Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Seeker (Alex Benedict, #3)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Seeker

(Alex Benedict #3)

Jack McDevitt

3.90 · Rating details · 6,518 ratings · 343 reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Alex Benedict and his executive assistant, Chase Kolpath -- ambitious antiquities dealers from Jack McDevitt's A Talent for War (1989) and, more recently, Polaris -- are back in Seeker, a story in which the two antiquarians search for a legendary lost colony that is both a science fiction thriller and a remarkably complex mystery.

More than 9,00 ...more

Get A Copy

Or buy for

Mass Market Paperback, 373 pages

Published October 31st 2006 by Ace (first published November 2005)

More Details... edit details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Seeker, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century

753 books — 7,507 voters

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

Nebula Award for Best Novel

55 books — 306 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Rating details

Sort: Default

Filter

Mar 25, 2013 Bradley rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, mystery, 2016-shelf

Good Grief. I just lost my review.

Here's a summary, alas.

'06 Nebula winner, equal parts Space Opera and Noir Mystery, but that really translates mostly into Future History Archeology, with a treasure-hunting bent, twists and turns, lots of interesting characters, and lost spacecraft and lost colonies.

Was I really happy about the last twist and the epilogue? Hell yes.

All this takes place about 10k in the future, but there's a legend of a lost colony gone 9k ago before the advent of FTL travel or ...more

flag 37 likes · Like · see review

Jan 03, 2010 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, books-i-own, favourites, nebula-award-winners

It’s somehow difficult to qualify just why I enjoy McDevitt so much. His stories invariably have a long build up. Yet, I always end up enjoying them a lot. Perhaps it’s the big reveal mechanism that he so effectively employs. Perhaps it’s the fact that the Alex Benedict books are so hard to pigeonhole (Is it far future thriller? Is it Hard SF? Is it Space Opera? Is it archaeological mystery in space? Is it all of the above?). Perhaps it’s simply the fact that they feel so comfortable, like a pai It’s somehow difficult to qualify just why I enjoy McDevitt so much. His stories invariably have a long build up. Yet, I always end up enjoying them a lot. Perhaps it’s the big reveal mechanism that he so effectively employs. Perhaps it’s the fact that the Alex Benedict books are so hard to pigeonhole (Is it far future thriller? Is it Hard SF? Is it Space Opera? Is it archaeological mystery in space? Is it all of the above?). Perhaps it’s simply the fact that they feel so comfortable, like a pair of lived in jeans.

Suffice to say, I do enjoy these books. Seeker, in particular, is one of my favourites. Nobody is likely to draw any comparison between Alex Benedict and Indiana Jones (he pretty much leaves all the manly action type stuff to his female sidekick), but these books do have a strong archeological bent, albeit on a vastly grander scale. In this particular instance the search is on for a mythical colony ship (the Seeker of the title) which disappeared 9,000 years previously, with colonists and all. It turns out that the future history that McDevitt has created is well suited to this kind of mystery, and I daresay these books would possibly even appeal to readers of contemporary mysteries who wouldn’t typically indulge in Science Fiction. That’s not to say that the science in here is soft, it just takes a bit of a back seat to the story, with one spectacular exception that I can’t mention here (spoiler territory).

There is more than a little intrigue as the story unfolds. McDevitt doesn’t hurry proceedings; he just lets it happen. Don’t let that fool you though, when excitement does strike it packs quite a punch. And, when the reveal finally comes, reminiscent of the best of Poirot and Holmes, you can’t help but feel awe at his vision. It could just be that McDevitt owns this corner of the Science Fiction market; I’m not aware of any other authors who regularly write the same kind of thing, but feel free to educate me in the comments field below.

In the end the book is just a whole lot of fun, with some “gosh-wow!” moments, especially at the grand finale. It just goes to show how a good story can transcend any genre.

Seeker won the Nebula award for best novel in 2006. It was also nominated for the John W. Campbell award.

Additional Information

If Xeno-Archaeology is more your thing, McDevitt’s Academy / Priscilla Hutchins series is worth investigating. Start with The Engines of God. ...more

flag 28 likes · Like · see review

Jan 07, 2009 Michael rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: Drooling idiots.

This was the Nebula Award winner for 2006, so I thought I'd be in for a treat. The premise sounded pretty good: 9,000 years in the future, two antiquities/salvage experts find a relic from a lost colony ship which leads to big adventure and lots of danger.

