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The Academy #6
Cauldron
When a young physicist comes up with an efficient star drive capable of reaching the core of the galaxy, retired star pilot Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins once again embarks on a perilous mission into the far reaches of outer space to uncover the origins of the deadly Omega clouds, in the follow-up to Odyssey.
373 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2007
About the author
Jack McDevitt
176 books1,297 followersJack McDevitt is a former English teacher, naval officer, Philadelphia taxi driver, customs officer and motivational trainer. His work has been on the final ballot for the Nebula Awards for 12 of the past 13 years. His first novel, The Hercules Text, was published in the celebrated Ace Specials series and won the Philip K. Dick Special Award. In 1991, McDevitt won the first $10,000 UPC International Prize for his novella, "Ships in the Night." The Engines of God was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and his novella, "Time Travelers Never Die," was nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula awards.
McDevitt lives in Georgia with his wife, Maureen, where he plays chess, reads mysteries and eats lunch regularly with his cronies.
McDevitt lives in Georgia with his wife, Maureen, where he plays chess, reads mysteries and eats lunch regularly with his cronies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
October 11, 2018
Looking back on the other five books in the Academy series, I have to say I like Cauldron the best. It not only engages us back on Earth with something other than a religious diatribe, it gives us a look at the failing drive to get out into the stars.
Oh, and because there is hope for a brand new stardrive that would get us so much farther and faster out there, a great deal of the story is watching each attempt at the drive fail.
But let's cut to the chase. That's all great character-building stuff and when they finally go out there in much smaller ships to encounter and resolve all the great mysteries wondered at in the other novels, we're treated to real resolutions.
Setup, adventure, revisited mysteries, more death, and big reveals.
You know, like the Omega cloud, the one that seems to eat spacefaring species.
... And a lot of that is quite welcome. The pacing is much better, too.
But I will say this: the very last reveal was something of a major letdown. McDevitt's build-ups are always pretty awesome, but when we finally have an answer to the mystery, I'm kinda underwhelmed.
This is not a Peter Watts novel. *sigh*
Oh, and because there is hope for a brand new stardrive that would get us so much farther and faster out there, a great deal of the story is watching each attempt at the drive fail.
But let's cut to the chase. That's all great character-building stuff and when they finally go out there in much smaller ships to encounter and resolve all the great mysteries wondered at in the other novels, we're treated to real resolutions.
Setup, adventure, revisited mysteries, more death, and big reveals.
You know, like the Omega cloud, the one that seems to eat spacefaring species.
... And a lot of that is quite welcome. The pacing is much better, too.
But I will say this: the very last reveal was something of a major letdown. McDevitt's build-ups are always pretty awesome, but when we finally have an answer to the mystery, I'm kinda underwhelmed.
This is not a Peter Watts novel. *sigh*
March 21, 2021
This was the first Jack McDevitt book that I ever read, and it woke me up to science fiction outside the realm of Star Wars. Though a bit rough at times, it was still an exciting intergalactic adventure, and the portrait he paints of our future is fascinating.
October 13, 2024
*** 4 ***
This was my favorite book in the series so far 😃! We actually met the aliens related to the one from American Dad😎😊😃. We also encountered a creature we have been flirting with meeting since the beginning...
There are plenty of flaws in this series, but overall, they are engaging and I enjoy them. The takes on AI are also very interesting. But ultimately, it's all about Hutch and I love her, so that is that 😃👍
This was my favorite book in the series so far 😃! We actually met the aliens related to the one from American Dad😎😊😃. We also encountered a creature we have been flirting with meeting since the beginning...
There are plenty of flaws in this series, but overall, they are engaging and I enjoy them. The takes on AI are also very interesting. But ultimately, it's all about Hutch and I love her, so that is that 😃👍
June 28, 2012
Cauldron is the latest in McDevitt's Acadamy series. It involves a new hyperspace sort of engine, allowing the characters to travel to the Galactic core and solve three different mysteries, two from previous books.
On the plus side, it has plenty of Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins in it. Hutch is a great character who has been minimized in some of the more recent books in the series. This one drops her right in the middle of the action.
But, overall, I didn't like the book much. First off, the blurb on the back of the book makes it clear that the story involves a new drive. So, why use up half the book on the development of the engine? It would be okay if that half was all great hard sci-fi stuff. But it's more like a suspense book. Will the engine work? Will it?
Well, yeah, it will. The freaking blurb on the back tells you so. Given that, the first half is pretty tedious.
The second half gets moving better. And, indeed, three different mysteries are resolved. The problem here is that the resolutions are so, well, tepid. There's very little sense of wonder at their revelation.
You just feel sort of let down at the end. Bummer.
On the plus side, it has plenty of Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins in it. Hutch is a great character who has been minimized in some of the more recent books in the series. This one drops her right in the middle of the action.
But, overall, I didn't like the book much. First off, the blurb on the back of the book makes it clear that the story involves a new drive. So, why use up half the book on the development of the engine? It would be okay if that half was all great hard sci-fi stuff. But it's more like a suspense book. Will the engine work? Will it?
Well, yeah, it will. The freaking blurb on the back tells you so. Given that, the first half is pretty tedious.
