The Eternity Artifact (edition 2006)

This is the second time I have read this novel and I liked the first time but I like it better after reading it a second time. Modesitt always offers subtle questions about deep subjects beneath a veneer of dramatic action. This novel is very good. ( )

I found this book at Goodwill and the front and back cover description enticed me enough to purchase (I've found that for the $1.50 commitment it's worthwhile trying out authors you wouldn't otherwise purchase at $8.00). This is the first book I've read by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. - I've seen some of his fantasy work (the Recluse novels) so I have wanted to try him out. Initially, the story was a bit off-putting as the character viewpoint changes pretty much with every chapter, and one of the characters is a professor who thinks and speaks using the largest words and most complex sentence structure imaginable. I soon got past that and found most of the characters interesting and likable. Also, the plot was interesting (space opera), even with some flaws in the math (there's another review here that gives the book 1/2 star as the reader couldn't get past some of the bad science, so I won't dwell on it).

One thing I've found in my readings is that a book needs to be judged by the overall quality of the story and not the minutiae (not to say that a lot of errors can turn me off as a reader, while this book had problems there wasn't anything in it that bothered me to the point of putting it down). The book could definitely have used more editing - lots of typos (obvious inappropriate word substitution via spelling and grammar checkers) but it seems that this has become the norm in paperback fiction. If one gets too bogged down by inaccuracies, forget about reading SF from previous decades as the further you go back in time of publication, the less accurate the material becomes.

In general, the book was well paced, the characters, setting and plot interesting - all good hallmarks of a good read. I wouldn't say that this book was an intense page turner, but I felt entirely entertained by the finish, and ultimately that's why I read SF. ( )

An interesting novel about a future galactic civilization divided up into competing cultures that all originated on Earth. Mainly, it is the democracies vs. the chinese vs. those who still believe in God. The discovery of a whole planet of alien artifacts is the biggest news in a long time, and getting there and bringing back discoveries pits the 'enlightened' (my term) against those that still believe in God. Its a good story, but you know who's going to win long before the end. Strangely enough, while there are amazing discoveries made, including an amazing new theory, the book ends before the results can be felt in all of the civilizations. Its a good story with interesting characters, though he perhaps over-does the anti-social professor and the anti-social shuttle pilot characters. ( )

http://sfreader.com/Home/BookReview/tabid/55/Default.aspx?book=1185 ( )

Better known for his fantasy novels (eg. The Recluce novels), Modesitt also writes science fiction novels. The Eternity Artifact is set in one of his typical SF worlds: future SF, multiple polities. intrigue, and action. Competent characters, often one or more who is tied to an espionage organization. Lots of sociological speculation in and amongst the action.

In this instance, these usual tools are put into a space opera, showing an expedition to an runaway alien planet by a polity who has some very serious rivals. Rivals serious enough to use sabotage, agents and even outright space warfare to stop the expedition, or steal its secrets for itself.

The action is seen through the perspective of four protagonists, one of whom is not who he appears to the rest. Its told in first person throughout, and so we get lots of internal consideration and thought as the very different quartet--an artist, a former agent turned professor, a shuttle pilot, and an armorer more than he appears journey to a Big Dumb Object--the planet of Danann. It is the epynomous "Eternity Artifact", an unbelievably ancient alien world in a universe where no other aliens have ever been found. A tempting prize indeed!

Some don't really care for Modesitt's style, since he does like to laden sociological speculation heavily into his plot and story, and it can be off-putting. I wasn't entirely thrilled with Recluce, for example, and have enjoyed his other novels more. Eternity Artifact falls into this category, and I think its because of the multiple protagonists. This allows for a variety of perspectives which manage to keep a balance of ideas in tension.

The ending and denouement feel a bit weak in my opinion, but in the getting there, I was reasonably entertained. And whether you agree with his opinions or not, Modesitt does raise some good sociological questions in the story. And there is even the barest hint of a romance, too, swirled in.

I enjoyed the book. ( )