed on several levels. It is ambitious in its projected scope, but I think that the excessive backstory weighs it down too much. I thought that Alex Benedict was OK as a protagonist, but he didn't really grab me as much as, say, Miles Vorkosigan or Sparky Valentine. I found the plot rather confusing and convoluted, and never quite bought the relationship between Alex and Chase at all. I hope that Polaris will be more satisfying.
January 20, 2019
Even though the events of the books happen 9000 years or so in the future, they might as well have happened in our own back yard. The society described is to all intents and purposes indistinguishable from our own.
I found the story to be told in a bland and somewhat dull speech. It read like a textbook, which could be argued that is appropriate seeing most of the book is composed of history lessons. Also, the words were chosen carefully so that no trace of humor could be found anywhere within.
The big bad aliens were nerfed badly and crippled mentally so much that they were defeated by handful of idealistic citizens, most of them with no military training whatsoever. Of course this was achieved with the help of their valiant leader. A leader which in the end was betrayed by the good people he lead... Sigh; but this was done only for the greater good of humanity! And everything can be forgiven.
Let's not forget about the deus ex machina... There is one, it was kept so secret that everyone forgot it existed, and it was used in perhaps the most ridiculous inefficient way possible. Once re-discovered, this confers the humans an incredible technological advantage, and with its help the aliens are put in their place.
In conclusion: the humans are awesome, the aliens are not; even though they are telepathic and can read and understand human minds; if you though that this would confer them some advantage, you would have thought wrong; it's not even helpful in close quarters combat, because they aren't capable of making sense of what they perceive. And, even though they evolved from a predator species on their planet, they cannot adapt to the tactics of their enemies, at all; makes you wander how they evolved int the first space.
In the end, the novel is nothing but another example of badly written HFY!
I found the story to be told in a bland and somewhat dull speech. It read like a textbook, which could be argued that is appropriate seeing most of the book is composed of history lessons. Also, the words were chosen carefully so that no trace of humor could be found anywhere within.
The big bad aliens were nerfed badly and crippled mentally so much that they were defeated by handful of idealistic citizens, most of them with no military training whatsoever. Of course this was achieved with the help of their valiant leader. A leader which in the end was betrayed by the good people he lead... Sigh; but this was done only for the greater good of humanity! And everything can be forgiven.
Let's not forget about the deus ex machina... There is one, it was kept so secret that everyone forgot it existed, and it was used in perhaps the most ridiculous inefficient way possible. Once re-discovered, this confers the humans an incredible technological advantage, and with its help the aliens are put in their place.
In conclusion: the humans are awesome, the aliens are not; even though they are telepathic and can read and understand human minds; if you though that this would confer them some advantage, you would have thought wrong; it's not even helpful in close quarters combat, because they aren't capable of making sense of what they perceive. And, even though they evolved from a predator species on their planet, they cannot adapt to the tactics of their enemies, at all; makes you wander how they evolved int the first space.
In the end, the novel is nothing but another example of badly written HFY!
June 12, 2012
I decided to read this after reading a complimentary review from Orson Scott Card, where he points out how original the concept behind this series is.
It is a mash-up between the science fiction, mystery and adventure genres, where an Indiana Jones-type antiquities dealer/amateur historian hunts for relics from a war two centuries past, which is still in our very distant future.
At points, the pacing bogged down with sections of exposition and world history, and the character development was lacking throughout, but overall the story was carried on the strength of its mystery, which is a feat.
The resolution was satisfying, as most of the loose ends are tied up -- a little too quickly -- but there were still a few questions that remain unresolved .
It is a mash-up between the science fiction, mystery and adventure genres, where an Indiana Jones-type antiquities dealer/amateur historian hunts for relics from a war two centuries past, which is still in our very distant future.
At points, the pacing bogged down with sections of exposition and world history, and the character development was lacking throughout, but overall the story was carried on the strength of its mystery, which is a feat.
The resolution was satisfying, as most of the loose ends are tied up -- a little too quickly -- but there were still a few questions that remain unresolved .
December 13, 2015
I'll be very generous in giving 3 Stars to this tale of a wimpy "Indiana Jones" in search of an artifact in space. No reason why it had to be a scifi novel, could have been done anywhere. Takes a long time to get going but the ending was satisfactory. Easy writing style kept my interest enough to finish. Hope the sequels are better.
