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Eon by Greg Bear

 



Going through shelves of classic science fiction at the library, I noticed Eon by Greg Bear. I had never read it before and decided to give it a try. Some years ago, I read Darwin’s Radio by Bear, and liked it. What I was not to know was that when I got to about three quarters of the way through Eon, I learned Greg Bear had died. The book was suddenly infused with some reverence and respect. This was a writer of many books, a winner of Hugo and Nebula awards. Science fiction writers, even successful ones, rarely make the news even in death. It fell to the writing community on Twitter to inform me of his death.

The novel Eon is part of a series called The Way. In this story, an asteroid, moving of its own volition parks itself in an orbit around the Earth and Moon. This is not behavior normally seen in asteroids. So, on investigating we discover a world inside. In fact, multiple worlds, perhaps a gateway to multiple universes. There is a rich tapestry of well-developed characters and interesting situations.

All this being said, the book didn’t really do it for me, and I don’t think I will be continuing the series. Initially it was a pacing issue. The book does take a while to get moving. But the last quarter or so of the book was just too hard for me to visualize what was happening. That may be on me and not Bear. The incredibly detailed world building is maybe a bit too detailed, or the detail might be too complicated for my brain.  

But this is not going to stop me from reading other works by Bear. I know Bear was a good writer. I enjoyed Darwin’s Radio. This one just was not for me.

Star Liner

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