The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt

The Engines of God (Academy, #1)

by Jack McDevitt

'No one writing today is better than McDevitt at combining galaxy-spanning adventure with the genuine novel of ideas' Washington Post Book World

Two hundred years ago, humans made a stunning discovery in the far reaches of the solar system: a huge statue of an alien creature, with an inscription that defied all efforts at translation.

Now, as faster-than-light drive opens the stars to exploration, humans are finding other relics of the race they call the Monument-Makers - each different, and each heartbreakingly beautiful. But except for a set of footprints on Jupiter's moon Iapetus, there is no trace of the enigmatic race that has left them behind.

Then a team of scientists working on a dead world discover an ominous new image of the Monument-Makers. Somehow it all fits with other lost civilizations, and possibly with Earth's own future. And distant past. But Earth itself is on the brink of ecological disaster - there is no time to search for answers. Even to a question that may hold the key to survival for the entire human race.

Reviewed by empressbrooke on

3 of 5 stars

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If half stars were available, this would be a 3.5. Having finished off the Alex Benedict/Chase Kolpath series, which I loved to bits, I turned to McDevitt's other series of sci-fi archaeological mysteries. Unfortunately, I felt a little let down, since The Engines of God was missing a lot of whatever spark the Alex Benedict books have. At times I felt like I was reading something by James Rollins (whose books I enjoy, but they're quite fluffy with more emphasis on escaping precarious situations rather than exploring a mystery). However, I did stay up an hour past when my brain was telling me to fall asleep last night because I wanted to know what happened next, so that's something.

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  • Started reading
  • 22 June, 2014: Finished reading
  • 22 June, 2014: Reviewed