The Forge of God (Book Review)
Editor's Note: For our latest book review we're pleased to have Caroline Baker, more commonly known as Car, as guest author. Many of you know Car well from her very active involvement in the Suite community, where she is the editor of The Internet Society. We hope you enjoy her review of Greg Bear's the Forge of God and please feel free to drop by her topic and enjoy her other work. And now, without further ado...
Aliens. Their existence, albeit alluding us in real life, is the backbone of science fiction. In the Forge of God by Greg Bear, we explore what first contact with an alien culture could be like.
The main character, Arthur Gordon, is a physicist and, as science advisor to the President, director of both SETI and BETC, two US government-run programs intent on discovering life on another planet. A change in Presidency leads to his dismissal and the program's termination.
But Arthur Gordon is not allowed to simply fade away. Strange events start happening. Europa, one of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, mysteriously disappears. Two cinder cones, one the size of Ayer Rock in Australia, appear overnight. And both deposit two very different alien life-forms, each with a very different message. One of hope and friendship. The other of despair and destruction. Which is correct?
Bear takes the reader through a journey of discovery. He keeps the reader guessing right along with the characters. His depiction of both the good and bad sides of human nature are the closest I've read to what I believe would be the real reaction to visitors from another planet. Understanding the aliens will take time. Beyond the language barrier, there are also cultural barriers and mannerisms to overcome. Some will be hopeful, seeing this as a sign of advancement and opportunity. Some will be fearful, turning to religion or cults to protect what they know and understand. Still others will try to ignore it, pretending that life will go on just as it had before. Governments will want to provide information,
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