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A review by bonfire_at_night
Äon by Greg Bear
5.0
Eon is everything I want from a science-fiction novel, and more. The plot is full of mind-blowing reveals grounded in ideas that are bigger than life. Rather than being dead weight elaborated in textbook expositions (if you've read Neal Stephenson you'll know what I mean), it's part of the thrill that our conceptual capacities may be too limited to grasp what is going on. All too human, we as a species are our own worst enemy in this quest for knowledge.
In the early 21st century, an asteroid, officially called "Juno", has entered near-Earth orbit and the rival sides of the ongoing Cold War both claim this extra extraterrestrial object for their own. When the "Stone" (also variously called "Potato" or "Whale" by other nations) is later examined from up close, the extensive research mission makes sheer unbelievable discoveries. Not only has the entire celestial body been hollowed out and terraformed, leading to seven vastly different chambers and artificial gravity, they find highly advanced cities in the second and third of those spaces. In the seventh chamber, they come across "the Way" (eponymous for the series of which Eon is the first part), a "corridor" that evidently goes well beyond the confines of the Stone itself, quite possibly ad infinitum. If you've watched Doctor Who, you'll be familiar with this idea.
Since this is the kind of novel about which you cannot talk without introducing spoilers, I decided to go all in. Things are way more complicated than that. Not only is there the already mentioned evidence that the Stone is from the future, and not only is it clear that it's from humanity's future (or past?) - it doesn't seem to be from our future (confused yet?). One big question is, where did everyone go to (about five hundred years ago)? Why did the former civilization abandon the Stone?
In another respect Bear ups the ante. As the researchers find in the historic reports in the libraries of the two cities, the events in the past of the humanoid Stone dwellers differ in crucial respects from our own. Think about it, in their past we may find clues about our future (how exciting is that?). Alarmingly, there had been a nuclear war between the US and Russia, and in many respects the current constellations are frighteningly similar to how they had been in this alternative reality. Strategic secrecy is inevitable.
Although the events are of enormous scope, the story is pleasantly character-driven. The main protagonist is Patricia Vasquez, a mathematician whose out-of-the-box thinking in her dissertation made her an ideal choice for the problem at hand. Especially the first act is very intriguing, as together with her the reader is only gradually introduced to the Stone's mysteries. At first, the abnormalities are only hinted at and at least to a certain degree you do feel the tensions in the intergovernmental relations. The interpersonal relationships are admittedly not very memorable, but (as in Darwin's Radio) there is enough heart and personality to take a shine to them. So, when the story approaches its end, you feel as if you've joined them on an epic journey.
It's not only the Russians that they fear. Since they don't know where the original habitants disappeared to, it cannot be ruled out that they return from the seventh chamber (are they watching us?). To my mind, the novel's tone changed considerably when they finally do make an appearance. Before it was mainly the Americans that were in control of the situation. Later on things are more or less just happening to them and they don't possess even a fraction of the information that would be necessary to assess their benefactors' motives and goals.
Here I was very much reminded of H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, not only because the genetically engineered population appears so fully unaffected, but also because their civilization is completely alien. The plot becomes much less streamlined, which does make you feel the frustration and insignificance. It's only at the very end that Patricia finds the strength to become active again. I have to admit, it was a bit too out-there for me at that point, though I did feel the excitement when she initially arrived back on Earth (what would she find?).
The multiverse introduces highly enjoyable moments of lateral thinking. I've already mentioned how they discover clues about their past from the future. It's mentioned that in their past there was no gigantic asteroid spaceship while in our present there are two (one simple rock, one spaceship), one being the material to form the other. I may have gotten that part wrong, though. The impending nuclear war takes your breath away, too, especially when it actually does take place later on. It's not the end of the world, but three to four billion people die. Talking about high stakes.
There are some parts of scientific jargon that I always appreciate. For instance, Patricia sets out to check whether our familiar "constants" (like the gravitational or Planck's constants) are the same on the Stone. Somehow she even tries to determine the value of Pi, an operation whose meaning I didn't quite grasp. The concepts of the field that she is specialized in was way over my head, too (I guess that was the idea). I've studied philosophy, so maybe I just take delight in dwelling on the unintelligible.
As I've said, much about the alien society remains impenetrable. There are aspects we can understand, though. As in many other works of science-fiction, personalities can be stored. For one thing, this gives them a backup copy in case of terminal injury, as there are of course still fatal mishaps that not even the highly advanced medicine can protect against. I also liked the idea of virtual replicas (or "ghosts") that take commands from the original and whose experiences can later be reunited. There are rules, though. I think it's said that due to population limitations the citizens are allowed only two reincarnations. They overcame emotional reactions, though I think it's said that they use drugs to induce them occasionally. Because of their lamentable capacity for feeling, the guests are met with much curiosity.
One aspect that was mostly only hinted at and that may be further explored in the sequels and prequels, their hosts (the Hexamon) is only one civilization among others. The Way leads to the dwelling places of alien species, trading partners and potential enemies. Here the story felt a bit rushed, though I have to say that I was very much intrigued.
