3.5 stars rounded up. Started slowly, built to a satisfying conclusion of a sci-fi mystery.

[3.5 stars] This book is not boring, but I understand why it's not for everyone. It's mundaneness is its most redeeming quality. It's a mystery that happens to be set in a world full of interesting sci-fi bits, a vast history of space travel, and a future beyond the one we live in.

One of the most unbearable qualities in sci-fi/fantasy is when the author is so in love with the universe they've created that the story and characters are underwritten and inconsequential. This is the opposite. The characters and story highlight the lived-in feeling of the universe.

The fictional history lessons go on for longer than necessary. It's in service of understanding the mystery, but it's the primary reason why I wouldn't recommend it to most people. They do start to wear out their welcome, but this book (and others I've read in the series) are the kind of readable, curl-up-with-a-book kinds of stories that I love in a series with as many books as this one.

This was a recommendation by a friend who actually brought it over for my husband to read while he receovers from spinal fusion surgery done earlier this month.
But since my husband isn't a huge reader, and his pain meds are interfering with his ability to focus (and he is stil on GRRM's 2nd volume in the Song of Ice & Fire series)...I snatched it up instead.

This was an absorbing read. I didn't know going into it whether there was any earlier books I should read first (luckily it was the 1st in a series) but I did feel a little behind from the get-go as I didn't know much about the world setting the protagonist lives in.

However, that ultimately didn't cut back on my ability to enjoy this novel. It's one that makes you think and is more of a detective/mystery novel than an action one. Through the progtagonist, Alex Benedict, you examine the philosophy of war in the context of a 200-year old space conflict between humans and humanoid telepathic aliens. Benedict inherits a mystery when his uncle passes away and he's immediately drawn into solving the puzzle when some information is stolen from his uncle's house.

The subsequent investigation leads him to question the historical events and the heroes of the war against the alien "mutes". He is forced to review how he feels about these heroes and how society reveres them and must come to terms with the truth that he is discovering.

The novel makes you question how factual history ever is, and makes you ponder a tricky moral question...Is is better to correct an inaccurate historical account, or to leave it alone, when how the history is remembered could very well be the glue holding the current fabric of society together?

I've read other works by McDevitt (the Priscilla Hutchins/Academy series, Eternity Road, Ancient Shores) and been impressed, so I finally got around to trying out his other series. The Talent for War is the first book in it, and while it is part of a series (which I haven't read yet, so am not sure how it fits in) it could easily stand alone. Alex Benedict is left a puzzle by his late uncle that leads him to dig into events surrounding humanity's latest war and greatest hero. McDevitt is a master of pacing, and keeps things moving and interesting, even though the protagonist spends a good deal of time doing what could be boring investigative work and traveling. Alex himself is a very likeable character, if reluctant investigator, and is good for a few snarky asides that made me chuckle. The plot has well-done nuances of political and emotional agendas, and wraps up almost everything nicely. My main issue with it, without going into spoilers, is one significant supporting character whose presence and actions aren't really adequately explained. Also, regarding the alien race whom the latest war was with, and whom also have a stake in Alex's investigation - it's never really clear whether they are actually as malicious as the book's history would have you believe. Though I also kind of like that the 'bad guys' aren't clear cut bad guys; it gives the fiction a touch of realism, since things in real life are rarely clear cut black-and-white. Overall, a very engaging read, and I look forward to seeing how the series continues.

Also: proof that I read science fiction as well as fantasy!

So, this entire book is based on history, which sounds weird maybe, but is true. And history, on the grand scale like this, is really not my thing. It's probably not surprising, then, that I was not thrilled by this one. The history was hard for me to keep track of and figure out. It was also kind of boring (to me, mind you). In all, this was not the book for me. I read it because the third book in the series, Seeker, won a Nebula. So, I have to assume that the series gets better. Fingers crossed!