August 10, 2020
Maailmaloome oli iseenesest väga lahe ning mulle meeldis kuidas autor lõi usutava ning väga detailse pildi kunagisest suurest sõjast ning asus seda siis demüstifitseerima ning otsast lammutama. Mis aga ei meeldinud oli kohatine liiga aeglane kulgemine ning kuidagi ebarahuldust pakkuvalt kiire lõpp mis peale kogu seda kerimist oleks pidanud olema midagi suurejoonelisemat. Seetõttu jääb hinne kuskile sinna kolme ja nelja vahele.
September 12, 2015
Будь у меня более устойчивые к потрясениям нервные клетки, я бы только и делала, что читала такой сай-фай. Роскошная, растянувшаяся на невероятные расстояния космоопера насыщена детективной составляющей, которая ведет читателя за руку элегантно и неторопливо, чтобы в конце раскрыть карты в такой взрывной ярости и запредельной меланхолии, что попеременно руки сжимаются в кулаки и захлестывают ледяные волны безмолвия и одиночества. Я все еще пребываю в состоянии эйфории после прочтения, поэтому меня штормит положительными эпитетами, но сомневаюсь, что даже по прошествии времени смогу разглядеть в книге что-то страшнее, чем небольшие недостатки (сметенные ураганом восторга и оттого абсолютно нерелевантные).
Первые двести страниц – это аккуратный и выверенный квест, стягивание ниточек из самых разных источников, попытки героя понять, чего же от него хотят и незаметная расстановка акцентов. Вводный курс в политические и военные терки, песни о подвигах и превратностях истории. Этот медленно развертывающийся и практически безопасный квест держал меня в таком неимоверном напряжении, что я засыпала и просыпалась с мыслями о том, что же на самом деле к чертям происходит. На последней сотне страниц почти все мои надежды были оправданы, карусель завертелась с такой скоростью, что мне оставалось только не отставать. В итоге несколько вопросов и сомнений у меня все же осталось, но я не жду ответов, мне и так рассказали даже больше, чем обещали.
При тщательной проверке исторических фактов из учебников оказывается, что были не только упущены важные детали, но и переписаны по необходимости целые страницы. Эта горькая мысль лежит на поверхности, но не каждому суждено докопаться до истины. Рецепт Алекса Бенедикта на 95% состоит из чистого везения, потому что иначе такому раздолбайскому герою в жизни бы не раскрыть мощную аферу с политической подоплекой. Не будь у него под боком девицы, которую надо впечатлять, он бы давно сдулся ;) Но вместо лишних романтических страданий в книге зашкаливающее количество суровых и прекрасных героев прошлого и отчаянных исследователей настоящего. Отдельное спасибо за Лейшу Таннер – такого любовно выписанного сильного женского персонажа надо еще поискать. Повествование раскидано на множество систем, планет, городов и муниципалитетов, неизменно сопровождаемых библиотеками и тайными обществами. Воссоздаются целые космические битвы, от которых замирает сердце. А до нового конфликта только один шаг, и потеря ложного идеала может стоить дорого.
В целом – прекрасный образчик сай-фая, превзошедший мои самые смелые надежды.
annikeh.net
Первые двести страниц – это аккуратный и выверенный квест, стягивание ниточек из самых разных источников, попытки героя понять, чего же от него хотят и незаметная расстановка акцентов. Вводный курс в политические и военные терки, песни о подвигах и превратностях истории. Этот медленно развертывающийся и практически безопасный квест держал меня в таком неимоверном напряжении, что я засыпала и просыпалась с мыслями о том, что же на самом деле к чертям происходит. На последней сотне страниц почти все мои надежды были оправданы, карусель завертелась с такой скоростью, что мне оставалось только не отставать. В итоге несколько вопросов и сомнений у меня все же осталось, но я не жду ответов, мне и так рассказали даже больше, чем обещали.
При тщательной проверке исторических фактов из учебников оказывается, что были не только упущены важные детали, но и переписаны по необходимости целые страницы. Эта горькая мысль лежит на поверхности, но не каждому суждено докопаться до истины. Рецепт Алекса Бенедикта на 95% состоит из чистого везения, потому что иначе такому раздолбайскому герою в жизни бы не раскрыть мощную аферу с политической подоплекой. Не будь у него под боком девицы, которую надо впечатлять, он бы давно сдулся ;) Но вместо лишних романтических страданий в книге зашкаливающее количество суровых и прекрасных героев прошлого и отчаянных исследователей настоящего. Отдельное спасибо за Лейшу Таннер – такого любовно выписанного сильного женского персонажа надо еще поискать. Повествование раскидано на множество систем, планет, городов и муниципалитетов, неизменно сопровождаемых библиотеками и тайными обществами. Воссоздаются целые космические битвы, от которых замирает сердце. А до нового конфликта только один шаг, и потеря ложного идеала может стоить дорого.
