Order of Book Series
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Jack McDevitt Books in Order

Jack McDevitt has written 35 books, published between 1986 and 2024. The first book is The Hercules Text (1986) and the newest is Doorway to the Stars (2024). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
35
Published
1986–2024
Confirmed
1 of 35 titles
Pages on record
9,501 in 23 of 35 books
Reading time
158–238 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 9,501 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 23 of 35 titles with a page count on record.

See all 35 books in order Printable Jack McDevitt checklist
Photo of Jack McDevitt, author

Jack McDevitt, born April 14, 1935, is an American science fiction author whose novels often turn on contact with alien races and on archaeology, including xenoarchaeology. Two sets of characters carry most of the books: the relic hunters Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath, and the faster-than-light pilot Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins. Seeker took the 2006 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and McDevitt has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula and John W. Campbell awards many times. The catalogue lists 35 books from The Hercules Text (1986) to Doorway to the Stars (2024), including A Talent for War (1989), The Engines of God (1994), Eternity Road (1997) and Moonfall (1998). The first published McDevitt story was "The Emerson Effect" in The Twilight Zone Magazine in 1981.

How many Jack McDevitt books are there?

Jack McDevitt has 35 books, released between 1986 and 2024. They include 3 series and 15 titles listed outside any series.

Jack McDevitt Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 35 Jack McDevitt books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of The Hercules Text by Jack McDevitt (1986)
  2. Cover of The Fort Moxie Branch (in Full Spectrum 1) by Jack McDevitt (1988)
  3. Cover of A Talent for War by Jack McDevitt, book 1 of the Alex Benedict series (1989)
  4. Cover of The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt, book 1 of the Academy series (1994)
  5. Cover of Ancient Shores by Jack McDevitt, book 1 of the Ancient Shores series (1996)
  6. Cover of Standard Candles by Jack McDevitt (1996)
  7. Cover of Eternity Road by Jack McDevitt (1997)
  8. Cover of Moonfall by Jack McDevitt (1998)
  9. Cover of Deepsix by Jack McDevitt, book 2 of the Academy series (2000)
  10. Cover of Infinity Beach / Slow Lightning by Jack McDevitt (2000)
  11. Cover of Hello Out There by Jack McDevitt (2000)
  12. Cover of Chindi by Jack McDevitt, book 3 of the Academy series (2002)
  13. Cover of Omega by Jack McDevitt, book 4 of the Academy series (2003)
  14. Cover of Polaris by Jack McDevitt, book 2 of the Alex Benedict series (2004)
  15. Cover of Outbound by Jack McDevitt (2006)
  16. Cover of Odyssey by Jack McDevitt, book 5 of the Academy series (2006)
  17. Cover of Cauldron by Jack McDevitt, book 6 of the Academy series (2007)
  18. Cover of The Devil's Eye by Jack McDevitt, book 4 of the Alex Benedict series (2008)
  19. Cover of Time Travelers Never Die by Jack McDevitt (2009)
  20. Cover of Echo by Jack McDevitt, book 5 of the Alex Benedict series (2010)
  21. Cover of Firebird by Jack McDevitt, book 6 of the Alex Benedict series (2011)
  22. Cover of The Cassandra Project by Jack McDevitt (2012)
  23. Cover of Starhawk by Jack McDevitt, book 7 of the Academy series (2013)
  24. Cover of The Best of Defending the Future, book 2 of the Defending the Future series (2016)
  1. 1
    The Hercules Text1986 · confirmed 2/4
    1986–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Fort Moxie Branch (in Full Spectrum 1)1988 · 483 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1988483
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    A Talent for WarAlex Benedict #11989 · 310 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989310
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Engines of GodAcademy #11994 · 419 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1994419
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Ancient ShoresAncient Shores #11996 · 372 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1996372
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Standard Candles1996 · confirmed 2/4
    1996–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Time Travelers Never Die (in Asimov's)1996 · confirmed 2/4
    1996–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Eternity Road1997 · 403 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1997403
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Moonfall1998 · 560 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1998560
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    DeepsixAcademy #22000 · 432 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2000432
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Infinity Beach / Slow Lightning2000 · 560 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2000560
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Hello Out There2000 · 669 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2000669
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    ChindiAcademy #32002 · confirmed 2/4
    2002–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    OmegaAcademy #42003 · confirmed 2/4
    2003–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    PolarisAlex Benedict #22004 · 385 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2004385
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    SeekerAlex Benedict #32005 · 373 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2005373
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Outbound2006 · 341 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2006341
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    OdysseyAcademy #52006 · 416 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2006416
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    CauldronAcademy #62007 · 373 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2007373
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    The Devil's EyeAlex Benedict #42008 · 374 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2008374
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Cryptic2009 · confirmed 2/4
    2009–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Time Travelers Never Die2009 · 371 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2009371
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    EchoAlex Benedict #52010 · 367 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2010367
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    FirebirdAlex Benedict #62011 · 375 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2011375
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    The Cassandra Project2012 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2012352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    StarhawkAcademy #72013 · 407 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2013407
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Coming HomeAlex Benedict #72014 · confirmed 2/4
    2014–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    ThunderbirdAncient Shores #22015 · 384 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2015384
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    The Best of Defending the FutureDefending the Future #22016 · 324 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2016324
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    A Voice in the Night2018 · confirmed 2/4
    2018–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  31. 31
    The Long SunsetAcademy #82018 · 451 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2018451
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  32. 32
    Octavia GoneAlex Benedict #82019 · confirmed 2/4
    2019–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  33. 33
    Return to Glory2022 · confirmed 2/4
    2022–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  34. 34
    Village in the SkyAlex Benedict #92023 · confirmed 2/4
    2023–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  35. 35
    Doorway to the Stars2024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Jack McDevitt books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Alex Benedict in order

