Jack McDevitt, Odyssey [Library of Babel]

Speaking of weirdly compelling reads (as I was at the end of the previous entry), Jack McDevitt has a new book out in what I think of as the “Archeologists in Spaaaace!!!” series (which starts with The Engines of God, and includes Chindi, Deepsix and Omega). Odyssey doesn’t include any archeologists, but it has a very similar feel.

As with the Recluce books, these are very comforting to read, in an odd sort of way. The protagonists are most quiet technical types, who don’t run around indiscriminately blowing stuff up, and mostly just work at being good at their jobs. And in McDevitt’s world, scientists are still battling the same problems they fight today: the space agency that handles interstellar exploration is perpetually underfunded, and a surprising amount of the “action” revolves around trying to find ways to keep their operations going despite bureaucrats and politicians who have other priorities.

In this case, the Academy is badgered into underwriting an expedition to look for “Moonriders,” mysterious black ships that are sometimes seen by people visiting other star systems, and are the UFO’s of the twenty-second century. Despite years of searching, nobody has found another intact starfaring civilization, and the “Moonriders” are generally viewed with skepticism, if not outright scorn. A major corporate figure asks the Academy to look into the issue, though, and an exploratory mission is arranged with an all-star crew. What they find turns out to be more real and sinister than anyone expected, and requires a few acts of heroism before it’s all over.

This is a very well-done book, though much quieter than the previous volume. There’s enough action to keep you turning the pages, though. There are some real surprises toward the end, and it sets up some interesting mysteries for future volumes.

There are only a couple of false steps. The Mencken-esque journalist Gregory MacAllister isn’t a terribly appealing viewpoint character, which weakens those sections, and there’s a poorly integrated subplot about a trial in North Carolina accusing a religious school of abuse for teaching about hellfire and damnation that has a little too much of a “ripped from the headlines” feel.

All in all, it’s a worthy entry in the series. It’s not as good as Omega, but it’s still compellingly readable, even if there’s more bureaucratic maneuvering than swashbuckling derring-do.