Infinity Beach

by Jack McDevitt

Book Overview

We are alone. That is the verdict, after centuries of Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence missions and space exploration. The only living things in the Universe are found on the Nine Worlds... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061020052
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Harper Voyager
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Don't be fooled by the title

This is another amazing novel by Jack McDevitt, but do not be fooled by the title as was I. After purcahsing the book I discovered that this is just the British version of McDevitt's "Infinity Beach". Unless you're a collector of his books, as am I, buy the American version as it's a lot less expensive.

Polished hard-SF mystery-thriller first-contact story.

__________________________________________Infinity Beach stands out for its polished, adult prose, and for its complex, conflicted characters, muddling through life. McDevitt's writing is clean and mature. The plot is twisty, genre-bending, romantic, recomplicated. Experienced readers will have seen all of his plot-elements before, but McDevitt plants enough red herrings to keep you guessing (me, anyway). This is a world-class novelist writing at the height of his powers. A Nebula award nominee, and not to be missed. Infinity Beach features some of the creepiest aliens since, well, "Alien". At least three times, I felt the hair rise up on the back of my neck.... it's been awhile since that's happened. I liked this book a lot. A definite keeper. "Jack McDevitt is that splendid rarity, a writer who is a storyteller first and a science fiction writer second... If you've never read McDevitt before, you couldn't find a better book to start with than Infinity Beach, a nail-biting neo-Gothic tale that blends mystery, horror, and a fascinating look at how first contact with an utterly alien species might happen. I simply couldn't put it down - I was up until long past midnight and loving every minute of it. Kim Brandywine is one of McDevitt's most engaging characters, both real and appealing. Snatch this baby up, all right? You're going to love it even if you think you don't like science fiction. You might even want to drop me a thank-you note for the tip before racing out to your local bookstore to pick up the Jack McDevitt backlist." -- Stephen King, at McDevitt's website.Happy reading!Pete Tillman

Slow build-up, but a great ending

Infinity Beach is a really, really interesting book. McDevitt has successfully melded a mystery, a love story, and some very good social and sci-fi commentary in a way that is both surprising and rewarding.The first half of the book sets up the mystery. The main character, Kimberly Brandywine, becomes increasingly involved with the 25 year old disappearance of her sister, Emily. Emily had gone on one of the few interstellar missions at that time still looking for first contact. The mission had returned early and unsuccessfully because of engine trouble. Emily ended up missing just a few days later after a still-unexplained explosion ripped the side of a mountain off, decimating the city she was visiting. There are considerable overtones of possible first contact in this part of the story. But McDevitt lets us chew quite a while on the possibility that life on earth might be unique; a question not often considered in this genre. McDevitt does not stress this question overly much. Instead, he spends significant time inspecting the societal impact on humans in a future where, after considerable effort, no contact has been made with any type of lifeform other than from earth. Every world humans have visited have so far proved completely sterile. In Infinity Beach, humans have given up on finding other life, at least within their lifespan. The society he describes has slowly relaxed into a world of virtual pleasures and work-free luxury. The only negative I had with Infinity Beach was that at this point, about mid-book, the story has slowed down quite a bit; if you feel like quitting here, keep going (it will be worth it!)!The second half of the book builds the suspense as Kim gets closer to answers. A love story and more scifi elements get involved when she follows the path of Emily's last voyage. Quite a ways from the end of the book, McDevitt starts providing some answers to the mystery and all its threads. These last hundred pages produce a number of great plot twists, and are fun (in a couple different ways) and depressing (in a couple other ways!) all at the same time.Infinity Beach is one of those rare books that does not just "stop" on you. The conclusion to the story winds down at a very nice pace, giving plenty of time for the reader to consider the consequences of the characters actions, evaluate the state of the human race, tie-up various hanging threads in the story line, and to "detach" from the story. The slow buildup at the beginning of the book seemed finally worthwhile, as the end reciprocated in a similar and very rewarding fashion. Infinity Beach is a great sci-fi book, with a lot of elements and pacing that are rare in the genre. Highly recommended.

First class First Contact novel!

Sometime in the future... Earth's population spread out to nine planets, thanks to faster-than-light starships. It is the year 600 on Earth's colony planet Greenway, and scientist Kim Brandywine gets a phonecall from her former history teacher, bringing back the past to her. Three decades ago, Kim's clone sister vanished after a failed mission to find extraterrestrial life. But did the mission really fail? These prerequisites are at the start of McDevitt's excellent novel which is a hybrid of different styles: hard SF, first contact but mostly a classic detective story. It's been ages since I read a SF novel where the author builds up so much suspense that you have a hard time putting the book down. The hard SF elements give the book a nicely futuristic atmosphere, but even people who are more into generic mystery literature will be able to get a kick out of this book. McDevitt has the rare ability of combining a concise vision of the future with a remarkably accessible writing style. The positive message the book leaves at the end makes `Infinity Beach' a one-of-a-kind book that deserves to be read by a multitude of people.

One of the best...

This is easily one of the best books I've read so far this year... Although the beginning was a bit confusing (maybe just because I was tired), it quickly turned out to be one of those books you just can't stop reading... The character development was excellent, and the plot just wouldn't stop twisting... Overall, a perfect blend of sci-fi and mystery...