Village in the Sky

Alex Benedict, Book 9

By: Jack McDevitt

Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck

In Nebula Award-winning author Jack McDevitt's ninth installment in the beloved Alex Benedict science fiction mystery series, humanity discovers new intelligent life lightyears away—only for it to disappear without a trace.

Centuries after a war with the Mutes, the first aliens to be encountered by humankind, a startling new discovery in the far reaches of the Orion Nebula appears. On a planet with conditions favorable to life, explorer vessel The Columbia comes across a small town seemingly inhabited by an intelligent species not yet discovered.

But when a highly publicized follow-up mission is sent to make contact mere months later, the entire town has vanished, leaving no trace—or such is presumed to be the case until Alex Benedict and his archaeological crew show up to investigate. Officially, their mission is to find concealed artifacts that may have been left behind, but the team's real goal is to solve the mystery of how these aliens disappeared so rapidly—and why. In turns terrifying and miraculous, the answers raise the stakes for every member on board as they look to make their mark on history.

Nebula Award-winning author Jack McDevitt, whom Stephen King has called "the logical heir to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke," brings back Alex, Chase, and Gabe for another brilliantly crafted science fiction mystery.

©2022 Jack McDevitt (P)2022 Recorded Books

far future travelogue

Things happen. Our heroes finally leave home and have an adventure. Major threads are started, possibly to be taken up in future volumes? Mostly uninspired and often self-referential. If you like the series, you should find it at least passable.

The weakest in the series

Reads like a middle school summer holiday report. I kept hoping that it would pick up and become interesting. it never did

Enjoyable as always, but ending felt very hurried

Very interesting, I always enjoy the narrator. Alex Benedict stories are pleasant, but the last 30 minutes of the book felt way to hurried then book ended. .

Long wait but worth every minute and more

I am a fan or Dirk and Chase. I also enjoy the announcer. Any who love a strong woman with a will of her own will enjoy these books. As a man I enjoy the woman point of view and telling of the story. Can’t wait for the next one and don’t forget Chase, thanks all who worked on this audiobook.

All of a sudden, aliens all over

Jack McDevitt’s Village in the Sky is another installment in his Alex Benedict franchise. Benedict is an antiquities dealer as well as somewhat of a Sherlock Holmes, living in the far, far future. His faithful Dr Watson is his assistant and supraluminal pilot who also serves as biographer. Their adventures involve either something that others do not want found or else the provenance of an artifact. This time out, intelligent alien life has been observed, but upon a second mission, they disappear. Benedict seeks to investigate and eventually finds a colony near death which they manage to save.

McDevitt kinda throws in the kitchen sink with this one as intelligent aliens seem to be oozing from the woodwork all of a sudden. The early alien contact seemed a filler and the ‘Gaia’ like trees and psychic creatures seemed a bit over the top.

The narration is well done with excellent character distinction. Pacing is brisk, making for a quick listen.