Outbound

by Jack McDevitt

Cover by  Stephan Martinière

This title is now out of print.  From time to time, used copies become available on the Web.   Thus, for informational purposes we are keeping this description on our site.  There are many used booksellers on the Web, and we do not recommend any specific one, but good starting points for this sort of book are often AbeBooks.com or amazon.com.  Each site provides a search engine to help you find your own copy of Outbound.

Jack McDevitt has an uncanny ability to transport his readers to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and show them the most amazing spectacles nature has to offer. Within Outbound, McDevitt will allow you to...

   ...gaze on an alien statue discovered on Saturn's moon.
   ...delve into the mysteries of brown dwarf stars.
   ...travel through time on a distant planet.

Over the course of sixteen stories, McDevitt clearly shows why he has received the acclaim of his peers with ten Nebula nominations.

The stories in Outbound range from the hard-boiled detective story to the recreation of George Washington as he runs for the Presidency. McDevitt's imaginative fiction summons up the sense of wonder and causes his readers to enter into worlds which should exist.

In addition to showcasing his fiction, Outbound also features several essays outlining McDevitt's view of the role of science fiction and a series of exchanges between McDevitt and co-author Michael Shara as they plot and plan their collaboration "Lighthouse."

As McDevitt writes, "The joy that comes from a well-constructed science fiction tale results from watching people struggle with the implication of discovery." Come, now, and discover Jack McDevitt.

Outbound is listed on Locus's Recommended Reading list for 2006 in the Recommended Single-Author Collections category.

Table of Contents for Outbound:

• • "Seven Ways Of Considering An Absent Introduction," by Barry N. Malzberg
•  
• Stories
•  
• • The Candidate
  • Henry James, This One's For You
  • Date with Destiny
  • Windows
  • Combinations
  • Nothing Ever Happens In Rock City
  • The Mission
  • Melville On Iapetus
  • The Far Shore
  • In The Tower
  • Whistle
  • Valkyrie
  • Act of God
  • Ignition
  • Lighthouse, with Michael Shara
  • Collaboration For "Lighthouse," with Michael Shara
  • The Big Downtown
•  
• Essays
•  
• •  
  • Where Do You Get Those Crazy Ideas?
  • Infinity Beach
  • Why We Should All Be Reading Science Fiction
  • Blundering Through
  • A Golden Dozen: Twelve Stories To Demonstrate to Reluctant Seniors What They're Missing
  • Science Fiction: An Eye On Tomorrow
  • Interview, conducted by Thomas Harbach for Phantastisch, 2004
  • Celebrating Jack McDevitt, by Michael Bishop
•  
• Bibliography

Comments on Jack McDevitt's work:

"Why read Jack McDevitt? The question should be: Who among us is such a slow pony that s/he isn't reading McDevitt?"

—Harlan Ellison

"McDevitt is an inventive and satisfying author."

—Analog

"Besides being an excellent craftsman of prose, Jack McDevitt has an intimate knowledge of that plane where science, religion, politics, and their respective bureaucracies intersect. As a result, The Hercules Text is much more than a knowledgeable scientific mystery: it is simply the most thoughtful and engaging first contact story I have ever read."

—Paul Preuss

"If you like well-crafted hard science fiction, you should definitely read Jack McDevitt."

—Greg Benford

"McDevitt brings a scientific and literary mind to the ideas of classic space opera as created by Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett, and others of an earlier generation."

—Steven H Silver

"Moonfall is a monumental tribute to the courage of the human spirit. I held my breath for the last hundred pages."

—Nancy Kress

"Simply stated McDevitt has ideas which, when you read them, make you say, 'Wow, that's cool!' without being dropped out of the story."

—SFSite

"McDevitt understands heroes, obsession, and duty and writes about them with a sturdy intelligence that shines from every sentence."

—James Patrick Kelly

Jack McDevitt

A former English teacher, naval officer, Philadelphia taxi driver, customs officer, and motivational trainer. With the nominations of Infinity Beach, Ancient Shores, "Time Traverlers Never Die," Moonfall, "Good Intentions" (co-written with Stanley Schmidt), "Nothing Ever Happens in Rock City," Chindi, Omega, and Polaris, his work has been on the final Nebula ballot nine of the last ten years.

His first novel, The Hercules Text, was published in the celebrated Ace Specials series, and won the Philip K. Dick Special Award. In 1991, he won the first $10,000 UPC International Prize for his novella "Ships in the Night." The Engines of God was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and his novella "Time Travelers Never Die" was nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula. Omega concluded the four Priscilla Hutchins novels, and received the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best SF novel, 2003. He won the 2006 SESFA Award for Seeker and in 2006 won a SESFA Award for Lifetime Achievement. At Deepsouthcon 2000, McDevitt was presented with the Phoenix Award for his body of work.

McDevitt lives in Georgia with his wife Maureen, where he plays chess, reads mysteries, and eats lunch regularly with his cronies.

(November 2006)

Stephan Martinière

Smoothly morphing his considerable skill and experience, Stephan Martinière shapeshifts from whimsical to hard-core science fiction, cartoon to realistic, illustrator to director. In the past 15 years, Stephan has gained constant recognition and praise through his work in a growing range of clients and projects.

Stephan has worked for three years as visual art director at Cyan, the creators of Myst, on their games Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, Uru: The Path of the Shell and the upcoming Myst 5.

As an illustrator and animation director, Stephan has won numerous Awards including: a Master Award and five Excellence Awards from Ballistic Media's Expose 3, Two Master Awards and one Excellence Award from Ballistic Media's Expos, The British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Cover of 2004, a Silver Award for Editorial in 1997 and a Gold Award in 2004 from Spectrum, a Thea Award for his work on the Paramount theme park Super Saturator in 2001.

As a director for the animated special "Madeline," Stephan won the Humanitas Award, the A.C.T. Award and the Parent's Choice Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award.

Stephan is currently the visual design director for Midway Games.

(November 2006)