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Title details for Village in the Sky by Jack McDevitt - Wait list

Village in the Sky

#9 in series

by Jack McDevitt
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In Nebula Award–winning author Jack McDevitt's ninth installment in the beloved Alex Benedict science fiction mystery series, humanity discovers new intelligent life lightyears away—only for it to disappear without a trace.
Centuries after the war with the Mutes, the first aliens to be encountered by humankind, a startling new discovery in the far reaches of the Orion Nebula appears. On a planet with conditions favorable to life, explorer vessel The Columbia comes across a small town seemingly inhabited by an intelligent species not yet discovered.

But when a highly publicized follow-up mission is sent to make contact mere months later, the entire town has vanished, leaving no trace—or such is presumed to be the case until Alex Benedict and his archaeological crew show up to investigate. Officially, their mission is to find concealed artifacts that may have been left behind, but the team's real goal is to solve the mystery of how these aliens disappeared so rapidly—and why. In turns terrifying and miraculous, the answers raise the stakes for every member on board as they look to make their mark on history.

Nebula Award–winning author Jack McDevitt, whom Stephen King has called "the logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke," brings back Alex, Chase, and Gabe for another brilliantly crafted science fiction mystery.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Alex Benedict

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 31, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781668004319

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781668004319
      • File size: 4286 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 21, 2022
      Antiquarian Alex Benedict and his assistant, Chase Kolpath, investigate a vanished alien village in the dragging ninth installment to Nebula Award winner McDevitt’s Alex Benedict series (after Octavia Gone). Humanity’s ongoing search for intelligent alien life bears fruit when an expedition discovers a singular village of aliens living on a distant planet. Chase, the narrator, declines an opportunity to join the follow-up mission to the planet in favor of enjoying her active social life, leaving readers to wade through multiple chapters’ worth of dense descriptions of Chase’s day-to-day without any wit or tension to hold their attention. It’s only near the midpoint that Alex and Chase get involved in the mystery. The expedition reports that the village has disappeared, and the duo set off to search the area for artifacts that might shed light on how and why. There are few clues for mystery fans to ponder as Alex and Chase attempt to locate the aliens, and while sci-fi readers may enjoy the detailed logistics of hunting through neighboring star systems, there is little excitement to accompany the jargon. For hardcore series fans, checking in with favorite characters may be enough to appeal, but others can safely skip this one. Agent: Chris Lotts, Lotts Agency.

    • Booklist

      February 17, 2023
      In the ninth installment of his Alex Benedict series (after Octavia Gone, 2019), McDevitt changes things up a bit, introducing the possibility of intelligent aliens that aren't long gone. An exploratory mission to the Orion Nebula uncovers an isolated village of technological humanoids on an inhabited planet, but a follow-up mission finds the village has disappeared without a trace. Without an explanation for its vanishing, many believe the whole thing is a hoax. But Alex, Chase, Gabe, and Chase's old friend Robbi Jo (who was a member of the original mission that discovered the village) set out to solve the mystery. McDevitt has been labeled "cozy science fiction" and the description is apt: his beloved characters are pleasant and reasonable, with little conflict and good intentions all around. Crises reliably resolve with no lasting damage done. The reward of this book is the compelling central mystery and the continued exploration of the universe McDevitt has constructed. It may not be the most dramatic or exciting of his works, but fans will find what they're looking for with this one.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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