There are a lot of cool ideas about future technology. I especially liked the avatars of famous historical persons, assembled from all available data on the net. The alien-relations the humans have with the "Mutes" is fairly interesting — Human ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Jan 15, 2009 Joe rated it it was amazing

Shelves: detective-fiction, science-fiction

First of all, this is the most entertaining science fiction novel I've read in ten years, since I discovered the Hyperion Cantos. I have read quite a bit of scifi, and this is among the best of the best. I honestly do not understand why there are not more five star reviews.

Here's why I loved it. It takes place in ten thousand years but it ascertains that human beings will be largely the same. History gets lost the older you go back. Lessons from history are still the same. Mystery begets interes ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Jun 27, 2009 Ian rated it really liked it

Shelves: fits-like-a-glove, nebula-winners, unique-theories, didn-t-expect-to-love-it

Seeker is the most original, interesting, and thoughtful of the Alex Benedict novels. Like the others, so long as you don't take it too seriously, you can have some fun reading it. I give this one four stars (instead of three like the others) because it has some really cool, original ideas woven in.

I'm not a big McDevitt fan, but I like the Alex Benedict novels. They're reasonably well crafted. Just think of this book as a little "roughage" for your mind.

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Jun 14, 2011 Hugo Ortega rated it really liked it

I stumbled onto this book when going over a list of Nebula Award winners. I must say as a sci-fi story it plays differently then most of the other books in the genre. It's a mix of Indiana Jones with Marco Polo set in the distant future. It's a "lost civilization" story where the main characters are treasure hunters looking for rare items from the distant past. The story takes place 10,000 years into the future; humans have been traveling in space for so long that space faring civilizations have I stumbled onto this book when going over a list of Nebula Award winners. I must say as a sci-fi story it plays differently then most of the other books in the genre. It's a mix of Indiana Jones with Marco Polo set in the distant future. It's a "lost civilization" story where the main characters are treasure hunters looking for rare items from the distant past. The story takes place 10,000 years into the future; humans have been traveling in space for so long that space faring civilizations have risen and fallen.

It is part of a series of boos called the "Alex Benedict" series. However this is a strange thing because the majority of the story is about Alex's partner, Chase Kolpath. Alex plays almost like a minor character, pushing Chase further and farther into the assignment.

The story is about the search for a lost colony. Not just any lost colony, this is one of the first space colonization attempts made by humans 10,000 years ago. This colony was started by a group of separatist who wanted to escape the tyranny and oppression of the Earth. The legend goes that the colonist made every effort to ensure that no one could find their colony, and they succeeded.

Chase, the main character of the story, goes off on different assignments in search of clues that could help locate this colony. Mixed in with the mystery of the lost colony of Margolia are interweaving mysteries on how the original clue managed to reach the light of day and a mysterious killer who is taking out treasure hunters.

The story is a bit slow at times but there are wonderful action moments and tension scattered about to keep the story going. The real gem in this story is the setting and the description of both the utopian present day world that Chase lives in and the horror of the ancient past where freedom is non-existant. Here the author is able to make critical statements about the state of our society through the mind of Chase; who is baffled by the idea the humans could submit to blind faith in religious authority and all free thought and critical thinking is branded as "unpatriotic and heretical" as the Earth the Margolian's attempt to flee is caught in the grips of a religious hegemon who is both the leader of the Church and the State and whose authority comes from the will of God. It also has what I think is the best description of inter-species interactions. In this future there is one other sentient species; a race of telepaths that ironically look like demons; red skin and fanged teeth. Due to their appearance and the fact that direct communication is limited this makes any interactions difficult and uncomfortable.

The story climaxes into a great thriller ending with a little scooby-doo thrown in when the attacker is finally revealed. My only disappointment was the overly happy ending with the lost colony revealed. But the imagery painted by McDevitt is very well done and except for some moments where the story drags he manages to captivate me with the wonderful universe he creates.

Anyone interested in a sci-fi story that is not the usual space war/ soap opera/space fantasy and tries to put hard science into the story in ways that moves the story forward should give this a shot. The best part of those moments was when Chase, an experience shuttle pilot, uses her knowledge of zero-g and her piloting skill to narrowly avoid death using only inertia.

...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 03, 2012 Melanie rated it it was ok

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

I listened to the audio book, don't do that. The woman who reads this is terrible. There is no drama in her voice. She differentiates the different women characters by making them more or less breathy. That's just too much for me to stand.

