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A Voice In The Night
Jack McDevitt has been a Sherlock Holmes fan since he was a teenager, although he reports that Holmes-style mysteries, whodunits, are not his favorite style. Jack encountered Gilbert Chesterton’s Father Brown tales a few years later and they ultimately became the prime influence in his science fiction. The issue with Father Brown was never a question of who committed the murder, but rather what in heaven’s name is going on here?
Why does an astronaut, in “Cathedral,” sacrifice her life to collide with an asteroid that she knows poses no threat to the Earth? Why does a scientist who’s designed an actual working AI in “The Play’s the Thing,” hide what’s he’s done? How is it that the lives of two people working at Moonbase in “Blinker” depend on a quasar?
In “Lucy,” Jack shows us why sending automated vehicles to explore the distant outposts of the solar system may not be a good idea. And in “Searching for Oz,” an alternate history story, how things might have been if SETI had gotten what it was looking for. He describes our reaction in “Listen Up, Nitwits,” when a voice begins speaking to us, apparently from Jupiter, in Greek. And in “The Lost Equation,” a Holmes adventure, we discover who really was first to arrive at e=mc2.
Jack also provides two episodes, “Maiden Voyage” and “Waiting At the Altar,” from Priscilla Hutchins’ qualification flight; and an effort by a sixteen-year-old Alex Benedict, in the title story with his uncle Gabe and Chase Kolpath’s mom, Tori, who are trying to understand why a brilliant radio entertainer, lost in the stars when his drive unit suffered a malfunction, never said goodbye.
These and fourteen other rides into odd places await the reader.
Why does an astronaut, in “Cathedral,” sacrifice her life to collide with an asteroid that she knows poses no threat to the Earth? Why does a scientist who’s designed an actual working AI in “The Play’s the Thing,” hide what’s he’s done? How is it that the lives of two people working at Moonbase in “Blinker” depend on a quasar?
In “Lucy,” Jack shows us why sending automated vehicles to explore the distant outposts of the solar system may not be a good idea. And in “Searching for Oz,” an alternate history story, how things might have been if SETI had gotten what it was looking for. He describes our reaction in “Listen Up, Nitwits,” when a voice begins speaking to us, apparently from Jupiter, in Greek. And in “The Lost Equation,” a Holmes adventure, we discover who really was first to arrive at e=mc2.
Jack also provides two episodes, “Maiden Voyage” and “Waiting At the Altar,” from Priscilla Hutchins’ qualification flight; and an effort by a sixteen-year-old Alex Benedict, in the title story with his uncle Gabe and Chase Kolpath’s mom, Tori, who are trying to understand why a brilliant radio entertainer, lost in the stars when his drive unit suffered a malfunction, never said goodbye.
These and fourteen other rides into odd places await the reader.
506 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 31, 2018
79 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Jack McDevitt
185 books1,349 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 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 29, 2018
Collected short fiction, 1983 to 2018. McDevitt is best known for his novels. These stories are hit or miss for me. I’m reading the ones published in magazines first. I think I'm done. Overall, weak 3 stars for the ones I read . TOC: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?6...
• Searching for Oz • (2013). SETI actually worked, in this story. Eh, 2.5 stars.
• The Law of Gravity Isn't Working on Rainbow Bridge • (2003). Odd story, title tells the essence. Eh, 2 stars
• The Adventure of the Southsea Trunk • (2008). Holmes pastiche, sort-of. Decent whodunnit, 3 stars.
• Lucy • (2012) • novelette. AI’s take over as starship pilots. Pretty good, weak 3 stars.
• Listen Up, Nitwits • (2012, Analog). Clever “aliens straighten out the mess” story. 3.5 stars.
• Blood Will Tell • (2016, Nature) • vignette by Tom Easton and Jack McDevitt. An interesting sfnal research proposal. 3 stars.
• Blinker • (1994, Analog). Crisis at the largest lunar astronomical observatory, when the power goes out. Classic Analog puzzle-solving story, 2.5 stars
• Maiden Voyage • (2012, Asimov's) . First of two linked stories about Priscilla Hutchins’ check voyage for her starship pilot’s license. First-rate story, 3.5 stars.
• Waiting at the Altar • (2012, Asimov's). Second story, about a missed encounter with an alien race. 3.5 stars. If you like the Hutch/Academy novels, you’ll like these stories. For me, the highlights of the collection.
• Good Intentions • (1998, F&SF) • novelette by Jack McDevitt and Stanley Schmidt. Role-playing game at a small SF convention gets out of hand. I never quite figured out what was going on, but it’s a decent story. 2.5 stars. 1998 Nebula nominee.
