I’ve read most of Jack McDevitt’s SF novels and all of Alex Benedict series. Village in the Sky is the ninth book in the Alex Benedict series. Alex Benedict lives about 10,000 years in the future. He’s a specialist at finding historical artifacts/antiquities…and selling them. The Alex Benedict novels are narrated by his talented pilot, Chase Kolpath, where the pair usually face a baffling mystery in their searchers–and solve it.
Village in the Sky begins with a human exploration starship finding an alien village on a remote planet. But when a followup ship is sent to investigate, the aliens and the village is gone. Where did it go? Who are these aliens?
Alex Benedict, who loves a mystery–and the prospect of finding invaluable alien artifacts–assembles a team to travel to the planet where the aliens were first seen and then figure out where they went…and why.
My favorite Alex Benedict novel is Seeker which won a Nebula for Best SF novel of 2005. A Village in the Sky is a few steps below that classic. GRADE: C+
ALEX BENEDICT SERIES:
- A Talent for War (1989) (also published as part of Hello Out There)
- Polaris (2004), ISBN 0-441-01202-7
- Seeker (2005) – winner of Nebula Award for Best Novel, ISBN 0-441-01329-5
- The Devil’s Eye (2008), ISBN 0-441-01635-9
- Echo (2010), ISBN 0-441-01924-2
- Firebird (November 1, 2011), ISBN 0-441-02073-9
- Coming Home (November 4, 2014), ISBN 0-425-26087-9
- Octavia Gone (May 7, 2019), ISBN 0-481-49797-8
- Village in the Sky (Gallery Publishing Group/Saga Press, January 31, 2023), ISBN 978-1-66800-429-6
I have read 5 or 6of McDevitt’s novels. I find them entertaining but nothing great.
Steve, the early McDevitt SF novels are better than the more recent ones.
I’ve yet to read any of his novels…and I’m already thinking, in 10K years, people are likely to be named “Alex Benedict” as opposed to almost any number of seemingly strange (to us) sorts of appellations? Including digits or not, including any number of things other than common current nomenclature?
Ah, well. I don’t expect too many Ralph 124C41+es, either, but somehow I doubt naming would remain so static, if our species or our descendants are still out and about. (If we don’t completely poison the planet, I still say, watch the macaques…)
Todd, the “government” in Alex Benedict’s future 10,000 years from now doesn’t do much. But, at least that future is mostly peaceful.