Forty-one years ago, renowned physicist Dr. Christopher Robin vanished. Before his disappearance, his fringe science theories about the existence of endless alternate universes had earned him both admirers and enemies.
Now his widow has died and Alex Benedict has been asked to handle the auction of the physicist's artifacts - leading the public to once again speculate on the mystery surrounding Robin's disappearance. Did he finally find the door between parallel universes that he had long sought?
Intrigued, Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath embark on their own investigation as they follow the missing man's trail into the unknown to uncover the truth - a truth people are willing to kill to protect...
Firebird (Alex Benedict 6)
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McDevitt hit a grand slam with this one ... I'm still shaking my head and wondering how he pulled it off (Wired.com )
A great entry . . . A fast-paced thriller (Midwest Book Review )
You should definitely read Jack McDevitt (Gregory Benford ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
A great entry . . . A fast-paced thriller (Midwest Book Review )
You should definitely read Jack McDevitt (Gregory Benford ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
About the Author
Jack McDevitt is a former naval officer, taxi driver, English teacher, and motivational trainer, and is now a full-time writer. Eleven of his novels have been Nebula finalists. Seeker won the award in 2007. McDevitt lives in Georgia with his wife Maureen.
--This text refers to the
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By John M. Ford
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
Alex Benedict is well known to Jack McDevitt fans as a merchant of rare and recently rediscovered artifacts. Since Alex lives far in our future, some of these artifacts can involve lost technology of engaging complexity. Assisted by the lovely, resourceful, skeptical, and multi-talented Chase Kolpath, Alex works through another historical puzzle in this sixth book of the series.
To establish--and perhaps inflate--the value of items in an estate sale, Alex and Chase investigate the mysterious disappearance of the improbably-named physicist Christopher Robin. Robin had himself been investigating the occasional appearances of unidentified starships at seemingly-random locations among the worlds of the Confederacy. Although these sightings have remained unexplained for hundreds of years, they have provoked little lasting curiosity. Of greater concern are the infrequent disappearances of modern starships. This is seen as an unwanted, but acceptable price for travel through the dangerous depths of space.
As Chase and Alex assemble pieces of this puzzle, readers peer over their shoulders and begin guessing at the outcome. We also learn more about Chase's pre-Alex employment, explore a planet hidden for centuries in a dust cloud, and listen to Alex debate his colleagues and critics about the sentience of the artificial intelligences ("Betas") that perform so many of their society's tasks. One cannot help anticipates the role these themes and events will play in future Benedict adventures.
This is an essential and rewarding read for fans of the Alex Benedict series. Although it connects nicely to events of previous books, it can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone story. The time you spend in it will seem short compared to the faster pace of the universe around you.
To establish--and perhaps inflate--the value of items in an estate sale, Alex and Chase investigate the mysterious disappearance of the improbably-named physicist Christopher Robin. Robin had himself been investigating the occasional appearances of unidentified starships at seemingly-random locations among the worlds of the Confederacy. Although these sightings have remained unexplained for hundreds of years, they have provoked little lasting curiosity. Of greater concern are the infrequent disappearances of modern starships. This is seen as an unwanted, but acceptable price for travel through the dangerous depths of space.
As Chase and Alex assemble pieces of this puzzle, readers peer over their shoulders and begin guessing at the outcome. We also learn more about Chase's pre-Alex employment, explore a planet hidden for centuries in a dust cloud, and listen to Alex debate his colleagues and critics about the sentience of the artificial intelligences ("Betas") that perform so many of their society's tasks. One cannot help anticipates the role these themes and events will play in future Benedict adventures.
This is an essential and rewarding read for fans of the Alex Benedict series. Although it connects nicely to events of previous books, it can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone story. The time you spend in it will seem short compared to the faster pace of the universe around you.
By SFperson
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoy Jack McDevitt's books and this, whilst certainly not amongst his best, is certainly an entertaining yarn and worth an afternoon reading. What is increasingly apparent is that the Benidict/Colpath stories are a sort of sci-fi lite version of "Murder She Wrote" and it is really easy to imagine these characters wearing late 1970's fashions and living in suburban USA.
