She Treads Softly: Eternity Road

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Eternity Road

Eternity Road by Jack McDevitt is a science fiction book originally published in 1997. The setting is the future USA after a plague has wiped out most of the population. All that is left of our 21st century civilization are artifacts, ruins, and the remains of our roads, thus the name "Roadmakers" is given to our civilization by the new emerging culture of city-states. There is a legend that some Roadmakers left a vast store of knowledge (books) in a place called Haven. The first expedition to fine Haven failed. A second expedition begins and much of the book covers this second expedition.

Eternity Road is not fine literature, but is certainly an acceptable science fiction yarn. There are better books out there about civilization ending, but this is enjoyable book to read for pleasure. There is no underlying theme or moral to the story. There is no epic battle of good against evil. It's more along the lines of an explorers travel log set in a different future. I'd recommend it.

No comments:

Post a Comment

John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.