The Way is a tunnel
through space and time. The entrance is through the hollow asteroid
Thistledown and the space station Axis City that sits at the asteroid's
center. From there the Flawships ride the center of the Way, traveling
to other worlds and times.
Now the rulers of Axis City have
discovered that a huge group of colonists has secretly entered one of
the interdicted worlds along the Way. In some ways Lamarkia is very
Earth-like - but its biology is extraordinary. A single genetic entity
can take many forms, and span a continent. There are only a few of these "ecos" on Lamarkia, and the effect of human interaction on them is
unknown.
Olmy Ap Sennon has been sent to secretly assess the
extent of the damage. But he will find far more than an intriguing alien biology - for on their new world the secret colonists have returned to
the old ways of human history: war, famine, and ecological disaster. On
this mission, Olmy will learn about the basics: love, responsibility,
and even failure...
Gregory Dale Bear (born 1951) is an American science fiction and mainstream author. His work has covered themes of galactic conflict (Forge of God books), artificial universes (The Way series), consciousness and cultural practices (Queen of Angels), and accelerated evolution (Blood Music, Darwin's Radio, and Darwin's Children).
