The Long Sunset

By: Jack McDevitt

Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan

Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

From Nebula Award winner Jack McDevitt comes the eighth installment in the popular The Academy series

Priscilla “Hutch” Hutchins discovers an interstellar message from a highly advanced race that could be her last chance for a mission before the program is shut down for good. Hutch has been the academy’s best pilot for decades. She’s had numerous first contact encounters and even became a minor celebrity. But world politics have shifted from exploration to a growing fear that the program will run into an extraterrestrial race more advanced than humanity and war.

Despite taking part in the recent scientific breakthrough that rejuvenates the human body and expands one’s life span, Hutch finds herself as a famous interstellar pilot with little to do, until a message from an alien race arrives. The message is a piece of music from an unexplored area. Despite the fact that this alien race could pose a great danger and that this message could have taken several thousand years to travel, the program prepares the last interstellar ship for the journey. As the paranoia grows, Hutch and her crew make an early escape - but what they find at the other end of the galaxy is completely unexpected.

©2018 Cryptic, Inc. (P)2018 Recorded Books

The Joy of Discovery

As with many of McDevitt’s novels, you feel like you’re there with the characters, solving mysteries and making discoveries.

This novel is a bit slower paced than some and the narrator isn’t quite as good as the one who did the early Hutch novels. However, if you enjoyed the previous books in the series, you’ll enjoy this one too. You’ll feel transported to far off alien worlds.

Why the long pause

I enjoyed the story. The reader’s vocals where strong and great at creating individual voices for the characters. But the long dramatic pause between thoughts, transpired time and chapters was frustrating. Maybe it was an editing issue maybe it was done intentionally I don’t know. But was was distracting and took away from the overall performance.

Good production but unimaginative story

Very little suspense or excitement. Science is especially weak. the central message is that the universe is a pretty cruel place. Characters are uncompelling.

Fun and Thoughtful

The book starts a bit slow, but the last 2/3 of it is classic McDevitt.

Story telling at its best!

Well written and performed, I loved the positive view that we must look out and help others. The idea that people are defined by intelligence and empathy, something that seems in short supply these days. I am hoping for a sequel!

Great Addition to the Academy Series

Great book. Hope this isn't the end of Hutch's story. I have enjoyed both the Academy Series and the Alex Benidict Series.

Adventure science fiction

A bumpy ride with a happy ending.
While no physics based explanation was offered for how the FTL drive functioned,
It worked flawlessly for the purpose of scientific exploration of the universe.
7000 light years traveled in a matter of hours
With no time issues is a bit of story

Entertaining, but predictable

This book is much like the previous entries in this series. Having said that, fans of Priscilla Hutchins will be pleased. The ending is very predictable for anyone that's familiar with politics and politicians. I wonder if maybe the author was expressing his frustration with same.

Pretty good story, frustrating characters

I love the Hutchins series but in this one, more than any other, I got frustrated with the main character and others. It's really frustrating to listen to Priscilla Hutchins, hero of mankind, just let herself get berated by people like she's still some rookie.

One for Humany; one of the best space dramas

This book took a while to get going; almost 4 hours of background and tension , and then it never stopped.
t was a very good read and very moving too. I found myself stopping to ponder what I just heard several times.