The Academy Alignment

I've just finished Jack McDevitt's Engines of God... it's such a remarkable book (and the first installment of Priscilla Hutchins book series) and I was appalled from the beginning to the end, especially the finale. I came across a list of books similar to the Mass Effect series and was extremely interested in the work of McDevitt. It predates Mass Effect in so many years and it's quite intriguing.