Encyclopedia of Science Fiction by Don D'Ammassa

Author:Don D'Ammassa
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Language Arts & Disciplines, Literary Criticism, Reference, Science Fiction & Fantasy
ISBN: 9780816059249
Publisher: Facts on File
Published: 2005-05-02T04:00:00+00:00

McDevitt, Jack

(1935- )

Jack McDevitt’s first short story appeared in 1981, followed by several others that included “Cryptic,” an intriguing first contact story whose theme would be central to his first novel, The Hercules Text (1986). In “Cryptic,” a scientist discovers that alien signals from another star were deciphered 20 years ago, but the knowledge was suppressed because of fears that responding would involve humans in an interstellar war. The novel explores the process of interpreting and addressing messages from an alien race, as well as the international political struggle that ensues as competing governments battle for control of the presumed advanced technological knowledge that can be gleaned from this intelligence.

McDevitt continued to write first-rate short stories with some regularity, most notably “The Fort Moxie Branch,” “Time’s Arrow,” and “Blinker.” His next novel did not appear until 1989, and his third five years after that. The first, A Talent for War, is set in a distant future following a lengthy war between humans and an alien race. An investigator travels from world to world, conducting research into the life of a reputed war hero and discovering that the public story and the reality are markedly different. As with The Hercules Text, there is a noticeable religious undertone to the novel, although it remains unobtrusive. McDevitt’s third novel, The Engines of God (1994), is set somewhat closer to home. The discovery of an alien artifact near Saturn is followed by the uncovering of similar objects, mostly statues, on planets of other stars, eventually leading to an entire world, apparently abandoned by a now missing alien intelligence. As is the case in the previous novels, McDevitt does a fine job of arousing our sense of wonder about the universe as he speculates about how humankind might respond to the revelation that we are not unique in our possession of intelligence.

Ancient Shores (1996) draws the focus even closer. This time an artifact is found buried beneath a farm in North America, a gateway that allows individuals to explore other worlds after being instantaneously transported across space. Access to virtually unlimited new sources of knowledge has a destabilizing effect on the economy of Earth in a partial reprise of themes from McDevitt’s previous novels. Eternity Road (1997) was a significant break from McDevitt’s usual concerns, this time set in a postapocalyptic Earth where the surviving communities have become extremely insular and where most sophisticated knowledge has been lost. A small band of explorers defies tradition by venturing out into unknown lands, providing the reader with a grand tour of the ruined world around them. Moonfall (1998) was a blend of disaster novel and political thriller. A comet shatters the Moon, and the resulting debris threatens space vehicles as well as the Earth below, while the death of the U.S. president causes a simultaneous political crisis.

Infinity Beach (2000, also published as Slow Lightning) was the first in a sometimes loosely constructed future history in which humanity has begun to explore the nearer stars, somewhat tentatively because of the limitations of its spaceships.

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