Jack McDevitt

About the Author

Jack McDevitt (born 1935) is an American science fiction author whose novels frequently deal with attempts to make contact with alien races, and with archaeology or xenoarchaeology. He attended La Salle University, where a short story of his won the annual Freshman Short Story Contest and was show more published in the school's literary magazine, Four Quarters. He received a Master's degree in literature from Wesleyan University in 1971. Before becoming a full-time author, he was an English teacher, naval officer, Philadelphia taxi driver, customs officer and motivational trainer. His first published story was The Emerson Effect in The Twilight Zone Magazine in 1981. Two years later, he published his first novel, The Hercules Text, which won the Philip K. Dick Special Award. He won the 2006 Nebula Award for Best Novel for Seeker, the UPC International Prize for his novella Ships in the Night in 1991, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best SF novel for Omega in 2003. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Ja Mcdevitt, jack devitt, Jack McDevit, Jack McDevitt, Jack MacDevitt, Jack McDevitt/ Jack MacDevitt

Image credit: Jack McDevitt (by Vadaro, 2010)

Series

The Academy: Priscilla Hutchins

Alex Benedict

Ancient Shores

Works by Jack McDevitt

Popular Recent

The Engines of God (1994) 1,832 copies

Chindi (2002) 1,360 copies

Seeker (2005) 1,317 copies

A Talent for War (1989) 1,291 copies

Polaris (2004) 1,146 copies

Eternity Road (1997) 1,102 copies

Deepsix (2001) 1,090 copies

Omega (2003) 1,056 copies

Ancient Shores (1996) 935 copies

Infinity Beach (2000) 827 copies

Moonfall (1998) 783 copies

Odyssey (2006) 777 copies

Cauldron (2007) 694 copies

The Devil's Eye (2008) 645 copies

Time Travelers Never Die (2009) 584 copies

Echo (2010) 512 copies

Firebird (2011) 408 copies

The Hercules Text (1986) 341 copies

Starhawk (2013) 275 copies

Coming Home (2014) 266 copies

The Cassandra Project (2012) 232 copies

Thunderbird (2015) 206 copies

The Long Sunset (2018) 148 copies

Octavia Gone (2019) 142 copies

Cryptic: The Best Short Fiction of Jack McDevitt (2009) 88 copies

Going Interstellar (2012) 81 copies

Standard Candles: The Best Short Fiction of Jack McDevitt (1996) 64 copies

Hello Out There (2000) 55 copies

Village in the Sky (2023) 40 copies

Outbound (2006) 29 copies

A Voice in the Night (2018) 27 copies

Return to Glory (2022) — Author — 19 copies

Ships in the night : and other stories (2001) 18 copies

Maquinas De Dios,Las Puzzle (2006) 13 copies

PREMIO UPC 1992 (PLAZA DEL LIBRO) by MCDEVITT (2010) 11 copies

Henry James, This One's For You 11 copies

PREMIO UPC 1994 (1995) 9 copies

The Alex Benedict Collection: A Talent For War, Polaris, Seeker (2014) 6 copies

The Fort Moxie Branch [short fiction] 6 copies

The Cassandra Project [short fiction] 6 copies

Cryptic [short story] 6 copies

The Best of Defending the Future (2016) 5 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 46, No. 3 & 4 [March/April 2022] (2021) — Contributor — 4 copies

Promises to Keep 4 copies

The Far Shore 4 copies

The Candidate 4 copies

The Cat’s Pajamas 3 copies

Welcome To Valhalla 3 copies

Time's Arrow 3 copies

Tyger 3 copies

Auld Lang Boom 3 copies

Act of God 3 copies

Nothing Ever Happens In Rock City 3 copies

Fifth Day 3 copies

Good Intentions 3 copies

Tweak 2 copies

Windows 2 copies

Black To Move 2 copies

Never Despair 2 copies

Codice Hercules 2 copies

Deus Tex 2 copies

Lake Agassiz {short story} 2 copies

Indomitable 2 copies

Seeker by Jack McDevitt (2005-11-06) 2 copies

Last Contact 2 copies

Maiden Voyage (2012) 2 copies

Dig Site 2 copies

Doorway to the Stars 2 copies

Report From The Rear 2 copies

The Tomb 2 copies

Cruising Through Deuteronomy 2 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 45, No. 11 & 12 [November/December 2021] — Contributor — 2 copies

