Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Ace (2004), Edition: Reprint, 512 pages
Description
The best military and scientific minds on Earth band together in a desperate attempt to preserve an alien society from the deadly force heading for its home planet.
User reviews
LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck
Typical McDevitt. On the one hand, life on Earth in the 23rd century seems identical to about 1990. I'm surprised characters don't read the morning paper and open mail. On the other hand, interstellar travel! Flight with little concern for fuel! Invisibility via lightbenders! You have to read
This novel features the planet-blasting Omega clouds introduced earlier in the series. They are attracted to and wipe out artificial structures like cities. Now one is bearing down on a planet with a just discovered race of aliens named Goompahs after a popular kids TV show. Wait. Did I say 1990s above. I meant 1960s. The Federation --I mean, Academy -- Protocol says to not interfere but the Goompahs are too popular so ships are sent to either destroy or distract the Omega cloud or convince the Goompahs to abandon their cities.
There's the unforgivable use of the old trope where someone says "I have an idea what those clouds are but let me work on it and get back to you in two days" and you know what happens next. Otherwise the book proceeds smoothly if slowly through various successes and failures in the rescue attempt. Though this is part of the Priscilla Hutchins series, at this point she is primarily an administrator who sets up the missions. She also gets to propose a solution to what the clouds are but you won't like it so don't read this for that.
Recommended for McDevitt fans. If you've not read him, start earlier in the series, like The Engines of God or Deepsix when Hutchins is more front and center.
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McDevitt for the adventure story and the sympathetic if not very deep characters.This novel features the planet-blasting Omega clouds introduced earlier in the series. They are attracted to and wipe out artificial structures like cities. Now one is bearing down on a planet with a just discovered race of aliens named Goompahs after a popular kids TV show. Wait. Did I say 1990s above. I meant 1960s. The Federation --I mean, Academy -- Protocol says to not interfere but the Goompahs are too popular so ships are sent to either destroy or distract the Omega cloud or convince the Goompahs to abandon their cities.
There's the unforgivable use of the old trope where someone says "I have an idea what those clouds are but let me work on it and get back to you in two days" and you know what happens next. Otherwise the book proceeds smoothly if slowly through various successes and failures in the rescue attempt. Though this is part of the Priscilla Hutchins series, at this point she is primarily an administrator who sets up the missions. She also gets to propose a solution to what the clouds are but you won't like it so don't read this for that.
Recommended for McDevitt fans. If you've not read him, start earlier in the series, like The Engines of God or Deepsix when Hutchins is more front and center.
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LibraryThing member Black_samvara
Wahh.
The man can't do decent character development and introduces everyone through little chunks of exposition. Having said that the idea was great and once I was past the first painful 100[0] pages the remaining 393[1] were worth it.
The human race knows an omega cloud will arrive near Earth in a
Utterly spoiling the plot.
I love the idea of giant clouds of hostile nanotechnology slowly crawling though space following massive spikey lures to their eventual explosive destination which might be a firework display for a race sitting sixteen thousand light years above the Milky Way.
[0] took over a week to read
[1] took about 2-3 hours
The man can't do decent character development and introduces everyone through little chunks of exposition. Having said that the idea was great and once I was past the first painful 100[0] pages the remaining 393[1] were worth it.
The human race knows an omega cloud will arrive near Earth in a
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thousand years. It will wreak havoc but it is too far in the future for human governments to respond to meaningfully. When a more innocent and dreadfully cute alien race is threatened by another cloud things become a little more urgent. Utterly spoiling the plot.
I love the idea of giant clouds of hostile nanotechnology slowly crawling though space following massive spikey lures to their eventual explosive destination which might be a firework display for a race sitting sixteen thousand light years above the Milky Way.
