Beyond the Farthest Suns

by Greg Bear

7 remarkable stories, newly revised for this collection, showcase the award-winning talents of one of the 21st century’s finest writers of speculative fiction
 
Whether penning science fiction (Moving Mars, Queen of Angels, War Dogs), alternate history (the Mongoliad series with Neal Stephenson), or fantasy (Sleepside, The Infinity Concerto), Greg Bear tells stories that engage the reader’s intellect while gripping the imagination. His short fiction is no exception. Beyond the Farthest Suns takes readers to the far end of the universe and the borders of scientific understanding. The volume includes:
 
·      “The Way of All Ghosts,” set in the bestselling universe of Eon and Eternity;
·      “The Venging,” which takes a group of desperate fugitives fleeing alien dominance down into the awesome gateway of a black hole;
·      “The Fall of the House of Escher,” in which a world-famous illusionist is brought back from the dead for a terrifying command performance;
·      “Hardfought,” the critically acclaimed Nebula Award–winning story showcasing a far future in which a legendary female pilot and her alien captor are forced into a tapestry of echoing lives where they struggle to communicate and find the deepest secrets of their history.
 
These works, along with 3 additional entries, stunningly illustrate how Bear interweaves the rationality of science with remarkable characters whose thoughts and emotions reflect our own.
 

Genres: Science Fiction, Collections, Fiction

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 26, 2016

About the author

Greg Bear was an American writer and illustrator best known for science fiction. His work covered themes of galactic conflict (Forge of God books), parallel universes (The Way series), consciousness and cultural practices (Queen of Angels), and accelerated evolution (Blood Music, Darwin’s Radio, and Darwin’s Children). His last work was the 2021 novel The Unfinished Land. Greg Bear wrote over 50 books in total.

(For a more complete biography, see Wikipedia.)

Reviews

[Ralph Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond The Farthest Suns by Greg Bear- Volume Three of The Complete Short Fiction of Greg Bear is as intense and interesting as the previous volumes, with quite a stellar selection of stories. "The Venging", an early story, uses black holes and spatial geometry in its backdrop of a religious alien crusade of vengeance on an unsuspecting human scholar. "Hardfought", probably the best of the bunch, but a difficult read at times, describes the lengths beings will go to for survival in a threatening dark future. "The Fall of the House of Escher" takes a page from Edgar Allan Poe for a tale of cybernetic reincarnation and magic. Everything here is worth the effort. You wouldn't want to miss "The Way of all Ghosts", a story from the Thistledown universe. If you think I like this collection, you may be right!

[Az Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking scifi. Each story reflects hugely on who we are today and what do we want to become tomorrow. The first couple of short stories really eases you in before knocking you around heavily.

Massive props to Fall Of The House Of Escher for being so relevant to the current media landscape I thought it must have been written post-Disney-the-media-monolith.

Really a fan of Hardfought for it's anti-war, anti-nationalism messaging and Judgement Engine for it's view of the end of our universe and also the shade on predatory professors.

[William E. Ferreira · Rating 3 out of 5]

LSD anyone?

While Greg Bear is one of my favorite authors, these stories are strange. I grew up in the hippie era (1950s and 60s) watching from the outside the effects of LSD and cocaine on others. The final 2 stories in this book remind me of the mindless nonsense that spewed from the mouths of those while on, and often after, using drugs. It is a stretch to call these stories Sci-fi, more stream of conscious (almost) gibberish. You've been warned.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I preferred this quite a bit to the other two volumes and almost kept it rather than passing it in to other readers. Some stories were really good and others only good, but no stinkers! I can see why Hardfought won the Nebula.