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Eternity

Greg Bear
Chapters (90)
  1. Eternity
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Contents
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. 56
  62. 57
  63. 58
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. 63
  69. 64
  70. 65
  71. 66
  72. 67
  73. 68
  74. 69
  75. 70
  76. 71
  77. 72
  78. 73
  79. 74
  80. 75
  81. 76
  82. 77
  83. 78
  84. 79
  85. 80
  86. 81
  87. 82
  88. 83
  89. EPILOGUE
  90. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Eternity

Greg Bear

Open Road logo

Copyright

Dedication

For David McClintock; friend, fellow admirer of Olaf Stapledon, and above all, bookseller.

Epigraph

Only when space is rolled up like a piece of leather will there be an end to suffering, apart from knowing God.

imagevetimageimagevatara Upaniimagead, VI 20

Contents

1 Recovered Earth, Independent Territory of New Zealand, A. D. 2046

2 Terrestrial Hexamon, Earth Orbit, Axis Euclid

3 Gala, Island of Rhodos, Greater Alexandreian Oikoumenē, Year of Alexandros 2331-2342

4 Terrestrial Hexamon, Axis Euclid

5 Earth

6 Thistledown

7 Gaia, Near Alexandreia, Year of Alexandros 2345

8 Earth

9 Thistledown

10 Gaia

11 Earth

12 Gaia

13 Thistledown

14 Gaia

15 Thistledown City

16 Gaia

17 Thistledown

18 Gaia, Alexandreia, Lokhias Promontory

19 Thistledown, Fifth Chamber

20 Gaia, Alexandreia, Lokhias Promontory

21 Thistledown, Fifth Chamber

22 Gaia, Alexandreia

23 Thistledown

24 Gaia

25 Thistledown City

26 Gaia

27 Thistledown, Fourth Chamber

28 Earth

29 Thistledown

30 Gaia

31 Gaia

32 Thistledown City

33 Thistledown City

34 Thistledown City Memory

35 Rhita

36 Thistledown

37 The Way

38 Thistledown City

39 The Way

40 The Hawaiian Islands

41 Thistledown

42 Hawaii

43 The Way, Efficient Gaia

44 Thistledown City

45 Thistledown, the Orbiting Precincts, and Earth

46 Thistledown

47 Earth

48 Thistledown

49 Earth

50 Thistledown

51 Thistledown

52 Efficient Gaia

53 Earth, Thistledown

54 Earth

55 Thistledown

56 Earth

57 Halfway

58 Thistledown

59 Thistledown City

60 Earth, Christchurch

61 Thistledown City

62 Thistledown

63 Earth

64 The Way

65 Thistledown City

66 The Seventh Chamber

67 The Way

68 Between

69 The Beginning of the Way

70 The Way

71 Thistledown

72 The Beginning of the Way

73 Thistledown

74 The Way

75 Axis Euclid

76 Earth

77 Thistledown City

78 The Way

79 Axis Euclid

80 The Way

81 Home

82 In the Flaw

83 Timbl

EPILOGUE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In the end, there is cruelty and death alone over the land. Not in a single ray of light or grain of sand will you find solace, for all is dark, and the cold gaze of God’s indifferent, heavy-lidded eyes falls on all with equal disdain. Only in your inner strength is there salvation; you must live just as a tree must live, or the cockroaches and fleas that flourish in the land and ruin of Earth. And so you live, and feel the sting of knowing you live. You eat whatever comes to hand, and if what you eat was once a brother or sister, so be it; God does not care. Nobody cares. You whore, and if you whore with man or woman, nobody cares; for when all are hungry, all are whores, even those who use the whores. And disease flourishes when all are whores, for germs must live, and spread across the land and ruin of Earth.

Some say we will climb back to the sky on our own. Some say we all should have died; should have died, for penance. But that was not to be. For by time’s freak and history’s whim, the angels come from the Stone, to march over the land and offer what solace the land cannot; to push back the clouds and smoke and let sun pass through, to sow our crops and harvest our food, then to pass the plows on to us. You marvel at this, and do not curse the angels in the madness of your guilt; for they are a glory like a dream, and you do not truly believe.