[0] took over a week to read
[1] took about 2-3 hours
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LibraryThing member clong
This is my favorite McDevitt novel to date. It is a little less action driven, and a lot more thought provoking. The Goompahs are an interesting alien race, not because they are compellingly different, but because of how similar they are to humans in many ways (although with a few telling
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differences). I particularly enjoyed the role of the theater and the arts in Goompah society. And the role of religion in any society is given a sensitive treatment. The cast of protagonists is made up of reasonably normal, everyday people thrown into a situation where they choose to act heroically, to risk their lives for a noble cause. And in McDevitt's universe, when people take risks, there are usually prices to be paid. While some aspects of the climax were predictable, others were surprising. And there were smaller surprises sprinkled throughout the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member BrowncoatLibrarian
"Omega," a mid-series entry in the Priscilla Hutchins group of novels, is a slightly off-beat, unusual work for Jack McDevitt, but serves to prove that "unusual" can certainly be a good thing.
The omega clouds are back, and one is headed for a populated world whose low-technology inhabitants have no
Drawing upon lessons learned in previous encounters - and of the artifacts of the famous monument makers themselves - a team of specialists sets out to protect the hapless aliens from certain destruction.
This novel is definitely a departure from the McDevitt norm. Gone are the sweeping, galaxy-hopping adventures following cosmic bread crumbs in the effort to unravel an age-old mystery. No, Omega is about something much smaller, but with much more emotional impact. Readers will find themselves rooting for the survival of a technologically inferior - but ethical and intelligent - species that has never, and can never, know that we were there. Other reviewers have made this a much-maligned book for its focus on what they see as an unremarkable set of circumstances. However, fans of the McDevitt novels will see this for what it is: a change in perspective. Rather than looking at a huge stage with an infinite set of circumstances, McDevitt has instead focused on one particular place, with one very serious problem and, rather than trying to solve some esoteric mystery buried in the stars, seeks to examine something much closer to home - are we ourselves civilized enough to save another civilization?
This is definitely a McDevitt to read, and re-read, with great relish.
-BrowncoatLibrarian
The omega clouds are back, and one is headed for a populated world whose low-technology inhabitants have no
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idea what is on the way. Public opinion on Earth is split: do we intervene, or let nature take its course? When footage of the awkward- but friendly-looking aliens is released to the public, many people decide that they must be saved. Thus begins the great race of creativity versus destruction. After all: how does one stop a malignant cloud?Drawing upon lessons learned in previous encounters - and of the artifacts of the famous monument makers themselves - a team of specialists sets out to protect the hapless aliens from certain destruction.
This novel is definitely a departure from the McDevitt norm. Gone are the sweeping, galaxy-hopping adventures following cosmic bread crumbs in the effort to unravel an age-old mystery. No, Omega is about something much smaller, but with much more emotional impact. Readers will find themselves rooting for the survival of a technologically inferior - but ethical and intelligent - species that has never, and can never, know that we were there. Other reviewers have made this a much-maligned book for its focus on what they see as an unremarkable set of circumstances. However, fans of the McDevitt novels will see this for what it is: a change in perspective. Rather than looking at a huge stage with an infinite set of circumstances, McDevitt has instead focused on one particular place, with one very serious problem and, rather than trying to solve some esoteric mystery buried in the stars, seeks to examine something much closer to home - are we ourselves civilized enough to save another civilization?
This is definitely a McDevitt to read, and re-read, with great relish.
-BrowncoatLibrarian
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LibraryThing member lostinmyownlibrary
Omega by Jack McDevitt
The human race has found a way to explore the universe, and also found a destructive force they have dubbed Omegas.
Omegas are essentially clouds that have a mean streak for anything with right angles ( anything that doesn't appear in nature ), and one has its sight set on
Lookout is a planet of one of 3 species mankind has found. So a rescue mission is sent to help.
I found this book to be very entertaining and only have one complaint. I had a problem with the way beliefs were scrutinized, but the end of the story made up for it.
The human race has found a way to explore the universe, and also found a destructive force they have dubbed Omegas.
Omegas are essentially clouds that have a mean streak for anything with right angles ( anything that doesn't appear in nature ), and one has its sight set on
Show More
Lookout.Lookout is a planet of one of 3 species mankind has found. So a rescue mission is sent to help.
