So, I just finished up reading Jack McDevitt’s “Polaris,” the follow-up to the classic “A Talent for War,” and I have to say that I have never been so disappointed in a writer.

“A Talent for War” was a brilliant fusion of hard science fiction to the mystery genre, loaded with big ideas, great characters and political commentary. In brief, “A Talent for War” followed far future antiquities dealer Alex Benedict, as he sought to unravel the mystery of what really happened to one of his society’s greatest war heroes. It quite deftly forced the reader to question the established historical record and see that sometimes it’s very difficult to separate objective history from populist mythology. When I got to the end of the book and the answer to its final mystery, I was completely floored — almost every element in the book was perfect. It’s also worth mentioning that even though it was published in 1989, “A Talent for War” still offered a believable far future society and lacked the anachronisms that can sometimes kill a classic science fiction novel.

“Polaris” begins some 15 years after the original, featuring the further adventures of Alex Benedict and his assistant Chase Kolpath (the book’s female narrator) as they seek to figure out what happened to the passengers of the luxury yacht Polaris who disappeared shortly after witnessing a celestial event. Like a futuristic Marie Celeste, the ship was completely intact, with the all of the belongings of the passengers still aboard.

Despite a rollicking opening chapter, the book quickly falls into the familiar forumla employed in modern thrillers such as “The Davinci Code.” The science fiction elements were brief, the world that was developed in “A Talent for War” appeared hollow and superficial in this one, and I had a really difficult time believing in the authenticity of the female narrator. Chase Kolpath speaks and thinks like a man.

What’s worse, many of the things that happened in the first book (Alex’s house is broken into and robbed, their spinner [aka flying car] is sabatagoed, etc.) happen in this one. What’s more, although Alex Benedict was a great and compelling protagonist in “A Talent for War,” by making Chase the narrator, he’s almost a cipher in this one.

I’ve heard great things abotu McDevitt’s “space opera” novels, and one bad book won’t keep me from trying his other work, but I have to say I’m much less enthusiastic about cracking open his other books after struggling to finish this one. I’m certainly not going to buy the third “Benedict/Kolpath” novel, “Seeker” in hardback. If it’s anything like “Polaris,” it’s definitely not going to be worth cover price.

Final verdict on “Polaris”: ** 1/2

Post script: I’m happy that the Nebula Awards voters had the good sense to award this year’s “Best Novel” award to Joe Haldeman’s “Camouflage” and not Jack McDevitt’s “Polaris.” If this is the best science fiction has to offer, I’d hate to see the worst.