I cannot believe this is a Nebula Award winner. At first the plot was fairly interesting, although there is a ton of info-dumping going on. But it kept going long past when it should and the ending was unfulfilling. Plus there is bad science.

I don't have the pa ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 26, 2014 Patricia rated it really liked it

Shelves: action, mystery, science-fiction

Great mix of sci-fi, mystery and adventure.

Thes book remind me of a mix of Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones thrown into a sci-fi setting. (A mystery story set in the future, with an antiquities dealer as the main protagonist.) In this universe the human race has been in space for about 20,000 years. In that time many ships, colonies and valuable items have gone missing. Alex Benedict, with the help of Chase Kolpath, specializes in finding missing and valuable items.

Seeker is the story of Margol ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2010 Tamahome rated it liked it

Recommends it for: mystery/hard sf fans/fans of strong female characters

3.5 stars. Pretty good. Along the way I was wishing for more action, like in Engines of God, but the ending is really good. McDevitt has an above average amount of humanity in his books, and that kept me going.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 17, 2017 Jerry rated it really liked it

Shelves: a-to-z-challenge-2017

I read this some years ago and enjoyed it...and did the same this time as well!

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 30, 2011 Toby Udstuen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction

This is book three of the Benedict series. All the Alex Benidict books are set about 10,000 years in the future. So when one of Benedict clients come to him with a cup that came from a colony ship lost 9,000 years ago Alex sits up and takes notice. How did the cup get back to the known worlds? Where was the 9,000 year old ship it came from? Did the ship make it to it's mysterious destination? Is there a colony there now? These are the question Alex and his partner have to answer.

A Talent for War (Alex Benedict, #1) by Jack McDevitt

Polaris (Alex Benedict, #2) by Jack McDevitt

Seeker (Alex Benedict, #3) by Jack McDevitt

The Devil's Eye (Alex Benedict, #4) by Jack McDevitt

Echo (Alex Benedict, #5) by Jack McDevitt

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 30, 2015 Joe A rated it really liked it

Another great McDevitt story. I would have rated it higher, except the narrator's voice started to get to me in the last 1/4 of the book.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 13, 2018 Lianne Pheno rated it really liked it · review of another edition

http://delivreenlivres.blogspot.fr/20...

Ce troisième tome est toujours dans la même veine que les précédent et donc aussi sympa à lire et distrayant. Il a beau être le troisième tome, c'est le seul de la série qui a été traduit et il peut très bien être lu indépendamment des autres.

Le Seeker était l'un des deux vaisseaux qui ont amené les Margoliens vers leur colonie. A l'époque le monde n'était pas un bon endroit pour y vivre et toutes les autres tentatives de colonie précédentes avaient échoué ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2018 Mike rated it it was ok

Shelves: scifi

It was ok but nothing in this book really needs to be scifi, it could be set in any time from the past to now. Just a detective story that happens to occur 10,000+ years in the future (although there is little that seems much different from now besides instantaneous FTL travel). Surprised to find out this was an award winner. Some of his other books are much better. 2 Brown Dwarf Stars

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 28, 2012 Tim Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, reviewed

_Seeker_ is essentially a mystery novel set in the far, far future. How far into the future? In this setting, humanity has been out among the stars for an astounding 15,000 years. Empires rose and fell, new religions, languages, and civilizations came and went. Dark Ages and Renaissances and new Dark Ages (three different ones apparently) have happened, with humanity on different worlds alternately turning towards the stars and then away from them for decades, centuries, millennia. Author Jack M _Seeker_ is essentially a mystery novel set in the far, far future. How far into the future? In this setting, humanity has been out among the stars for an astounding 15,000 years. Empires rose and fell, new religions, languages, and civilizations came and went. Dark Ages and Renaissances and new Dark Ages (three different ones apparently) have happened, with humanity on different worlds alternately turning towards the stars and then away from them for decades, centuries, millennia. Author Jack McDevitt does an outstanding job in this book of portraying a sense of the great depths of time, giving the reader a real feeling of just how much civilization has changed over the many centuries since humans initially left Earth. Extinct empires, dynasties, and great historical figures that are for us in the unimaginably distant future are for the people in this setting more distant to them than the Pyramids are to us.

