Amazon.com: Anvil of Stars: Greg Bear: Books

Review

“Like Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, this sequel to The Forge of God explores the issues of morality and justice, using children as its vehicle. Bear's treatment differs, however, in that his characters have already lost their innocence and face their destiny with open eyes. As a stylist, Bear writes with a heady brilliance that communicates a sense of immediacy and credibility.”

--Library Journal on Anvil of Stars

“One of the outstanding sf novels of the current year is also the best book so far from an author whose versatility is continually growing. Literate hard-science or alien invasion novels are no longer rare, but a book such as this, which effectively blends these concepts and is also compellingly written, is a joy to behold.”

--ALA Booklist on The Forge of God

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
Eighty-two mortal exiles ride through space in the Ship of the Law, a ship constructed from the fragments of Earth's corpse, determined to punish those responsible for their planet's destruction. Reprint.

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Product Details

Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition edition (February 1, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446364037
ISBN-13: 978-0446364034
Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (43 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #131,458 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
MARTY SITS IN THE FRONT SEAT OF HIS FATHER'S BUICK, RIDING along a freeway in Oregon at midsummer twilight. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
bishop vulture, killer probes, time memory store, neutrino storm, skeletal suit, super acceleration, ladder field, volumetric fields, external drill, staircase god, fake matter, privileged bands, fifteen planets, star sphere, killer machines, middle braid, snake mother, few tendays, outer cloud, planet killers, second neck, weapons store, fourth planet, head cords, superior adversary

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Dawn Treader, War Mother, Silken Parts, Ship of the Law, Paola Birdsong, Erin Eire, Lost Boys, Twice Grown, Rosa Sequoia, Rex Live Oak, Stephanie Wing Feather, Double Seed, George Dempsey, Jeanette Snap Dragon, Ships of the Law, Harpal Timechaser, Most High, Andrew Jaguar, Alexis Baikal, Joe Flatworm, Makes Clear, Sand Piler, Red Tree Runners, Sharp Seeing, Strong Cord

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 4 books:

Queen of Angels (Questar science fiction) by Greg Bear in Front Matter
The Wind From a Burning Woman by Greg Bear in Front Matter
The Forge of God by Greg Bear in Front Matter
Strength of Stones by Greg Bear in Front Matter

16 books cite this book:

Eternity by Greg Bear in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
Vitals by Greg Bear in Front Matter
Songs of Earth And Power by Greg Bear in Front Matter
Moving Mars: A Novel by Greg Bear in Front Matter
Exploration: Themes of Science Fiction, A Brief Guide by John D. Daugherty on page 139

See all 16 books citing this book

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

The Forge of God by Greg Bear

Discusses:

Empire and Ecolitan by L. E. Modesitt Jr.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	69% buy the item featured on this page: Anvil of Stars 4.0 out of 5 stars (43)
	13% buy The Forge of God 4.1 out of 5 stars (69) $12.21
	7% buy Eon 3.8 out of 5 stars (90) $7.99
	6% buy Eternity 3.4 out of 5 stars (15) $7.99

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Customer Reviews

43 Reviews

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (43 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, hard, spacefaring sci-fi., November 23, 1998

By A Customer

I was somewhat disappointed with the first book, The Forge of God, in part because it was bound to terra firma, and in part because of the weak political intrigue. Fortunately, Anvil is a different sort of animal; it takes the reader from planet to planet, star system to star system, spinning believable struggle-for-power subplots, with a few red herrings thrown in for good measure.

At times, however, I had a hard time empathizing with some of the characters: the dialogue simply wasn't powerful enough to convey what Bear was trying to get across. There are several of these literary lapses, when a character would break down emotionally, for no apparent reason (i.e., Theresa, while talking to Martin). The effect is there, but not the cause.

These quibbles aside (for Bear can surely write better than this lowly reviewer), Anvil offers believable aliens (David Brinnian, in fact), convincing physics (convincing-sounding, at the very least), cool spaceships, and an appreciation of the grandeur and vastness of space. Some parts remind me of Orson Scott Card's Enders Game.

Very well done and addictive to the end. And oh yes, you don't have to read Forge to follow this book; it's self-contained.

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Sequel to The Forge of God, February 5, 2003

By	C. Baker "cbaker8887@aol.com" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

ANVIL OF STARS is the sequel to THE FORGE OF GOD but is a much different book. A group of human children volunteer (are coerced?) to board a Ship of the Law created by the alien race that saved humanity. Their mission is to seek out and destroy those beings that created the devices that destroyed the Earth.

To make this commentary short - this is a fairly entertaining novel and wrestles with dilemmas similar to those found in Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card). A group of human children are taken away from their parents and environment in which they have grown-up, with no possibility of return. As result Bear is able to explore interesting ways human beings develop and interact in an enclosed environment with minimal social restraints - as well as grapple with life or death issues. From leadership, sexuality, religion, war, xenocide, xenophobia, ethnicity - it's all here. And we get even get to closely encounter another rather interesting race of alien - which is actually the most inventive and interesting part of the novel. The drawback to this book is it is too long. It could have been much tighter and shorter.

