The Engines of God Mass Market Paperback – Illustrated, December 1, 1995

I've gone off SF in the last few years, in part because the novels are sooooo long, and my hands are getting arthritic and it's hard to hold a book. (I'm not one bit interested in Kindle, although I'm sure the time will come. I keep being turned off by Amazon or whoever "watching" what I read. I'm hanging on to my last shreds of personal privacy.)It was an exciting book, I loved Hutchins, the main character who is a woman pilot, which is a refreshing change. In fact, I appreciated all the women scientists and people in charge, and it was pretty easy to believe that scientists will do anything to "get the story," even when it potentially (and actually) might lead to tragedy.There was too much technical description for my taste, but I read through it. There were a lot of characters, and I sometimes got confused by who was who. I ordered this because it was billed as an "archaeological" SF, which is where my taste lies. I could have used more archaeological description.I've ordered the next one in the series, and hope it's just as exciting as this one was, and has more archaeology in it.

I would call this 3.5 star but round up to 4 star. Overall this is thoughtful and intelligent sci-fi. It addresses the general question of why does the universe seem to be largely devoid of other intelligent life? And it addresses this from the point of view of space archaeologists trying to piece together clues about dead races of aliens from ancient ruins scattered around the galaxy. So it's pretty original that way.Characters and dialogue are so-so. Generally I would say the writing is pretty good. Parts of this really drag though - the first act which involves the archaeologists on Quarquara (sp?) trying to hang on till the last possible minute is a good example. I felt like it was endless description of digging interspersed with equally endless description of loading stuff. Could have been greatly condensed. There are a couple of intense 'action' sequences. The second of which (on Beta Pac III) seems really pulpy, and out of place with the rest of the novel. After that, the last 20% or so where they start to untangle the threads of the mystery seems hurried, almost like an afterthought. I don't know if these "Omega Clouds" will be the subject of a future novel in the series or what. But ultimately this is what everything in the novel is building to, and yet action-wise (and verbage-wise) it seemed like the part the author cared about more was a bunch of semi-intelligent crab creatures. I also note recycling of some hoary old sci-fi tropes, such as the overpopulated, environmentally damaged earth, and a carelessly simplistic narrative about the origin of religions, worthy of 'Ancient Aliens' on the history channel... in fact this part didn't jive with what was overall pretty smart and thoughtful writing.It was nice, for a change, to see a novel that is part of a series, yet is fairly self-contained and doesn't end on a cliffhanger. I feel like I've had my fill of this author, and this universe and these characters, for a while. But I would certainly not be opposed to reading something else from this series in the future.

I was first introduced to McDevitt when I accidentally read Chindi before realizing it wasn't the first book in the series. I was very impressed with Chindi so I couldn't wait to start the series from the beginning and see where Priscilla came from. Although I was let down a little since I loved Chindi, the book eventually picked up and was an enjoyably fun read.What fascinates me about McDevitt's writing is that he makes you feel as though you are right there with Priscilla during her interstellar travel adventures. When she enters star systems and explores the planets, searching and finding - whether already explored or previously unexplored - previous alien artifacts or extinct alien races, you are discovering this with her and there is a sense of awe. I love this about this series because it fulfills the fantasy of discovering other planets and what they would be like. In The Engines of God she explores 3 planet systems as she aids and assists the Academy in their pursuit to uncover the Monument Makers. There is a decent amount of discovery as the reader explores and discovers with Priscilla.That is a huge plus in my book, to make me feel as though I am discovering planets and alien races as I read further in to the book. The downside is that this can be a rather slow read at times and patience might be needed. The beginning of this book was this way for me and why it took a little while to get involved, which was a marked difference from Chindi for me. Despite the slow beginning I found that I was thoroughly invested in the plot and the characters by the end of the book. I look forward to reading more from this author and, especially, this series. I would recommend both the author and the series.4 stars.

