Humans call them Monument-Makers. An unknown race, they left stunning, alien statues encoded with strange inscriptions that defy translation scattered on distant planets throughout the galaxy. Searching for clues about the Monument-Makers, teams of twenty-third-century linguists, historians, engineers, and archaeologists have been excavating the enigmatic alien ruins on a number of planets, uncovering strange, massive false cities made of solid rock. But their time is running out: Earth’s ravaged environment is quickly making it unlivable, and colonizers want to begin terraforming these abandoned worlds for human habitation. Only interstellar archaeologist Richard Wald and starship pilot Priscilla Hutchins are convinced that uncovering the secrets of the monuments may be the key to survival for the entire human race.
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"For the first time in my life, I realized about 70% of the way through the book that I'd read it before. No clue HOW I could have forgotten I read it, as it is very well done, interesting, and clever. That said, glad I read it again (let's me start the remaining five books in the series)." — Shana (4 out of 5 stars)
"For the first time in my life, I realized about 70% of the way through the book that I'd read it before. No clue HOW I could have forgotten I read it, as it is very well done, interesting, and clever. That said, glad I read it again (let's me start the remaining five books in the series)."
“A terrific book! The Engines of God is science fiction in the grand tradition, an intellectual adventure and scientific mystery, with the fate of worlds at stake.”
“Splendid…Not since Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama has the discovery of artifacts of alien intelligence been treated so skillfully.”
“A work of beauty and mystery and characters worth knowing.”
“McDevitt blends straightforward adventure with scientific mystery, peoples the story with diverse…characters, and delivers a rewardingly startling solution.”
“An appealing mélange…a proper label for the book would come across like Polonious describing the players’ repertory in Hamlet: hard science–fictional / planetary-romantical / space-adventurous.”
“With plenty of startling plot twists, a heavy dose of intrigue, and an unusual amount of character development for science fiction, McDevitt holds us fast right through to a thrilling finish.”
“McDevitt is at his best award-winning style in this intelligent and wide-ranging novel.”
" Wonderfully written, strong characters, excellent pacing and a solid plot. On the basis of this book, I plan to pick up some of the other Hutch books he's written. "
" The first of six "Academy" Novels. Recurring characters and sometimes events. It's all about space archaeology and very intersting. "
" Allthough it was an interesting read and I like Hutch very much - It is always a joy to read about a woman as the main character - this book could not hold my attention. It is a shame because I find far to less SF books I really enjoy. "
" Parts of the story were really interesting. Plot was disjoint, often seeming like the novel was created by mashing several short stories together. Description of under-water archeologists was good, description of being eaten by armies of crayfish was not. "
" Powerful Science Fiction! The combination of extra-terrestrial archaeology and of vast forces working in space... just brilliant. "
" Really enjoyed the slow pacing of this, the curious nature of the archeology and the environments. Very interested in the entire series. Well-drawn characters, the main character (Hutch) especially emerges from the group as a unifying force. "
" An enchanting beginning to Priscilla Hutchins as the inventive young pilot. Jack McDevitt brings interstellar space travel to life, making it all seem so real. This space mystery is well tailored for the afficionados as well as the space cowboy! "
" I was a Classics major in college and I am an avid Science Fiction reader so this book was very enjoyable for me. The made - up archaeology is fascinating and the SciFi elements are creative and well done. "
" Couldn't get into it enough to justify finishing it. "
" Definitely not what I expected. Was recommended by a friend and I'm glad I took this trip into fantasy/scifi. Definitely recommended! "
" I really enjoyed this book, even though the "mystery" was pretty evident and I'd hoped for a better ending that included tracking the mystery to it's source. Never the less it was cool adventure! "
" really enjoyed this book, from it's pacing to characters to archeological depth. "
" Took me a while to really get into this book but well worth sticking with. Have since read it again and thoroughly enjoyed it the second time. "
" Decent scifi/space opera mystery story. "
" Good world-builder. I hate reviewing books. Think I'll read the second in the series - how's that grab you? Now screw. Daddy's got things to do. "
" 1st part of the Priscilla Hutchens series. It was pretty good, though it was a bit tedious in spots. The Alex Benedict books are superior in my opinion, this is still a good read. "
" Adam gave this book to me for my birthday, based totally on the cover, so I was pleasantly surprised to find the book enjoyable. "
" Liked it so much I went out and bought all the other Academy novels. A really good space opera, not military, and not overly weird or bitter, though not overly heroic. Also liked the fact that Earth was not a post-scarcity society. "
" I loved this book. The combination of mystery and lovable characters made it the first book I've read recently that I just couldn't put down. The author has a good way of mixing in foreshadowing in so that you think you know what's coming, but you find out you really don't. "
" At the suggestion of a friend, I tried to read this, but when, after almost 200 pages, nothing much had happened, I gave up. Also, wooden characters and truly awful dialogue. "
" Love it.Jack McDevitt is one of my favorite Si-fi authors. "
Jack McDevitt is an American science fiction author who won the 2006 Nebula Award for his novel Seeker. He has served as an officer in the US Navy, taught English and literature, and worked for the United States Customs Service. He lives with his wife, Maureen, in Georgia.
Tom Weiner, a dialogue director and voice artist best known for his roles in video games and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Transformers, is the winner of eight Earphones Awards and Audie Award finalist. He is a former member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
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