Seeker [Mass Market Paperback]

I really enjoyed this book. It satisfies various "itches" that I try to "scratch", by reading good mature science fiction.

One thing I appreciate about his writing in this novel (and its predecessor) is his use sometimes of fairly realistic first-person narrative, by a woman character. Male authors often don't get their female characters quite right (my wife made me especially aware of this).

McDevitt has carved out a sort of unique niche for himself, with this and some (not all) of his other novels, perhaps you might call it "future archaeology"?

For the most satisfying experience, before reading this novel you should read the two earlier, equally good novels, that take place in the same world, with the same main characters (Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath): "A Talent For War" (don't be put off by the awful title) and "Polaris".

And for "A Talent For War", you can get it by itself, or you can also get it in a book called "Hello Out There", that combines it with a rewritten earlier novel of his ("The Hercules Text").

McDevitt's other, equally good series, of "future archaeology" novels, features a different world and different main character (Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchinson". That series starts with "The Engines of God" and continues through "DeepSix", "Chindi", and "Omega".

(***** = breathtaking, **** = excellent, *** = good, ** = flawed, * = bad)

McDevitt is more of an idea-guy than a writer: his characters are flat and his descriptions employ so little sensory information that he manages to make scenes like an apartment break-in by a vengeful man and a fight for survival outside of a spaceship seem boring.

BUT -- his ideas such as a journey among a telepathic alien species among whom lying is unknown, and (especially) what happened to the lost colonists of the Bremerhaven and the Seeker) are absolutely breathtaking.

Reading Seeker was sometimes a slog, but I was entertained and glad I'd read it in the end. Longer review at ImpatientReader-dot-com.

Seeker (full name Seeker after Truth) has dreamed, his whole life, of becoming a Nomana, a Noble Warrior. A protector of the All and Only, the god who made all things. The desire to be one has only grown stronger since his brother, Blaze of Justice, became a Noble Warrior. Seeker knows that this is his destiny, never mind that his father expects him to become Teacher. Now he is sixteen, old enough to go before the Nom and offer himself, and hope that they accept him.

Morning Star is the daughter of a sheep herder. Years ago her mother left them to become a Noble Warrior. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, Morning Star intends to leave the hills she's always known, and join her mother in service to the All and Only. Her only worry is leaving her father; she is his world. She's not too worried about being denied by the Nomana; after all her mother is a Noble Warrior. If that's not enough, there are the colors. The colors surround all people, and change a little based on someone's mood and intentions, but everyone has colors around them. Morning Star can see them, and has learned to read them. She will journey to Anacrea to find her destiny.

Wildman has never known his family. He's never even really known friendship, or loyalty, or honor. He certainly doesn't know about the All and Only. All he's ever known is survival at any cost. In the midst of an attempted robbery, Wildman encounters a Nomana, though he doesn't know what that is. What he knows is that he's glimpsed a power far stronger than his own, and a peace he never imagined. Wildman wants these things, and what Wildman wants, Wildman always gets. He too will offer his services to the Nom, though he doesn't really think of it in those exact terms.

A stranger, more disjointed group could hardly be imagined. But through drastically unexpected circumstances, a group they become. As it turns out, they can all learn an awful lot from each other. Maybe they can even help each other. Maybe they can even save Anacrea and the Nomana from the threat of their enemies. If they can survive their journey, they may even find their destinies.

A wonderfully, beautifully, frighteningly well-imagined world, full of strong and interesting characters. No one is one sided; Morning Star is strong but capable of vulnerability, Seeker is determined but still scared sometimes, and Wildman is primal but lovable. Actually, I think Wildman is my favorite character.

This is so many different stories all in one great book. It's a story of strength and power. It's a story about friendship and loyalty and family. It's a story about faith and destiny. It's a story about life, and a story about people. It may not take place anywhere you could recognize, but all of the characters contain bits and pieces you see in other people and in yourself. The bad and the good. The best part is, it doesn't end here. This is only book one. I don't know how many there will be, but I'm very much looking forward to all of them.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman