The Academy #1-Engines of God

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

Welcome to our next series, and the initial read-Engines of God

I am really enjoying this so far. Let us know what you think!

[Allan]

I enjoyed The Engines of God a lot. In a way it reminded me of Indiana Jones, but more scientific with an ensemble cast in space. Great story that moved along at a good clip, kept you interested and wondering.

[MadProfessah]

Agreed it’s an excellent beginning of a very fun series.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

I enjoyed it a lot too, a not-very-common kind of issue. Even when I was guessing what things meant, they were only details of a larger picture. Very interested in the next installment!

[Suki]

I read this book in the mid-90s when it was first released, and I loved it. I loved it this time around, too-- the puzzles surrounding the alien archaeology/artifacts are fascinating. My first read of this book was with an irl book group, and I didn't really understand the function of the "killer clouds" until a lady in the group who was a nurse likened them to (view spoiler)[ antibodies, which were programmed to destroy enemy viruses, bacteria, or cells which fit a certain pattern, which in this case was anything occuring outside of nature-- straight lines and 90° angles. (hide spoiler)]

I have never read the rest of the books in the series, (although I have read some of McDevitt's stand-alone works), so I am very happy to be able to read them along with this group.

[Rachel]

A little late to this one, just finished it and will try to catch up with the next two. I hope they're better, or that I'll get pulled into the stories more quickly now that I know the setting and some characters.

I like a good galaxy-wide setting with lost civilizations and mystery about what was destroying them and what all the artifacts meant, and that's what this series is. But still, I had to drag myself through the first half of the book.

I couldn't distinguish many of the characters from each other. Hutch is a good touchstone, as she's partly outsider. You can tell the book is over 20 years old. While there are strong female characters, everyone conforms to gender/heterosexuality norms. You can tell that McDevitt is trying to develop character, because he adds a paragraph here or there about what this character feels or what they did in the past or what's going to happen to them in the future. A bit awkward but it does help.