My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery, Space Opera
Content: Strong language
Everyone knew the legend
of Christopher Sim. Fighter. Leader. An interstellar hero with a rare
talent for war, Sim changed mankind's history forever when he forged a
ragtag group of misfits into the weapon that broke the back of the alien
Ashiyyur.
But now, Alex Benedict has found a startling bit of
information, long buried in an ancient computer file. If it is true,
then Christopher Sim was a fraud.
For his own sake, for the sake
of history, Alex Benedict must follow the dark track of a legend, into
the very heart of the alien galaxy - where he will confront a truth far
stranger than any fiction imaginable.
I started buddy reading this series with a group of friends on Goodreads and in the beginning this first book was rather slow and not what I was expecting. I was expecting lots of action packed space adventure, but this one was a slow burn and it took getting used to. This is a mystery in a sci-fi setting and I really like that combination. I think the best description is that it's like reading Sherlock Holmes in space. Alex is, of course Sherlock, and Chase is Watson. This book is the only one written from Alex's point of view, with all the rest written from Chase's. Personally I think I like reading from Chase's point of view better, even if she's always playing catch up to Alex, which is what makes them feel patterned after Watson and Sherlock.
I highly recommend this series, and urge you to keep reading if it feels a bit slow in the beginning. By the time I reached around the 60% point in the book it began to pull me in more and by the end I was looking forward to continuing on to the next book.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery, Space Opera
Content: Strong language
Sixty years ago, the
space yacht Polaris was found deserted, the fate of its pilot and
passengers a mystery. Now, to mark the anniversary of the disappearance,
there is to be an auction of what was left behind on the ship.
Using
his insider knowledge, Alex Benedict, one of the preeminent antiquities
dealers in the galaxy, secures some of the artifacts. But then an
explosion destroys most of the collection, convincing Alex that drastic
measures are being taken to hide what happened aboard the Polaris -
which is why that's exactly what he has to find out, especially if it
means risking his life.
This second book in the series was written 15 years after the first which leads me to believe the author had originally intended for A Talent for War to be a Standalone. Whatever the reason for the long stretch between books, I'm glad McDevitt decided to write more. I enjoyed this book more than the first one. There were a few instances where I thought they could have been a little smarter about things, especially since the same things happened already and maybe they should have seen that coming, but I still enjoyed the mystery solving sprinkled with a bit of adventure. Chase and Alex are likable characters and I like the rapport they have between them.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery, Space Opera
Content: Strong language
Thousands of years
after an entire colony mysteriously disappears, antiquities dealer Alex
Benedict comes into possession of a cup that seems to be from the
Seeker, one of the colony's ships. Investigating the provenance of the
cup, Alex and his assistant Chase follow a deadly trail to the
Seeker-strangely adrift in a system barren of habitable worlds. But
their discovery raises more questions than it answers, drawing Alex and
Chase into the very heart of danger.
This was another great installment in the series, and I felt like Alex and Chase got a bit smarter when it came to their safety this time around, but still, just like in the two previous books, their lives are threatened a few times. Just not in the same ways.
There were some little things added into this book that added to my overall enjoyment of it. They were mostly mundane things, like Chase watching TV and being able to virtually insert herself into a scene in place of one of the actors. Also the fact that talk show hosts obviously never change from being pushy and annoying, even thousands years into the future.
Overall I think this is my favorite book in the series so far, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
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