В целом – прекрасный образчик сай-фая, превзошедший мои самые смелые надежды.
annikeh.net
January 31, 2012
Of all my friends who read sci-fi, I've not met one who is a fan of Jack McDevitt. The only reason I discovered him was because my wife randomly picked up one of his books at the library when stocking up on reading material for our honeymoon. He has since become one of my favorites. A Talent for War is my most recent read from McDevitt, and it did not disappoint.
Like his other novels, A Talent for War is in a genre I would call "space archaeology". McDevitt's heroes are a bit like a futuristic Indiana Jones, and A Talent for War is no exception. In the novel, Alex Benedict receives a message that his uncle, an amateur historian and archaeologist, has died in a starship accident. Everything has been left to Alex, including the notes on the mysterious project that he was working on when he died. Of course, the notes are stolen before Alex can look at them, and the story follows Alex's attempt to recreate what his uncle had discovered.
Through this process, McDevitt paints a fascinating future history, in which the politics, military actions, and propaganda of a 200-year-old war against an alien race is gradually revealed. The book is narrated by Alex, and to some degree Alex, as a character, assumes the reader is familiar with the history of his own world. This makes for an interesting read, as you frequently feel that there's something missing that you feel the characters all understand. This helps put the reader in the mind of the characters, who similarly are missing critical pieces of the mystery at hand.
I would hate to describe here any details of the history created in the novel. The piecemeal way in which it comes together in the reader's mind is part of the fun of the book. I would highly recommend this novel, as well as most other McDevitt books I've read. I look forward to reading the subsequent books in the Benedict series.
Like his other novels, A Talent for War is in a genre I would call "space archaeology". McDevitt's heroes are a bit like a futuristic Indiana Jones, and A Talent for War is no exception. In the novel, Alex Benedict receives a message that his uncle, an amateur historian and archaeologist, has died in a starship accident. Everything has been left to Alex, including the notes on the mysterious project that he was working on when he died. Of course, the notes are stolen before Alex can look at them, and the story follows Alex's attempt to recreate what his uncle had discovered.
Through this process, McDevitt paints a fascinating future history, in which the politics, military actions, and propaganda of a 200-year-old war against an alien race is gradually revealed. The book is narrated by Alex, and to some degree Alex, as a character, assumes the reader is familiar with the history of his own world. This makes for an interesting read, as you frequently feel that there's something missing that you feel the characters all understand. This helps put the reader in the mind of the characters, who similarly are missing critical pieces of the mystery at hand.
I would hate to describe here any details of the history created in the novel. The piecemeal way in which it comes together in the reader's mind is part of the fun of the book. I would highly recommend this novel, as well as most other McDevitt books I've read. I look forward to reading the subsequent books in the Benedict series.
February 6, 2014
I’ve never read McDevitt before, and this was a pleasant surprise. It’s quite well written, and while the slow pacing won’t suit everyone, I enjoyed this. I picked it up without knowing anything about it, and based on the title and cover I was expecting Alex Benedict to be some sort of space marine fighting in an interstellar war. Instead, he’s an antiques dealer (I think the cover image is supposed to be someone else) and the war between humanity and telepathic aliens ended 200 years ago.
The first half of the novel is pretty sedate: we watch Alex do research. His archeologist uncle died and left him a mysterious message about a possible relic of the war. Alex traces his uncle’s recent work, hunts for missing data, and explores the mythology behind a set of wartime heroes and villains, all of whom are long dead. There’s a lot of exposition, but I particularly enjoyed the detailed treatment of that mythology.
I liked the author’s light touch with every-day technology; he avoids details and allows his characters to take it for granted. This goes a long way towards making the novel feel less dated.
However, towards the end of the book my enthusiasm began to wane. I don’t think the aliens were particularly well drawn, and the characterization in general is shallow. While I liked Alex’s narration, his personality seems rather muted. The action at the end (we do eventually get some action) seemed implausible.
There was enough good stuff here that I look forward to reading more from this author.