I found this book to be very entertaining and only have one complaint. I had a problem with the way beliefs were scrutinized, but the end of the story made up for it.
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LibraryThing member plappen
Set a couple of centuries from now, after mankind has begun to explore the galaxy, this novel is about deadly clouds of energy called omegas. Their purpose seems to be to wipe out any civilization they encounter. A cloud is heading for Earth, but it won’t arrive for another 900 years. While
In many years of diligent searching, mankind has found a number of dead civilizations, but only two living ones, neither of whom are interested in Contact with anyone. Saving this civilization suddenly becomes Top Priority. An exploration ship already in the area is able to sneak on to the surface, and the personnel plants many audio and video pickups, beaming language to a ship full of linguists, already in transit. Their ship, in bad need of an overhaul, is pressed into service too early, and breaks down before reaching the planet. A supply ship is able to join the exploration ship, and an attempt is made to fool with the planet’s weather, hiding the cities under thick clouds. All attempts to stop the cloud, or alter its course, fail.
For the humans already in orbit, how do they tell the inhabitants that they must immediately flee their cities? Who do they tell? Will their warnings be heeded? How do they do it without violating the Noninterference Directive?
As usual with McDevitt, this story is first-rate from beginning to end. It has good characters, and few, if any, wasted words. It does a fine job of holding the attention of the reader.
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research continues into what makes omegas tick, it’s a problem for future humans. It becomes an immediate crisis when a survey ship reports that the cloud has turned, and is heading for a previously unexplored system. It just happens to contain a thriving, pre-industrial civilization, and the cloud will arrive in a few months.In many years of diligent searching, mankind has found a number of dead civilizations, but only two living ones, neither of whom are interested in Contact with anyone. Saving this civilization suddenly becomes Top Priority. An exploration ship already in the area is able to sneak on to the surface, and the personnel plants many audio and video pickups, beaming language to a ship full of linguists, already in transit. Their ship, in bad need of an overhaul, is pressed into service too early, and breaks down before reaching the planet. A supply ship is able to join the exploration ship, and an attempt is made to fool with the planet’s weather, hiding the cities under thick clouds. All attempts to stop the cloud, or alter its course, fail.
For the humans already in orbit, how do they tell the inhabitants that they must immediately flee their cities? Who do they tell? Will their warnings be heeded? How do they do it without violating the Noninterference Directive?
As usual with McDevitt, this story is first-rate from beginning to end. It has good characters, and few, if any, wasted words. It does a fine job of holding the attention of the reader.
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LibraryThing member figre
This book reminded me of a very important point. If you are a science fiction fan, and you haven’t read any hard science fiction lately, take a break and go and read some. (Quick aside to the none science fiction fan – hard science fiction is not complicated or tough to read, it is simply based
This is a sequel to McDevitt’s novel Chindi. (While some of the concepts are carried forward and the previous book referenced, it is not really necessary to have read it to enjoy this book.) A recently discovered race (affectionately called the Goompahs) is about to be destroyed by one of the Omega – cloudlike presences that are roaming the universe indiscriminately destroying anything that appears to be “man” made. This novel tells the story of humanity’s race to save the Goompahs. There are triumphs and setbacks and the lives of many people intermingling. In other words, it is classic science fiction told in a skilled way.
I’m not going to say this is the greatest thing since sliced Tribbles, but you can go very much more wrong than to pick up and read this book.
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on basic scientific principles and tends to focus on hardware and space. This is a gross generalization, but you get the idea.) This is a perfect example of the genre, and a well-written one to boot.This is a sequel to McDevitt’s novel Chindi. (While some of the concepts are carried forward and the previous book referenced, it is not really necessary to have read it to enjoy this book.) A recently discovered race (affectionately called the Goompahs) is about to be destroyed by one of the Omega – cloudlike presences that are roaming the universe indiscriminately destroying anything that appears to be “man” made. This novel tells the story of humanity’s race to save the Goompahs. There are triumphs and setbacks and the lives of many people intermingling. In other words, it is classic science fiction told in a skilled way.
