Overly technical, seemed as though author wanted to express his knowledge or perceived knowledge of physics more than tell a story. Long time spent listening to end up with 1 chapter inconclusive ending. Basic story was there but lost in theories and probabilities. Would not recommend as good or true sci-FI

It's a pretty good book. I really liked the first half of the book, maybe the first 3rd, but after that, it just kind of got weird.

Sorry but I just don't see what's so great about this one. We'll ignore for the moment the blatant Clarke Rama ripoff. It starts "well", though the Rama aspect is foremost in my mind as it starts, but I would say that after the halfway point, when the obligatory "Hollywood" shootemup military assault happens, too much of interest is shunted aside in favor of dealing with that, and boring political crap.

Were I editor, I would have told Bear, and all writers currently, take the military and political crap out, take the guns out and do something creative and different, and use the time better developing and explaining the really wondrous aspects of the ideas. I'm bored with unnecessary explosions etc. Do something imaginative. So much of import, i.e., Who built it, How, Why, How does it all work, etc., is passed over briefly if at all. Not to mention elements that start to verge on magic. Scrap that crap. I guess we can learn (maybe) some of these answers in next book. NOT Interested.

So many SF writers have great ideas, but they're terrible writers; they need editors not to mention learning some craft. Here's a good example from Eon: "What happened next, happened so fast Patricia could hardly follow it." Don't tell me something is going to happen, just show it, I'll know it happens next, because it happens next. Don't dilute surprise, destroy suspense, let it happen. This is a simple quick fix that so many authors need to learn. This is just one of a plethora of bad writing examples. Describe visually, explain with similes and metaphors. So much of this novel is lacking stylistically. No poetry here. I will be first to admit Clarke's Rama isn't well written stylistically, but at least he keeps revealing wonders.

And the characters in this are just cardboard. And of course there's the obligatory "we have to shut it down immediately" race against time so overused by everyone. And the also obligatory "throw some sex scenes in" are laughable, thankfully there are only a couple.

Just bored with this type of stuff. Could have been mind bending. I'm sure many others will love this one, I wanted more.

I first read Eon w/out any substantive knowledge of quantum gravity, general relativity, etc--big mistake! After listening to literally hundreds of "rigorously scientific" accounts authored by Brian Greene, Sean Carrol, et al re non-fiction cosmological books, I have nothing but praise for this audiobook, the narrator, author, etc. Bravo, Greg!

Rarely have I enjoyed a book such as the one I have just finished, wonderful ideas Mr Bear can't wait to get into the rest of the series!.

The ending was unexpected. The story moves at a good pace and maintained my interest to the end.

imaginative, provocative, satisfying

It dealt with the concept of parallel worlds in a way that was thoughtful and entertaining.

He just has a great, clear voice that holds my attention, even amidst distractions.

Yes!

The Time Travel.
and the ending of the book

Gary the team leader

I listen to multiple books Stefan has read. He is one of the best

It is too long for that. But I listen to my books on my phone at work everyday.

Interesting the way different factions, the different people changed over the centuries.

I started reading this as a teenager, and rejoiced when I found it on Audible.

Although it is a very linear story, the ideas were compelling.One weakness of the story is that it felt a little like a screenplay - though it would make a fabulous movie/tv mini-series.

Again, another book where i am eagerly awaiting to find the time to read the sequel.

I first read Eon as a teenager, and was quite obsessed with its extremely detailed and imaginative worlds. I was curious to see if I'd still like it today, and I was pleased to find that it was just as engaging and mind-expanding as I'd remembered.

The most thrilling parts of the novel are the opening scenes, as the characters explore the multi-chambered Stone, gradually learning its secrets, and then travel further down the infinite Corridor; there's a tremendous sense of an journey toward greater and greater discovery. The final chapter is a brilliant twist that ends the novel perfectly with a beautiful reworking of its themes.

Of course, the novel's Cold War politics and its depictions of astronaut-soldiers in the year 2000 now seem extremely dated, but fortunately this is a novel about alternate universes, so one can simply pretend that the story takes place in a different universe than ours...

The human side of things isn't quite as good; Bear's handling of the romantic subplots is rather stilted and sometimes the characters seem a little too unflappable in the face of universe-changing events. But these aren't major problems, and there is often some emotional intensity in the scenes in which characters are yearning for home, or discovering that everything they knew was wrong.

I was briefly taken aback by the narrator's ridiculously manly voice (it's like being read to by Barry White), but I got used to it rapidly and he's very good at distinguishing the characters.