The first half of the novel is pretty sedate: we watch Alex do research. His archeologist uncle died and left him a mysterious message about a possible relic of the war. Alex traces his uncle’s recent work, hunts for missing data, and explores the mythology behind a set of wartime heroes and villains, all of whom are long dead. There’s a lot of exposition, but I particularly enjoyed the detailed treatment of that mythology.
I liked the author’s light touch with every-day technology; he avoids details and allows his characters to take it for granted. This goes a long way towards making the novel feel less dated.
However, towards the end of the book my enthusiasm began to wane. I don’t think the aliens were particularly well drawn, and the characterization in general is shallow. While I liked Alex’s narration, his personality seems rather muted. The action at the end (we do eventually get some action) seemed implausible.
There was enough good stuff here that I look forward to reading more from this author.
June 1, 2021
25 February 2007 - ****. I have become a big fan of McDevitt's science fiction, but have avoided this book because of the ridiculous cover and somewhat banal title. However, it is the beginning of a series (followed by Polaris, and Seeker), so I've read it now. McDevitt was educated at Wesleyan University, and has taught English and Literature. This is one of his earlier books, and his academic background is obvious in it. Too much of the book, in my mind, dwells on fictional literary references to fictional historical events. Those historical events are actually quite important to the mystery that Alex Benedict inherits from his rich and eccentric uncle, but the recitation of these references is somewhat tedious. However, by the second half of the book, the plot picks up with typical McDevitt action and tension. This was a slow-starting, but ultimately satisfying novel. I would advise the reader to become familiar with some events and characters of classical Greek history, as the parallels that are made are important to the story.
In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC, an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae in central Greece. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history. A small force led by King Leonidas of Sparta blocked the only road through which the massive army of Xerxes I could pass. After three days of battle a local resident named Ephialtes betrayed the Greeks, revealing a mountain path that led behind the Greek lines. Dismissing the rest of the army, King Leonidas stayed behind with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespian volunteers. Though they knew it meant their own deaths, they held their position and secured the retreat of the other Greek forces. The Persians succeeded in taking the pass but sustained heavy losses, extremely disproportionate to those of the Greeks. The fierce resistance of the Spartan-led army offered Athens the invaluable time to prepare for a naval battle that would come to determine the outcome of the war.
Demosthenes (384-322 BC) was a prominent Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of ancient Athenian intellectual prowess and provide a thorough insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC. He idealized Athens and strove throughout his life to restore its supremacy and motivate his compatriots against Philip II of Macedon. He sought to preserve his city's freedom and to establish an alliance against Macedon, in an unsuccessful attempt to impede Philip's plans to expand his influence southwards by conquering all the Greek states. After Philip's death, Demosthenes played a leading part in his city's uprising against the new King of Macedon, Alexander the Great. However, his efforts failed and the revolt was met with a harsh Macedonian reaction. To prevent a similar revolt against his own rule, Alexander's successor, Antipater, sent his men to track Demosthenes down. Demosthenes took his own life, in order to avoid being arrested.
In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC, an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae in central Greece. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history. A small force led by King Leonidas of Sparta blocked the only road through which the massive army of Xerxes I could pass. After three days of battle a local resident named Ephialtes betrayed the Greeks, revealing a mountain path that led behind the Greek lines. Dismissing the rest of the army, King Leonidas stayed behind with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespian volunteers. Though they knew it meant their own deaths, they held their position and secured the retreat of the other Greek forces. The Persians succeeded in taking the pass but sustained heavy losses, extremely disproportionate to those of the Greeks. The fierce resistance of the Spartan-led army offered Athens the invaluable time to prepare for a naval battle that would come to determine the outcome of the war.
Demosthenes (384-322 BC) was a prominent Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of ancient Athenian intellectual prowess and provide a thorough insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC. He idealized Athens and strove throughout his life to restore its supremacy and motivate his compatriots against Philip II of Macedon. He sought to preserve his city's freedom and to establish an alliance against Macedon, in an unsuccessful attempt to impede Philip's plans to expand his influence southwards by conquering all the Greek states. After Philip's death, Demosthenes played a leading part in his city's uprising against the new King of Macedon, Alexander the Great. However, his efforts failed and the revolt was met with a harsh Macedonian reaction. To prevent a similar revolt against his own rule, Alexander's successor, Antipater, sent his men to track Demosthenes down. Demosthenes took his own life, in order to avoid being arrested.