Kaminsky at War [novella] 2 copies

To Hell with the Stars (1987) 2 copies

Dead In The Water 2 copies

Happy Birthday — Author — 2 copies

Ellie 2 copies

Windrider 1 copy

Aoife's Kiss, June 2012 (Aoife's Kiss, #41) 1 copy

Midnight Clear 1 copy

Tau Ceti Said What? 1 copy

Frohes Fest : 13 schlimme Bescherungen / 17 schöne Bescherungen 1 copy

Strange Pulp. May 2012 1 copy

The Gold Signal 1 copy

Knock Knock [short story] — Author — 1 copy

Cosmic Harmony 1 copy

Oculus 1 copy

The Long Sunset (The Academy series(Priscilla Hutchins) novel Book 8) 1 copy

Glory Days 1 copy

Blinker 1 copy

Gus 1 copy

The Last Dance 1 copy

Ignition 1 copy

Sunrise 1 copy

The Mission 1 copy

Ships in the Night [short story] 1 copy

Molly's Kids 1 copy

Seeker [Excerpt] 1 copy

Dutchman 1 copy

Listen Up Nitwits 1 copy

Waiting At The Altar 1 copy

In The Tower 1 copy

Variables 1 copy

Whistle 1 copy

The Big Downtown {short story} 1 copy

Melville On Iapetus 1 copy

The Eagle Project 1 copy

Enjoy the Moment 1 copy

Valkyrie 1 copy

Riding with the Duke (short) 1 copy

The Emerson Effect {short story} 1 copy

Tidal Effects 1 copy

Ohio Toolmakers and Their Tools (2000) 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse (2008) — Contributor — 1,508 copies

Pellucidar (1915) — Introduction, some editions — 658 copies

The End Is Nigh (2014) — Contributor — 268 copies

Year's Best SF 10 (2005) — Contributor — 228 copies

Future Visions: Original Science Fiction Inspired by Microsoft (2015) — Contributor — 185 copies

Wastelands 2: More Stories of the Apocalypse (2013) — Contributor — 176 copies

Full Spectrum 3 (1991) — Contributor — 162 copies

The Further Adventures of the Joker (1990) — Contributor — 155 copies

Armored (2012) — Contributor — 140 copies

Lightspeed: Year One (2011) — Contributor — 137 copies

Down these Dark Spaceways (2005) — Contributor — 135 copies

The Best Time Travel Stories of All Time (2002) — Contributor — 133 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: First Annual Collection (1984) — Contributor — 130 copies

Year's Best SF 16 (2011) — Contributor — 123 copies

Not of Woman Born (1999) — Contributor — 119 copies

Full Spectrum (1988) — Contributor — 117 copies

Full Spectrum 2 (1990) — Contributor — 117 copies

Futures from Nature (2007) — Contributor — 113 copies

Christmas on Ganymede and Other Stories (1990) — Contributor — 111 copies

Alternate Wars (What Might Have Been, Vol. 3) (1991) — Contributor — 110 copies

Nebula Awards Showcase 2007 (2007) — Contributor — 105 copies

Sideways In Crime (2008) — Contributor — 98 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Second Annual Collection (1985) — Contributor — 95 copies

The Other Half of the Sky (2013) — Contributor — 95 copies

Christmas Stars (1992) — Contributor — 94 copies

Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries, and Lore (2017) — Contributor — 93 copies

Carbide Tipped Pens: Seventeen Tales of Hard Science Fiction (2016) — Contributor — 90 copies

Nebula Awards Showcase 2008 (2008) — Contributor — 90 copies

Forbidden Planets (2006) — Contributor — 86 copies

Time Machines: The Greatest Time Travel Stories Ever Written (1998) — Contributor — 79 copies

Nebula Awards Showcase 2004 (2004) — Contributor — 77 copies

Betcha Can't Read Just One (1993) — Contributor — 72 copies

Wondrous Beginnings (2003) — Contributor — 68 copies

Fast Forward 2 (2008) — Contributor — 67 copies

When the Music's Over (1991) — Contributor — 63 copies

Nebula Awards 24: SFWA's Choices for the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 1988 (1988) — Contributor — 57 copies

Explorers: SF Adventures to Far Horizons (2000) — Contributor — 54 copies

Cosmic Tales: Adventures in Sol System (2004) — Contributor — 54 copies

Crossroads: Tales of the Southern Literary Fantastic (2004) — Contributor — 52 copies

Timegates (1997) — Contributor — 52 copies

Universe 15 (1985) — Contributor — 50 copies

Isaac Asimov's Christmas (1656) — Contributor — 48 copies

Isaac Asimov's Aliens (1991) — Contributor — 38 copies

Future Washington (2005) — Contributor — 35 copies

Chasing Shadows: Visions of Our Coming Transparent World (2017) — Contributor — 33 copies

