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Title: An Interesting Idea, but a Dull Book
Review: Jack McDevitt's new book, Chindi, starts out with an interesting idea. What would happen if a group of armchair adventurers hired a spaceship and made first contact with an alien civilization? The idea is intriguing but the author is unable to pull it off. The characters are caricatures, the pacing of the story is off, and the climax feels like a let down. After reading 400 pages I wanted some answers about who (or what) the aliens were. All that I got was a brief epilogue explaining that we still do not know what is going on. Where Jack McDevvit really shines is his ability to imagine grand astromonical settings for his story. His descriptions of the newly discovered planetary systems manage to evoke a sense of awe. Unfortunately this was not enough to hold my interest. Chindi is an interesting idea, but a dull book.
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