The Engines of God

This is a cross-over in genres between mystery (where the mystery is archaeological - the myserious monuments left behind by another race) and SF.
For me it worked well because of the sense of mystery and wonder it invokes. This isn't the archaeology of my back lawn but of a whole other sentient race... why did they make these monuments and what exactly happened to the race.
Start of a series. In the end I read all of them and was very sorry that it finished.
Can't recommend more highly.

Jack McDevitt is a thinking man's science fiction writer. With *Engines of God*, he introduces a new series and universe and a new hero in superluminal pilot Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins. In the second space age for mankind, exploration of our Solar System found little of interest - especially, it found no life on other planets or moons - Mars was lifeless with no evidence of eve having any, no life was found on the ice moons of Jupiter and Saturn - nothing. Just when humanity was about to turn inward again and abandon the cost of space travel, a shocking discovery was made: an ice sculpture of a strange, alien, winged creature on a pedestal with an indecipherable inscription was found on Saturn's moon Iapetus; and a single alien foot print in the dirt. The space age was back on schedule as everyone wanted to know who the Monument-Makers (as they were dubbed) were. Soon after, FTL travel was made possible with the invention of the Hazeltine Drive that allowed the transition into another dimension where 1 light year could be covered in a little over an hour of time.

At the dawn of the 23rd century, human exploration of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way has discovered a total of twelve monuments, all built by the enigmatic Monument-Makers. Also discovered are a few dead civilizations and some false cities built on the moons of these now empty worlds that are constructed entirely of right angles with signs heavy bombardment. Also, Earth is struggling with centuries of environmental damage and there is a push to expand onto new worlds. On the planet Quraqua, all of these factors collide. It is a planet with one of these dead civilization, it has a monument, and one of the mysterious moon-bound fake cities that has been dubbed Oz; it has also been selected as a perfect candidate for terraforming and a new home to humans.

While the terraforming effort proceeds indifferently, the last archaeological expedition to the planet works feverously to extract what knowledge it can about the long dead alien world and the Monument-Makers who had obviously been there at the end. Hutch, the superluminal pilot sent by the Academy of Space and Technology to extract the expedition, must come to the rescue as the team of archaeologists struggle past the point no return to extract a large artifact trapped under the sea. Through her Herculean effort, she is able to save the team while also being the one to see the connection between the Monument-Makers and the false cities.

This discovery leads Hutch and the Archaeology team on a trek across light years as they piece together who the Monument-Makers were, where they came from, and the discovery of the reason for these false cities and dead civilizations that accompany them.

With equal parts adventure and intellectual thinking, *Engines of God* and the rest of the series (*Deepsix*, *Chindi*, *Omega*, *Odyssey*, and the soon to be released *Cauldron*) breathe fresh life into science fiction and take space exploration beyond mere space opera.

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

Once again, Jack McDevitt has provided in "The Engines of God" a ripping good tale that is at once believable, thought provoking, and exciting.
Disasters on multiple planets. Clues which suggest unexplained connections. Human conflict and drama. The struggle between pure scientific research and corporate and environmental need/greed. And a universe stranger than one can possibly imagine.
All these are themes which run through this well-written and fast paced book.
Take up and read!

