Sequel to the visionary yet slow and painful Forge of God, Anvil of Stars is a completely different work, both in character and tone. After the destruction of the Earth, surviving adults settle to live out the end of their lives on Mars, while children volunteer to enact The Law, seeking vengeance for Earth. Training for battle year after year, hurtling through space, the children are provided for by the Benefactors in all except for normal human societal guidelines.“The Law requires destruction of all intelligences responsible for or associated with the manufacture of self-replicating and destructive devices.”Martin, newly elected Pan, or leader of the group of teenagers, is abnormal in that he does not constantly have sex with a wide variety of partners; in fact, he’s embarrassed for anyone to know he’s only had three, two Wendys and one Lost Boy. As Martin questions the lack of communication between the humans and the Benefactors, believing them to be withholding vital information, a star system is discovered that may be their murderer’s home.In Forge of God, I was struggling with the lack of control, in Anvil of Stars, we’re given too much. Armed with technology they cannot understand, the last remaining children of Earth must choose to enact retribution with limited facts. Is there enough evidence that this is the Killer’s home? Is there enough evidence to send a world of potential innocents to their death, thereby becoming Killer’s themselves? In the face of such moral decisions, can they survive destruction from within their ranks?Although Anvil of Stars is much more action-packed than Forge of God, it’s still pretty slow. There is only one primary protagonist, but Martin is reserved, sullen, and wracked with indecision. Recommended for hard scifi fans interested in philosophical quandaries about the cost of war and the right the kill.
This direct sequel to The Forge of God is as far removed from its predecessor in tone and content as could possibly be. The concept of the 'Law' is fascinating, made more so by the enigmatic nature of the Benefactors. Many questions that are raised throughout the novel are left unanswered and the morality of decisions is open to interpretation. This plays an important part in what makes this novel work on an emotional level.At first, I didn’t quite get Anvil of Stars. The sexual politics, called "slicking", aboard the Ship of the Law, for one thing, didn’t appeal to me. It doesn’t take long, however, to realise just how skewed the psychological profile of the Children of Earth inevitably is. These are kids that were taken away from parents at a very young age and forced to watch the destruction of Earth. Add to that the fact that they have grown up in a space ship, in zero gravity, with only each other for company, on a mission of vengeance. Are these androgynous, vengeful, alienated creatures even human any more?It all comes together of course. Greg Bear has yet to disappoint me. The worlds he envisions here are spectacular, and events depicted mind-bending in scope and complexity. The prevailing issue, of course, is whether the Children will identify the correct Killer civilization, or whether they will destroy innocent worlds and so become Killers themselves, sentencing humanity to extinction. That is the Law.There is enough sense of wonder here to satisfy the most jaded Science Fiction enthusiast. You should read this, but in order to appreciate it, read The Forge of God first.
What do You think about Anvil Of Stars (1993)?
The Forge of God was incredible. This doesn't necessarily pick up where it left off, but it's the sequel. A very different book from Forge. The science fiction is good, the writing isn't terrible - Bear manages to sustain a fairly consistent and growing atmosphere of tension and uncertainty throughout. The ideas are engaging and the world building is solid. The first half, however, I struggled completely to identify with the characters in any meaningful way. Other things I disliked: that it had an epilogue. I LOATHE cop-out epilogues and this most certainly was one. (view spoiler)[Was I supposed to catch on that Theodore was imaginary? And was that somehow more significant to the narrative than I took it? I'm assuming there was a device here that Bear intended that just failed for me completely. (hide spoiler)]
—Zac
The sequel to Forge of God wasn't quite as terrible as the first, but it's still not very good.I decided to read it despite hating the original because the back cover blurb promised that the humans would get to go out and kick the asses of the unstoppable aliens from the first book. I was hoping that maybe this would make up for the utter helplessness of the protagonists in the first book, where everything just happened around them without them having any real input into the outcome.Somehow, des
—Facedeer
When I was reading the first quarter of this book, I began to get bored. Reading about the "children" train, slick and simulate was like watching a sloth climb up a tree. The narrative tells a lot of things and nothing at the same time. To make it worse, the dialogues were flat and disjointed. The children sounded like they had too much cold sleep. I was ready to give up and abandon the book, but I thought, "This is a Greg Bear work! Remember Eon? Darwin's Children?" Okay...so I decided to read a few more pages. Well, a good thing I did because when the Brother entered the story everything just changed. The story began to pick up, finally. The science was just... wow! Bear gave a new way of looking at matter being manipulated at the quantum level. And the Braids were fascinating. I enjoyed the way they "talk" - perfumed conversations! The children finally reached their goal and found the aliens responsible for the annihilations of many species and civilizations, including their very own. They fought, and fought some more; but it turned out the hardest battle they ever faced was in their hearts. For what could be a more tortured creature than a human after blood? The ending was quite moving, giving closure to the children's journey. I would have given this book 5 stars if more had been said about the Benefactors. Who were they, really?
—Shari
