''Hegira'' is a 1979

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel by American writer

Greg Bear Gregory Dale Bear (August 20, 1951 – November 19, 2022) 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), ...

. It deals with themes including

cyclic time The "eternal return" is an idea for interpreting religious behavior proposed by the historian Mircea Eliade; it is a belief expressed through behavior (sometimes implicitly, but often explicitly) that one is able to become contemporary with or retur ...

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...

artificial life Artificial life (often abbreviated ALife or A-Life) is a field of study wherein researchers examine systems related to natural life, its processes, and its evolution, through the use of simulations with computer models, robotics, and biochemistry ...

, and artificial structures of planetary scale.

Plot summary

In the novel, "young" humans (recreations of the medieval originals) are transported through the Big Collapse, at the end of time, to seed the next cycle of the universe. They are transported to Hegira, an artificial environment of the scale of the planet

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

, which has habitats for several species on its surface. The habitats are protected and uncoupled from the universe's

entropy Entropy is a scientific concept, as well as a measurable physical property, that is most commonly associated with a state of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynam ...

by means of

force fields Force field may refer to: Science * Force field (chemistry), a set of parameter and equations for use in molecular mechanics simulations * Force field (physics), a vector field indicating the forces exerted by one object on another * Force field ( ...

projected by giant

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...

s. In the human realm, these are inscribed with the recorded history of humankind, sorted chronologically from the bottom up, including the science that went with it. People try to understand and copy what they can read on the obelisks, using balloons in some places to reach higher points on the obelisks. A legend tells the protagonist that his beloved (frozen in

stasis Stasis (from Greek στάσις "a standing still") may refer to: * A state in stability theory, in which all forces are equal and opposing, therefore they cancel out each other * Stasis (political history), a period of civil war within an ancient ...

) will awaken if he goes on quest to the rim walls of the habitat, and he does so. On the way, he lands on an island with a good view of an obelisk (at least high) which is just tumbling down in the distance. Its fall causes a

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...

and devastates a continent. After the devastation, the inscriptions at the top of the fallen obelisk about human history are revealed. The hero's quest to the rim succeeds. He makes contact with an artificial intelligence guardian of Hegira, who tells him the story and advises him to go and populate the new universe since he has become part of the last one.

Reviews

*Review by Scott Edelman (1979) in Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review, July 1979 *Review by Richard E. Geis (1979) in Science Fiction Review, August 1979 *Review by Michael Bishop (1980) in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, January 1980 *Review by David Langford

s by Dave Langford S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. History ...

(1980) in Foundation, #18 January 1980 *Review by Orson Scott Card (1980) in Destinies, February-March 1980 *Review

erman Erman Rašiti may refer to: Given name * Erman Bulucu (born 1989), Turkish footballer * Erman Eltemur (born 1993), Turkish karateka * Erman Güraçar (born 1974), Turkish footballer * Erman Kılıç (born 1983), Turkish footballer * Erman Kunter (b ...

by uncredited (1982) in Reclams Science Fiction Führer *Review

by Michael Nagula s by Maik(1983) in Perry Rhodan, #291: Brücke zwischen den Sternen? *Review by David Wingrove (1987) in Vector 139 *Review by Paul Kincaid (1988) in Paperback Inferno, #72 *Review by uncredited (2000) in Vector 210

References

External links

* 1979 American novels 1979 science fiction novels Novels by Greg Bear Artificial life in fiction Novels about artificial intelligence Novels about the end of the universe {{1970s-sf-novel-stub