March 19, 2013
A gem of a high-tech Sci-Fi mystery & thriller, in which Alex Benedict, a dealer in exotic antiquities several millenia in the future, first makes the acquaintance of his long-time partner and star-pilot Chase Kolpath, while investigating an archeological mystery bequeathed to him by his uncle.
The story revolves around the legend of a history teacher turned into an outstanding military strategist. One of the teacher's books is read two centuries after his death by the main character, and features this passage in its Introduction,
"We are all Hellenes. Dellaconda and Rimway and Cormoral owe all that they are to the restless thinkers along the Aegean, who, in the most exquisite sense, took the first steps to the stars. Only the mind is sacred. That notion was a dazzling insight in its time. Welded to the observation that nature is subject to laws, and that those laws can be understood, it was the key to the universe." - "Man and Olympian" pg 111.
Dellaconda was the history teacher's home world and the seat of a rebellion against an alien race of telepaths. Rimway and Earth were the two mainstays of humanity, which at the time of the rebellion, at first refused to get involved, leaving the hero of the rebellion to carry on a desperate war almost unaided. And Cormoral was the first world captured by the aliens, only to eventually be liberated following the rise of the rest of humanity against them, in the aftermath of the hero's sacrifice with a scratch crew of nameless volunteers in the Battle of Rigel, with his brother the orator as a witness.
All of this is well-known history to Alex & Chase, but things are not as they (and the rest of humanity) have been led to believe.
Military history buffs will appreciate the translation of the passage in ancient Greek above the hero's tomb, and even more especially the Epilogue.
The story revolves around the legend of a history teacher turned into an outstanding military strategist. One of the teacher's books is read two centuries after his death by the main character, and features this passage in its Introduction,
"We are all Hellenes. Dellaconda and Rimway and Cormoral owe all that they are to the restless thinkers along the Aegean, who, in the most exquisite sense, took the first steps to the stars. Only the mind is sacred. That notion was a dazzling insight in its time. Welded to the observation that nature is subject to laws, and that those laws can be understood, it was the key to the universe." - "Man and Olympian" pg 111.
Dellaconda was the history teacher's home world and the seat of a rebellion against an alien race of telepaths. Rimway and Earth were the two mainstays of humanity, which at the time of the rebellion, at first refused to get involved, leaving the hero of the rebellion to carry on a desperate war almost unaided. And Cormoral was the first world captured by the aliens, only to eventually be liberated following the rise of the rest of humanity against them, in the aftermath of the hero's sacrifice with a scratch crew of nameless volunteers in the Battle of Rigel, with his brother the orator as a witness.
All of this is well-known history to Alex & Chase, but things are not as they (and the rest of humanity) have been led to believe.
Military history buffs will appreciate the translation of the passage in ancient Greek above the hero's tomb, and even more especially the Epilogue.
May 17, 2009
It took a little too long for things to really catch on in this one. The main problem seems to be that McDevitt piles mystery upon mystery, until you forget why the characters are researching whatever it is they have in front of them. They have one lead on a person, which leads to another person, which leads to another few, and it goes deeper and deeper until they finally have something on the first person, and both the reader and (amusingly enough) Alex Benedict both says, "Who?". Along the way, there are several other mysteries un-earthed, and it became too much for a small 300 page paperback (I'm pretty sure the first mystery, of why the Capella disappeared, was never clearly resolved, just chalked up to "these things happen").
The premise is reminiscent of what many recent books have tried since "The Da Vinci Code" hit, namely, a historical thriller (think also "National Treasure"), which I think also soured my taste on it as a whole. Transferred to a sci-fi setting made it more palatable, but it wasn't terribly engaging to me (especially since the first bit of true action doesn't occur until Chapter 17 or so).
The main character, Alex Benedict, didn't really capture me, either, not in a way you would hope seeing as how I saw him often described as an "outer space Indiana Jones". His later relationship with his companion, Chase, also rang false to me, and never felt very fleshed out.
I was hoping this would turn into a new series for me, but I'm not in a hurry to try the sequels, despite being written some 15 years later.
The premise is reminiscent of what many recent books have tried since "The Da Vinci Code" hit, namely, a historical thriller (think also "National Treasure"), which I think also soured my taste on it as a whole. Transferred to a sci-fi setting made it more palatable, but it wasn't terribly engaging to me (especially since the first bit of true action doesn't occur until Chapter 17 or so).