I’m not going to say this is the greatest thing since sliced Tribbles, but you can go very much more wrong than to pick up and read this book.
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LibraryThing member closedmouth
(Reviewed January 16, 2009)
He did it again. McDevitt sets up a brilliant, fascinating idea, with depth, mystery, and promise, and then promptly throws all that away so he can indulge in yet another tangential race against time. It's so frustrating. There's so much potential here, and it's
He did it again. McDevitt sets up a brilliant, fascinating idea, with depth, mystery, and promise, and then promptly throws all that away so he can indulge in yet another tangential race against time. It's so frustrating. There's so much potential here, and it's
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squandered so willingly I felt a bit angry as I was reading it. And his growing approval of faith and religion made my stomach churn. Show Less
LibraryThing member amandacb
I enjoyed the premise of the book, but I felt the author himself didn't quite know how to handle the omega clouds. There was an overwhelming vagueness in the descriptions and it felt like a piece of the story was missing. The narration kept jumping from character to character and it was difficult
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(for me) to follow. Show Less
LibraryThing member scottcholstad
I was somewhat disappointed in this book, especially when compared to its predecessor in the series, Chindi, which was an amazing book. The series features an Academy pilot, Hutch, who everyone loves. She constantly saves the day through smarts and bravery. In this book, however, she's no longer a
In this book, we get more of the Omega clouds, monstrously huge clouds floating through space, decimating virtually every city on all worlds they encounter. One is headed for earth in about 1,0000 years. Meanwhile, they find another that's turning and heading for an earth-like planet in about nine months. The problem is, this planet is inhabited by a pre-industrial, but still advanced civilization. Aliens. They look vaguely similar to us, in a cartoon like way, and have amazing architecture, libraries, restaurants, theaters, temples, etc. There are 11 cities on this planet, all fairly near each other. And they have no idea what's about to happen to them.
There's an Academy ship out there and the four people aboard are instructed to go down to the planet and interact with the aliens, who are being called Goompahs, a term I learned to utterly hate by the end of the book. The team wears clothing that make them invisible and they go into the cities, but Dig, one of the book's heroes, starts a stampede that kills the leader of the team, so something goes wrong right away.
Another ship is on the way with supplies, including dozens of things to be placed around the cities to eavesdrop on them so we can learn their language. Because the only way to save them is to either divert the Omega or to convince the Goompahs to leave their cities and head for the high ground. Unfortunately, the Goompahs are scared to death of humans, having seen Dig, and think he's a demon. So convincing them to leave their cities seems out. A ship is sent with scientists and linguists. The linguists get daily reports from the planet with recordings of conversation and start learning Goompah and become quite conversant in it. They're going to dress up as Goompahs and tell them in their own language to leave when the cloud arrives. Another ship is sent with a huge kite (which struck me as really stupid) and some video devices, to divert the cloud. The leader of this ship is a major asshole. It's a nine month flight, so they'll just barely be beating the cloud there.
The ship with the linguists loses its engines after six months and is stranded. Another ship comes by with room for one passenger, and the asshole gets on, determined to divert the cloud. Meanwhile, Dig has heard an alien woman speak who makes wild claims about seeing things all over the world which may or may not exist. He decides to appear before her and tell her about the cloud, which is now visible to the Goompahs, and tell her to head to the hills and to tell everyone. She freaks, but doesn't run away and he gives her the message.
Dig has a thing for his pilot, Kellie, and one of the other ship's captains marries them. Rather than a celebration, the asshole insists that Kellie take him right then and there to the cloud to try and divert it. Nice. The cloud sucks them in and Kellie escapes, while asshole blows the ship up in the cloud. I was glad to see him die.
Do the humans divert the cloud? Or do they convince the Goompahs to leave their cities and go to higher ground? If so, how? And what happens to the planet? You'll have to read it to find out.
