Anvil of Stars

Rating:
Summary: I'd have to say, an all around great scifi thriller
Review: At the end of the book the Forge of God, the Earth has been blown up, and most of the survivors are living on Mars. Except, for 82 children, who became the crew of the ship of the law named DAWN TREADER, their mission is to seek out the alien race who launched the planet killer probes that blew up the Earth, and punish them with extinction. I'd get it if I were you, but you should get the first book, the Forge of God, first, but I didn't, so I have to buy it, read it, and enjoy it, because it will definitely be as good as Anvil of the Stars.

Rating:
Summary: Worth reading for Bear's viewpoint on survival
Review: Author Greg Bear holds very interesting and disturbing views on what it takes for a civilization to survive, the main thing is keeping quiet. The book is worth reading for that. Unfortunatly, the story itself is a disappointment after "Forge Of God". The story is very childish, and too stereotypical, Bear missed a great oppurtunity. Still, it's a page-turner, so I'll give it a 4.

Rating:
Summary: Great read with unanswered questions
Review: Basic outline: Earth has been destroyed by killer robot spaceships. The few remaining survivors send some of their children to avenge the planet. Supposedly there is another race called the Benafactors who, having built spaceships of their own to hunt down the robot killers, take the children (young adults, really) to hunt them down because it's the "LAW". I have to ask: What kind of beings make a Law that can only be understood poorly, if at all, since the Benafactors who sent out these Ships of the Law cannot be questioned directly (out of a sense of self preservation)? I give this book only 4 stars not because the book is bad (it's great) but because it's frustrating that the humans are obviously in over their heads in terms of carrying out a completely ALIEN system of justice that has no limits on time or distance. In other words they can travel for hundreds, if not thousands, of years across unimaginable distances (something the book conveys well) to find what? A civilization that has forgotten its horrible past and doesn't know enough to FEEL guilty let alone BE guilty. As the book lamely asks: what about redemption? It's not answered to my satisfaction. My biggest complaint is that the Benefactors don't seem to care that Earthlings (or perhaps any race they happen to save) don't have any idea what kind of moral/legal/social/galactic framework they are becoming involved in. Sure, it's great that they get these ships to go out and avenge Earth but who ARE the Benefactors? Why do they care about revenge and if they care so much why don't they just do it themslves instead of going to all the trouble of "training" the survivors and telling them only that it's for dear old earth? We don't get any other explanation 'cause the benafactor built robots who guide the children either can't or won't tell. Giving out info is apparently against the best interests of the race(s) that sent the Ships of the Law out in the first place since the ship might be captured by the machines they are trying to destroy. Implying that earthlings might turn into equally dangerous predators as the killer robots doesn't seem reason enough not to give out as much info as possible concerning WHAT you're doing, HOW you're doing it, WHOM you're doing it to, and WHY it must be done. Blind faith and desire for revenge can only go so far.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book despite these questions and recommend it. The science is engaging/realistic (more or less) and the characters are deep enough to be enjoyable. I do NOT see this book as derivative of Ender's Game at all. IMHO they are polar opposites. One is a revenge seeking space opera and the other is a quest for redemption. One last caveat: Both Ender's Game and AOS recognize that as humans we don't always have the option of forgiveness. Not right away, anyway.

Rating:
Summary: A truly great author
Review: Bear has produced some of the finest books in SF. You will need to read "The Forge of God" for the best understanding of the plot, but it could probably be read solo.

Rating:
Summary: better than The Forge of God
Review: Compared to some of his other books, the end of this one was a little more satisfying -- in the sense that I was left with some interesting things to think about but there was also a definite conclusion.

I enjoyed the characters, especially the alien "Brothers" -- they were interesting, and not the all-powerful, all-wise stereotype we find in a lot of sci-fi.

There was a bit too much sex described for my tastes but oh well.

Rating:
Summary: Good technological/astronomical fiction, annoying characters
Review: First off let me say that the science part of the science fiction was very interesting. The idea of "fake matter", the way that entire star systems were engineered... captivating. The alien races & other technologies were likewise very fun to read about. However...

The human interactions, and plot lines concerning the relationships of a few dozen adolescents packed into a confined space... were no more captivating to me than any other novel written in any other genre would be. I could not develop any attachment to any of the characters, and I found the dialogue tedious and the "fleshing out" of characters lacking.

Finally: the person who said it could be a "Rated XXX" novel... What version were YOU reading?? I've seen steamier english in Redbook magazine.

Pancake!

Rating:
Summary: A phenominal si-fi adventure which must be read by all!!
Review: Greg Bear, once again proves that with no doubt he is the best when it comes to writing science fiction. A fascinating story told in a way only Greg Bear can, combined with he's brilliant futuristic ideas and tecnological know-how

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't finish this book.
Review: I am a big fan of Greg Bear's work, but Anvil of Stars just wasn't a worthy sequel to Forge of God. I just didn't care enough about any of the characters to want to find out what happens to them--something which is very unusual when I am reading material by Bear. The decision to write a sequel to Forge of God was questionable in the first place. The premise of Anvil of Stars is so unlikely and illogical that it was difficult for me to take seriously. Many of those who enjoyed Bear's inventive end-of-world scenario in Forge of God are not going to enjoy the leap to interstellar, adolescent combat-training and revenge in Anvil of Stars.

Rating:
Summary: A Science Fiction All-In-One
Review: I confess to reading most of Mr Bear's works. Only Mr Robert L Forward comes close in my humble opinion, and I cite Dragons' Egg as his most pertinent example. It's amazing how a basic knowledge of science opens gateways that I'd struggle to see a less interested or less informed audience appreciate. Greg Bear's creativity is awesome, and ability to extrapolate the present is equal, such as the internet as we have it today in his work "Slant."

I thoroughly enjoyed Eon, Eternity and Legacy, and could not help draw parallels to Clarke's Rama, even only for the image of a cylinder floating in space. But The Forge of God and in particularly Anvil of Stars take the cake for me. Anvil is novel that captures nearly all aspect of why someone like me reads science fiction. Interstellar travel, alien biology and technology, human - alien interaction and scientific extrapolation. An all-in-one compendium, what more could a reader ask for. I'm a true science fiction appreciator, so I had just one small gripe if I may, on Anvil that my imagination could not overcome. That's the endgame at Leviathan, in which I could not seem to fathom how the moms could create a "defense" of the Killer's "noach" weapons for the Shrike, Greyhound and Trojan Horse ships, but that the Killer's immense and evolved systems did not have a similar defense of their own planets from "noach" weapons. They missed this one minor detail? No chance. But can I think of a better way to defeat a system described as experienced and evolved as Leviathan, no, and pointless of course.


Rating:
Summary: after Eon, the best from Bear ...
Review: I disagree with some reviewers, maybe they are bored after too many bad sci-fi books. But This one is really good : scientific details and new theories, good characters with different and changing personnalities and good suspense.

If you enjoyed Eon, read Anvil of Stars (The forge of Gods isn't a pre-requisite) !. Enjoy !