The main character, Alex Benedict, didn't really capture me, either, not in a way you would hope seeing as how I saw him often described as an "outer space Indiana Jones". His later relationship with his companion, Chase, also rang false to me, and never felt very fleshed out.
I was hoping this would turn into a new series for me, but I'm not in a hurry to try the sequels, despite being written some 15 years later.
November 10, 2014
It must take a particular type of reader to enjoy this book. I found it unutterably boring.
The story is a not-really-murder mystery, although people do die. I enjoy mysteries, but only when the plot and characters are engaging. Here, they are not. There are two principal characters, and dozens of secondary characters. You never learn enough about any of them to care about them.
The story itself is the main character's journey though a long line of faint clues, starting with the disappearance of a ship, and its eventual discovery. When the reason for its disappearance was finally revealed, I was left with two significant negative reactions:
- It made no sense to me why the people worked so hard to keep the secret.
- In real life, nothing that significant could be developed by such a small group, and kept so secret.
Another major event - the destruction of a star, is thrown in for no apparent reason. It seems to have no relation to anything else.
Maybe I'm just not smart enough to follow the subtle details that might make this book interesting. If that's the case, my bet is that I'm not alone.
I bought this book as part of a discount-priced 3-book bundle (
The Alex Benedict Collection: A Talent For War, Polaris, Seeker
). Based on the reviews, I'm hoping for more from book 2.
The story is a not-really-murder mystery, although people do die. I enjoy mysteries, but only when the plot and characters are engaging. Here, they are not. There are two principal characters, and dozens of secondary characters. You never learn enough about any of them to care about them.
The story itself is the main character's journey though a long line of faint clues, starting with the disappearance of a ship, and its eventual discovery. When the reason for its disappearance was finally revealed, I was left with two significant negative reactions:
- It made no sense to me why the people worked so hard to keep the secret.
- In real life, nothing that significant could be developed by such a small group, and kept so secret.
Another major event - the destruction of a star, is thrown in for no apparent reason. It seems to have no relation to anything else.
Maybe I'm just not smart enough to follow the subtle details that might make this book interesting. If that's the case, my bet is that I'm not alone.
I bought this book as part of a discount-priced 3-book bundle (
The Alex Benedict Collection: A Talent For War, Polaris, Seeker
). Based on the reviews, I'm hoping for more from book 2.
August 3, 2016
The idea of a detective story within a space opera drew me to McDevitt. Unfortunately 4/5ths of this book is best described as a "wild goose chase" with a pretty feeble payoff. Most of the book is spent looking for Someone still alive named Scott and a dead woman named Tanner. 1/3 of the way in I had to remind myself why we cared about these people. There isn't much in the way of character development and the alien race (Ashyurians) are the blandest most vanilla alien race of recent memory. So with little in the way of character or world building the plot needs to be strong. I found the plot frustrating with the characters frequently doing something dumb so they could do something smart to get out of the pickle they just got into. The plot was more or less a series of roadblocks to keep the mystery going which became formulaic by the half way point. I'd be tempted to rate this lower but McDevitt's writing style was decent and kept me reading I just wish the plot or the payoff to the mystery were stronger.
August 11, 2016
This was... fun. I'm not really sure if I prefer it to the Academy books, but I'm definitely going to keep reading the series. It's different. And I feel like he's given this more thought, or been freer in his reigning in his imagination. It's good, clean, not TOO pulpy space opera lite. Yeah, I think that nails it.
I suspect it will get significantly better.
I suspect it will get significantly better.
February 23, 2021
A Talent for War ist the atypical start of McDevitt's series written around Alex Benedict - an antiques dealer who turns into a historian/archaeologist. This book was published 15 years before the next in the series, and is the only one that uses the first-person perspective of the named protagonist.
In short, Benedict's uncle, a mixture of Heinrich Schliemann and Indiana Jones, vanishes with a complete space liner, and leaves a small trace of something big - something deeply connected with humanity's war against the alien Ashiyyur, an event that was crucial in the unification of the human Confederation 200 years ago. The book tells the story of Benedict and his changing associates following this trace, slowly uncovering the real story behind some crucial events in the war. I found this process quite intriguing. I was a bit disappointed when the McGuffin turned out to be a simple XXX, and all the uncovered secrets centred around a rather small, all-human aspect.
I really liked the first 80% of the book. The next 15% took it down a notch or two, and the epilog lifted it back to 3.5 (rounded to 4) stars. When I have time (hahaha!) I'll take a stab at the second one in the series.