• The Last Dance • (2017, Asimov’s). Resurrection via software, sort of. Clumsy story, clumsy twist ending. 2 stars.
The library copy in front of me is an attractively-bound hardcover from Subterranean Press, signed by the author. A classy production.
• Searching for Oz • (2013). SETI actually worked, in this story. Eh, 2.5 stars.
• The Law of Gravity Isn't Working on Rainbow Bridge • (2003). Odd story, title tells the essence. Eh, 2 stars
• The Adventure of the Southsea Trunk • (2008). Holmes pastiche, sort-of. Decent whodunnit, 3 stars.
• Lucy • (2012) • novelette. AI’s take over as starship pilots. Pretty good, weak 3 stars.
• Listen Up, Nitwits • (2012, Analog). Clever “aliens straighten out the mess” story. 3.5 stars.
• Blood Will Tell • (2016, Nature) • vignette by Tom Easton and Jack McDevitt. An interesting sfnal research proposal. 3 stars.
• Blinker • (1994, Analog). Crisis at the largest lunar astronomical observatory, when the power goes out. Classic Analog puzzle-solving story, 2.5 stars
• Maiden Voyage • (2012, Asimov's) . First of two linked stories about Priscilla Hutchins’ check voyage for her starship pilot’s license. First-rate story, 3.5 stars.
• Waiting at the Altar • (2012, Asimov's). Second story, about a missed encounter with an alien race. 3.5 stars. If you like the Hutch/Academy novels, you’ll like these stories. For me, the highlights of the collection.
• Good Intentions • (1998, F&SF) • novelette by Jack McDevitt and Stanley Schmidt. Role-playing game at a small SF convention gets out of hand. I never quite figured out what was going on, but it’s a decent story. 2.5 stars. 1998 Nebula nominee.
• The Last Dance • (2017, Asimov’s). Resurrection via software, sort of. Clumsy story, clumsy twist ending. 2 stars.
The library copy in front of me is an attractively-bound hardcover from Subterranean Press, signed by the author. A classy production.
May 23, 2018
Jack McDevitt. Pretty sure I’ve heard of the guy, don’t think I’ve ever read any of his work, but then this huge comprehensive collection showed up on Netgalley and I was like why not. Plus he’s a local and let’s face it City of Brotherly something doesn’t produce that much literary talent. The size of the book was intimidating and in retrospect this one probably should have been dipped in and out of for a while instead of binging through it, but it was diverse enough to not feel monotonous. The main themes in this collection deal with alien cultures, archeology and first contact. And, while this is undeniably science fiction at its most prototypical, oddly enough McDevitt’s at his best when he writes outside of the genre. The two stories featuring a different take on the world’s most famous detective for example were great. The Atlantis story also. And my favorite one in the entire collection, Ships in the Night, was just an absolutely charming story about loneliness and finding someone to share it with. Ok, in all fairness, the latter two did feature aliens, but it wasn’t the main dish on the menu as it were. McDevitt came to writing pretty late in life, which may or may not be the reason a lot of his stories have that golden era scifi atmosphere to them, despite being perfectly modern (this collection covers fiction from the last 25 years), which is kind of nice. The endings took me a while to get into, especially the first stories, there was either abruptness or lack of complete resolve, but that changes as the stories progress to either proper seeming endings or twists, which are like proper endings plus. The quality was consistently there, McDevitt can tell absolutely tell a story, but…and here’s that but (a word made so much less exciting just by omitting the final t) while the stories were uniformly good they seldom went above that and almost never approached great. Some sort or reserve, excitement muted, a very level sort of narrative, meant to divert, sometimes engage, but almost never wow. Which is still more than most can do, but isn’t, you know, optimal. McDevitt really should branch out to other genres more, his character and situational writing is very good, but the man loves aliens…gotta respect that. Decently entertaining read for science fiction fans. The ARC edition has some typos, but more enter tingly it had a page number in the middle of the text (sometimes either very distracting or very amusing) on nearly every page and the chapter were separated by eee. Why eee. Why not any other letter. It was like the narrative would screech to a pause…eee. But generally perfectly readable as far as ARCs go. Thanks Netgalley.
September 5, 2018
I've really enjoyed Jack McDevitt's books that I've read. I saw this online as an upcoming release and thought it would be fun to read. It was.