Aside from some of the problems that I've already mentioned, this book is too long and simply DRAGS. Oh my God, I thought it would never end. I wanted everyone to die by the end of the book. I couldn't say that about the previous books in this series. McDevitt is a good writer, normally, and I have the last two books in this series. I'm hoping for a return to form. Recommended if you're reading the series. Otherwise, not recommended.
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pilot. She's now an administrator for the Academy and when we do see her, she's taking flak from everybody for not being able to grant inane wishes or she's sending messages off to her star ship pilots. That's all we get from her. Major disappointment.In this book, we get more of the Omega clouds, monstrously huge clouds floating through space, decimating virtually every city on all worlds they encounter. One is headed for earth in about 1,0000 years. Meanwhile, they find another that's turning and heading for an earth-like planet in about nine months. The problem is, this planet is inhabited by a pre-industrial, but still advanced civilization. Aliens. They look vaguely similar to us, in a cartoon like way, and have amazing architecture, libraries, restaurants, theaters, temples, etc. There are 11 cities on this planet, all fairly near each other. And they have no idea what's about to happen to them.
There's an Academy ship out there and the four people aboard are instructed to go down to the planet and interact with the aliens, who are being called Goompahs, a term I learned to utterly hate by the end of the book. The team wears clothing that make them invisible and they go into the cities, but Dig, one of the book's heroes, starts a stampede that kills the leader of the team, so something goes wrong right away.
Another ship is on the way with supplies, including dozens of things to be placed around the cities to eavesdrop on them so we can learn their language. Because the only way to save them is to either divert the Omega or to convince the Goompahs to leave their cities and head for the high ground. Unfortunately, the Goompahs are scared to death of humans, having seen Dig, and think he's a demon. So convincing them to leave their cities seems out. A ship is sent with scientists and linguists. The linguists get daily reports from the planet with recordings of conversation and start learning Goompah and become quite conversant in it. They're going to dress up as Goompahs and tell them in their own language to leave when the cloud arrives. Another ship is sent with a huge kite (which struck me as really stupid) and some video devices, to divert the cloud. The leader of this ship is a major asshole. It's a nine month flight, so they'll just barely be beating the cloud there.
The ship with the linguists loses its engines after six months and is stranded. Another ship comes by with room for one passenger, and the asshole gets on, determined to divert the cloud. Meanwhile, Dig has heard an alien woman speak who makes wild claims about seeing things all over the world which may or may not exist. He decides to appear before her and tell her about the cloud, which is now visible to the Goompahs, and tell her to head to the hills and to tell everyone. She freaks, but doesn't run away and he gives her the message.
Dig has a thing for his pilot, Kellie, and one of the other ship's captains marries them. Rather than a celebration, the asshole insists that Kellie take him right then and there to the cloud to try and divert it. Nice. The cloud sucks them in and Kellie escapes, while asshole blows the ship up in the cloud. I was glad to see him die.
Do the humans divert the cloud? Or do they convince the Goompahs to leave their cities and go to higher ground? If so, how? And what happens to the planet? You'll have to read it to find out.
Aside from some of the problems that I've already mentioned, this book is too long and simply DRAGS. Oh my God, I thought it would never end. I wanted everyone to die by the end of the book. I couldn't say that about the previous books in this series. McDevitt is a good writer, normally, and I have the last two books in this series. I'm hoping for a return to form. Recommended if you're reading the series. Otherwise, not recommended.
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LibraryThing member scottcholstad
I was somewhat disappointed in this book, especially when compared to its predecessor in the series, Chindi, which was an amazing book. The series features an Academy pilot, Hutch, who everyone loves. She constantly saves the day through smarts and bravery. In this book, however, she's no longer a
In this book, we get more of the Omega clouds, monstrously huge clouds floating through space, decimating virtually every city on all worlds they encounter. One is headed for earth in about 1,0000 years. Meanwhile, they find another that's turning and heading for an earth-like planet in about nine months. The problem is, this planet is inhabited by a pre-industrial, but still advanced civilization. Aliens. They look vaguely similar to us, in a cartoon like way, and have amazing architecture, libraries, restaurants, theaters, temples, etc. There are 11 cities on this planet, all fairly near each other. And they have no idea what's about to happen to them.
