🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Jack McDevitt
Jack McDevitt is a renowned American science fiction novelist, who has written numerous novels over the years. Most of his novels are usually on the theme of xeno-archeology, archeology, and attempts at making contact with aliens. His two most popular series are the Priscilla Hutchins and the Alex Benedict series. Born in 1935, McDevitt attended La Salle University, where his storytelling prowess soon became evident, after he won the annual Freshman Short Story Contest for a short story he wrote. He asserted that his winning of the contest and being published in the school’s literary magazine marked the turning point in his writing career.
All Book Series by Jack McDevitt
The Fort Moxie Branch (in Full Spectrum 1)
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1988
Dogs of War
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 2013 Anthology · Brenda Cooper,David Sherman,Danielle Ackley-McPhail,Mike McPhail
Man and Machine
Book 3 of 5 · published 2016 Anthology · James Chambers,Jennifer Brozek,Brenda Cooper,Aaron Rosenberg,Nancy Jane Moore,Bud Sparhawk,Jeff Young,Robert E. Waters,Danielle Ackley-McPhail,Patrick Thomas,Mike McPhail,Judi Fleming,Anton Kukal,Eric V. Hardenbrook,Ronald Garner
Best Laid Plans
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2021 Anthology · Jack Campbell,James Chambers,John L. French,Jack Campbell Jr.,Keith R.A. DeCandido,Jeff Youngquist,Nancy Jane Moore,Bud Sparhawk,David Sherman,Jeff Young,Maria V. Snyder,Jeff Young,Danielle Ackley-McPhail,Jeffrey Lyman,Judi Fleming,Eric V. Hardenbrook,Peter Prellwitz,Eric V. Hardenbrook
Retellings of the Inland Seas
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 2020 Anthology · Judith Tarr,Alexander Jablokov,James L. Cambias,Melissa Scott,Shariann Lewitt,Athena Andreadis,Elana Gomel,Christine Lucas,Eleni Tsami,Kelly Jennings,Dimitra Nikolaidou,Genevieve Williams,A.M. Tuomala,F.J. Doucet
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Second Annual Collection
Series opener · book 1 of 21 · published 1985
Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries, and Lore
Latest in the series · book 21 of 21 · published 2017
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jack McDevitt?
Jack McDevitt is a renowned American science fiction novelist, who has written numerous novels over the years. Most of his novels are usually on the theme of xeno-archeology, archeology, and attempts at making contact with aliens. His two most popular series are the Priscilla Hutchins and the Alex Benedict series.
Which Jack McDevitt series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Alex Benedict series, the earliest of Jack McDevitt's multi-book series: it opens with A Talent for War (1989) and runs to 9 books across 1989–2023, ending with Village in the Sky (2023). Jack McDevitt's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Jack McDevitt written?
Jack McDevitt has 63 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1985 and 2024. 27 of them belong to 5 named series — the largest being the Alex Benedict series with 9 books — and 36 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Jack McDevitt's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Jack McDevitt's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Alex Benedict (1989–2023, 9 books), The Academy (1994–2018, 8 books) and Ancient Shores (1996–2015, 2 books).
How are Jack McDevitt's books organised into series?
This guide splits Jack McDevitt's 63 books into 5 named series and 36 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Alex Benedict (9 books, 1989–2023); The Academy (8 books, 1994–2018); Ancient Shores (2 books, 1996–2015); Defending the Future (5 books, 2013–2021); Feral Astrogators (3 books, 2013–2020).