Ancient Shores

1996 novel by Jack McDevitt

Ancient Shores

First edition cover

Author| Jack McDevitt
Cover artist| Jim Burns
Country| United States
Language| English
Genre| Science fiction
Publisher| HarperPrism

Publication date

| April 1996
Media type| Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages| 397 (first edition, hardback)
ISBN| 0-06-105207-8 (first edition, hardback)
OCLC| 33948882

Dewey Decimal

| 813/.54 20
LC Class| PS3563.C3556 A8 1996
Followed by| Thunderbird (2015)

Ancient Shores is a science fiction novel by American writer Jack McDevitt, published in 1996. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1997.[1] A continuation of this novel by the same writer was published in 2015, entitled Thunderbird.

## Plot summary[edit]

A vast lake, known as Lake Agassiz, covered much of North Dakota, Manitoba and Minnesota during prehistoric times.

The story begins when farmer Tom Lasker and his son, Will, uncover a seemingly brand new yacht. Found on a landlocked farm, it draws tourists to the area. Max Collingswood, a friend of Tom's, tries to help discover the origins of the boat. Collingswood enlists April Cannon, a worker at a chemical lab who discovers that the yacht is made of an unknown material. In fact, it is a fiberglass-like material with an impossible atomic number (161).

Collingswood and Cannon discover something else on a nearby ridge which is part of a Sioux reservation. The Sioux assist in its excavation and examination. It turns out to be a green glassy roundhouse-like structure, made from the same material.

Eventually, they gain access to it, revealing a dock for the sailboat, but no entrance for it. The discovery that the structure contains the means to access other sites not on Earth sets off a struggle between the Government and the Reservation for control of it.

## Characters[edit]

* Tom Lasker – farmer
* Max Collingswood – Tom's friend
* April Cannon – chemist
* Arky Redfern - Sioux tribal member and lawyer for the tribe
* James Walker - Chairman of the Sioux tribe
* Elizabeth Silvera – government worker

## References[edit]

1. ^ "1997 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-08-03.

## External links[edit]

* "Jack McDevitt: Ancient Shores". Retrieved 2006-07-28.
* Ancient Shores at Worlds Without End

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Novels by Jack McDevitt

Academy series|

* The Engines of God (1994)
* Deepsix (2001)
* Chindi (2002)
* Omega (2003)
* Odyssey (2006)
* Cauldron (2007)
* Starhawk (2013)
* The Long Sunset (2018)

Alex Benedict series|

* A Talent for War (1989)
* Polaris (2004)
* Seeker (2005)
* The Devil's Eye (2008)
* Echo (2010)
* Firebird (2011)
* Coming Home (2014)
* Octavia Gone (2019)

Ancient Shores series|

* Ancient Shores (1996)
* Thunderbird (2015)

Others|

* The Hercules Text (1986)
* Eternity Road (1998)
* Moonfall (1998)
* Infinity Beach (2000)
* Time Travelers Never Die (2009)
* The Cassandra Project (2012)

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*[LC Class]: Library of Congress Classification
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