By Greg Bear

Legacy is part of Bear’s famous Eon series, and a prequel to his classic, also named Eon. In the series, The Way is a tunnel through space-time entered via a hollowed-out asteroid called the Thistledown.

In Legacy, set years before Eon, a group of human colonists use The Way to set foot on a forbidden planet called Lamarkia. There they find life forms never known before, including a single genetic entity that can take many forms, and even 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 arrives on Lamarkia as part of a mission to investigate the impact these new organisms have on the planet. Prepared to observe from a remote distance, he doesn't expect the profound personal impact his time on Lamarkia will have.

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