9 books
  1. 1. A Talent for War
  2. 2. Polaris
  3. 3. Seeker
  4. 4. The Devil's Eye
  5. 5. Echo
  6. 6. Firebird
  7. 7. Coming Home
  8. 8. Octavia Gone
  9. 9. Village in the Sky

Academy in order

8 books
  1. 1. The Engines of God
  2. 2. Deepsix
  3. 3. Chindi
  4. 4. Omega
  5. 5. Odyssey
  6. 6. Cauldron
  7. 7. Starhawk
  8. 8. The Long Sunset

Ancient Shores in order

2 books
  1. 1. Ancient Shores
  2. 2. Thunderbird

Defending the Future in order

1 book
  1. 2. The Best of Defending the Future

Standalone books

15 books

15 Jack McDevitt titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Jack McDevitt books in order?

You only need to read Jack McDevitt books in order within each series: the books listed here span 3 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Jack McDevitt

Start with The Hercules Text (1986), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Jack McDevitt book?

Doorway to the Stars (2024) is the newest Jack McDevitt book released so far.

Is there a new Jack McDevitt book coming?

No next Jack McDevitt book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Jack McDevitt has won

Wikidata records 3 awards and 45 nominations for Jack McDevitt. The most recent 12 are listed here. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Nebula Award for Best Novel2007Wonfor Seeker
  • John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel2004Won
  • Locus Award for Best First Novel1987Wonfor The Hercules Text
  • Nebula Award for Best Novel2015Shortlistedfor Coming Home
  • Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel2012Shortlistedfor Firebird
  • Nebula Award for Best Novel2012Shortlistedfor Firebird
  • Nebula Award for Best Novel2011Shortlistedfor Echo
  • Locus Award for Best Collection2010Shortlistedfor Cryptic: The Best Short Fiction of Jack McDevitt
  • Nebula Award for Best Novel2009Shortlistedfor Cauldron
  • Nebula Award for Best Novel2008Shortlistedfor Odyssey
  • Locus Award for Best Short Story2007Shortlistedfor Lighthouse
  • Nebula Award for Best Short Story2007Shortlistedfor Henry James, This One's for You

Jack McDevitt at a glance

Still publishing
Jack McDevitt published a book as recently as 2024.
Release pace
Jack McDevitt books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
9,501 pages across the 23 of 35 books with a recorded length, a median of 384 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Jack McDevitt books, 13 of 35, were published in the 2000s.

What the Jack McDevitt books are about

25 of the 35 Jack McDevitt books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: science fiction is tagged on 16 of 25. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.