There were a few pieces where I struggled with what I was supposed to take from the story (an ongoing problem for me and short fiction, as you may have seen if you've read any of my other short fiction reviews), but for most of them, I very much enjoyed the stories.
I think this would both be a way to get a feel for McDevitt's science fiction for a newcomer to his writing and an enjoyable interlude for a converted reader such as myself. Many of his main interests show up across the book, including a couple of Priscilla Hutchins stories and the title story is about Alex Benedict as a child.
There were a few pieces where I struggled with what I was supposed to take from the story (an ongoing problem for me and short fiction, as you may have seen if you've read any of my other short fiction reviews), but for most of them, I very much enjoyed the stories.
I think this would both be a way to get a feel for McDevitt's science fiction for a newcomer to his writing and an enjoyable interlude for a converted reader such as myself. Many of his main interests show up across the book, including a couple of Priscilla Hutchins stories and the title story is about Alex Benedict as a child.
April 30, 2019
A Voice In The Night is a fine collection of short science Fiction stories from Jack McDevitt. There's nothing mind blowing here, but all of the stories are enjoyable.
November 29, 2018
A comprehensive collection of short stories from Jack McDevitt. I like this author's work, good old fashioned 'hard' science fiction. This collection doesn't disappoint and is of unfailingly high quality, even if there is a familiar thematic feel to the contents. McDevitt has a preoccupation with man's need to explore balanced against politicians with limited vision constantly cutting budgets for that exploration.
McDevitt comes up with enough variation to satisfy the reader.
McDevitt comes up with enough variation to satisfy the reader.
March 16, 2020
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5
I am only somewhat familiar with author Jack McDevitt through his Alex Benedict series, which I have really been enjoying. When I saw the opportunity to read a collection of McDevitt's short stories, I was eager to take advantage of it.
Most of the stories here have been published previously in a variety of magazines, the earliest being in 1986 and the most recent in 2017. Thirty years of solid science fiction is quite impressive!
I was mostly impressed with McDevitt's writing. While I typically don't go in for 'hard' science fiction, and I've always imagined Jack McDevitt as a hard scifi author, I really just found a lot of good stories, scifi in nature. The stories were interesting, with themes that caught my attention. I did notice that a number of the stories relied on a 'surprise' ending, but that's probably not too unusual with short stories. My favorite story was probably "The Play's the Thing" - which is probably not a surprise to those who know me - in which a highly authentic AI version of William Shakespeare is created and writes some new plays, including a comedy (in the Renaissance sense) of women living on the moon.
Overall this was a really solid collection, and unlike a lot of anthologies, there wasn't anything here that I disliked. If you want to break up your novel reading, consider these stories.
The title story is an Alex Benedict story, but, as a fan of the book series, it didn't really excite me. It was fine a a short story, but I didn't see anything special about it being part of the Alex Benedict series.
This book contains the following:
Jack McDevitt, History Builder by Martin L. Shoemaker
"Searching For Oz "
"The Law of Gravity Isn’t Working on Rainbow Bridge"
"The Adventure of the Southsea Trunk"
"Combinations"
"It’s a Long Way to Alpha Centauri"
"Lucy"
"Listen Up, Nitwits"
"Midnight Clear"
"The Lost Equation"
"Blood Will Tell" (Co-written with Tom Easton)
"Blinker"
"Friends in High Places"
"Maiden Voyage"
"Waiting at the Altar"
"The Play’s the Thing"
"Oculus"
"Good Intentions" (with Stanley Schmidt)
"Molly’s Kids"
"Ships in the Night"
"The Pegasus Project"
"Cathedral"
"The Last Dance"
"Excalibur"
"A Voice in the Night"
Looking for a good book? A Voice in the Night is a collection of short stories by Jack McDevitt. It is a good, solid set of short stories that really ought to be enjoyed by anyone who likes good science fiction.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I am only somewhat familiar with author Jack McDevitt through his Alex Benedict series, which I have really been enjoying. When I saw the opportunity to read a collection of McDevitt's short stories, I was eager to take advantage of it.
Most of the stories here have been published previously in a variety of magazines, the earliest being in 1986 and the most recent in 2017. Thirty years of solid science fiction is quite impressive!
I was mostly impressed with McDevitt's writing. While I typically don't go in for 'hard' science fiction, and I've always imagined Jack McDevitt as a hard scifi author, I really just found a lot of good stories, scifi in nature. The stories were interesting, with themes that caught my attention. I did notice that a number of the stories relied on a 'surprise' ending, but that's probably not too unusual with short stories. My favorite story was probably "The Play's the Thing" - which is probably not a surprise to those who know me - in which a highly authentic AI version of William Shakespeare is created and writes some new plays, including a comedy (in the Renaissance sense) of women living on the moon.
