Odyssey (Hutch) [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Being a long time fan of hard science fiction I look forward to all of Jack McDevitt's books. Sadly, "Odyssey" is not one of the best but it's still a reasonable read.

This is the latest book in the Priscilla Hutchin's series or Hutch as she is more often known. Hutch has moved into an administration job at the Academy (a 23rd century version of NASA)and is not having a good time. There is strong pressure to cut Academy funding and concentrate on earthbound problems such as the greenhouse effect (sound familiar?). It looks as if many interstellar missions and projects will have to be severely cut. She also has to deal with a boss who is a very poor people manager.

At the same time there are increasing reports of "Moonriders", strange spherical objects possibly of alien origin that appear around interstellar sites. Partly as a PR exercise for the Academy, an expedition is organised to place sensors to study these objects if they really exist. Gregory McAllister, one of the Academy's critics and a character in previous books is part of the crew together with the space cadet daughter of a senator who is also highly critical of Academy policy.

Predictably, the moonriders turn out to be real and dangerous and the final part of the book centres around the interstellar "Origins" project, a hypercollider intended to investigate the Big Bang in much greater detail than before. There are the usual space rescues and brushes with death but everything basically turns out okay in the end.

The main problem with this book is that it is glacially slow moving and nothing much really happens until close to the end. There are tantalising hints about why no intelligent life has yet been found in the galaxy which I thought might be resolved by the moonriders but nothing happens in this regard. It's really quite a disappointing book and I was expecting much more. There are enough Mcdevitt touches though for it to be worth three stars but only just.

Ok...after taking a look at some of the other reviews, I have to say that I think that some people need to read Mr. McDevitt's other works extensively before they slam "Odyssey." A Jack McDevitt novel is not space opera. If you want Star Wars type of action read David Weber and John Ringo. I have nothing against the space opera genre by the way, but that is not McDevitt's style. There IS acton in "Odyssey," it is just that it is subtle and does not jump out and slam you in the face. McDevitt is a thinking person's writer and this book makes very pertinent statements about our world today. For instance, doesn't Orion Tours remind you of a certain company that Darth Cheney is involved with? He also tackles other issues, such as religious fanaticism, global warming, the underfunding of NASA and the logical reasons for having a space program.

Also, one reviewer could not see any connection with Homer's "The Odyssey." They are all through the book, go ahead and THINK and you'll find the connections. Hutch IS Odysseus; the weary wanderer who just wants the peace of home and the explorer, hungry to know what is beyond the horizon. Mr. McDevitt is subtle, NOT boring. His type of writing might not be for everyone: hell, musically I prefer the Byrds to the Beatles, but they both have merit. Different strokes for different folks, but at least be fair when you examine a work.

The "Hutch" series -- named for Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins -- began with the excellent "Engines of God", continued with the readable "Deepsix", staggered over the embarrassing "Chindi", and had presumably ended with the abysmal "Omega". At least, it was supposed to end with "Omega", touted (at the time) as the final book of the series. It should have, too: the mystery of the Omega clouds was insultingly revealed; Hutch had moved from the main character of the series to an unnecessary, minor character (and a beaurocrat, at that!); and the intelligent aliens that drive the action are green muppets... whose civilization and culture are taken straight from Plato, Aristotle, and Sophocles.

And now McDevitt returns to the once-concluded "Hutch" series with "Odyssey". My first complaint is that McDevitt based this novel in the Hutch universe. The major tropes of that series -- Hutchins herself, the Omega clouds, evidence of once-thriving alien civilizations now extinct -- are either underplayed (Hutch is a minor character who occasionally moves on-stage, usually to complain about something or follow someone else's orders) or unused (Omega clouds? The Monument Makers? Anybody care?). "Odyssey" would have worked better as a stand-alone title... or it could just as easily have been tacked on to the "Talent for War/Polaris/Seeker" series. Believe me, it would make as much sense in that series as it does in the Hutch series.

My second complaint is that the book is exceptionally dull. The plot is exceedingly thin: alien spheres called "moonriders" have been reported for the last twenty or thirty years (though never in any of the previous novels), and it's time to bolster public opinion of the Space Academy by dropping unmanned probes in high-traffic areas where moonriders are typically reported. If the dropping of unmanned probes doesn't scream "action," I don't know what does. (Apparently, neither does McDevitt.) Some stuff happens along the way... I guess the moonriders are throwing asteroids at planets and space hotels and whatnot. Which leads to my next complaint:

The obligatory "rescue." I'm not sure when Jack discovered that he could bulk up a novel by turning at least a third of it into a daring, seat-of-your-pants rescue. I suppose this is linked with my "dull" complaint, but really: does every novel require an elaborate, breath-taking rescue, with fingernail-biting drama? If that kind of thing is your bag, baby, then you're in luck. If not, flip ahead four or five chapters. At a time.

My final complaint is the inconsistency of the novel, as set in the "Hutch" universe. The whole point of having a series is to continue the adventures (or lives) of characters we know. But there's nothing recognizable of Hutch or Gregory MacAllister (introduced in Deepsix) in this novel. Hutch mopes around, blaming her boss and acting like a fairy-Godmother to a senator's daughter. MacAllister swoons around like a lovesick puppy, and his hellfire proclamations have been turned down to simmer... if that.

It's almost as if McDevitt needed a trustworthy-pilot-turned-pencil-pusher and a cynical newseditor to drive the action, but didn't feel like making up new characters. Whatever: Odyssey-Hutch and Odyssey-MacAllister are like pod people. They have the names and they look like the real thing, but I didn't recognize them in this novel.

Last word: Odyssey would have made a good short story set in an original universe. As it stands, it is a bloated piece of writing, forcibly rammed into what was once an enjoyable, intelligent series. I can only hope that this is the end of the Hutch-saga; maybe the obligatory rescue should be this series, from its author.