It is therefore no great surprise that the book eventually evolves (or devolves, depending on your point of view) from Hard Science Fiction to a form of Space Opera.

The most awe-inspiring facet of the book, however, is where the inhabitants of the asteroid disappeared to, leaving the cities there abandoned. A global nuclear catastrophe is imminent, but let’s not tell anybody aside from these 11 people with security clearance. I really liked Moving Mars and also Darwin's Radio and they are among my favorites by him to this day. The big cataclysmic event that takes place while our POV characters are on the Stone is so coldly rendered that it might as well have not even have happened. And Bear really should have stopped to find out what it is actually like being a mathematician, before basing this story around a brilliantly gifted mathematician, then he might have been able to do something a little more convincing than have her lie down and close her eyes when it was time for her to work her magic.You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. The first half of this book is pretty compelling in a Cold-War never ended reality, where the two sides are bickering over a planetary object, 'The Stone', that has come to orbit the Earth.

Luke isn’t sure why he thought Greg Bear writing in the 80’s would hold up as well as Ursula K LeGuin writing in the 70’s. Overall I would recommend this book and have already bought the next one to see where the story goes.

Tombstone, or milestone, the war that breaks out on earth beneath its presence seems to bear witness to its prowess as oracle. But for my taste, I think the review still stands: characters that behave in a totally unbelievable manner and handwavium disguised as science. The first part of their plan involves accelerating some tuberiding human habitats to near light-speed. Not that books can't be serious, but then it needs to tick other boxes, believable emotions for one. I was a boy once and have never lost my liking for big dumb objects and secret doors and the frissons they can evoke.

When this is done, two more Hexamon habitats join the Stone in Earth orbit, at the time just after the Death. In fairness Eon may well please many a true hard SF fan, but for me it's served mainly to reinforce my growing suspicion that this type of fiction is not for me. I liked the assertion that the growing technological gap between the US and USSR could prompt the Soviets to do something stupid, but much of the rest was inaccurate. But for sheer ideative sugar rush, for the exhilarating sense that you almost understand as scenes of staggering complexity flicker relentlessly through your mind, it’s hard to think of a comparison in modern sf. Bear emphasizes that just because one belongs to a group doesn’t mean one’s own identity and choices are subsumed into that group.I missed this novel back in my heyday of reading sci-fi, no idea why, so just thought that I would catch up on what is a widely respected classic. And even when the narrative finally gathers momentum and excitement, the many dazzling ideas here are never firmly under control. The first part was, of course, getting past the Soviet-era antagonism and accepting it as what it was: a convenient antagonist at the time.