A Voice in the Night

Fans of classic science fiction will enjoy this collection of 24 short stories that cover familiar genre themes such as the search for alien life and the implications of time travel in plain but effective prose. McDevitt, best known for his Alex Benedict and Priscilla Hutchins series (both represented by entries here), excels at conjuring an alternate world, even within the confines of the short story format. For example, “Maiden Voyage”—a prequel to 2013’s Starhawk that depicts Hutchins’s qualification flight en route to her goal of attaining a pilot’s license—instantly immerses the reader in a future where space exploration has been revived after the discovery of huge monuments that evidence nonhuman intelligence. Not every entry is memorable; “Friends in High Places,” in which the Greeks rule Judea at the time of Christ, is underdeveloped, and the Twilight Zone twists of some stories are less than thought-provoking. Overall, however, this is a solid collection that will engage readers who have not previously encountered McDevitt’s work. (Sept.)