The second half gets moving better. And, indeed, three different mysteries are resolved. The problem here is that the resolutions are so, well, tepid. There's very little sense of wonder at their revelation.
You just feel sort of let down at the end. Bummer.
June 24, 2019
McDevitt always delivers a solid read but Cauldron is probably my least favorite of the series so far. Despite being the shortest entry it felt slow-moving. It isn't until about halfway through that they actually get out and exploring the galaxy. I realize the author probably didn't want to make the development of the new star drive seem too easy, but maybe it could have been compressed just a little. Once they are on their way they meander and make a few stops before heading for the main objective. As with DeepSix I felt there were instances of characters making unwise choices and then paying for them. I'm sure if I had found a habitable planet I might want to drop down and take a firsthand look, but as a reader...you know that something bad is going to happen, and none of these people are trained for this sort of thing. They're basically civilians.
In the final part we get the big payoff we've waited the whole series for. I won't give anything away, but I will say that it is a satisfying revelation, and for me it is what raises the book up to a three-star rating.
In the final part we get the big payoff we've waited the whole series for. I won't give anything away, but I will say that it is a satisfying revelation, and for me it is what raises the book up to a three-star rating.
October 4, 2018
Cauldron starts off very strong, with an intro in the purest McDevitt's style: an artifact of an unknown alien race about to be destroyed by an Omega cloud, a team of scientists is going to explore it (in less than 20 minutes ), the suspense is crazy. Awesome !
Except that this appetizer will never return to the front of the stage ... (You tell me it's the principle of appetizers.) But when the appetizer is better than the 7 dishes that follow, it's problematic.)
After that, during the first two hundred pages, McDevitt develops a history of invention that will significantly increase spacecraft's speed. As is often the case with McDevitt, there are some very interesting sides and some totally missed.
On the good side, I liked the atmosphere of end of space conquest and withdrawal to the solar system in which the book is bathed. The author makes subtly parallel to our current situation (the fact that the conquest of space is now considered a thing of little importance by the vast majority of the population and its representatives). He plays with the harmless side of the space conquest retranscribed through various newspaper articles, and it is very well seen. (And sometimes hilarious, I think in particular of the titles of press which follow the second test.)
As usual I found it well written, very fluid.
There are, however, clearly completely useless chapters, pure filling, very boring. For the first time in the series, McDevitt tries to give a unity to his different stories, bringing all the characters still alive to the front of the scene for a few moments: it is useless and it is very long.
Because McDevitt is not so good with characters: they are all boring! They are most often appalling of platitude and banality.
For the last two hundred pages, McDevitt exploits the invention of Silvestri: a team is formed to flush out the various secrets left in suspense during his series. Here again, very good things and others that are totally implausible silliness. For moments it seems like a boy-scout's team in space...
Fortunately, there are some interesting discoveries, and a rather successful ending
The book lacks a solid spine. There are many issues related to the resolution of unresolved mysteries in previous volumes, but no major issue to create the usual suspense. Suspense on which rested mainly the previous books of the series.
I thought that the series ended on this average novel, but fortunately the series has been resumed since then and the last two novels of the series (Starhawk and The Long Sunset) are much better than this one.
Except that this appetizer will never return to the front of the stage ... (You tell me it's the principle of appetizers.) But when the appetizer is better than the 7 dishes that follow, it's problematic.)
After that, during the first two hundred pages, McDevitt develops a history of invention that will significantly increase spacecraft's speed. As is often the case with McDevitt, there are some very interesting sides and some totally missed.
On the good side, I liked the atmosphere of end of space conquest and withdrawal to the solar system in which the book is bathed. The author makes subtly parallel to our current situation (the fact that the conquest of space is now considered a thing of little importance by the vast majority of the population and its representatives). He plays with the harmless side of the space conquest retranscribed through various newspaper articles, and it is very well seen. (And sometimes hilarious, I think in particular of the titles of press which follow the second test.)
As usual I found it well written, very fluid.
There are, however, clearly completely useless chapters, pure filling, very boring. For the first time in the series, McDevitt tries to give a unity to his different stories, bringing all the characters still alive to the front of the scene for a few moments: it is useless and it is very long.
Because McDevitt is not so good with characters: they are all boring! They are most often appalling of platitude and banality.
For the last two hundred pages, McDevitt exploits the invention of Silvestri: a team is formed to flush out the various secrets left in suspense during his series. Here again, very good things and others that are totally implausible silliness. For moments it seems like a boy-scout's team in space...
Fortunately, there are some interesting discoveries, and a rather successful ending
The book lacks a solid spine. There are many issues related to the resolution of unresolved mysteries in previous volumes, but no major issue to create the usual suspense. Suspense on which rested mainly the previous books of the series.
I thought that the series ended on this average novel, but fortunately the series has been resumed since then and the last two novels of the series (Starhawk and The Long Sunset) are much better than this one.