There's an Academy ship out there and the four people aboard are instructed to go down to the planet and interact with the aliens, who are being called Goompahs, a term I learned to utterly hate by the end of the book. The team wears clothing that make them invisible and they go into the cities, but Dig, one of the book's heroes, starts a stampede that kills the leader of the team, so something goes wrong right away.
Another ship is on the way with supplies, including dozens of things to be placed around the cities to eavesdrop on them so we can learn their language. Because the only way to save them is to either divert the Omega or to convince the Goompahs to leave their cities and head for the high ground. Unfortunately, the Goompahs are scared to death of humans, having seen Dig, and think he's a demon. So convincing them to leave their cities seems out. A ship is sent with scientists and linguists. The linguists get daily reports from the planet with recordings of conversation and start learning Goompah and become quite conversant in it. They're going to dress up as Goompahs and tell them in their own language to leave when the cloud arrives. Another ship is sent with a huge kite (which struck me as really stupid) and some video devices, to divert the cloud. The leader of this ship is a major asshole. It's a nine month flight, so they'll just barely be beating the cloud there.
The ship with the linguists loses its engines after six months and is stranded. Another ship comes by with room for one passenger, and the asshole gets on, determined to divert the cloud. Meanwhile, Dig has heard an alien woman speak who makes wild claims about seeing things all over the world which may or may not exist. He decides to appear before her and tell her about the cloud, which is now visible to the Goompahs, and tell her to head to the hills and to tell everyone. She freaks, but doesn't run away and he gives her the message.
Dig has a thing for his pilot, Kellie, and one of the other ship's captains marries them. Rather than a celebration, the asshole insists that Kellie take him right then and there to the cloud to try and divert it. Nice. The cloud sucks them in and Kellie escapes, while asshole blows the ship up in the cloud. I was glad to see him die.
Do the humans divert the cloud? Or do they convince the Goompahs to leave their cities and go to higher ground? If so, how? And what happens to the planet? You'll have to read it to find out.
Aside from some of the problems that I've already mentioned, this book is too long and simply DRAGS. Oh my God, I thought it would never end. I wanted everyone to die by the end of the book. I couldn't say that about the previous books in this series. McDevitt is a good writer, normally, and I have the last two books in this series. I'm hoping for a return to form. Recommended if you're reading the series. Otherwise, not recommended.
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pilot. She's now an administrator for the Academy and when we do see her, she's taking flak from everybody for not being able to grant inane wishes or she's sending messages off to her star ship pilots. That's all we get from her. Major disappointment.In this book, we get more of the Omega clouds, monstrously huge clouds floating through space, decimating virtually every city on all worlds they encounter. One is headed for earth in about 1,0000 years. Meanwhile, they find another that's turning and heading for an earth-like planet in about nine months. The problem is, this planet is inhabited by a pre-industrial, but still advanced civilization. Aliens. They look vaguely similar to us, in a cartoon like way, and have amazing architecture, libraries, restaurants, theaters, temples, etc. There are 11 cities on this planet, all fairly near each other. And they have no idea what's about to happen to them.
There's an Academy ship out there and the four people aboard are instructed to go down to the planet and interact with the aliens, who are being called Goompahs, a term I learned to utterly hate by the end of the book. The team wears clothing that make them invisible and they go into the cities, but Dig, one of the book's heroes, starts a stampede that kills the leader of the team, so something goes wrong right away.
