Omega (Hutch) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Okay, first off - this was, hands down, the best McDevitt I've read to date. If you've not read McDevitt, and are at all a fan of Science Fiction, you need to go out there and find yourself a copy of 'The Engines of God,' 'Infinity Beach,' 'Deepsix,' and 'Chindi.' Now. If you're not a huge fan of Science Fiction, let me tell you, though there's some astrophysics in there, McDevitt writes a lot more sociologically, adventure-action, and philosophically than nearly any other contemporary science fiction author I know, with the exception of Robert J. Sawyer. That said, his style is quite deft, as is Sawyer's, and a lot of people just don't 'get' it - as is obvious from some of the reviews written here. I happily suggest reading a chapter in the store prior to purchase, though I've yet to meet someone while working in my bookstore's Sci-Fi section who didn't like McDevitt.

Okay, fan-boy praising hereby endeth.

The story picks up the character of Priscilla Hutchins (who, now married and with a kiddy, plays a much more administrative and planet-bound role) and the storyline of the Omega clouds. Strange clouds that pop up, find anything remotely geometrical (especially, say, buildings), and blast them to bits. They're all over the universe, but why worry, as the one heading towards earth is not due for another, oh, nine hundred years. Yawn.

But one of them being tracked by the Academy makes a right turn, and this time, in McDevitt's nearly lifeless galaxy, seems to be setting its sights on levelling an alien race who are somewhere around the Ancient Greece level of evolution. In about nine months.

The race is on - but to do what? Try to stop the cloud - no one knows how. Try to save the race - again, how do you save a race that's about to be hit by tsunamis, tidal waves, tornadoes and all the other horrid things the Omega clouds do? Obviously, it would be wrong to step in, break protocol, and talk to the natives?

Right?

The story is very high paced, and as is always McDevitt's style, you never know who will make it to the end (he is not above killing off a character in a completely realistic fashion - by which I mean there's no hero capable of dodging all the bullets all the time), and his tendancy to through in a few philosophical characters absolutely shines in this book. McDevitt, as always, delivered a solid adventure worthy of any Sci-Fi buff's attention, but in a manner accessible to those who don't read Sci-Fi on a regular basis. Superb!

Strangely enough (the book was released quite a while ago) I've found myself to be the first one to review it. Everyone's waiting for paperback? (I've actually tuned in to READ opinions on this one, but since there are none - I'll put my two cents.)

This book is rather typical for Jack McDevitt of late. I'm a huge fan of his, and to me his best work is still _A Talent for War_, with _Infinity Beach_ and _Ancient Shores_ coming very close. In his best efforts he creates an intriguing mystery and explores it with us through main protagonists. This scheme fully applies to all the books in the _Hutch trilogy_: _The Engines of God_, _Chindi_, and the last one, _Omega_ (well, there's also the _Deepsix_, but it's more of a _rescue-them_ thriller and doesn't feature any grand ideas). Space archeology is intriguing subject indeed, but unfortunately the scheme works less and less with each subsequent book. McDevitt has an increasing tendency to bury the main plot (i.e. archeology, Chindi exploration, or omegas themselves) under some rather mundane adventures and constant attempts to rescue one or another character from various (but not terribly creative) dangers, mostly self-induced, which after a while gets incredibly tiresome. This, to a lesser extent, was also the problem of _The Engines of God_,

but that book still had great sense of wonder. However, the fundamental problem of the book is that these ordeals constitute the major part of it, with so little space given to the mystery of the omega clouds, that the solution to it feels almost as an afterthought (and, frankly, quite tedious one - but no spoilers here). Also, I have to say that, within the context of this solution to the origin of the omegas, some of the events of the two previous books just make no sense to me.

Ultimately, the book reads as a mixture of _The Engines of God_ and _Deepsix_, with far more of the latter in the mix. This might sound like a good combination, but it really isn't. For a fast-paced _rescue-them_ thriller it's far too slow, and for a book of discoveries on a grand scale it doesn't really have anything new. Oh yes, McDevitt introduces a whole new civilization of Goompahs; however, he fails to describe it in any convincing way, and at best they're still _men in funny costumes_, to put it in great Star Trek tradition. Honestly, rather sketchingly presented Noks from the first book feel much more compelling. So, if you loved _The Engines of God_ and _Chindi_ (doesn't seem to be very likely, this one), then you don't need an invitation. Others, who are new to McDevitt, might want to try his earlier books, they're well worth it.

"Omega" is the fourth novel in the Priscilla Hutchins series, and quite possibly the last, though I hope not.

The archaelogical mysteries which were prevalent in the first three books are gone, replaced by a xeno-sociology/rescue mission. A new, thriving medieval civilization has been discovered on the world of Lookout. There's just one catch: an omega cloud, those mysterious galactic phenomena that attack and destroy anything with straight lines - buildings for instance, is headed right for it.

The inhabitants have been dubbed "Goompahs" after a cartoon character whom they resemble. Images of the creatures builds sympathy for them back home and a rescue mission is conceived. One drawback, besides the lack of time, is that there must be as little contact with the natives as possible, so as to prevent, or at least, minimize "culture shock". The question of "How do you rescue a people without them knowing that you're there" arises.

Hutch, true to her word in "Chindi", has quit her career as pilot and, as a reward for her past work, now works as high ranking bureaucrat at the Space Academy. She organizes the rescue mission but doesn't actually go. She's regulated to a supporting character role in this book, which was a disappointment for me as McDevitt has made her a likable character. Instead, the book's main characters are Digby "Digger" Dunn and David Collingdale.

Digger, who was on the original exploratory ship, initially isn't intent on saving the Goompahs so much as he's attracted to Kellie, the pilot of the ship he's on. But an accident, taking the life of the expedition leader, forces him into the leadership role while the relief mission scrambles to get there in time. Digger develops an affection for the Goompahs and his character evolves from being lightly self-centered to self-sacrificing.

Meanwhile, Collingdale is cast as a Captain Ahab and the omega is his white whale. At first his hatred of the omegas is reasonable, but the closer he gets to Lookout, the worse he gets. Once there, his obsession takes over, alienating his crewmates (and this reader). McDevitt builds us up for final confrontation between Collingdale and the omega but just as its climaxing, McDevitt puts the scene "off camera". It's the equivalent of showing Obi-wan about to duel with Vader but not actually show the actual fight or hear the dialogue, though you could infer its outcome from Luke's reaction. It left me feeling a little cheated.

McDevitt's writing style continues to be excellent and his Goompahs make for interesting aliens. His characters are real and I could easily visualize the world. This novel won the John W Campbell Award for best sci-fi novel of the year and it's been nominated for a Nebula. I can see why. McDevitt tells a good story and is able to utilize action without relying on epic battles to do so. His characters, at least in this series, use their brains to solve their problems and only use violence as a last resort. And in this novel, violence, as represented by Collingdale, achieves nothing, while Digger's personal evolution symbolizes the human race as a whole.

Perhaps it was Hutch's explanation for the omegas themselves that did it. While the idea for them is original and intriguing, it was ultimately unsatisfying for me (And from what I gather reading other reviews, I'm not alone). It would be interesting to see McDevitt write a novel about a meeting between Earth and the omega creators and see what happens. Could McDevitt write a novel about resolving the conflict between the two without resorting to violence?