June 21, 2013
This is a very enjoyable book, though I didn't think it was as good as the early books in the series. Many of the older characters have cameos, or are at least mentioned so that their destinies are made clear. This one seems sharply divided into two parts; in the first half the public is losing interest in space exploration and an aging Priscilla Hutchins seems somewhat lost with her Academy job gone and her family no longer around. It's a depressing scenario that stretches on for too long. Then a technological advance is made that considerably speeds up interstellar travel and she leads a team on a voyage of exploration to the origin of the Omega clouds; this section seems a little rushed in juxtaposition with the earlier part. It was great to have Hutch get away from her desk job and return to the bridge where she belongs. It all ends on a happy note, but I couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't intended as a coda for the series.
March 30, 2008
Jack McDevitt finally reveals the origins of the mysterious Omega Clouds, first introduced in "The Engines of God," and explored further in "Omega." "Omega" promised answers, but all it really told the reader was what the Omega Clouds did, a little about their technology, and some further exploration of past races wiped out by encounters with the right-angle hating storms.
McDevitt fulfills the promise of explanations in "Cauldron," although like most of the great mysteries that McDevitt likes to pepper into his sci-fi novels, the answer is not as intriguing as the question. The real meat of the story here is his tale of a future human race that has the ability to navigate among the stars, but is quickly losing the interest. Much like the modern day space program the technology is amazing, but it has little practical use. At the opening of the novel the only people still interested in traversing the stars are tour groups to Alpha Centauri.
Unfortunately, McDevitt never really explores the implications or the solutions to such a state. He provides a miracle technology which allows the human race to go farther and faster than the previous hyperspace technology, but at the end of the novel they've explored deeper into the cosmos than anyone in his sci-fi universe and still haven't found anyone worth talking to.
That's not to say it's a bad novel. McDevitt's strength is at writing adventures in the shadow of a great mystery, and the adventures here are thrilling and memorable. He has more of his trademarked alien ruins and derelict space ships, and the story is gripping as long as danger is looming. Even the finale, while lacking in what I think should be a considerable amount of awe, is exciting.
McDevitt never does well when it comes time to shine a light into the dark corners he creates in his narratives. In "Eternity Road" he tossed off the explanation in a single sentance, without any further comment. Here, he gives it a bit more heft, but it still left me with a feeling of "that's it." The mystery of the Omega Clouds was drawn out over 3 novels, and referenced in the background of at least 2 others, but the final revelation just seems a let down.
I don't want to spoil it, but I will say that McDevitt seems to have attempted to answer not only his own mystery, but one of the great rhetorical questions of Star Trek history. He does have an answer, but it boggles my mind much more upon contemplation than it did when reading it.
However, aside from the unsatisfying mystery, the novel has plenty of adventure and space opera-esque thrills. Like all McDevitt books, as long as the biggest mystery answered is how to escape from the monster, it more than delivers.
McDevitt fulfills the promise of explanations in "Cauldron," although like most of the great mysteries that McDevitt likes to pepper into his sci-fi novels, the answer is not as intriguing as the question. The real meat of the story here is his tale of a future human race that has the ability to navigate among the stars, but is quickly losing the interest. Much like the modern day space program the technology is amazing, but it has little practical use. At the opening of the novel the only people still interested in traversing the stars are tour groups to Alpha Centauri.
Unfortunately, McDevitt never really explores the implications or the solutions to such a state. He provides a miracle technology which allows the human race to go farther and faster than the previous hyperspace technology, but at the end of the novel they've explored deeper into the cosmos than anyone in his sci-fi universe and still haven't found anyone worth talking to.
That's not to say it's a bad novel. McDevitt's strength is at writing adventures in the shadow of a great mystery, and the adventures here are thrilling and memorable. He has more of his trademarked alien ruins and derelict space ships, and the story is gripping as long as danger is looming. Even the finale, while lacking in what I think should be a considerable amount of awe, is exciting.
McDevitt never does well when it comes time to shine a light into the dark corners he creates in his narratives. In "Eternity Road" he tossed off the explanation in a single sentance, without any further comment. Here, he gives it a bit more heft, but it still left me with a feeling of "that's it." The mystery of the Omega Clouds was drawn out over 3 novels, and referenced in the background of at least 2 others, but the final revelation just seems a let down.
I don't want to spoil it, but I will say that McDevitt seems to have attempted to answer not only his own mystery, but one of the great rhetorical questions of Star Trek history. He does have an answer, but it boggles my mind much more upon contemplation than it did when reading it.
However, aside from the unsatisfying mystery, the novel has plenty of adventure and space opera-esque thrills. Like all McDevitt books, as long as the biggest mystery answered is how to escape from the monster, it more than delivers.
August 16, 2011
I picked this one up because it was nominated for the 2008 Nebula Award for best novel. (It didn't win.) I was impressed. This is the first novel of McDevitt's that I've read, and now I've got another author whose works are going to wind up getting added to my "should read" list...
This was a novel of spaceflight in a post-spaceflight world, which is an interesting environment to explore, especially as it correlates strongly to the current (early 21st century) public disinterest in advancing space technology. This was a fun theme to explore.
McDevitt also has (nearly-so if not outright) sentient AIs running a lot of life; the plight of their kind is also a background theme in the story, done nicely, if mildly.
There's a bit of action as well, both on the pulp-ish "monster on frozen world" formula, and in the "speak to a intelligent gas cloud" style. It was fun to read.