The main characters in this book are two antiquarians, treasure hunters basically, the famed antiquities dealer Alex Benedict and his very capable assistant Chase Kolpath (in fact the book is written from her point of view). Benedict and Kolpath make their living finding artifacts from long dead empires, failed colonies, famous ship disasters, and the like, buying and selling items to private collectors mostly. They also do a lot of legwork to uncover where a derelict ship or centuries forgotten base might be, lost among the stars, journeying there themselves at often some personal risk, hoping that frustratingly fragmentary clues pan out and that they beat treasure hunters that may gotten there centuries before.

Devastated that a long lost research colony was ransacked shortly before they got to it, apparently by one of their competitors who somehow knew where Kolpath and Benedict were going, the two antiquities dealers are sitting around rather depressed when they get a call from a woman. Can she show them a strange cup she has; she thinks it is old, maybe worth something?

Calls like this are common and most of the items turn out to be junk or at least not worth very much. You never know though, so they agree to meet her. The item she has is indeed interesting, a cup emblazoned with an eagle and what they discern to be English writing. Borrowing the cup, they translate the writings and analyze its age. To their amazement, it turns out to be nine thousand years old and connected to a long lost, very famous ship, the _Seeker_. The _Seeker_ and another ship, the _Bremerhaven_, were connected with the first large-scale colonial exodus from Earth, way back in the 28th century. Research quickly showed that the two ships carried thousands of settlers from a then oppressive Earth to a colony world that was dubbed Margolia. Deliberately keeping the location safe from Earth, after several flights back and forth to Earth the colonists were never heard from again and the colony, after nine thousand years, had never been located.

Was this cup really from the _Seeker_? How did the woman come by it? Were there more of these artifacts? Did someone in fact know where the _Seeker_ might be or in fact where Margolia was?

What follows is a great mystery story, as Kolpath and Benedict follow many leads, interviewing people, investigating any clues that may lead them to the famed lost colony. The search takes them over much of the galaxy, including to some surprising places and is not without considerable personal danger to the two of them as it becomes clear that they have enemies, people who want Kolpath and Benedict dead. Who wants to kill them? Why do they want to kill them? There are several suspects and there is obviously a leak somewhere, but where? Is one of their trusted friends and colleagues secretly plotting against them or is there is a mole somewhere? Or both?

McDevitt did a good job with the mystery, the investigation of who was after them and where Margolia might be was riveting, and I really liked the sense of anticipation he built up about Margolia, of the many popular views held about the colony, all the popular speculation as to their ultimate fate, a blank slate that many scholars, writers, movie-producers, and even occultists and conspiracy theorists had imaginatively filled in. He did a wonderful job foreshadowing, hinting at how extraordinary a place might be, whether it was old Earth or non-human space, and then taking the reader there. The ending was fantastic as well, it did not disappoint.

For those of you who have read his Academy novels (I myself have read _Chindi_ and _Omega_ in that rather loosely connected series), this, the first book in the Alex Benedict series I have read (the third one published) has a decidedly different feel to it. It is also not in the same universe, so the mysteries of one setting remain with those particular novels. I would definitely read more in the series. The characters seem more distinct in this novel than the characters in the Academy novels, but then that may be in part because there are so many more characters in the Academy series ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Daniel Shellenbarger rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, space-exploration, mystery

Seeker is actually the third book in Jack McDevitt's Alex Benedict series, but I picked up "A Talent for War" (book 1) some time ago and couldn't build any interest before putting it down and my library didn't have "Polaris" (book 2), so when the urge took me to give McDevitt another shot, Seeker is where my attention landed. Anyway, the basic premise is that protagonist Alex Hunter and his assistant/narrator Chase are antiquarians (grave robbers if you prefer) in the far future (ca. 10,000 A.D. Seeker is actually the third book in Jack McDevitt's Alex Benedict series, but I picked up "A Talent for War" (book 1) some time ago and couldn't build any interest before putting it down and my library didn't have "Polaris" (book 2), so when the urge took me to give McDevitt another shot, Seeker is where my attention landed. Anyway, the basic premise is that protagonist Alex Hunter and his assistant/narrator Chase are antiquarians (grave robbers if you prefer) in the far future (ca. 10,000 A.D. (C.E., whatever)) and make their living by hunting down artifacts with special history and selling them to the highest bidder. Of course, the better the story behind the artifact (and the more unique), the better the price. The world they inhabit reminded me a lot of the universes of Jack Vance (Demon Princes) and Matthew Hughes (Hengist Hapthorn). Not so much because of their themes of Earth on the brink of destruction (much less their near-magical technology), but the musty feel of a universe that's had a LOT of living and dying done in it, where mankind has risen and fallen on countless worlds through many dark ages and renaissances. In Seeker, Alex and Chase are presented with a cup which turns out to be the only known artifact ever recovered from the "Seeker" a 27th century interstellar colony ship belonging to a group that fled from an oppressive totalitarian regime in North America to a secret world known as Margolia and was never heard from again, a legend that (to the people of Alex and Chase's time) has taken on the aspects of Atlantis, a lost world populated by a colony of dreamers. Working from the scanty clues available to them, they gradually piece together the fate of Margolia and its colonists while dodging the efforts of their rivals and archaeologists outraged at their "pillaging". Seeker's greatest strength is the mystery of the Seeker and of Margolia, it's an interesting problem and Jack McDevitt explores every side of the legend and the means by which his protagonists solve the dilemma is neither too clever nor too simplistic. Likewise, I enjoyed the realistic quality of McDevitt's universe, it isn't a terribly dynamic place (unlike, say, David Weber's writing), the aliens are hideous and telepathic but a lot like us otherwise, and the technology isn't really that flashy but it has (as a I noted above) a lived-in feel that makes the characters and mystery the more believable. I have mixed feelings about the characters, Alex and Chase are both interesting and have large-as-life personalities, but most of the rest of the characters are completely utilitarian, filling holes in the story as useful assistants (or appropriately unlikeable antagonists; oddly, McDevitt's weakest moments are the action scenes, which feel out of place in the otherwise sedate pacing of the story) and then getting out of the way without much lasting impact. The best thing I can say is that at times, McDevitt's protagonists' personalities and methodology reminded me of Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey and Bunter or of Margery Allingham's Campion and Lugg, but the feeling never lasted. All in all, I found Seeker to be an enjoyable book (enough so that I'll probably check out some more of Jack McDevitt's work), but it is undeniably a slow and rather academic sort of mystery novel, so don't go in expecting Indiana Jones (or Philip Marlowe) in Space. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2017 Thomas DuCharme rated it did not like it

I've broken the unwritten golden rule; I didn't finish this book, and I'm writing a review anyway. All apologies.
I just don't get it. I've only read a few of McDevitt's books, and while I've loved some, I can't seem to get into the Alex Benedict series. I barely made it through the previous entry, Polaris. But Seeker seemed to be a fan-favorite, so I figured major improvements must've taken place between novels. Nope.
Here's the thing. I'm so far live the Academy (Priscilla Hutchins) series. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 08, 2013 Alex Shrugged rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed-books, mystery, science-fiction

Did I tell you I finished the book "Seeker" by Jack McDevitt? Well... I did. It was a lot like "Polaris" and I liked both.

It's called "An Alex Benedict Novel" and certainly Alex is one of the main characters, but the entire novel is written in the first-person perspective NOT through Alex but through his lovely assistant, Chase Kolpath. As in Polaris, she does most of the work, though clearly she is only doing it because she is Alex's employee and he told her to do it, but she uses initiative an ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2009 Cal rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Absolutely everyone

I was introduced to Jack McDevitt when my spouse picked up [u:]A Talent for War[/u:] at the bookstore about eighteen months ago and didn't have time to read it before I ran out of new books and picked it up; I have devoured everything he's written voraciously since then. I prefer the Benedict books to the Hutchins books; Priscilla is kind of a whiner while Alex is a badass capitalist, and he twigs as kind of a warm and fuzzy David Xanatos-lite. Also, space mysteries. What's not to love?

[u:]Seeke ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 24, 2008 Gloria rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Sci-Fi readers who like normal characters

Recommended to Gloria by: Genreflecting

Shelves: sci-fi

Similar to the familiar idea of searching for Atlantis, this novel's characters are searching for the lost civilization of Margolia. I'd just made the association that the main character and his assistant had a similar style and relationship as does Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson when I happened to glance at the book flap where I read that this novel is "a classic-style investigative tale with Alex serving as an amateur-sleuth Holmes and Chase as Watson." I guess this is testimony that my impres ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 21, 2012 Donna rated it liked it

Shelves: audio-books, read-in-2012, science-fiction

The premise of this book was interesting--the search for a 9,000 year old space ship and a lost civilization. Unfortunately I never totally connected to the characters. This is the third book in the Alex Benedict series and I haven't read the first two but the book was told in first person by Alex's assistant, Chase Colpath. Alex seemed almost a minor character, except when he comes in and takes all the credit for Chase's hard work.

