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This is the third book that follows the exploits of Priscilla Hutchins (Hutch) and is the best.
This bears some comparison to two of my all time favourite books - Rondezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke and Foundation And Earth by Isaac Asimov. However, it is not as well written, being shorter and lacking the depth of characters the others contain.
Having said that, this is a great story that I could hardly put down.
An alien transmission is discovered and Hutch is commissioned to take a group of ET chasers to investigate. The story follows their discovery of a network of cloaked alien satellites that each appear orbiting planets of interest until they come across a huge alien vessel refuelling at one of these locations. Failing to communicate with the vessel, they decide to try and board it and a very Rama like episode begins with the landing party slowly unlocking its secrets.
Of course nothing goes according to plan. There are plenty of arguments, dramas, deaths and action as our intrepid gang strive to achieve their goal of meeting an alien intelligence. Mixed in with all this are some well thought out (if only brief) scenarios on a number of planets en route. This is a good all-rounder and I hope there is a follow up to this book.
The only criticism is the story wind up in the last couple of pages. Like Engines of God (the first Hutch book), it might be thought that McDevitt was pushed for time as the ending is quick, too neat and not worthy of the rest of the book.
Although reading the other books in order is not necessary to enjoy the story, if you haven't started yet, read Engines of God and Deepsix and then Chindi.
Chindi actually marks Hutch’s third appearance in McDevitt’s novels, a fact which I did not discover before I was well into the story. It is not necessary to know the story of Hutch’s earlier missions in order to read and enjoy this particular novel, though. The cast of characters is interesting but improbable—the Contact Society team members are not scientists. They include an actress/producer, an artist, a funeral home director, and similarly unscientific men and women. One is, of course, a former love interest of Hutch, and that adds a little more flavor to the pot. These people make mistakes, and some of them pay with their lives, yet they all emerge as truly heroic souls who want nothing more than to answer the cosmic questions man has been posing as long as he has looked at the stars and wondered if he was alone in the universe. The science of McDevitt’s science fiction works pretty well, although I have a problem with a couple of things that happened. I found McDevitt’s characters to be vibrant, real, and interesting, although I understand some readers apparently do not find them as interesting as I do. We don’t get to the essence of them all, and Hutch’s future is left quite unresolved at the end, but I came to know and like everyone in this novel, despite their blunders and often childlike enthusiasm. There is a whole lot of action in these pages, particularly in the latter half of the novel, and I was flat-out riveted by it. Hutch in particular is almost unbelievably heroic yet constantly vulnerable and afraid (i.e., real). I heartily recommend Chindi to fans of great science fiction. It is one of the most memorable science fiction novels I have ever read.
It so nearly was quite good. But not. Read more
Why? McDevitt's ability as a writer revolves around his ability to set a scenario and let it run it's course. Read more
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