Greg Bear (1951 – )

His work has covered themes of galactic conflict (Forge of God books), artificial universes (Eon series) and accelerated evolution (Blood Music, Darwin's Radio and Darwin's Children). He is the son-in-law of Poul Anderson.

Bear was born in San Diego, California. From 1968 to 1973 he attended San Diego State University, from which he received an A.B. degree. In 1975, he married Christina M. Nielson, but they divorced in 1981. He remarried in 1983, to Astrid Anderson.

The scale and detailed science of his work makes clear that he should be classified as a hard science fiction author. Still, some question the scientific foundation of his work. One question is whether the bacteria in Blood Music could process enough information to become self-aware. Perhaps singly the bacteria could merely have information processing ability, and they could then develop consciousness when they grouped into colonies.

Darwin's Children pair of novels which deal with the impact of a strange disease which appears to drive evolutionary transitions, stick closely to the known facts of molecular biology of viruses and evolution. While some fairly speculative ideas are entertained (it is after all, fiction) they are introduced in such a rigorous and disciplined way within the context of the cutting edge of those disciplines, that Darwin's Radio gained praise in the science journal Nature.

While most of Bear's work is science fiction, two of his early works, The Serpent Mage are clearly fantasies.