Overall this was a really solid collection, and unlike a lot of anthologies, there wasn't anything here that I disliked. If you want to break up your novel reading, consider these stories.
The title story is an Alex Benedict story, but, as a fan of the book series, it didn't really excite me. It was fine a a short story, but I didn't see anything special about it being part of the Alex Benedict series.
This book contains the following:
Jack McDevitt, History Builder by Martin L. Shoemaker
"Searching For Oz "
"The Law of Gravity Isn’t Working on Rainbow Bridge"
"The Adventure of the Southsea Trunk"
"Combinations"
"It’s a Long Way to Alpha Centauri"
"Lucy"
"Listen Up, Nitwits"
"Midnight Clear"
"The Lost Equation"
"Blood Will Tell" (Co-written with Tom Easton)
"Blinker"
"Friends in High Places"
"Maiden Voyage"
"Waiting at the Altar"
"The Play’s the Thing"
"Oculus"
"Good Intentions" (with Stanley Schmidt)
"Molly’s Kids"
"Ships in the Night"
"The Pegasus Project"
"Cathedral"
"The Last Dance"
"Excalibur"
"A Voice in the Night"
Looking for a good book? A Voice in the Night is a collection of short stories by Jack McDevitt. It is a good, solid set of short stories that really ought to be enjoyed by anyone who likes good science fiction.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
December 21, 2018
Like most short story collections, this one is a bit uneven but overall, it's a great read. Jack McDevitt's signature approach and warm writing style are evident throughout this book, and there's some truly inventive, thought-provoking science fiction in it's pages. The stories often deal with familiar SF themes like alternate history, artificial intelligence, space exploration and alien contact but usually from a unique perspective. There's even a Sherlock Holmes tale.
“The Law of Gravity Isn’t Working on Rainbow Bridge” is a fun standout, my favorite story in the book.
McDevitt writes the kind of science fiction that used to be the heart of the genre but he does it looking forward, not back. His stories feel distinctly contemporary while still calling to mind SF masters like Simak and Bradbury, among others. Highly recommended!
“The Law of Gravity Isn’t Working on Rainbow Bridge” is a fun standout, my favorite story in the book.
McDevitt writes the kind of science fiction that used to be the heart of the genre but he does it looking forward, not back. His stories feel distinctly contemporary while still calling to mind SF masters like Simak and Bradbury, among others. Highly recommended!
March 27, 2020
I'm a big fan of Jack McDevitt and if you have not read these - Time Travelers Never Die, Ancient Shores and Eternity Road - you are really missing some great sci fi.
I'm not usually a reader of short stories, but this book jumped out at me at the library and so, in this time of great chaos and distraction from the coronavirus, I picked it up. I totally enjoyed it - his short stories are delightfully varied and interesting and introduce all kinds of questions and worlds.
It was a perfect read for this time, as I could read a story or two and be done and onto the news, etc. I also discovered that this genre can be very fun!
I'm not usually a reader of short stories, but this book jumped out at me at the library and so, in this time of great chaos and distraction from the coronavirus, I picked it up. I totally enjoyed it - his short stories are delightfully varied and interesting and introduce all kinds of questions and worlds.
It was a perfect read for this time, as I could read a story or two and be done and onto the news, etc. I also discovered that this genre can be very fun!
November 21, 2018
Voice in the Night
I like Jack’s novels but his short stories he seems to have a tough time ending the story. I felt several of these shorts ended way too abruptly or just suddenly stopped.
Many of these tales would probably make good novelettes. The better tales involved Priscilla Hutch and an early Alex Benedict story. Both were fun and I guess I was more familiar with these two, having read several novels involving them.
Overall not a bad collection.
I like Jack’s novels but his short stories he seems to have a tough time ending the story. I felt several of these shorts ended way too abruptly or just suddenly stopped.
Many of these tales would probably make good novelettes. The better tales involved Priscilla Hutch and an early Alex Benedict story. Both were fun and I guess I was more familiar with these two, having read several novels involving them.
Overall not a bad collection.
December 19, 2018
A collection of short stories from an author I've never read before. His writing is solid, his fascination with mystery, science fiction and Sherlock Holmes at times, weave in and out of each story.
The story telling is direct, the writing solid; there are some good entries in the collection but none are particularly great and I suspect I'll forget I've ever read this book about two months from now.
