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.
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