Eon is a 1985 science fiction novel by Greg Bear. It is the first story written in The Way fictional universe. Look up eon, Eon, EON in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Gregory Dale Bear (born August 20, 1951) is a science fiction author. ... The Way fictional universe is a trilogy of science fiction novels and one short story by Greg Bear. ...

The cover art of Eon

Events in Eon take place in the early 21st century, when the USA and Russia are on the verge of nuclear war. In that tense political climate, a 300 km asteroid appears within the solar system following an unusual supernova, and moves into a highly eccentric Near-Earth orbit. The two nations each try to claim this mysterious object (dubbed "the Stone" by the US, or "the Potato" by Russia), with the US and NATO allied nations succeeding. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (508x842, 730 KB) Summary A scan of the cover of a TOR paperback of the novel Eon by Greg Bear, scanned by me Licensing This image is of a book cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned either... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (508x842, 730 KB) Summary A scan of the cover of a TOR paperback of the novel Eon by Greg Bear, scanned by me Licensing This image is of a book cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned either... Nuclear War is a card game designed by Douglas Malewicki, and originally published in 1966. ... 253 Mathilde, a C-type asteroid. ... Look up Eccentricity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Story

The Stone

The asteroid itself is an elongated prolate spheroid which appears to be virtually identical to Juno, a large asteroid in the main belt. It has been hollowed out along its long axis, and subdivided into seven vast cylindrical chambers. It rotates to provide artificial gravity. The chambers are terraformed, the second and third containing abandoned cities which appear to be built by humans from Earth's future. A spheroid is a quadric surface in three dimensions obtained by rotating an ellipse about one of its principal axes. ... Juno (IPA: ), designated 3 Juno in the Minor Planet Center catalogue system, was the third asteroid to be discovered and is one of the largest main belt asteroids, being the second heaviest of the stony S-type. ... For other uses, see Asteroid (disambiguation). ... Artificial gravity is a simulation of gravity in outer space or free-fall. ... Artists conception of a terraformed Mars in four stages of development. ...

The Death

The humans who built the Stone (which they call the Thistledown) seem to come from approximately 1000 years in the future. Their libraries record that human civilization was nearly destroyed by "The Death", a calamitous World War involving nuclear weapons, in the early 21st century. Events recorded in the libraries prior to The Death (with the exception of the Stone itself) are identical to events occurring on Earth in the explorers' present time. Rising tensions between the US and Russia, now exacerbated by both rumors of the information in the libraries and the general situation on the Stone (Russia and her allies have only limited access to the asteroid), suggest that such a war is imminent. The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter A nuclear weapon derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions of fusion or fission. ...

Since the Stone appears immediately prior to the recorded date of The Death, and there is no record of its own appearance at the time, the scientists reason that the Stone may come from an alternate future. Patricia Luisa Vasquez, a brilliant but naive young theoretical physicist from CalTech, is hastily sent to the Stone to determine if The Death can be avoided on the current timeline. Theoretical physics employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics, as opposed to experimental processes, in an attempt to understand nature. ... California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (commonly known as Caltech) is a private, coeducational university located in Pasadena, California, in the United States. ...

The Way

A startling discovery is that the Stone is larger on the inside than outside: the seventh chamber extends beyond the end of the asteroid and appears to go on forever. When Patricia is mysteriously abducted by a strange looking human and an alien, an expedition is sent after her. They travel down the final chamber (called "the corridor" or "the Way"), where they encounter humanity's descendants.

The Axis City and The Hexamon

The society of human descendents, called the Hexamon, live in the Axis City, a large structure on the axis of the Way, one million kilometers from the Thistledown. The Hexamon is presided over by a governing body known as the Nexus. It is loosely divided into two social groups, Naderites and Geshels, based on widely differing cultural and political viewpoints.

The conservative Naderites reject much of the high technology trappings of their society for a simpler life. They are in fact, followers of Ralph Nader, whom they call "the Good Man". Nader, who was "martyred" during The Death, came to be canonized by the followers who took his name. This was largely due to the fact that he opposed the technology (particularly nuclear energy) that led to the catastrophic war. Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American attorney and political activist in the areas of consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism and democratic government. ... Icon of St. ... Nuclear energy is energy released from the atomic nucleus. ...

The futuristic Geshels, on the other hand, embrace all manner of technological advances including human augmentation and artificial bodies. Many radical Geshels go so far as to choose non-human (or neomorphic) shapes for themselves, as opposed to moderate ones who choose a more human (or homorphic) appearance.

Major Themes

The high technology of this civilization with their control over genetic engineering, human augmentation (including post-symbolic communication), and matter itself is a major theme in the latter half of the novel. The Way itself cuts across space and time: "gates" may be opened through its surface at regular intervals, which lead to space and worlds occupying other timelines. As a result of commerce through the gates, several alien species have come to be partners of the Hexamon as well. Another major theme is the Hexamon's ongoing war with an alien race known as the Jarts. The Jarts come from further down the Way, beyond 2.0 ex 9 (2 billion kilometers). Kenyans examining insect-resistant transgenic Bt corn. ... Posthuman Future, an illustration by Michael Gibbs for The Chronicle of Higher Educations look at how biotechnology will change the human experience, has become one of the secular icons representing transhumanism. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Adaptations

In 2007, CGSociety organised a "CG Challenge" based upon Eon, with the tagline "Worlds Within Worlds"^[1]. This produced many 2- and 3-d illustrations, as well as several mock film trailers. Whether or not this will lead to an actual film based on Eon remains to be seen. Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. ... 2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models (such as 2D geometric models, text, and digital images) and by techniques specific to them. ... 3D computer graphics (in contrast to 2D computer graphics) are graphics that utilize a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images. ... Illustration by Jessie Willcox Smith. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Movie trailers are film advertisements for films that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema, on whose screen they are shown; they are commonly known as previews of coming attractions. ...

Footnotes