The story telling is direct, the writing solid; there are some good entries in the collection but none are particularly great and I suspect I'll forget I've ever read this book about two months from now.
January 4, 2020
Well, this author is not for me. I don't recall having come across him before. Unfortunately I found his style uninteresting and it did not engage me.
I could not make it through the whole collection, only about a third of the way. For me, the characters I encountered were very thin and I didn't care for them or about them. The scenarios I encountered lacked tension and stakes.
I would not seek out this author given what I have read here.
I could not make it through the whole collection, only about a third of the way. For me, the characters I encountered were very thin and I didn't care for them or about them. The scenarios I encountered lacked tension and stakes.
I would not seek out this author given what I have read here.
September 28, 2020
An interesting, thought provoking collection where the last story is one of the best on offer. McDevitt writes brilliant Science Fiction and he has used the medium to explore (and comment on) the human condition and ponder some of life's big questions.
'A Voice in the Night' is a fascinating blend of philosophy and entertainment. As is so often the case with a collection of short stories, some are far more compelling than others.
In summary - this one is worth a solid four stars.
'A Voice in the Night' is a fascinating blend of philosophy and entertainment. As is so often the case with a collection of short stories, some are far more compelling than others.
In summary - this one is worth a solid four stars.
October 5, 2018
A wonderful collection (yes, I mean that literally: full of the sense of wonder so often missing these days): quintessential McDevitt! Of special note are the two Priscilla Hutchins stories and the young Alex Benedict offering, but the rest of the entries in this collection did not in the least disappoint!
December 2, 2018
I really like Jack McDevitt's novels and I wanted to like this collection, but I burn out on short story collections, especially when they are all by the same author.
I'd hoped that by reading a story or two and then going to something else, I'd enjoy it more, but really, I don't like short story collections.
I'd hoped that by reading a story or two and then going to something else, I'd enjoy it more, but really, I don't like short story collections.
January 28, 2019
Great read
Jack McDevitt is a treasure. His books, his universes and his characters are extremely well constructed. This book of short stories provides us with some early glimpses of his most famous characters. It makes me want to go back and reread them all.
Jack McDevitt is a treasure. His books, his universes and his characters are extremely well constructed. This book of short stories provides us with some early glimpses of his most famous characters. It makes me want to go back and reread them all.
May 2, 2021
Some very interesting stories. Made me think about different views.
A very wide range of stories. Interesting subjects and characters. Fast and quick reads. Hard to put the book down.
A very wide range of stories. Interesting subjects and characters. Fast and quick reads. Hard to put the book down.
June 6, 2021
I loved McDevitt's earlier novels, but they became so repetitive. I found these stories to be a mix of good and not so good. At least they're short stories. Do read if you're not familiar with McDevitt and if these strike your fancy, look for earlier novels.
August 3, 2024
my favorite author
Have read every book Jack McDevitt has written and loved every one. Some I have read 2 or 3 times. This one was a collection of short stories and easy to read one and stop for life happening.
Have read every book Jack McDevitt has written and loved every one. Some I have read 2 or 3 times. This one was a collection of short stories and easy to read one and stop for life happening.
May 8, 2019
Recommended.
Review posted at Tzer Island blog.
http://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/20...
Review posted at Tzer Island blog.
http://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/20...
November 24, 2019
My favorite story is Ships in the Night, but I enjoyed them all.
December 17, 2019
Definitely a "only read it if you like the author" collection.
July 26, 2022
Love this author's books. This story collection has a few familiar characters, planets and situations, but most are completely new. Just wonderful fun.
July 4, 2023
Short stories are never my fav but this was a good collection. Nice intro story for Alex Benedict.
February 4, 2025
Short stories are great. Like peanuts, you can't stop at just one.
Of course some not so good, but on the whole a good read
Of course some not so good, but on the whole a good read
February 2, 2024
I read a lot of his novels but not many short stories. The short story does not allow for much character development or plot but most of these stories were very enjoyable. I'll have to look for more.
November 15, 2023
Enjoyable collection!
I always appreciate the stories of Jack McDevitt. This book brings some great highlights together, including a few I've already read and others completely new to me. Putting the title story at the end was perfect, too.
I always appreciate the stories of Jack McDevitt. This book brings some great highlights together, including a few I've already read and others completely new to me. Putting the title story at the end was perfect, too.
July 3, 2019
Not his best, but I still read anything Jack McDevitt writes.
November 23, 2021
I loved this book. It was really nice to get a few extra stories set in his. Academy and Alex B. series.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews