Hegira

Hegira (Kindle Edition) by Greg BearA quick novella with a lot of suspense.Tighjtly written, and neatly woven. The characters are each quite well layered and have their own individual quirks and foibles. Our not so merry band of heroes set on a quest, but soon discover that the journey changed them each.The very end is, however, a bit contrived, but still does well.

You don't need me to tell you how great a writer Greg Bear is and how well regarded he is in the industry. This short book does not disappoint in that regard. The story itself is cleverly deceptive, leading the reader from an apparent medieval, low-tech setting to "somewhere very different". It has a very skillfully paced narrative and doesn't rush matters, though it certainly gets to where its going by the end. Despite the shortness of the novel and the fact that there are only three main characters, it lacks nothing in terms of richness and depth.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. Greg Bear manipulated me thoroughly, guiding me to the surprising ending in a perfectly measured way. I highly recommend this book and suggest that it be read in large chunks, rather than dipping in and out, to experience the skillful build up to the climactic end.

It's a shame the three characters didn't really spring to life until the final quarter of the book. Before then I just couldn't connect with their emotions and motivations. Maybe because only one of the three characters acts on motive at all (though still very vaguely hinted to the reader), the two others are merely dragged behind. So the characters failed to immerse me for the most part of the book, which leaves the story. Unfortunately there's nothing happening much. Although it's mainly a story about a long journey, there's very little of chase and evade. Which leaves the frequent and detailed depictions of landscapes and cultures. Interesting, but just not enough.

The book starts well. The world he reacted is very imaginative. However, interesting details are left out. It reads more like the outline of a book. Characters are not well developed. I felt that the story was unfinished and the book could have been a lot longer. I hate sequels but feel, as I said, that the story did not end. I like Greg Besr a lot. This is not close to his best books. Please finish it!

When I find an author that I like, I try to go back to his earliest work and read through his bibliography, to see progress, change, whatever. I think that Greg Bear started strong, with interesting ideas, and still has interesting ideas.

Greg Bear is a giant of science fiction but he misses in this novel. Did not like it and cannot recommend it.

Wow. I was amazed by Greg Bear's brilliant sense of literary artistry. Every chapter evolved into an eloquent journey, enticing the reader into the quilt that is being knit before your eyes by this author. This work is nothing short of amazing. For too long has conceptual writing been avoided. Even for non-regulars, this work contains the rare ability to capture a once wary wanderer and find himself wandering down a gloomy alley in one of Hegira's elegant cities. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book, now.

This is one of my favorite Greg Bear books. It is set in a mysterious world where humans, many of whom live in barbaric medieval societies, study the texts written on huge obleisks hundreds of miles high. The higher you go, the more advanced the knowledge, so many build balloons and flying machines in order to learn more. Very interesting sci-fi concepts and as most of Bear's books, it gives us much food for thought and speculation.

I don't know who Paige Turner is - but this is her best work!The book starts off a tad confusingly; but you soon get it - there are no idiot clues, work it out as you go along.I really enjoyed this book (Kindle Ed) and loved the original concepts and the way it unfolded.Other chaps will have told you the plot here, most a great lengths - so I won't; but this is a good quality and very enjoyable read for the sci-fi enthusiast. One of the few really good Sci-fi reads in the last couple of years.Highly recommended.

Brilliant! I'm a long time Greg Bear fan yet never knew this novel existed. Fascinating spotting the seeds of themes that he went on to develop in later works. There is a lot that is implicitly suggested in the story, and I have a feeling I did not pick up on all of it - looking forward to re-reading soon to see what more I can pick up on.

Left me a bit flat. An okay story with a few nice ideas, but nothing new. I wondered if this was a hidden gem. Well more like finding a bit of pretty quartz while hunting for diamonds. I love GB's work, but they can be a bit hit and miss.

A reasonably entertaining read. Good solid "hard Sci-Fi".

I love all Greg Bears book they are true science fiction and facinating. He has an amazing imagination and they are easy to read.