It was also interesting to hear McDevitt's thoughts on "first contact" and establising a common language with an alien intelligence; the parallels with Robert Sawyer's Rollback, which I read only two months ago, were striking. Both authors probably used the same source material while authoring their books; the parallels were striking.
This was a fun fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This was a novel of spaceflight in a post-spaceflight world, which is an interesting environment to explore, especially as it correlates strongly to the current (early 21st century) public disinterest in advancing space technology. This was a fun theme to explore.
McDevitt also has (nearly-so if not outright) sentient AIs running a lot of life; the plight of their kind is also a background theme in the story, done nicely, if mildly.
There's a bit of action as well, both on the pulp-ish "monster on frozen world" formula, and in the "speak to a intelligent gas cloud" style. It was fun to read.
It was also interesting to hear McDevitt's thoughts on "first contact" and establising a common language with an alien intelligence; the parallels with Robert Sawyer's Rollback, which I read only two months ago, were striking. Both authors probably used the same source material while authoring their books; the parallels were striking.
This was a fun fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
January 17, 2015
How can I not love a science fiction novel in which intrepid space explorers travel to the center of our Galaxy? (I spent much of my astrophysicist career studying the Galactic Center.) An experimental but powerful new FTL drive lures heroine Hutch out of retirement to join a quest for the origin of the destructive omega clouds. There are black holes and intelligent life forms galore. The ending is both exciting and thought-provoking.
January 27, 2022
This book had a big Stephen King endorsement on the front, hailing Jack as the logical successor to some pretty amazing authors of the past. I'd say for fans of Arthur C. Clark and the Rendezvous With Rama books, you might like this one.
Then, on the dust jacket, the book description itself let the cat out of the bag. Any suspense built during the whole first half of the book was completely negated, as I already knew what was going to happen. That's a huge foul!
First, I'll say that this book is decidedly character-based. The people are great examples of flawed, beautiful human beings interacting in the way that humans so often do. So that is spot on.
I really am disappointed that a downright plodding plotline, that never really gets to the point, completely ruined it for me. We spent half the book getting to the part where the action starts, and then the next 40% gallivanting around meeting dead or half-dead societies that, while they are interesting, didn't really compel me much at all. And then we left them before anything much happened!
Overall, it was well written and easy to read but I found myself skipping over a lot of the character interactions and supposed "drama"; nothing was happening to the characters that I cared about, they didn't seem to be changing much, and so I had a hard time caring about any of them. The relatively distant third person didn't help this much.
As a commentary on the dangers of technology and the possibility that unchecked technological advancement might be hazardous to continued existence, it worked. As a riveting read that pulled me in and made me want to savor every word, and live every moment, I just didn't like it.
Then, on the dust jacket, the book description itself let the cat out of the bag. Any suspense built during the whole first half of the book was completely negated, as I already knew what was going to happen. That's a huge foul!
First, I'll say that this book is decidedly character-based. The people are great examples of flawed, beautiful human beings interacting in the way that humans so often do. So that is spot on.
I really am disappointed that a downright plodding plotline, that never really gets to the point, completely ruined it for me. We spent half the book getting to the part where the action starts, and then the next 40% gallivanting around meeting dead or half-dead societies that, while they are interesting, didn't really compel me much at all. And then we left them before anything much happened!
Overall, it was well written and easy to read but I found myself skipping over a lot of the character interactions and supposed "drama"; nothing was happening to the characters that I cared about, they didn't seem to be changing much, and so I had a hard time caring about any of them. The relatively distant third person didn't help this much.
As a commentary on the dangers of technology and the possibility that unchecked technological advancement might be hazardous to continued existence, it worked. As a riveting read that pulled me in and made me want to savor every word, and live every moment, I just didn't like it.
May 1, 2012
Cauldron
The Academy (Priscilla Hutchins) Novels #6
By Jack McDevitt
Publisher: Ace Books, The Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Group
Published In: New York, USA
Date: 2007
Pgs: 373
Summary:
In 2255, the Academy that trained pilots and sent missions into space is gone. The efforts in space have changed. For profit missions…very little pure science. The privately funded Prometheus Foundation is one of the only entities still devoted to deep space exploration. The Hazeltine Drive has been getting humanity between the stars for a number of years. But now an upstart physicist has taken a discounted theory and turned it into a new, faster way to get around. The universe is opening. And the origins of the civilization destroying Omega clouds may finally be within reach.
Genre:
Science fiction, space opera
Main Character:
Priscilla Hutchins though for much of the book you wouldn’t have guessed that it was her.
Favorite Character:
Antonio. The Dr. Science journalist is a great character.
Least Favorite Character:
Rudy. Not sure if it was the space madness or if he was just a 5th wheel and was intended for what happened for the get go. His character was a little bit of all over the place.
Favorite Scene:
“Hutch, get clear. Do it now. Get out of there. Up ahead. It’s watching you.”
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
Rudy. I’ll just leave him at that. His character was fine up until the transit in Locarno/Barber/Silvestri Space. Would have probably went down better, if he’d had a bit of space narcosis or something instead of the way that it went.
Last Page Sound:
I really liked this book. It picks up pacing all the way through and it is kicking pretty good when you get to the end.
Author Assessment:
Definitely be reading this author again.