I think my problem with the characters is that they are in fact ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 22, 2012 Angela rated it liked it

Definitely an entertaining mystery, but this is a flawed work. For one thing, it's hard to believe that a civilization set so far into the future - a civilization with faster than light speed travel and contact with an alien civilization - would end up being so remarkably similar to our own. Since I've been reading Kim Stanley Robinson's 2312 (with its evolving culture set only 300 years from now) concurrently with this story, I found it a little hard to suspend disbelief. McDevitt's various pla ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 21, 2007 Marcia rated it liked it

Shelves: sciencefiction

An interstellar archaeological mystery, Seeker is the story of an antiquities dealer and more importantly, his assistant. A shady woman brings them an artifact she wants to sell, and as they track down the item's provenance, they stumble on to a larger mystery surrounding a lost spaceship and the people on board.

This is plot-driven science fiction in the Niven tradition - characters are given some development, but there is no question they're secondary to the plot. Fortunately the plot is engag ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 02, 2014 Phillip rated it it was amazing

This was my first introduction to Jack McDevitt and I must say since then I've read about 10 of his novels. Probably my favorite line of his, the Alex Benedict novels in which Seeker is I believe #3, involve both science fiction (future societies) and good old fashion detective yarns. A man who can start a plot over a murder about a porcelain tea cup in a future with star drive and all that goes with it has something going for him. Not to mention he writes first person female.
You want a break fr ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 24, 2012 Craig rated it really liked it

Another excellent far-future interstellar archaeology novel in the Alex Benedict/Chase Kolpath series. I was particularly struck with the number of convincing characters that are introduced, and the large number of events that transpire; there's a big, sweeping epic contained in an average length novel. Another nice trait is that McDevitt doesn't explain everything that happens; he leaves it up to the reader to fill in some of the blanks, which is refreshing and occasionally challenging. This is ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2012 Julie Davis rated it liked it

As with Polaris (Alex Benedict #2) there is plenty of actual science fiction to go with the mystery that antiquities dealer Alex Benedict is determined to solve. Although it seems to me that these really should be called Chase Kolpath #2 since she is the narrator and seems to do most of the work.

As in the other McDevitt books I've read, the storyline is fairly straight-forward and pulled me through by dint of action and interesting discoveries. I actually was surprised by the villain in this on ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 10, 2016 Chris Jackson rated it really liked it

Very old-school SF here, and in a very good way. Far future treasure hunters seek a lost ship and the equally lost colony of emigrants that left earth thousands of years ago. Great pacing and characterization, wry wit, good tension buildup. Nicely done. This is the third in this series, so I'll be going back to start from the beginning. It's been a while since I've read something of this caliber. Simply enjoying reading...

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 15, 2011 Matthew Hester rated it really liked it

You can always tell the difference between a good book and a terrible one.
When an author can spend 150+ pages explaining the arduous efforts of a character researching the history of a cup, and you find yourself absolutely enthralled, you're reading a good book.

I've read novels that peg themselves as grand, epic space operas, where I couldn't even care one iota about a single character or story point.
Those were not good books.

This one was. Who knew a cup could be so interesting?

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 02, 2018 Cris rated it it was ok

How this book won a Nebula is beyond me. Recycled plot devices, predictable story and wooden characters that never seem real enough to empathize with. The critical thinking of the main actors is straight up laughable - I suppose your not left much of a choice though when your story has so many holes. First time I’ve been truly disappointed by a Nebula winner, hopefully this was just an outlier...

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 10, 2010 Servius Heiner rated it liked it

An interesting concept. However the author seems to have used this book as a study in anti-climatic writing. A work of what not to do. .

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: Sci-fi book that begins with an S [s]	17	81	Sep 24, 2014 06:29AM

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

Science Fiction

331 users

Fiction

64 users

Mystery

44 users

See top shelves…

About Jack McDevitt

Jack McDevitt

944 followers

Jack 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 Internation ...more

Other books in the series

Alex Benedict (8 books)

Books by Jack McDevitt

More…

Trivia About Seeker (Alex Bene...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Seeker

“Human existence is girt round with mystery: the narrow region of our experience is a small island in the midst of a boundless sea. To add to the mystery, the domain of our earthly existence is not only an island in infinite space, but also in infinite time. The past and the future are alike shrouded from us: we neither know the origin of anything which is, nor its final destination.” — 2 likes

“Drink deep the cup of life; take it's dark wine into your soul. For it passes round the table only once.” — 2 likes

More quotes…