“Do you dream of a City at the End of Time?” When three current-day young people read this odd newspaper ad, they are drawn into a story that culminates near the demise of the universe.
City at the End of Time straddles the difficult border between fantasy and hard science fiction. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that approach, in this case, it is more frustrating than satisfying.
Far into the future, Kalpa, the last city on Earth, is threatened by Chaos (his capitalization – perhaps the end of the universe?) outside its walls. Occupying this city are breeds (presumably humans, or possibly genetically engineered creatures) whose sole purpose seems to be the entertainment of the unseen and mysterious Tall Ones. At least, that’s how Tiadba and Jebrassy, our young heroes, view their situation.
Their quest for knowledge about their alien world and the exact nature of the Chaos is intriguing. In fact, the first quarter of the novel, which focuses on them, is the best part of the whole book. Had Bear stuck with this believable couple’s quest, he would have had a more intriguing novel.
Instead, he introduces three ne’re-do-wells and their separate lives: Ginny, Jack, and Max. Ginny and Jack have the nasty habit of straying into Tiadba and Jebrassy’s consciousness through blackouts – not that much happens when they visit. (No one can accuse this book of being a page-turner.) Even worse, the transitions between the present and the future become confusing after a while. They add little to the story, despite occupying most of the pages. Readers may find themselves slogging through Ginny, Jack and Max’s sections just to get back to Tiadba and Jebrassy’s story.
During fantasy sections, Bear tries too hard to produce poetry where plain, simple storytelling would have sufficed. It’s clear Bear’s talent lies in hard science fiction. Works such as his early Blood Music earned him a legion of fans that live and breathe realistic, forward-thinking fiction, and when he sprinkles a bit of hard science in City, it comes from the voice of authority. Those all-too-brief scenes should thrill his hard science fiction fans, as long as they can endure the wasteland of pages that fall in between.
Greg Bear has proven to be one of today’s leading science fiction writers. Sadly, this tale doesn’t live up to his past achievements. His diehard fans (or new readers who like both science fiction and fantasy) might enjoy the complexity of the novel. If you’re anyone else, however, this tome probably isn’t for you.
To buy a copy of this book, click here
.
If you liked this book, check out:
The Dancers at the End of Time, by Michael Moorcock
Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
Marsbound, by Joe Haldeman
The Dreaming Void, by Peter F. Hamilton