The Eagle Has Landed: 50 Years of Lunar Science Fiction (2019) — Contributor — 30 copies

A Cross of Centuries: Twenty-five Imaginative Tales About the Christ (2007) — Contributor — 28 copies

The Door Gunner and Other Perilous Flights of Fancy (2011) — Introduction — 28 copies

Christmas Forever (1993) — Contributor — 24 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 41, No. 11 & 12 [November/December 2017] (2017) — Contributor — 20 copies

Exploring the Horizons (2000) — Contributor — 20 copies

Mission: Tomorrow (2015) — Contributor — 20 copies

Futuredaze: An Anthology of YA Science Fiction (2013) — Contributor — 19 copies

To Shape the Dark (2016) — Contributor — 18 copies

The Best of Jim Baen's Universe II (2008) — Contributor — 17 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 31, No. 4 & 5 [April/May 2007] (2007) — Contributor — 17 copies

Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 1 • June 2010 (2010) — Contributor — 16 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 19, No. 6 [May 1995] (1995) — Author — 14 copies

Beyond Watson: A Sherlock Holmes Anthology of Stories NOT Told by Dr. John H. Watson (2016) — Contributor — 13 copies

Galaxy's Edge Magazine Issue 1, March 2013 (2013) — Contributor — 13 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 8, No. 12 [December 1984] (1984) — Contributor — 12 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 7, No. 11 [November 1983] (1979) — Contributor — 12 copies

Universe 17 (1987) — Contributor — 12 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 11, No. 12 [December 1987] (1987) — Contributor — 12 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 7, No. 4 [April 1983] (1983) — Contributor — 12 copies

Analog Science Fiction and Fact: Vol. CXXII, No. 7 & 8 (July/August 2002) (2002) — Contributor — 11 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 13, No. 12 [December 1989] (1989) — Author — 11 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 10, No. 11 [November 1986] (1986) — Author — 11 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 6, No. 6 [June 1982] (1982) — Contributor — 11 copies

Extrasolar (2017) — Contributor — 10 copies

The Loch Moose Monster: More Stories From Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (1993) — Contributor — 10 copies

Galaxy's Edge Magazine Issue 11, November 2014 (2014) — Contributor — 7 copies

Impossible Futures (2013) — Contributor — 5 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 46, No. 7 & 8 [July/August 2022] — Contributor — 5 copies

StarShipSofa Stories Volume 3 — Contributor — 4 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 44, No. 11 & 12 [November/December 2020] (2020) — Contributor — 3 copies

Aboriginal Science Fiction No. 55 & 56 Spring 1998 — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

adventure (142) Alex Benedict (191) aliens (141) alternate history (59) American (66) anthology (831) apocalypse (92) archaeology (124) calibre (73) collection (62) ebook (405) fantasy (279) fiction (1,648) first contact (73) hardcover (96) horror (58) jack mcdevitt (78) Kindle (163) mystery (185) novel (200) own (67) owned (87) paperback (148) post-apocalyptic (189) read (316) science fiction (5,682) Science Fiction/Fantasy (66) series (104) sf (1,190) sff (224) short stories (674) signed (80) space (79) space opera (206) space travel (67) speculative fiction (83) time travel (110) to-read (1,198) unread (166) wishlist (64)

Common Knowledge

Legal name: McDevitt, John Charles
Birthdate: 1935-04-14
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Places of residence: Brunswick, Georgia, USA
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Education: La Salle University
Wesleyan University
Occupations: English teacher
naval officer
taxi driver
customs officer
motivational trainer
science fiction writer
Organizations: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

Members

Reviews

Chindi by Jack McDevitt

So-so writing, but an incredibly promising plot that left you completely hanging.

1/1/2012 update. I just finished reading the first book in this series and I really enjoyed it.

Flagged

lschiff | 30 other reviews | Sep 24, 2023 |

The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt

Fun, interesting science fiction adventure set in the near future. Enjoyable writing with a page turning, rich plot and female characters that are real people, not just props.

Flagged

lschiff | 44 other reviews | Sep 24, 2023 |

Seeker by Jack McDevitt

Very weak writing, a much weaker book than Chindi, despite Chindi's failure to deliver. This one fails to deliver too. The last 5 pages should have been at least half of the book. The female characters are ridiculous and the relations between men and women are silly.

Flagged

lschiff | 26 other reviews | Sep 24, 2023 |