I quite enjoyed this book and I couldn't put it down. It took me two weeks to read, which for me is quit quick as I have small children and still work.There are a lot of questions that the book left unanswered that I enjoyed pondering when I'd finished reading it:What did happen to the Monument Makers and did they make it to their perceived destination in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud? Will they ever come back to our galaxy or are they gone for good?What was the civilization on Quaraqua actually like? How old was it? What caused their demise?What are the Nox like?Are there other monuments in the galaxy?Finally, what the heck are the Omega Clouds? Where did they originate? Is there a sentience behind them?What would it be like to live on a planet near outskirts of one of the spiral arms of the galaxy? Would the sky only be partially filled with stars and the rest with a void?The writing is brilliant and the descriptions of Oz are reminiscent of Clarke's descriptions of Rama in Rendezvous with Rama.This is easily one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a while.I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the Academy Series.

The main idea of this story, suggesting the existence of a species/beings overseeing life in the universe or part of it in order to maintain some sort of balance is very interesting. However, while I found the premise attractive for a story I felt that the author has over laid it with a long drawn out tale of human endeavour and engineering.Having said that, this is the first book in a series and I found it attractive enough to want to know where it goes from here. So I will continue by reading the later books at some stage.

No spoilers. My review is really more about the series, not just this book.I'll come clean. I love Jack McDevitts books. I love the stories and the way they are written. The books are written by someone who can really tell page-turning stories. The characters are so human you can't help but care about them. The stories are deep and involving.When you read this series, which predate the ALex Benedict novels, you can see how some of the elements and basic characters of the latter have evolved. The way the societies function, the politics, the technology and the way it impacts the people.All brilliant.

The Engines of God is the first book in a series of six involving Priscilla 'Hutch' Hutchins as the main protagonist, albeit her role in the books changes over time, along with her career. I liked this, rather than having a hero and fixing them at a set point in time, she is able to develop and allows for other characters to come to the fore (and move on again afterwards). Having read all of them in a condensed period of time and in the right order, I can say that the Engines of God lays the foundation for what is to come in the later books in the series. That said,they are all totally stand-alone, but you do find out a little more along the way and the final book answers some of the bigger questions that might seem to have been left hanging in the earlier novels.As it is the first book in a series, the author has taken the time to set out and populate his universe and I liked the detail which he consistently applied across the novels. It was not done in a repetitive way and avoided the almost 'copy and paste' set paragraphs that some writers fall into. Like all of his books, I think you can divide them into two halves. The first is 'scene setting', 'getting ready', 'dealing with things' and generally taking the reader on a journey up to the top of a 'big dipper' roller coaster. It can be a little slow for those who are eager to leap ahead. But, equally, it is detailed, well written and engaging. As the first half comes to an end and you drop off the edge, rushing to the story's conclusion, it all falls into place and is well paced and keeps you turning the pages.Jack McDevitt is a very consistent writer and I believe that if you like one of his books, you will like them all. If you are going to read this series, I would suggest you try to keep them in sequence: The Engines of God (1994), Deepsix (2001), Chindi (2002), Omega (2003), Odyssey (2006), Cauldron (2007).

Where I compared  The Dreaming Void (Void Trilogy)  to a journey on a potholed road that ends nowhere in particular -- with, I might add, a lot of boring people in the car -- The Engines of God might be compared to a first-class train ride through interesting cities and spectacular countryside, with stimulating travelling companions and a knowledgeable, well-spoken guide. McDevitt knows how to write characters: the "good" people have bad points, the "bad" people have redeeming features, and they can learn from their experiences and develop as the story goes on. I was tempted to skip only when the story became so exciting that I couldn't bear to wait until the end of the chapter! The only fault I can find is a bit of gratuitous peril on Beta Pacifica III which claims several lives but ultimately has nothing to do with the story. Everything else fits together, and in the very last chapter McDevitt introduces another theme by more or less saying "Oh, by the way, in a thousand years or so an entity which destroys civilisations is going to come to the Earth...but that's another story." I look forward to reading it in some of his later books. The Dreaming Void (Void Trilogy)

I first read this well over 10 years ago and it holds up pretty well for a book nearing a quarter century old. The story is a little clumsy in places but the main characters are likeable enough with some intrigue, some emergencies and some surprising little twists along the way. the overall read is fun and satisfying.Deepsix is the next in the Hutch series and is a better story in my opinion.