久遠

have read this book 6 times over 10 years, its so well put together.

I really enjoyed this book, it answered a lot of questions, perhaps even more than it left unanswered. I would recommend anyone who has read Eon read Eternity.

I couldn't put it down til I was finished. It wrapped up very nicely, bringing all the story lines together.

This whole series has enthralled my teen son. He does already like to read, but we are always looking for books in this genre.

I've never read a book by Greg Bear that I did not love, and this one is no exception!! Try it....

Very complex plot lines. Hard to follow at times. It should be read as soon after the first book as possible as it is easy to forget some of the sub plots. Otherwise brillient piece of Scifi writing. Geg Bear is utterley convincing even when dealing with tech bordering on the religious! Can't wait to read Eon 3.

I really enjoyed this book it had lots of good stuff in it. REALLY enjoyed the first one of the series though

Loved the first book, Eon. This was nearly as good. On my all time favourite list. A facinating universe well put together. Love the ideas behind it.

I enjoyed this sequel to EON as Eternity followed right along on the story line. All in all this was a pretty good read. Enjoyed both books.

I can't begin to tell you how great this book is. It is the sequel to EON. This book continues the story of Thistledown and The Way. I had a hard time putting it down. I think I have found a new favorite author. Mr Bear does a great job answering all those what happened to them questions. A must read for all fans of Science fiction both the classic and contemporary.

Sequel to best selling hard sci-fi novel Eon, set some forty years later. Following the Sundering (the separation of the Way from the asteroid starship Thistledown) 40 years earlier, Earth and the Hexamon (the future society of humanity) are not getting along. The `Old Natives' of Earth resent being treated like children by their descendants from the future, and in the long aftermath of the Death (the nuclear war that decimated Earth) want to be left alone to their own devices to recover as they see fit, which the Hexamon will not allow. Meanwhile, the Hexamon itself is beginning to weary of Earth, with its quagmire of need and excesses of misery and is somewhat homesick for the Way, the incredible world it left behind with the Sundering. But when Pavel Mirsky - the former `Old Native' Russian leader who opted to travel down the Way with half of the Hexamon's Axis City and its citizens just before the Sundering 40 years earlier and who with these citizens was forever separated from our universe - makes an impossible appearance on Earth, having returned from the end of time and space as an avatar and makes a startling request of the Hexamon, the political winds that this stirs up will lead to revolution, a terrible encounter with old enemies and the necessity of some old loyal servants of the Hexamon betraying the very Hexamon to fulfill higher duties. Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, on a parallel Earth (Gaia), Rhita Vaskayza, 21-year-old granddaughter of Patricia Vasquez (the mathematical genius whose theories led to the creation of the Way) seeks to fulfill her grandmother's wishes, searching for her grandmother's home universe and Earth using the extraordinary device known only as a clavicle. But will she find it... or enter into a nightmare?

Comments: I found this sequel a better read than Eon, and rather hard to put down. For starters there were less characters to try to keep track of, which meant better characterization. I found Korzenowski - `The Engineer', who designed the Way - very interesting, perhaps even more so than one of the book's other great protagonists, man-of-the-future, Olmy. You really start to get to know Korzenowski in this book (Korzenowski didn't have much to do in Eon, not featuring in the book until near the very end). And as for Olmy he is as sparkling as he was in Eon; whether we are observing him going through difficulties with his partner Suli Ram Kikura, interacting with his son Tapi, gaining knowledge about the Hexamon's mortal foes the Jarts or even going through his deepest and most complete failure. However although I cared for the character of Garry Lanier (as I did in Eon) I did find him largely too bleak, pessimistic and bitter in this book. He is 40 years older than he was in Eon, and frankly has not aged well. I preferred him in Eon. And I would have liked Judith Hoffman (a fairly major character from Eon) to have had a larger role in this book, but as it is, in this book she is a minor character.

We get to meet alien adversaries the Jarts in this book (they are only talked about in Eon), and they are as formidable foes to the Hexamon as they are strange. Finally Rhita Vaskayza (granddaughter of central character from book one Patricia Vasquez) is an excellent character and a thoroughly modern young woman. And Gaia - her character's world - is very interesting, extremely detailed and compelling (Bear obviously worked hard creating this parallel Earth and its history), and could merit a book in itself. (Hint hint, Bear?)

