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Mosca's Reviews > Eon
Eon (The Way, #1)
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I've been amazed at the number of readers that have been so underwhelmed by Eon. This astounding book was published in 1984 and did not anticipate the end of the Cold War, only half a decade away. Some say, with self-righteousness nurtured by hindsight, that this is a major flaw in this book. But most sleepwalking Americans, at the time, had no clue of the Eurasian (and Eastern European) realities of the times. This is not Greg Bear’s fault. It was, and is, the result of the political propaganda, still alive, fed to the public in large doses.
What is forgotten is that from the Cold War assumptions seen by the average, contemporary, 1984 world citizens--however blind to the evident realities of Russian/Soviet internal decay and near collapse�-the times still presented a very, very real global threat of planetary atomic annihilation. Some folks today, still argue that very similar, very real threats of atomic annihilation, fueled by other multi-polar realities (oil shortages, water shortages, cultural chauvinism, etc.), still exist and never really went away. And, for that reason alone, this book is still very contemporary.
In fact, one can intelligently argue that mankind is still very, very close to destroying itself in a number of frighteningly different ways.
The Cold War itself is immaterial to that threat of self-destruction.
The near collapse of mankind, in the very near future, is the premise of this book by Greg Bear.
This "Hard Science" Fiction, or "New Space Opera" speculates along the lines where mathematics and physics intersect with time and alternate realities. Greg Bear is not the superb master of characters and political speculation in which Ursula Le Guin - Left Hand of Darkness excels, nor is he a smooth story teller such as Ray Bradbury. But Greg Bear has followed the more traditional science fiction of Arthur C. Clarke. And on that path he excels.
And in Eon he goes past Arthur C. Clarke. He shows us who this guy, Greg Bear really is.
This book pulls the rug out from under the reader about 25% of the way into the reading; and I will not spoil that reality shift for you.
And then you are taken places you have never been.
I've been amazed at the number of readers that have been so underwhelmed by Eon. This astounding book was published in 1984 and did not anticipate the end of the Cold War, only half a decade away. Some say, with self-righteousness nurtured by hindsight, that this is a major flaw in this book. But most sleepwalking Americans, at the time, had no clue of the Eurasian (and Eastern European) realities of the times. This is not Greg Bear’s fault. It was, and is, the result of the political propaganda, still alive, fed to the public in large doses.
What is forgotten is that from the Cold War assumptions seen by the average, contemporary, 1984 world citizens--however blind to the evident realities of Russian/Soviet internal decay and near collapse�-the times still presented a very, very real global threat of planetary atomic annihilation. Some folks today, still argue that very similar, very real threats of atomic annihilation, fueled by other multi-polar realities (oil shortages, water shortages, cultural chauvinism, etc.), still exist and never really went away. And, for that reason alone, this book is still very contemporary.
In fact, one can intelligently argue that mankind is still very, very close to destroying itself in a number of frighteningly different ways.
The Cold War itself is immaterial to that threat of self-destruction.
The near collapse of mankind, in the very near future, is the premise of this book by Greg Bear.
This "Hard Science" Fiction, or "New Space Opera" speculates along the lines where mathematics and physics intersect with time and alternate realities. Greg Bear is not the superb master of characters and political speculation in which Ursula Le Guin - Left Hand of Darkness excels, nor is he a smooth story teller such as Ray Bradbury. But Greg Bear has followed the more traditional science fiction of Arthur C. Clarke. And on that path he excels.
And in Eon he goes past Arthur C. Clarke. He shows us who this guy, Greg Bear really is.
This book pulls the rug out from under the reader about 25% of the way into the reading; and I will not spoil that reality shift for you.
And then you are taken places you have never been.
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Eon.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
January 1, 1995
–
Finished Reading
December 29, 2008
– Shelved
March 14, 2012
– Shelved as:
favorites
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That's a great idea! I hope to do the same thing eventually. Maybe it will finally give me the courage to write a review for "Master and Margarita" which is my all-time favorite.
My favorites shelf is full of books I don't have the courage to write a review of. So this will be an exercise.
Also an excellent review, despite the slant towards the cold war. I reread the series recently and the cold war takes about 5% of the volume. Also, i didnt even notice, till i came to gr!
My beef isn't that he didn't predict the end of the Cold War, it's that he made the Cold War so flat and boring even in the middle of an apocalypse. An apocalypse that's just a stage for he's weird racial sexual fetishes. Even by the standards of the 80s, ew.
Excellent review. I was sitting her and trying to decide if I liked it. I liked it but didn't love it. your paragraph " Greg Bear is not the superb master of characters and political speculation in which Ursula Le Guin - Left Hand of Darkness excels, nor is he a smooth story teller such as Ray Bradbury. But Greg Bear has followed the more traditional science fiction of Arthur C. Clarke. And on that path he excels." hit the nail on the head. The characters didn't really hook me and I had to go through it a couple of times. I liked the story, but the people were just ok, except for the Russian general after his incident.
Thank you.
At present, my personal goal (not promise) is to go back and write reviews for my "Favorites" shelves. It would be a good exercise to explain exactly why I gave them 5 stars. Take some responsibility for my opinions.