annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Doorway to the Stars is a well written and engaging alt-world SF novella by Jack McDevitt. Released in this special edition 29th Feb 2024 by Subterranean Press, it's 112 pages and is available in hardcover format.
This is a coordinating novella in the same storyline as Ancient Shores. There's a stargate of alien origin on Tribal lands, and how/who/when/why of secret spy operations, how humans would almost certainly react with irrefutable proof of alien life, and who would take control of access to other worlds reads very realistically (the US government isn't playing around).
It's not a long story, but it does fill in some of the background edges and unresolved plot elements from the other two books. There isn't a lot of dramatic tension to be found here, but it's a pleasant read. All the working parts are in order, and although the ending is complete, it's just presented deus-ex-machina at the end of the story, which just *ends* abruptly.
Three and a half stars. Well written and readable. The special edition is signed and limited to a print run of 500 copies. It would make a nice gift for fans of the author. Gorgeous cover art by Edward Miller on the signed hardcovers.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.