Reviews
Perhaps less tight in terms of structure than Forge of God, this sequel has at its center a deeply moral conundrum: How far do we take the Law? What does vengeance do to our souls? Vibrant, detailed and believable psycho-sexual social milieu and of course, dizzying hard sci-fi exposition, plus a moving, powerful theme, maybe even more relevant now post-9/11 than it was in 1991. Highly recommended.
The sequel to Forge of God is a remarkably powerful, dark novel. Anvil of Stars is one part space opera revenge tale and one part meditation on violence, social dynamics, and extreme power imbalances. The plot concerns a ship full of young people, assigned to exact punishment on the villains from the first book, aliens simply known as The Killers. Much of the first 2/3rds of Anvil is concerned with exploring this microcosm of human society. Bear sets out dozens of characters, most notably three leaders, Martin, Hans, and Ariel. He charts their respective rises and falls, how the group organizes and schisms, responses to poor information, crises of authority, sexual dynamics, and deaths. The plot drives forward, starting with (view spoiler)[a disastrous encounter with a Killers star system. Aliens appear, one group dead, the other tasked with integrating with the humans. Very fascinating race, the "Brothers". The last 1/3rd of the book is a spectacular war with an second and immense Killer system and its aftermath. (hide spoiler)] The plot is usually very compelling, leading to some exciting, suspenseful scenes. Indeed, a major mystery isn't revealed until the antepenultimate chapter. The tone is mordant throughout. Every character is scarred by the murder of Earth, which occurred during their childhood. Most are named after mourned features of their natal planet, including animals and natural features. The ship's crew suffers losses by violence and suicide, with casualties building up as they battle the Killers. The "children" (as they call themselves) are also frequently terrified, since they know so little of what they're getting into, and are overwhelmingly outgunned and -classed by their enemies. Point of view character Martin is a dour one, spending a great deal of time dealing with those two emotions of terror and mourning. The universe is very credible, both in terms of hard and soft sciences. Bear builds on the scenario sketched in Forge, partly by describing fascinating astronomy, and also by inventing many technologies. The sociology is equally credible and compelling. I recommend this book as a fine sequel, although it can certainly be read on its own. Bear doesn't simply replicate the first book (say, by having Killers reappear to take out Mars), but uses its aftermath to move in new directions. Vengeance is a logical plot idea following book #1, and Anvil explores this deeply, with ambivalence and humanity. It makes for a fine and fairly unusual space opera, lacking the politics of contemporary US/UK examples, and being far sadder. The book reminds me of some Poul Anderson novels, like Enemy Stars, in its combination of grimness and hard science. Indeed, there's something of the Viking in the determined character of Hans. I've heard rumors that Bear wanted to do a third book in this world. I hope he does so.
