Should one not have the time, one can eventually figure out what Bear is talking about through context clues, but it took me about a good half of the book until I was confident I understood what all of these things were. Once I got past this, I really could appreciate the book more.

The book takes place at some future date, presumably several hundred years or so from now, after a nuclear war with Russia. This nuclear war is referred to as both the Death and as the Sundering. Apparently an extremely large hollowed out asteroid called Thistledown, which is also referred to throughout the book as the Stone and also as the Potato, is in orbit around Earth. Humans have colonized this asteroid and it seems as if most of the wealthier humans, known as the Geshels, live there. Thistledown holds the gateway to a faster than light highway of sorts, that allows transportation between planets, galaxies, universes, and even through time. This "highway" is known as the Way.

Humans, however, aren't the only ones interested in the Way. A hostile species of aliens known as the Jarts also uses the way for transport and for conquering other planets. At one time the Way was open for public use, but at the time the book starts, it has been closed since the nuclear war with Russia. The entire plot of the book revolves on the debate with the Hexamon, the global government, on whether or not they should reopen the Way.

One aspect of the book that is really interesting is that in the story people can receive age regression therapy and live for a virtually infinite number of years. People's minds can even be downloaded in to City Memory, which is something similar to the internet, and then put into a new body. I think that?s where the book gets it's title from, because as a result of this people can live for all eternity if they choose to do so.

The people in the book also have an interesting way to reproduce. Their children's minds are created in City Memory long before they ever have a body. Their children's minds are usually parts of their parents minds combined and then sculpted to perfection. When the online mind has reached a certain age, it takes tests to see whether or not it qualifies to be a human. From their the mind designs it's own body, which is grown for it and then the mind is downloaded into the body.

The book also takes on a religious aspect as people return as angels from the "Final Mind", also known as God, to try to influence whether or not the Way should be opened. They want the Way to be destroyed because they claim that it interrupts the Final Mind's plan. One thing that I found particularly annoying was that the angels never mention why, or how the Way interrupts the Final Mind's plan. When people ask them they respond that they simply don't know. This really [inhales with force] the purpose out of the plot because it is never really explained to the reader why the Way should be destroyed.

Once I got past the lack of description as to what Bear is talking about however I found this to be a rather interesting book. After all there have been many great novels throughout history that have been far more vague, leaving interpretation or even translation entirely up to the reader (i.e. Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange). I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about politics or science fiction.


A slow start with an interesting conclusion...   September 1, 2001
 9 out of 13 found this review helpful

While I initially had mixed feelings about Bear's Eon, I have to admit that certain points of his world did capture my interest and I did feel the desire to read more. In this light, Eternity is excellent as it shows us what happens to most of the important characters after the final events in Eon. In contrast though, the book was extremely slow to start and seemed mainly concerned about the characters attitudes and feelings as long passages were devoted to personal insight and environmental descriptions. Only after about 1/3 into the novel do things become much more interesting and the conclusion is definitely thought provoking. Overall, I would recommend fans of Eon to give this book a chance as it seems a fitting conclusion to the story, even if a bit long winded.


Eternity is in the great tradition of Asimove and Arthur C.   April 5, 1998
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Eternity is one of those rare examples of contemporary science fiction that sustains interest as both a story and as science fiction. Its ancestors include the best works by Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. If you wander through the science fiction section of most book stores,an avalanche of second rate works penned under the inspiration of television or movie sequels dominates the racks. Bear's Eternity is a superb antidote to the latest Trekkie or Star Wars drivel. The story commands your interest from start to finish and raises the same kind of profound questions Clarke addressed in Childhood's End. When an author dares to be profound or ask ultimate questions in science fiction, he or she must be good or the effect is ludicrous, painful, and pathetic. Bear's work is insightful, compelling, and great fun.


Eternity th Best Ever   December 16, 2001
 6 out of 9 found this review helpful

Eternity is a sweeping vision defining the plot vein started with Stapleton's Starmaker and Zebrowski's Macroworld. Extending from the near future to the Universe's end, Greg Bear paints a vision of Humanity (extended to all intelligentlife forms)at it's best and worst, and does it with very sympathetic characters, extensive and involved plots, and ingenious predictions on technology and evolution. Plus, The Way - a constructed, self-contained universe made by man. Quite possibly the best Science Fiction I have read. If you read Eon, by Bear, this is a must-read sequal that far surpasses the original.


Lost Opportunity   December 23, 1998
 5 out of 13 found this review helpful

Am I the only person to be unimpressed by Greg Bears' Eon and Eternity? After reading Eon I thought that Eternity could not be any worse and it wasn't but only just. Basically I felt I needed maps and diagrams every few pages just to get my bearings. I'm sure the author was only too clear in his own mind of the geography of the place but he failed to impart it to me with any clarity! I was quite lost almost from the beginning and for enjoyment of these novels a clear understanding of the layout of the asteroid was essential especially the 7th chamber which was crucial. This is a pity because the potential for expanding the saga both within the asteroid and onto other worlds is infinite but I would find it hard to raise any interest as the mechanics of moving to other worlds was completely lost on me.All in all an opportunity missed hence only 2 stars ie by my system books I would be quite happy not to have read.