The author returns to the universe of his best-selling novel, Eon, where a fantastic world is discovered whose evolution has been similar enough to Earth's to reveal some eerie lessons about human destiny. 35,000 first printing. $35,000 ad/promo. In Legacy 's predecessor, Eon (1985), part of Earth's population escaped a nuclear war by traveling through time along a path called the Way. As the sequel commences, the Way has been in use for some time, and dissidents have found ways to drop out more thoroughly than any 1960s hippie ever did. One such dropped-out group consists of 4,000 antitechnological Naderites, to whom a troubleshooter named Olmy is dispatched. He finds them on a settled, Earthlike world and their society taking a host of radically different directions, all of which Bear works out with his accustomed literacy, scientific accuracy, and deft characterization. As much an exercise in world building and social experimentation as a conventional story, the novel will not disappoint Eon 's fans and, since Bear really keeps it moving, stands well enough to be read on its own. Roland Green