I hold Jack McDevitt's writing in high regard and always enjoy his science fiction epics a great deal. While his writing has become somewhat formulaic, The Engines of God provides further proof that the man knows how to tell a good story. This novel is the first to feature renowned pilot Priscilla Hutchinson ("Hutch"), a character who has been involved in more grand missions and suffered some of the most globally cursed misfortunes of any character in the universe. This story is built around the mysterious Monument Makers. Saturn's moon Iapetus houses the first such monument discovered by mankind, a mysterious, winged ice sculpture bearing an indecipherable inscription; its existence fuels the search for more monuments, of which a good dozen are located throughout the galaxy. Following in the footsteps of the unknown cosmic entities is as close as mankind has come to interacting with intelligent life elsewhere. On earth, the ecology has progressed beyond the point of no return, and man is looking outward for new earths to be populated. One possible site is Quaraqua, whose civilization has already collapsed. The Academy struggles to learn all they can about this society underneath the waters of the planet at a site dubbed the Temple of the Winds. Hutch is sent to evacuate the scientists before a terraforming project destroys whatever priceless knowledge lies hidden in the watery depths. For me, this first section of the book was the most exciting. Afterwards, having detected a radio signal, Hutch and several others journey to a more distant system, following the path left by the Monument Makers. They finally end up on yet a third planetary body seeking factual data on the mystical "engines of God" alluded to in alien scripts discovered and interpreted along the way.
For me, the plot started to collapse in on itself slightly in the second half of the book. On moons orbiting the important sites they visit are huge, fake cities (dubbed Oz) laid out in obsessively straight lines and right angles which have suffered serious charring at times of planetary catastrophe from an unknown source. Apparently, the inexplicable cosmic force they eventually get a look at has an innate attraction to linear geometries-this part of the story, which becomes very important toward the end, seemed a little ludicrous to me. Another thing that bothers me is that, aside from Hutch, the other characters who survived until the end seemed to be the least important and inscrutable of the bunch. McDevitt has no qualms about sacrificing major characters at any time and any way; it's refreshing to see an author do that, but it is sometimes slightly frustrating to finally get to know a character and then see him/her dispensed with rather arbitrarily. This leads to another weakness in the novel. I did not think the character development was very good, especially that of Hutch. McDevitt always seems to want to add a touch of romance and smoldering desires to his books, and in this case it detracts from my admiration from Hutch. She is a brave, heroic woman, yet she can't go on a mission anywhere in the universe, it seems, without at least one former or hopefully future love interest. McDevitt just doesn't handle this type of emotional content well here, and it detracts somewhat from a great story.
I think this book made McDevitt a better writer. The flaws that seem to stand out in this effort are much less prominent in his later novels. I felt pretty good about this particular plot up until the fourth and final section; at that point, some of the science seemed to fall apart, and the ultimate conclusion comes off as somewhat improbable and anticlimactic. Some of the decisions made on all sides along the way are incredibly criminal and oftentimes juvenile, and the same mistakes (such as the continued exploration of alien worlds with little or no weapons) have a way of repeating themselves over and over again. I remained incapable of buying into the supposed purpose for the strangely hewn alien Oz sites, and since the final section's activity was based around a scientific interpretation of those sites' significance, the final pages left me somewhat nonplussed. Flawed as this novel is, though, it is certainly a science fiction adventure worth taking. Hutch is a fascinating character whose richness does not really come through in these pages as it does in the follow-up novels Deepsix and Chindi, but this is a more than worthy introduction to her noble character. Sometimes I feel like McDevitt is taking me somewhere I have already visited with him in the past, but I am more than happy to follow him each and every time.

Having read all of McDevitt's Alex Benedict series, I easily made the move to his Prescilla Hutchins novels, and am having an enjoyable read. Set in an earlier time than the Benedict books, their plots are similar and just as much fun to read. I really like the way McDevitt uses the future as a backdrop while concentrating on the story and the mystery to be solved.

After spending a half day looking through science fiction titles at a major bookseller and finding no end to lame, unoriginal plotlines dealing with incredibly stupid premises and generally convincing me that science fiction was truly a dead medium, I came across The Engines Of God and flipped a few pages. Here I found a science fiction story that dealt in tangibles. Alien artifacts instead of conquering aliens. Surviving long enough to find the answers to its point and purpose and then again realizing that these could be our own artifacts. A great idea and nicely executed. I read the book as slowly as I could, but I still raced through it.
Great science fiction is more than an idea; rather an idea that develops in the root of life and has meaning beyond the pages. It needs to provoke thought and provide insight and somewhere must entertain as well. In this book I found all that and I felt both awe and sadness for the makers of the monuments, and, in that, potentially for our own folly and failings. Well done. I am now starting his other books.