Disposition of Book:
This is a keep it and re-read it book. I might even have to look into some other books in this series. This is the best kind of series book. You don’t even have to be aware that it is part of a series to read it and enjoy it. This book stands on its own quite well and while it does reference things that happen in other books, it explains them in such a way that you don’t have to read the other book to enjoy this one.
The Academy (Priscilla Hutchins) Novels #6
By Jack McDevitt
Publisher: Ace Books, The Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Group
Published In: New York, USA
Date: 2007
Pgs: 373
Summary:
In 2255, the Academy that trained pilots and sent missions into space is gone. The efforts in space have changed. For profit missions…very little pure science. The privately funded Prometheus Foundation is one of the only entities still devoted to deep space exploration. The Hazeltine Drive has been getting humanity between the stars for a number of years. But now an upstart physicist has taken a discounted theory and turned it into a new, faster way to get around. The universe is opening. And the origins of the civilization destroying Omega clouds may finally be within reach.
Genre:
Science fiction, space opera
Main Character:
Priscilla Hutchins though for much of the book you wouldn’t have guessed that it was her.
Favorite Character:
Antonio. The Dr. Science journalist is a great character.
Least Favorite Character:
Rudy. Not sure if it was the space madness or if he was just a 5th wheel and was intended for what happened for the get go. His character was a little bit of all over the place.
Favorite Scene:
“Hutch, get clear. Do it now. Get out of there. Up ahead. It’s watching you.”
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
Rudy. I’ll just leave him at that. His character was fine up until the transit in Locarno/Barber/Silvestri Space. Would have probably went down better, if he’d had a bit of space narcosis or something instead of the way that it went.
Last Page Sound:
I really liked this book. It picks up pacing all the way through and it is kicking pretty good when you get to the end.
Author Assessment:
Definitely be reading this author again.
Disposition of Book:
This is a keep it and re-read it book. I might even have to look into some other books in this series. This is the best kind of series book. You don’t even have to be aware that it is part of a series to read it and enjoy it. This book stands on its own quite well and while it does reference things that happen in other books, it explains them in such a way that you don’t have to read the other book to enjoy this one.
February 3, 2018
I love Jack McDevitt's work. I really do. Much of his writing, style and story, has been a massive influence on my own science fiction writing. Cauldron, however, was tough to read.
It's a great idea, and felt like the culmination of the Academy series in an organic, perfect way. A new type of star drive is created, and several of the Milky Way's mysteries can now be answered, or at least addressed. So why did it take so damn long to get there?
Too many chapters of bland, boring white guys getting together to discuss things. And then discuss more...and more...and when the hell are they going to do anything? Jack's chapters are typically long enough to make you feel satisfied that you finished a chapter before heading to bed or work or wherever, but many of these were only two or three pages. Some could have been eliminated altogether.
In fact, this was the shortest Academy book I've read, unless I'm mistaken. It felt like to me there was an idea but not enough of one to execute, so a lot of filler material was shoved in here and this book was born.
However, it wasn't all bad. I like Hutch and she's the same old Hutch in here. I can picture Cobie Smulders portraying her in movie versions of these books, but there would not translate well to the screen! Just who I saw in that role.
When he puts action in, watch out! It's engrossing. The test of the Locarno was as breath-baiting as the characters in the book felt, and the stairway scene was one of the most incredible action scenes I've ever read in my life. I love Robert E. Howard's Conan stories, and this put many of those to shame!
All in all, it's a decent send-off for Hutch and the Academy series. I'd love to read more, but I think this gives a good opportunity to hang it up. (I'm aware there is another book in the series, but I'm almost 100% certain it's a prequel.)
It's a great idea, and felt like the culmination of the Academy series in an organic, perfect way. A new type of star drive is created, and several of the Milky Way's mysteries can now be answered, or at least addressed. So why did it take so damn long to get there?
Too many chapters of bland, boring white guys getting together to discuss things. And then discuss more...and more...and when the hell are they going to do anything? Jack's chapters are typically long enough to make you feel satisfied that you finished a chapter before heading to bed or work or wherever, but many of these were only two or three pages. Some could have been eliminated altogether.
In fact, this was the shortest Academy book I've read, unless I'm mistaken. It felt like to me there was an idea but not enough of one to execute, so a lot of filler material was shoved in here and this book was born.
However, it wasn't all bad. I like Hutch and she's the same old Hutch in here. I can picture Cobie Smulders portraying her in movie versions of these books, but there would not translate well to the screen! Just who I saw in that role.
When he puts action in, watch out! It's engrossing. The test of the Locarno was as breath-baiting as the characters in the book felt, and the stairway scene was one of the most incredible action scenes I've ever read in my life. I love Robert E. Howard's Conan stories, and this put many of those to shame!
All in all, it's a decent send-off for Hutch and the Academy series. I'd love to read more, but I think this gives a good opportunity to hang it up. (I'm aware there is another book in the series, but I'm almost 100% certain it's a prequel.)
April 10, 2013
This was by far the best book of the Academy series. It's also one of the best books I've ever read. I think it's necessary to read the other five books in the series before this one, naturally, to get the full scale of everything the characters have been through and accomplished. That's the only way you can truly appreciate the full magnitude of what this book has to offer.