Certainly an above average novel, if at a times a bit tedious.

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This novel has everything! One of my favorites . . ., October 19, 2000

By	Lee D. (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews

In Anvil, Bear combines speculations on quantum physics with war-story melodrama, immense ethical quandaries with teen romance, exobiology with whodunit. Yet with all this intellectual weight, the novel proceeds at a brisk and exciting pace.

Anvil picks up where Forge of God left off: the earth has been destroyed by alien machines, and aliens from a different civilization have rescued a small population and resettled them on Mars. From the survivors are drawn adolescents to serve as crew on a Ship of the Law, charged with carrying out a death sentence passed by humanity's benefactors on the race which created the planet-killing machines. Fans of SF writer Orson Scott Card will see many parallels to the Battle School milieu from Ender's Game: youths incongruously training for war under the tutelage of inscrutable teachers.

We join Earth's last children some years into the mission, when they are beginning to draw close to a prime suspect civilization. Bear does not shy away from the titanic moral questions raised by Galactic Law and its harsh retribution, as youths who might otherwise be arguing capital punishment or abortion in Philosophy 101 must weigh the evidence against the suspect civilization. Simultaneously, they must stuggle within the constraints of an alien justice system that has no provision for such human notions as mitigating factors, statutes of limitations, or redemption.

Bear's young protagonists (and antagonists) stand out in the often bland universe of SF characters. The crew has established a unique shipboard society of pseudofamilies and shifting allegiances, a kind of co-ed Lord of the Flies. At times they embrace the shortsighted, hedonistic tendencies that would be the invevitable consequence of college-age kids cut off from polite society, parents, and pregnancy. But when they must focus on "the Job," the youths become a cadre of genius mercenaries, armed with - and burdened with - the ability to destroy suns.

Particularly conflicted is the main character, Martin, from whose perspective the story is told. As the crew's leader at the outset, Martin is the focus of all their emotional turmoil as they struggle to balance their quest for justice with their revulsion at the prospect of slaughtering innocents. He must combat his own doubts and dreads while attempting to hold togeher the crew that includes cynical boatrocker Ariel, gung-ho Machiavellian Hans, and serene intellectual Hakim. The interplay becomes even more complex when the crew are joined by the Brothers, aliens that attest to Bear's supreme inventiveness.

Even with all of Martin's introspection, the novel proceeds quickly through an obstacle course of unconventional skirmishes, disheartening setbacks, and mounting evidence against the suspects. The background is a milieu of superadvanced science featuring intelligent biomechanical ships and intriguing speculations on the nature of matter.

The climax is exciting, and its aftermath devastating. The poignant coda serves to add even greater depth to the main characters and the story as a whole.

It's been several years since I first read Anvil, but I pick it up occasionally to relive the enjoyment it originally brought me.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Alien military encounters done right
I've read hundreds of science fiction books where humans have military conflict with aliens (though not yet the Forge of God). Read more

Published 11 months ago by J. Golton

2.0 out of 5 stars Not in the same class as "Forge of God"
While nominally a sequel to Forge of God, Anvil of Stars is very different and can probably be read without having to know too much about events in the previous book as most that... Read more

Published 11 months ago by David Segrove

4.0 out of 5 stars An early Bear masterpiece
I just finished re-reading Forge of God, in which the earth is destroyed (literally rent asunder) by von Neuman machines sent blindly by a vastly superior and advanced... Read more

Published 13 months ago by James Tepper

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read Book
This is a brilliant book that leaves you with images, ideas and questions long after it's finished. I have read this at least twice and am sure I will read it again.

Published 15 months ago by K. Schafer

4.0 out of 5 stars Assault on conventions
Those of you who know Greg Bear need not read my accolades to appreciate his contributions to the field. Those of you who have not are in for many treats through his works. Read more

Published 15 months ago by B. Zalneraitis

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader
Never-never land = space.

The few people that survived the destruction of Earth are now travelling by spaceship. Read more

Published 20 months ago by Blue Tyson

4.0 out of 5 stars The Ship and the anvil of stars
The "Forge of God" was a solid read. This is less so but still good. The story opens with the survivors from the destruction of Earth seeking out those responsible for the crime... Read more

Published on November 23, 2006 by Ryan K. Myers

4.0 out of 5 stars jacket summary
from the back cover of the February 1993 Warner Books paperback edition
cover illustration by Bob Eggleton
The Ship of the Law was made of the fragments of Earth's... Read more

Published on January 16, 2006 by Ray Francis

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts dull, ends good
"The Forge of God" was a 5 star book and this was a bit of a let down compared to that. In particular, the first hundred pages or so are dull and somewhat silly. Read more

Published on January 8, 2006 by kuroyama

3.0 out of 5 stars Humanity's Revenge
After Earth's death and rescue by the mysterious Benefactors of a few thousand humans at the end of The Forge of God... Read more

Published on October 28, 2005 by themarsman

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