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

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.

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.

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

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.

Scratches that “Indiana Jones in Space” itch.

Just like earlier books in the series, this one does a decent job revealing the joy and wonder that comes from exploring the mysteries of the universe. These books help me live my life-long dream of discovering new alien worlds and civilizations in space. I’ve never found any other books that do it quite like the Academy series.

Childish

. I have read all McDevitt's books many times. This one does not make sense as happening 2 centuries from now on another planet. I did not expect to encounter telephones, a pipe organ in their temple, a motor boat, even though they are "wood burners", cars (!!) dolphin language ( a language which is squeaks) but they are able to speak English, and we can understand the squeaks. They even have gills, but they look human because they have arms and legs.?
I had to suspend disbelief to the degree that it became an effort. I went trough the whole thing because it has a positive ending. I wish more time had been spent on the ending. It was rather abrupt.
I liked others of his books, especially Seeker, but this one was just silly.
McDevitt is very good at description. I can really see much of what he describes. I like his writing for that reason. I gave it a 3.
I have some issues with Ms. Kolpath. Her relationships with men are insensitive and sometimes just for sex. Juvenile.