A Talent for War, by Jack McDevitt, was published in 1989. It’s the first in the series of books that follow Alex Benedict. The series is set far into the future when mankind has colonized a good portion of the galaxy, and the planets have their own cultures and histories.

Alex is an antiques dealer and the nephew of famed archeologist Gabe Benedict. Gabe has passed away leaving a mystery for Alex to uncover. The adventure leads him to confront an enemy of mankind and the find of a lifetime.

I wasn’t too sure how I’d like this book when I first started reading it. There were a lot of times where the action seemed to drag, but now that I’ve finished reading it, all of the seemingly minor details were quite important. For the story to make sense at the end, the I had to learn about a war between humans and the “mutes” that happened over 200 years ago. The first half of the book feels like a history lesson while McDevitt sets the reader up for the end of the story.

I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Alex in the next book, Polaris.