Overall, I cannot emphasize enough how much I enjoyed Eon. It's really the ultimate nerd novel that still somehow manages to be a big page-turner. Now I really wonder what could possibly be left to be discovered in the other Way novels.
Rating: 5/5
In the early 21st century, an asteroid, officially called "Juno", has entered near-Earth orbit and the rival sides of the ongoing Cold War both claim this extra extraterrestrial object for their own. When the "Stone" (also variously called "Potato" or "Whale" by other nations) is later examined from up close, the extensive research mission makes sheer unbelievable discoveries. Not only has the entire celestial body been hollowed out and terraformed, leading to seven vastly different chambers and artificial gravity, they find highly advanced cities in the second and third of those spaces. In the seventh chamber, they come across "the Way" (eponymous for the series of which Eon is the first part), a "corridor" that evidently goes well beyond the confines of the Stone itself, quite possibly ad infinitum. If you've watched Doctor Who, you'll be familiar with this idea.
Since this is the kind of novel about which you cannot talk without introducing spoilers, I decided to go all in. Things are way more complicated than that. Not only is there the already mentioned evidence that the Stone is from the future, and not only is it clear that it's from humanity's future (or past?) - it doesn't seem to be from our future (confused yet?). One big question is, where did everyone go to (about five hundred years ago)? Why did the former civilization abandon the Stone?
In another respect Bear ups the ante. As the researchers find in the historic reports in the libraries of the two cities, the events in the past of the humanoid Stone dwellers differ in crucial respects from our own. Think about it, in their past we may find clues about our future (how exciting is that?). Alarmingly, there had been a nuclear war between the US and Russia, and in many respects the current constellations are frighteningly similar to how they had been in this alternative reality. Strategic secrecy is inevitable.
Although the events are of enormous scope, the story is pleasantly character-driven. The main protagonist is Patricia Vasquez, a mathematician whose out-of-the-box thinking in her dissertation made her an ideal choice for the problem at hand. Especially the first act is very intriguing, as together with her the reader is only gradually introduced to the Stone's mysteries. At first, the abnormalities are only hinted at and at least to a certain degree you do feel the tensions in the intergovernmental relations. The interpersonal relationships are admittedly not very memorable, but (as in Darwin's Radio) there is enough heart and personality to take a shine to them. So, when the story approaches its end, you feel as if you've joined them on an epic journey.
It's not only the Russians that they fear. Since they don't know where the original habitants disappeared to, it cannot be ruled out that they return from the seventh chamber (are they watching us?). To my mind, the novel's tone changed considerably when they finally do make an appearance. Before it was mainly the Americans that were in control of the situation. Later on things are more or less just happening to them and they don't possess even a fraction of the information that would be necessary to assess their benefactors' motives and goals.
Here I was very much reminded of H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, not only because the genetically engineered population appears so fully unaffected, but also because their civilization is completely alien. The plot becomes much less streamlined, which does make you feel the frustration and insignificance. It's only at the very end that Patricia finds the strength to become active again. I have to admit, it was a bit too out-there for me at that point, though I did feel the excitement when she initially arrived back on Earth (what would she find?).
The multiverse introduces highly enjoyable moments of lateral thinking. I've already mentioned how they discover clues about their past from the future. It's mentioned that in their past there was no gigantic asteroid spaceship while in our present there are two (one simple rock, one spaceship), one being the material to form the other. I may have gotten that part wrong, though. The impending nuclear war takes your breath away, too, especially when it actually does take place later on. It's not the end of the world, but three to four billion people die. Talking about high stakes.
There are some parts of scientific jargon that I always appreciate. For instance, Patricia sets out to check whether our familiar "constants" (like the gravitational or Planck's constants) are the same on the Stone. Somehow she even tries to determine the value of Pi, an operation whose meaning I didn't quite grasp. The concepts of the field that she is specialized in was way over my head, too (I guess that was the idea). I've studied philosophy, so maybe I just take delight in dwelling on the unintelligible.
As I've said, much about the alien society remains impenetrable. There are aspects we can understand, though. As in many other works of science-fiction, personalities can be stored. For one thing, this gives them a backup copy in case of terminal injury, as there are of course still fatal mishaps that not even the highly advanced medicine can protect against. I also liked the idea of virtual replicas (or "ghosts") that take commands from the original and whose experiences can later be reunited. There are rules, though. I think it's said that due to population limitations the citizens are allowed only two reincarnations. They overcame emotional reactions, though I think it's said that they use drugs to induce them occasionally. Because of their lamentable capacity for feeling, the guests are met with much curiosity.
One aspect that was mostly only hinted at and that may be further explored in the sequels and prequels, their hosts (the Hexamon) is only one civilization among others. The Way leads to the dwelling places of alien species, trading partners and potential enemies. Here the story felt a bit rushed, though I have to say that I was very much intrigued.
Overall, I cannot emphasize enough how much I enjoyed Eon. It's really the ultimate nerd novel that still somehow manages to be a big page-turner. Now I really wonder what could possibly be left to be discovered in the other Way novels.
Rating: 5/5