Review of “The Forge of God” by Greg Bear

This “First Contact” novel was published in 1987. The back cover was intriguing, so I found a used copy at ThriftBooks. It does not have a (very) happy ending; the story unfolds to a backdrop of hopelessness. The author didn’t wait long to introduce the antagonist. The protagonist was more difficult to identify from an ensemble cast of characters; they were pretty similar in their responses to the crisis. Just to add some spice, there are several characters who bring nothing to the plot other than their response to the end of the world. A lot of dead-end threads.

The grammar is simple but effective whereas the sentences are often awkward; I had to reread them too often.

There is too much going on in this story … and not enough. The author carefully described every character, even if they were only fillers. I appreciate what Greg Bear was (probably?) doing: he wrote a literary science fiction novel in the manner of Arthur C. Clarke (e.g. The Martian Chronicles). I never cared for Arthur C. Clarke’s novels, and this one goes even further, often for no obvious reason. It might work for someone else, however, because it is fairly well written.

I always wince when I see an epilogue. They indicate that the author is running too long and has to wrap up the story ASAP. That was the case here, and I was still left with fundamental, unanswered questions …