In short, Benedict's uncle, a mixture of Heinrich Schliemann and Indiana Jones, vanishes with a complete space liner, and leaves a small trace of something big - something deeply connected with humanity's war against the alien Ashiyyur, an event that was crucial in the unification of the human Confederation 200 years ago. The book tells the story of Benedict and his changing associates following this trace, slowly uncovering the real story behind some crucial events in the war. I found this process quite intriguing. I was a bit disappointed when the McGuffin turned out to be a simple XXX, and all the uncovered secrets centred around a rather small, all-human aspect.
I really liked the first 80% of the book. The next 15% took it down a notch or two, and the epilog lifted it back to 3.5 (rounded to 4) stars. When I have time (hahaha!) I'll take a stab at the second one in the series.
January 26, 2014
Al terminar este libro tenía dudas sobre las sensaciones que me había dejado. Despues de haber leído la segunda parte se han despejado.
Mi gran error al empezara leer "Un talento para la guerra" fue pensar que estaba en un libro parecido a otras obras del autor. La serie de Alex Benedict no es ciencia ficción dura, ni siquiera space opera aunque entre dentro de la definición. Los libros de esta serie son novelas de detectives al estilo de los clásicos, con un argumento típico y pensada para entretener al lector sin entrar en grandes preguntas sobre el futuro de la Humanidad. La ciencia es un mero decorado para el desarrollo de la acción.
La trama es un poco lenta y confusa, efecto causado seguramente por mis expectativas erróneas, y no consigue velocidad hasta el último cuarto. Una vez terminado, y leído el segundo libro de la serie, las piezas encajan mejor.
"Un talento para la guerra" es un libro entretenido, sin mayores pretensiones que las de hacerte pasar un buen rato.
Quien busque descansar un poco de la CF pura y dura hallará reposo entre sus páginas, quien quiera iniciarse en las aventuras espaciales lo encontrará asequible.
Mi gran error al empezara leer "Un talento para la guerra" fue pensar que estaba en un libro parecido a otras obras del autor. La serie de Alex Benedict no es ciencia ficción dura, ni siquiera space opera aunque entre dentro de la definición. Los libros de esta serie son novelas de detectives al estilo de los clásicos, con un argumento típico y pensada para entretener al lector sin entrar en grandes preguntas sobre el futuro de la Humanidad. La ciencia es un mero decorado para el desarrollo de la acción.
La trama es un poco lenta y confusa, efecto causado seguramente por mis expectativas erróneas, y no consigue velocidad hasta el último cuarto. Una vez terminado, y leído el segundo libro de la serie, las piezas encajan mejor.
"Un talento para la guerra" es un libro entretenido, sin mayores pretensiones que las de hacerte pasar un buen rato.
Quien busque descansar un poco de la CF pura y dura hallará reposo entre sus páginas, quien quiera iniciarse en las aventuras espaciales lo encontrará asequible.
September 3, 2021
I started buddy reading this series with a group of friends on Goodreads and in the beginning this first book was rather slow and not what I was expecting. I was expecting lots of action packed space adventure, but this one was a slow burn and it took getting used to. This is a mystery in a sci-fi setting and I really like that combination. I think the best description is that it's like reading Sherlock Holmes in space. Alex is, of course Sherlock, and Chase is Watson. This book is the only one written from Alex's point of view, with all the rest written from Chase's. Personally I think I like reading from Chase's point of view better, even if she's always playing catch up to Alex, which is one thing that makes them feel patterned after Watson and Sherlock.
I highly recommend this series, and urge you to keep reading if it feels a bit slow in the beginning. By the time I reached around the 60% point in the book it began to pull me in more and by the end I was looking forward to continuing on to the next book.
I highly recommend this series, and urge you to keep reading if it feels a bit slow in the beginning. By the time I reached around the 60% point in the book it began to pull me in more and by the end I was looking forward to continuing on to the next book.
January 23, 2019
DNF’d at 25% in. As most reviews have warned, this story is told in a very dull manner. I bought this and Polaris at the same time so hopefully that one is much better once I decide to get to it. Disappointing, though. Even with the reviews I had read I still thought this would float my boat.
January 30, 2024
At first this fascinated me, and then for some reason I felt bogged down in it and it got very slow. However, the examination of propaganda and myth-making in war and history was intriguing and relevant and the ending was satisfying.
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