Thousands of years in the future, a place in which English is a forgotten language, culture is EXACTLY the same as white middle class USA (the people are all white middle class Americans, even if they are ethnically something else) , only there are air cars and FTL travel.The author's tech level is also stuck somewhere in the 1970's, sort of early Star Trek. There is a rescue mission to retrieve stranded Artificial Intelligences from a hostile planet and the rescuers have to go down to the planet and actually grab the box that houses the AI. I mean 10,000 years from now and these people seem to have the band-width capability of a 1990 US Robotics modem! There seems to be some sort of beamed FTL communication, but the AI's can't be transmitted....? "The Culture" this is not!
Alex Benidict communicates with a wider public by appearing on TV Talk Shows and I imagine those weird US ones with a host sitting behind a desk while the guests are on low couches off to the sides. Facebook, viral media and the internet obviously are a flash in the pan and everyone has gone back to watching TV.
The Engines of God series is much better. But this is OK if you like a sort of Asimov/Star Trek 1 far future combined with a bit of a mystery story.
Thousands of years in the future, a place in which English is a forgotten language, culture is EXACTLY the same as white middle class USA (the people are all white middle class Americans, even if they are ethnically something else) , only there are air cars and FTL travel.The author's tech level is also stuck somewhere in the 1970's, sort of early Star Trek. There is a rescue mission to retrieve stranded Artificial Intelligences from a hostile planet and the rescuers have to go down to the planet and actually grab the box that houses the AI. I mean 10,000 years from now and these people seem to have the band-width capability of a 1990 US Robotics modem! There seems to be some sort of beamed FTL communication, but the AI's can't be transmitted....? "The Culture" this is not!
Alex Benidict communicates with a wider public by appearing on TV Talk Shows and I imagine those weird US ones with a host sitting behind a desk while the guests are on low couches off to the sides. Facebook, viral media and the internet obviously are a flash in the pan and everyone has gone back to watching TV.
The Engines of God series is much better. But this is OK if you like a sort of Asimov/Star Trek 1 far future combined with a bit of a mystery story.
By Dr. Mike
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Not all McDevitt's work holds my attention firmly; this one did. Sat down and read it in one go.
The twists help hold the attention, although I'd foreseen the main detail of the Epilogue about a dozen pages earlier (well it is based on a main point of the plot).
The twists help hold the attention, although I'd foreseen the main detail of the Epilogue about a dozen pages earlier (well it is based on a main point of the plot).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Firebird: An Alex Benedict Novel
Firstly I am a McDevitt fan and have been entertained by the plot of several of his books including the Alex Benedict & Chase novels. Read more
Published 4 months ago by al'Miral
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another fine adventure
I quite like the way in which these stories are narrated by the "second character", Alex Benedict supposedly being the first. Read more
Published 5 months ago by PJ Online
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not up to his usual standard.
Oh Mr McDevitt did you have an 'off-day' when you wrote this. I could not believe that it was the same author who wrote 'The Engines of God', 'Omega', 'A Talent for War', 'Seeker',... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Aldebaran
5.0 out of 5 stars
Back on form McD
Loved this real return to form by probably the best current SF writer. Mr Mc gets into the heads of his characters and balances this with a great galactic mystery (alternate... Read more
Published 14 months ago by LondonRob
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quite Good
A talent for War is by far the best (and first) Alex Benedict book, but Firebird comes close. In reality the last four should be called Chase Kolpath books, since she is the... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Robert
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best
I love Jack McDevitt's books - he writes well, presents a wholly credible picture in his far future and delivers pageturning action, peppered with detail about futuristic... Read more
Published 17 months ago by P. Forsyth
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best part of the Alex Benedict Series?
For the record, I have read all parts of McDevitts Alex Benedict novels and I am confident they are not everyones cup of tea. Read more
Published 18 months ago by purolator
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