A truly incredible story, that questions religion and the dawn of time itself. The strage and mysterious Monument-Makers have left behind beautiful monument, and huge artificial cities. On Quarqua an acient ruin of a dead civalization is found, and the artifacts found show the Monument-Makers representing death itself. This book has great characters, and an awesome plot. It's one of those stories that you won't want to end, and a book that you won't be able to put down.

There are many good reviews about this solid, interesting work so there is little I can add. However, I would like to warn anyone picking this book up with the idea that they are about to engage in the first book of a great 6 volume space opera to be wary. The first three books: Engines of God, Deepsix, and Chindi are all highly readable after that the series really nosedives. This series which McDevitt starts with so much promise here goes progressively downhill over the proceeding books and ends in an absolute embarrassment of lazy storytelling

In the Engines of God, Jack McDevitt weaves together a series of familiar science fiction motifs to create a mystery novel on a grand scale. Like Arthur C. Clarke's classic Rendezvous with Rama, the story of a vast alien spacecraft that enters our solar system that enters our solar system, providing astronaughts with a brief glipse of otherworldly splendor before departing, McDevitt's novel is concerned with the potential wonders of interstellar anthropology.

The success of McDevitt's novel is in his strong depiction of the alien culture of Quaraqua, as seen through its artifacts and texts. His depictions of the translated fragments of their writings, and their artwork, ring with a poetic authenticity that is at once beautiful and mysterious.

I had many problems with this book, most of which have been covered by previous reviewers. So I will just do a quick black and white description of the book

Good:
I was intrigued by the story being about uncovering an ancient alien race that has been extinct and wondering what caused their downfall.

Bad:
Lack of character depth, while this book didn't have a large amount of character it still felt it was hard to recognize who was who and what they did... well besides Hutch. I never cared about any of the other characters because they felt lifeless and were paper thin

The book never comes to life, the author did not do a good job of portraying the environment and allowing me to visualize the world they were in. I felt a total disconnection from the book because it never drew me in.

The conversations felt scripted and very unrealistic

From pages 100-350 were just filler that had nothing to do with the actual story. They were just short stories that ended abruptly and usually with someone dying or about to die. When the characters did die, there was never really a connection to me as the reader of what happened up to their deaths. They just died, where it was from crabs or falling, it was very dry.

I enjoyed reading parts of the story, other parts I felt like I had to force my way through. Overall not a terrible book and I will probably try the next in the series but I will read something else first.

Action Packed, Jack can really write action fiction. Combine the immense scale this man can create with his words and tightly crafted characters in this book and you have a true masterpiece. Jack is writing a sequal to this particular novel (Bubonicon, 2001) and you get a chance to explore, "what next" from this ending. I love the historical approach this novel takes and the grand vistas it encompases. There is a central mystery and a hunt to unravel the mysytery leads the reader along the trail of aliens, now presumed extinct. I had real problems laying this book down. Jack McDevitt reminds me of Iain M Banks in scope, and Dan Simmons in Character developement. Make up your own mind about why this writer has been a Nebula finalist so many times. This book was superior to the Hugo winner the year of its publication.

Truly excellent. Achieves a sense of realness I've rarely encountered in SF, especially in a book so far reaching in scope and alien encounter. Numerous scenes of awe are strongly backed by good storytelling and a pure and determined intelligence which heightens the gritty sense of "here and now." READ THIS GREAT BOOK!

ENGINES OF GOD IS WONDERFUL STORY OF GROUP
OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERING A RUINS OF DEAD
ALIEN CIVILIZATION AND DISCOVERING THAT THATHE
ALIENS FATE COULD BE OURS! THIS NOVEL ALSO HAS
TOUCHING LOVE STORY AND PLENTY OF THRILLS AND
CHILLS TO SPICE IT UP.