Another ship is on the way with supplies, including dozens of things to be placed around the cities to eavesdrop on them so we can learn their language. Because the only way to save them is to either divert the Omega or to convince the Goompahs to leave their cities and head for the high ground. Unfortunately, the Goompahs are scared to death of humans, having seen Dig, and think he's a demon. So convincing them to leave their cities seems out. A ship is sent with scientists and linguists. The linguists get daily reports from the planet with recordings of conversation and start learning Goompah and become quite conversant in it. They're going to dress up as Goompahs and tell them in their own language to leave when the cloud arrives. Another ship is sent with a huge kite (which struck me as really stupid) and some video devices, to divert the cloud. The leader of this ship is a major asshole. It's a nine month flight, so they'll just barely be beating the cloud there.
The ship with the linguists loses its engines after six months and is stranded. Another ship comes by with room for one passenger, and the asshole gets on, determined to divert the cloud. Meanwhile, Dig has heard an alien woman speak who makes wild claims about seeing things all over the world which may or may not exist. He decides to appear before her and tell her about the cloud, which is now visible to the Goompahs, and tell her to head to the hills and to tell everyone. She freaks, but doesn't run away and he gives her the message.
Dig has a thing for his pilot, Kellie, and one of the other ship's captains marries them. Rather than a celebration, the asshole insists that Kellie take him right then and there to the cloud to try and divert it. Nice. The cloud sucks them in and Kellie escapes, while asshole blows the ship up in the cloud. I was glad to see him die.
Do the humans divert the cloud? Or do they convince the Goompahs to leave their cities and go to higher ground? If so, how? And what happens to the planet? You'll have to read it to find out.
Aside from some of the problems that I've already mentioned, this book is too long and simply DRAGS. Oh my God, I thought it would never end. I wanted everyone to die by the end of the book. I couldn't say that about the previous books in this series. McDevitt is a good writer, normally, and I have the last two books in this series. I'm hoping for a return to form. Recommended if you're reading the series. Otherwise, not recommended.
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LibraryThing member clark.hallman
Omega by Jack McDevitt - Mysterious and massive dark clouds that travel through deep space seem to target specific planets and their civilizations. The Omega clouds blast upon their targeted planets with horrendous destructive forces that destroy civilizations and leave terrifying death tolls in
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their wake. Unfortunately, in Omega (volume four of the Academy Series) Priscilla Hutchins is no longer exploring remote planets. Instead she has moved to an administrative position, which disappointed this reader. However, she is still part of the story, which involves the discovery of an Omega cloud which has targeted a specific planet that contains a primitive, but culturally interesting society. Several human ships are dispatched to the targeted planet and their crews try to prepare the alien population to survive the coming Omega assault. However, the benevolent humans must not reveal their presence on the planet. The reader is treated to a very interesting interaction between the unseen humans and the natives, who turn out to be much more endearing than expected. Sadly, there seems to be little that can be done to prevent massive destruction and death by the killing cloud. McDevitt always pays attention to scientifically plausible details and well-developed characters. He also provides a slow and steady tension buildup with a few exciting twists along the way, and a big finish that is always compelling and satisfying. I enjoyed this book very much. Other volumes in The Academy series include The Engines of God (#1), Deepsix (#2), Chindi (#3), Odyssey (#5), Cauldron (#6), and Starhawk (#7). Show Less
LibraryThing member majkia
I sooo enjoy this series. Lots of science, lots of action, intelligent and daring characters, and well written.
LibraryThing member stephkaye
I did not enjoy this as much as the first book in the series, The Engines of God. I felt there were too many ships, too many characters, and not enough action. However, I did really enjoy the alien race that gets dubbed "the Goompahs." I particularly appreciate how McDevitt insinuates that a
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culture with a low-key religion, and no promise of an afterlife, ends up being more peaceful than Earth. Another factor contributing to this is the females' control over when they get pregnant. Three cheers for that! Show Less
LibraryThing member harroldsheep
Deus Ex Machima much??? Ug. What a thoroughly disappointing book. Written adequately, that's why the 2 stars.
Awards
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 2004)
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (Winner — 2004)
Locus Recommended Reading (2003)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2003
Physical description
493 p.; 4.2 inches
ISBN
0441012108 / 9780441012107