First of all, Cauldron takes us out further than we've ever been from home. Well, I guess there are other books by other authors where humans travel outside the Milky Way, but I prefer to have a home base. Let me work up to that, starting with something a little closer to home. Let's start a hundred years in the future where we're able to visit Saturn, then move on a little bit, developing new tech until we can actually believably get somewhere farther. I'm not interested in books that start out with bases and colonies on planets and around stars in Andromeda. I like to see how we achieved that.
Anyway, this one takes us to the galactic core. That's quite a jump, some fifty thousand light-years away, but dammit, McDevitt earned it. He put in time developing tech and characters with five other books. He worked his way up to this point believably and admirably. Kudos, Jack.
I'm seriously in awe of where this series took me and what it offered. Very, very pleased. I will definitely be revisiting this collection in the future. Probably on a regular basis.
First of all, Cauldron takes us out further than we've ever been from home. Well, I guess there are other books by other authors where humans travel outside the Milky Way, but I prefer to have a home base. Let me work up to that, starting with something a little closer to home. Let's start a hundred years in the future where we're able to visit Saturn, then move on a little bit, developing new tech until we can actually believably get somewhere farther. I'm not interested in books that start out with bases and colonies on planets and around stars in Andromeda. I like to see how we achieved that.
Anyway, this one takes us to the galactic core. That's quite a jump, some fifty thousand light-years away, but dammit, McDevitt earned it. He put in time developing tech and characters with five other books. He worked his way up to this point believably and admirably. Kudos, Jack.
I'm seriously in awe of where this series took me and what it offered. Very, very pleased. I will definitely be revisiting this collection in the future. Probably on a regular basis.
July 28, 2020
I love this series. It is hopeful, and exciting and the characters are great.
March 27, 2019
Felt a little like wrapping up from the previous books and given that the next volume, which up until recently was the last, is a retrospective story about how it all started, that’s probably very much the case.
It’s not a bad story, but as another reviewer stated, it uses half of the book to describe the quest for a new star drive, which the blurb explains that they are getting, so not much suspense there.
It’s not a bad story, but as another reviewer stated, it uses half of the book to describe the quest for a new star drive, which the blurb explains that they are getting, so not much suspense there.
February 2, 2009
Perhaps I was in the wrong mood for this book. It sets out, fairly transparently, to promote space exploration in the 21st century under colour of space exploration in the 23rd century, but keeps coming to the gloomy conclusion that being a technological civilization is really hard and hardly anyone can keep it up for long. The occasional newspaper headlines that feature between chapters give the impression that after 200 years very little has changed in the world other than the technology.
One interesting thing he does - at first it seemed like a fault, but I think it's a feature - is describe the same person in contradictory terms from several different points of view. At first it seems like he's just not getting his continuity right, but I think he's making the point that different people see the same person differently.
He does, I think, mess up his continuity at one point (first an alien civilization has video broadcasts, then they don't). And he does an annoying "universal translator" thing which broke my suspension of disbelief. I can swallow FTL travel, because I'm not a physicist, but I can't swallow universal translators which can somehow derive vocabulary that they have never heard and translate texts for which there is no Rosetta stone, because I am a linguist.
And I know it was because of the Law of Conservation of Characters, but seriously, who is going to let the physicist who developed the new miracle drive go off exploring space in the ship powered by it when nobody else really knows how to make one?
So - meh.
One interesting thing he does - at first it seemed like a fault, but I think it's a feature - is describe the same person in contradictory terms from several different points of view. At first it seems like he's just not getting his continuity right, but I think he's making the point that different people see the same person differently.
He does, I think, mess up his continuity at one point (first an alien civilization has video broadcasts, then they don't). And he does an annoying "universal translator" thing which broke my suspension of disbelief. I can swallow FTL travel, because I'm not a physicist, but I can't swallow universal translators which can somehow derive vocabulary that they have never heard and translate texts for which there is no Rosetta stone, because I am a linguist.
And I know it was because of the Law of Conservation of Characters, but seriously, who is going to let the physicist who developed the new miracle drive go off exploring space in the ship powered by it when nobody else really knows how to make one?
So - meh.
February 27, 2013
Tremendously disappointing book. I guess Jack needed the money. SPOILER ALERT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
We are given this mystery and a threat of sorts in the form of the Omega clouds. The Omegas are either in the background or very much in the foreground in most if not all the Hutchins stories. The resolution as far as what is calling them might have been interesting but the response of the crew (pretty much no response) was about as anti-climatic as possible. I wasn't expecting star wars here but a resolution would be nice i.e. either help the old gas-bag or kill him. Their whole journey through the galaxy was about as historic as a national lampoon vacation movie and maybe less interesting. I enjoyed Jack's pontificating about the importance of a space program (talk about preaching to the choir though). They should have renamed this book cosmic asshole tourists instead.
Really Jack after 5 books this is how you would like to end it with a non eventful whimper? So that not doing anything is really going to help the evolution of other galactic civilizations? So basically screw the cloud beast and screw the other civilizations because we saved our own bacon and that is the important thing. So for millions of years to come other alien folks will have P Hutchins and her under-achiever gang to thank for impending death and misery brought by the clouds. Oh yeah good move Jack this book sucks.
