Description:

Multiple Nebula and Hugo Award-winner Greg Bear returns to the Earth of his acclaimed novel Eon--a world devastated by nuclear war.  The crew of the asteroid-starship Thistledown has thwarted an attack by the Jarts by severing their link to the Way, an endless corridor that spans universes.  The asteroid settled into orbit around Earth and the tunnel snaked away, forming a contained universe of its own. 

Forty years later, on Gaia, Rhita Vaskayza recklessly pursues her legacy, seeking an Earth once again threatened by forces from within and without.  For physicist Konrad Korzenowski, murdered for creating The Way, and resurrected, is compelled by a faction determined to see it opened once more.  And humankind will discover just how entirely they have underestimated their ancient adversaries.

From Publishers Weekly

Bear's popular novel Eon introduced The Way, an infinite tunnel in space-time opening on other universes. Following a nuclear holocaust on Earth and the 40-year-long Jart Wars against rapacious aliens, the entrances were sealed. That decision is reconsidered in this sequel. On the asteroid/spaceship Thistledown, scientist Olmy investigates the mental processes of the little-known Jarts while on Gaia, a Greek-dominated alternate Earth, young Rhita Vaskayza herself enters The Way. A partially recovered Earth witnesses the reappearance of The Way's designer, Pavel Mirsky, who now describes it as a tapeworm winding through the guts of the universe and urges that it be reopened so that it can be destroyed. This slow, visionary tale is less than compelling, but its portrait of the different responses of intricate, interlocking cultures is striking.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A messenger from the end of time topples the precarious balance of power that exists between the Old Natives of Earth and their benefactors, the human members of the Hexamon who live inside the asteroid Thistledown. As political rivals, inhuman alien intelligences, and travelers from alternate worlds meet in a corridor of possibilities, the destiny of the world hinges on the fragility of human choice. Showcasing Bear's imagination and considerable storytelling talent, this sequel to Eon is highly recommended. JC
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.