Greg Bear's Anvil of Stars tells the story of a scant few humans who survived the destruction of Earth in The Forge of God. All children at the time of their evacuation from Earth, they have now grown to adulthood and responsibility for a Ship of the Law, which they must crew on a mission to locate Earth's destroyers. With guidance from those who rescued Earth's only survivors, this small number of humans is to mete out justice to the eaters of worlds.

Greg Bear's prose is gripping as always, and the characters are easy to identify with. For readers of The Forge of God, our main protagonist is someone we already know, Martin Gordon, the son of Arthur Gordon, a major player in the earlier story. But where The Forge of God affects us in no small part because of its familiar and comfortable setting, and the fear of its loss, Anvil of Stars wrestles with questions about vengeance and justice, roping us into becoming emotionally invested on that level.

The Forge of God and Anvil of Stars are, along with most of Greg Bear's work, on my science fiction must-read list. Both are definite page-turners which manage to be thought-provoking at the same time, and are in my opinion destined to be considered classics of the genre. However, while I believe that The Forge of God has the potential to appeal to people who are generally not readers of science fiction, Anvil of Stars might be less immediately accessible to anyone who isn't already a devotee of SF. While I often recommend Greg Bear for "starter" SF reading (Blood Music is also a great read even for someone who's not generally a science fiction reader), I would be unlikely to suggest starting with Anvil of Stars.



Recommended: Yes