Echo

An Alex Benedict Novel

By: Jack McDevitt

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

Eccentric Sunset Tuttle spent his life searching in vain for forms of alien life. Thirty years after his death, a stone tablet inscribed with cryptic, indecipherable symbols is found in the possession of Tuttle's onetime lover, and antiquities dealer Alex Benedict is anxious to discover what secret the tablet holds. It could be proof that Tuttle had found what he was looking for. To find out, Benedict and his assistant embark on their own voyage of discovery---one that will lead them directly into the path of a very determined assassin who doesn't want those secrets revealed. Echo is the fifth book to feature intersteller antiquities dealer Alex Benedict. The first four titles in the series are available on audio from Audible.

©2010 Cryptic, Inc. (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Fans of antiquities dealer Alex Benedict will find their expectations fully met by his fifth outing." ( Publishers Weekly)

Another good Benedict Novel

I enjoyed this audiobook. Both the story and the narration are less compelling than others in the series. The narrator is a bit jarring at first, but warms up to the material after a few hours.

amazing and frustrating

This might be the most compelling book in his Benedict series. However it also has some of the most frustrating moments that highlights a weakness of his writing. Sometimes the plot pivots on something small where an obvious step such as calling his police friend Finn or overlooking the fact that someone tried to kill them. it's forgivable when I happens in one book. But stuff like that happens in every book in the series. It's very frustrating because the stories have so much potential.

Poor reader and poor addition to good series

Reader was not good at changing voices and seemed to forget which voices were for which characters. Story was also very slow and lacked the mystery of previous novels, but I’ll read the next one because I feel this was a fluke compared to other McDevitt books.

When did Chase become so negative?

This is the eleventh audio book I have bought by Jack McDevitt. It was entertaining but I must say I was disappointed in Chase’s role in this book. Her character was so negative throughout the whole book. I had always seen her as an asset to Alex but here she was an anchor. A very disappointing drag to the story. She could have been the catalyst that raised this book to another level. Instead, I found myself almost wanting to skip over her parts and I would have if I could. This is still a great story but not the dynamic duo of past books. Hope this just a bump in the road.

Good stuff

Absolutely love this narrator and a good detailed well written novel about two investigators of ancient antiquities in the distant future

Disappointing

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was alright, but the story dragged in a few places and the action was sub-par. I think main problem with the story was the premise. The story universe already has one alien race, but the characters act like aliens are complete impossibility. It undercuts the story and makes the characters' action unbelievable. Then when they find aliens they basically turn out to look and act just like us.

Would you be willing to try another book from Jack McDevitt? Why or why not?

I would, I've liked the other Alex Benedict novels.

I liked the series - I enjoyed this book

What did you love best about Echo?

Well written, well read

What about Coleen Marlo’s performance did you like?

I disagree with some of the other reviewers. I had absolutely no issue with the performance.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would not listen to any book in one sitting, but I listen while exercising and this book made me exercise longer

Poor quality all around.

The overall story is just OK with a lot of bad story choices that took away from it. The reader was also poor as her voices for characters changed throughout the reading.

Can I have Jennifer Van Dyck back, please!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

No, this is fifth book in the series and they switched the narrator. I was really unhappy with this decision and the new narrator. I went through because the next book, the final in the series, has the old narrator.

What other book might you compare Echo to and why?

Polaris, another Jack McDevitt book with a good story like this one but a better narrator.

What didn’t you like about Coleen Marlo’s performance?

Coleen is no Chase(a main character) and she has a tendency to make all the characters sound annoying or weak or pathetic. It really ruined the book for me. I even went looking for a different version of the audiobook but didn't find one.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I listen in the car, while doing dishes or cleaning house and sometimes on my lunch break.

Any additional comments?

To all people responsible for getting audiobooks recorded: Please Please Please do not change the narrator in the middle of a series. It really ruined this series and book for me.

A solid OK

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was entertaining enough.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Some ideas int he book seem a bit too far fetched. It's supposed to be science fiction, not fantasy.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator's interpretation of the tone of the characters is off. For example - She thinks robots 10s of 1000s of years in the future will speak in monotone. The book itself describes Belle's voice as being bright and cheerful.

Was Echo worth the listening time?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Nope