We are given this mystery and a threat of sorts in the form of the Omega clouds. The Omegas are either in the background or very much in the foreground in most if not all the Hutchins stories. The resolution as far as what is calling them might have been interesting but the response of the crew (pretty much no response) was about as anti-climatic as possible. I wasn't expecting star wars here but a resolution would be nice i.e. either help the old gas-bag or kill him. Their whole journey through the galaxy was about as historic as a national lampoon vacation movie and maybe less interesting. I enjoyed Jack's pontificating about the importance of a space program (talk about preaching to the choir though). They should have renamed this book cosmic asshole tourists instead.
Really Jack after 5 books this is how you would like to end it with a non eventful whimper? So that not doing anything is really going to help the evolution of other galactic civilizations? So basically screw the cloud beast and screw the other civilizations because we saved our own bacon and that is the important thing. So for millions of years to come other alien folks will have P Hutchins and her under-achiever gang to thank for impending death and misery brought by the clouds. Oh yeah good move Jack this book sucks.
July 15, 2008
I love JM's space archeology style of science fiction. Long ago I realized that even a bad Jack Mcdevitt book blows a lot of current SF out of the water, so I'm enthusiastic! Having finished Cauldron, I'll say that it's better than quite a few of them, to the point where I really liked it. McDevitt's plots usually raise a lot of questions, and this one is very different in that it answers one of the bigger ones, and the answer may come as a letdown to some readers.
This is a hard SF work set in the same universe as Odyssey, Chindi, Omega, and Engines of God. I think the last three stories were really McDevitt (who worked at NASA for years) bemoaning the current state of space exploration and funding for science in general using fictional proxies.
I am a fan of McDevitt's sparse, matter of fact prose style, which reflects his background in science and the day to day politics at NASA. I also like his character development, which doesn't spend too many pages enmeshing the reader in needless drama. CAULDRON is a welcome addition to his Priscilla Hutchins cycle-- likely the last novel in the series.
This is a hard SF work set in the same universe as Odyssey, Chindi, Omega, and Engines of God. I think the last three stories were really McDevitt (who worked at NASA for years) bemoaning the current state of space exploration and funding for science in general using fictional proxies.
I am a fan of McDevitt's sparse, matter of fact prose style, which reflects his background in science and the day to day politics at NASA. I also like his character development, which doesn't spend too many pages enmeshing the reader in needless drama. CAULDRON is a welcome addition to his Priscilla Hutchins cycle-- likely the last novel in the series.
March 24, 2017
In this last installment, Hutch has been retired from the Academy (now defunct, but she left prior to that) for 2 or 3 decades. Her kids are grown, she is a widow and she does a lot of speaking engagements. However, at this time someone manages to make a new drive work that folds space and time so that they can travel far further than they ever could before. She ends up on the ship this is installed in as they make the voyage to the part of space where the omegas arise from.
This book is okay, but without letting you know what happens, I found the last part rather underwhelming and really disappointing in the lack of lustre, good plotting, good story arcs, etc. It wasn't quite as bad as the inane third book in the Divergent series, and the voicing was certainly better than the feeble attempt to have Four narrate that last book in the Divergent series, but still not great.
This barely managed a three. Apparently the best books in this series are the ones before I started reading when I needed a book with a Greek letter in the title (Omega). Omega was certainly better than this one.
This book is okay, but without letting you know what happens, I found the last part rather underwhelming and really disappointing in the lack of lustre, good plotting, good story arcs, etc. It wasn't quite as bad as the inane third book in the Divergent series, and the voicing was certainly better than the feeble attempt to have Four narrate that last book in the Divergent series, but still not great.
This barely managed a three. Apparently the best books in this series are the ones before I started reading when I needed a book with a Greek letter in the title (Omega). Omega was certainly better than this one.
December 11, 2016
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2727826.html
There was a time when each year's Jack McDevitt book appeared on that year's Nebula shortlist, and just as reliably failed to win (with one exception). This one was beaten by Powers, which I felt was a rather minor Le Guin. Cauldron turns out to be the last in a series none of the rest of which I have read, which maybe accounts for a somewhat elegiac tone. I thought it was competent enough hard sf; in a relatively near future earth, a new space drive is discovered and our protagonists set off on a quest to solve a cosmic mystery, stopping off at several planets along the way (rather brave to make the non-human civilisation a bit dull). If you want a bit more spice in your genre (and I usually do) this doesn't really push the boundaries - what's really striking is how little difference there is between McDevitt's imagined future human society a couple of centuries hence, and the year 2000 - and there were at least three better books on the Nebula shortlist that year. (Little Brother, Brasyl, and Making Money.)
There was a time when each year's Jack McDevitt book appeared on that year's Nebula shortlist, and just as reliably failed to win (with one exception). This one was beaten by Powers, which I felt was a rather minor Le Guin. Cauldron turns out to be the last in a series none of the rest of which I have read, which maybe accounts for a somewhat elegiac tone. I thought it was competent enough hard sf; in a relatively near future earth, a new space drive is discovered and our protagonists set off on a quest to solve a cosmic mystery, stopping off at several planets along the way (rather brave to make the non-human civilisation a bit dull). If you want a bit more spice in your genre (and I usually do) this doesn't really push the boundaries - what's really striking is how little difference there is between McDevitt's imagined future human society a couple of centuries hence, and the year 2000 - and there were at least three better books on the Nebula shortlist that year. (Little Brother, Brasyl, and Making Money.)