I was recommended this book by my father, a veteran SF reader who has read literaly thousands of titles. When he says a book is good he is usualy correct, and boy did he get it bang on this time.
The progression of the story with the team gradualy unlocking more and more of the secrets of the monument makers is gripping and totaly imersing, however I was a tiny bit disapointed at the end.
I would hope that Mr McDevitt will continue the story in a second volume, but still a very good read - I read it cover to cover in a few days and my wife was not particularly impressed !

Jack McDevitt has become my new SciFi favorite author!!! Within the past month I have read as many of his books that my greedy little mind could handle! A lot of SciFi novels are hard to follow...his, while technical, are also full of human drama...I get lost in his worlds. Have to go now...on to his next one!!!

There's nothing more infuriating than a story that's about 5 times longer that it should have been because the author for some inexplicable reason decides to get into ridiculous details about everything from the scenery to people's private lives, none of which have anything to do with the tale and serve only to make the reading process a chore and a bore. You just want to scream at them: "If you've got a story to tell then get on with it already!" I gave up after the first few chapters. I've got a life to live.

Engines of God is full of interesting ideas, but ends with a stupid malevolent cloud; in general, he has very interesting hard science and extraterrestrial descriptions, but his characters are rather flat.

Solid Material. I really enjoyed the archeological angle to this. The ending was a bit flat given the cause of the problems and the strange questions it raises as well as the sought after characters idea of how to prevent it.

An xenoarchaeological team on the planet Quraqu is investigating why the alien race died out there. They do so under severe time pressure as the planet they are working on is due to soon be terraformed to let it be used for more pragmatic reasons.

Later on there is a bit of Lost in Space, a bit of Revelation Space.

Definitely No Deities to be found.

This is a mystery that builds and builds upon itself. It would be possible for McDevitt to simply write a mystery, and set in the future. Or to write science fiction, and give us some paltry detective story. This is far more.

McDevitt uses the fabric of the future, and the possibilities of space, to weave a tale that leaves you breathless, not knowing what will occur, wanting more, and being sure that it would be impossible to get more. You can't- it's part of the quantum reality. This isn't a character driven work as much as a work of discovery, to understand something greater than ourselves, and see the limits of what is acheiveable. I appreciate that not everything is answered. This book is Science Reality as well.

While this novel may not win awards and be considered a literary masterpiece, it is great for a quick read. It has a few weak points, but McDevitt tells an interesting story and that's why I read books---to be entertained.

Great book...I REALLY enjoyed it. it was interesting, well paced, etc. but the end fell ridiculously flat. it wasnt rewarding in the slightest. i would rather have had it open ended. great 5/6th of a book but the ending will probably disappoint.

worst ending since the mindf*ck in "Forever Free*

Jack McDevitt has become my new SciFi favorite author!!! Within the past month I have read as many of his books that my greedy little mind could handle! A lot of SciFi novels are hard to follow...his, while technical, are also full of human drama...I get lost in his worlds. Have to go now...on to his next one!!!

This is a mystery that builds and builds upon itself. It would be possible for McDevitt to simply write a mystery, and set in the future. Or to write science fiction, and give us some paltry detective story. This is far more.

McDevitt uses the fabric of the future, and the possibilities of space, to weave a tale that leaves you breathless, not knowing what will occur, wanting more, and being sure that it would be impossible to get more. You can't- it's part of the quantum reality. This isn't a character driven work as much as a work of discovery, to understand something greater than ourselves, and see the limits of what is acheiveable. I appreciate that not everything is answered. This book is Science Reality as well.

Without spoiling it. I’ll simply say that it felt like a chapter or more was missing. The book contains various exciting adventures throughout but the main one remains largely unresolved. Except that they throw a theory in the Afterwards section almost as an aside. I enjoy books that end in a mystery but felt this book neither has a satisfactory mystery or end for the characters. The chapters just stop.