Satisfyingly, like Eon this book was very epic in scope. It also had somewhat less technical language, although it was often fairly hard to visualize things being described (although not as hard as Eon). Also Bear has a much greater vocabulary than I do and as I read Eternity I found myself reaching for the dictionary every few minutes to look up a word. Nonetheless this book was most enjoyable and had a satisfying climax.

Conclusion: generally a quite satisfying read, although you may find the (probable) need to pick up the dictionary every few minutes annoying. Also at 400 pages this book is 100 pages shorter than its predecessor Eon, which is a shame as it is a better read. If you read Eon, you must read this.

the product came in perfect condition very quickly - precisely what I ordered with no hassle what so ever

Makes EON look like a childrens book. I wish Bear still wrote books like this.

本書は、前作『永劫』の40年後という設定で始まる直接の続編です。
　『永劫』はハード寄りの本格宇宙冒険SFです。それまでのベアの作品と同様に、上巻はハラハラドキドキの娯楽風味もあって引きが強く、読み易く、下巻になると急にわかりにくくなるのですが、壮大な設定の中に感傷的なドラマが組み込まれた奥深い小説でした。

（まず、上巻について）
　本書も、上巻は前作の上巻と同様、娯楽風味が強く、読み易い。
　本書も主役級の3人の視点を切り替えながら描かれます。
　一人目は、前作から引き続き、老骨に鞭打って活躍する原地球人のギャリー・ラニアー。前作で荒廃した地球の復興のために妻と共に走り回ってきましたが、心身に疲れをため込んでいます。そんな彼の元に予想もしなかった知人が訪ねてきます。彼が戻ってきたことが本作の主題です。彼は何のために戻ってきたのか？そしてそれは世界にどんな影響を及ぼすのでしょうか？
　2人目は、衰えを知らないヘクサモンのエージェント・オルミイ。ヘクサモンは宇宙からの帰還者で、地球の復興を助けており、天使にも例えられますが、原地球人から見ればうっとおしい存在でもありました。そんなヘクサモンの中で、オルミイは独自の目標を持って行動しています。
　3人目は新人です。前作のヒロイン、天才女性物理学者パトリシアの孫娘リタ。異境で生まれ育ったリタが、祖母の才能と望郷の想いを受け継ぎ、エキゾチックな女王の期待を一身に担って頑張ります。

　前作では〈道〉と呼ばれる超宇宙が主役になるにしたがってわかりにくい話になりましたが、本書では、それが“水道管”に例えられており、その呼び名通り一気にわかり易くなりました。複雑で抽象的な事象が、単純な名前で呼ばれるようになった途端になんとなくわかり易くなるという見本のようです。（実際にはまだまだ複雑です。）
　また、描かれているもうひとつの異世界が、ある意味で分かりやすい異世界なので、その点でも読み易い。

　本書上巻は、宇宙と文明社会の未来というハードなアイデアの展開という点では前作を引き継いでいますが、その世界に生き、運命にもてあそばれる人々の想いが溢れだすようで、その点ではまるで別の物語のようです。
　下巻がどのような物語になるのか？　既読作の展開を考えると期待と不安が半々というところでしょうか。

（下巻について）
　ベアの小説も4作目になりますが、上下巻の3作は印象と評価が良く似ています。
　3作とも凄いのです。アイデアも、展開も。で、3作とも上巻は凄く面白い。読み易いし、ワクワクする。どんな傑作になるのだろうと期待するのですが、下巻に読み進むとだんだん読みにくくなる。上巻で広がったストーリーが集束するのは良いけれど、描かれている場面が今イチわかりにくい。3作とも最後は凄い結末なのに途中が十分理解できないので不全感が残るのですね。
　導入から発展に到る部分では良いのだけれど、展開から収束に向かう部分になっても、わかりにくい設定や表現が次々出てきます。でもこれは、読む側（自分）の理解が追いついていない。ということでもあるのかもしれません。
　そこで、本作はなんとか理解したいと思って何度も繰り返して同じところを読む。すると、なんとなくわかってくるものがあります。作者はこれが描きたかったのかと。

　本作は、果てのない無限に続く閉鎖宇宙〈道〉に旅立って行く人々と、それを見送る人びとを描いた『永劫』の続編なので、魅力的な装置である〈道〉が主役として描かれるのは当然ですが、その〈道〉と人の関係が重要なテーマになっています。ハードな設定の中で、それと対照的な感傷的な描写が目立ちます。特に、失った故郷に対する望郷の念をいたるところで感じました。

　本作は繰り返して読むことに耐えうる小説であり、読み返す度に新たな発見がある奥深い物語だと思います。