December 10, 2015
Este libro, por lo que sé es el fin de la Saga de Las máquinas de los dioses. Como los 5 anteriores, es muuuuy entretenido. McDevitt creó un universo maravilloso en esta saga. Tan bien creado está que uno puede percibir todas las sensaciones de estar en otro planeta. Considero que se apresuró a cerrar todos los cabos sueltos en este último libro y aunque no es decepcionante su final, tampoco es satisfactorio. Sencillamente es extraño como resuelve el misterio de las nubes omega, pero si lo piensa uno con detenimiento así es la naturaleza, extraña y caprichosa, y así somos los seres humanos; tal y como él nos retrata, sosos y caprichosos. La única incógnita que no fue resulta es ¿quiénes son los "jinetes lunares? y ¿de dónde venían? En fin, es una saga de ciencia ficción asequible a la comprensión de cualquiera, así que todo mundo debería leerla
July 31, 2017
And that's a wrap. Not sure prequels count. Actually for the first two-thirds of the book I was completely hooked. And surprised. All the machinations and Earth really worked. And were pretty interesting and well done. Matt as space pilot turned real estate agent. John the bright young physicist finishing the work of his mentor. And then they end up back in space and that was also good. But they stayed too long - you'd think the author would stop playing that card. And the actual end of their voyage was an especial letdown. But still a good end of the series. And would probably work on it's own.
December 24, 2014
New star drive gives Hutch and some cohorts the ability to travel to the center of the galaxy, to check out the origins of the Omega clouds. There's the kernel of a decent story here, but about two thirds of the book is padded out with inconsequential detail, wordy explanations and pointless relationship building. at this point it's pretty clear that the author's not going to change his storytelling style---so he may have his fans but for me, enough.
April 30, 2017
Updated:
This book was brilliant. I loved the earlier books in this series but the last few volumes had become more and more pessimistic about man's future as a space faring species. Caudron brings us back to the glory days that I loved in the early books. Wraps up some of the open questions of the series as well.
This book was brilliant. I loved the earlier books in this series but the last few volumes had become more and more pessimistic about man's future as a space faring species. Caudron brings us back to the glory days that I loved in the early books. Wraps up some of the open questions of the series as well.
October 9, 2013
Not the best of the Hutch books and kind of goes off the rails near the end, but still enjoyable for what it is. Pulp sci-fi. I found any of the Hutch/Academy books better than Rendezvous with Rama, even if the scientific principals in Clarke are a bit more realistic.
June 20, 2015
If you've followed the Engines of God series, this is a must read. It's pure space exploration suspense and mystery, with a huge payoff.
Read
March 13, 2015My feelings are very mixed. But I wonder if some of my problem is that this is a later book in a series, and I don't have the necessary background.
The end felt kind of Star Trek V-ish, though.
The end felt kind of Star Trek V-ish, though.
November 3, 2015
I liked the book but it was a little bit confusing because I didn't read any of the other books in the series. I would recommend it but only for someone who has read the preceding books.
June 6, 2018
I tried to use the feature where you can update your pagenumber and add notes, but that didn't work very well. Whenever I wanted to write something down, I wasn't on my computer and when I was on my computer, I didn't have the book handy to see what page I was at. And now that I'm writing this review, I wonder where the few notes I did make went to. Oh well.
Now about the book: it was pretty bad.
* In the prologue SETI finally receives a signal from aliens. The problem is that the message is boring and that the most interesting part, the decoding, happens off-screen by an AI.
* The first chapter has action and intrigue. A billion-year-old space craft is found minutes before an omega cloud destroys it. Wow! The rest of the book doesn't even mention it... Huh?
* After that exciting first chapter, nothing proceeds to happen. Included is the description of a speech at a fundraiser for a school's new science lab. I wish I was kidding, but I'm not. Finally the new engine that can get our heroes to the places they want to go is ready and they depart.
This was definitely the last book I'm going to read in this series and probably the last book I'll read by this author. That's a real shame, because books 1 and 3 in this series set up a very interesting universe with a lot of mysteries left to be solved.
Now about the book: it was pretty bad.
* In the prologue SETI finally receives a signal from aliens. The problem is that the message is boring and that the most interesting part, the decoding, happens off-screen by an AI.
* The first chapter has action and intrigue. A billion-year-old space craft is found minutes before an omega cloud destroys it. Wow! The rest of the book doesn't even mention it... Huh?
* After that exciting first chapter, nothing proceeds to happen. Included is the description of a speech at a fundraiser for a school's new science lab. I wish I was kidding, but I'm not. Finally the new engine that can get our heroes to the places they want to go is ready and they depart.
This was definitely the last book I'm going to read in this series and probably the last book I'll read by this author. That's a real shame, because books 1 and 3 in this series set up a very interesting universe with a lot of mysteries left to be solved.
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