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I'm having trouble, now, recalling my thoughts about the book. I enjoyed best the first third of the novel.
The novel's underlying question is whether humans are capable of advancing technologically without destroying themselves. Miller's answer seems to be 'no,' hence bfisher's "cycle" rather than "arrow". But Miller ends on a hopeful note, hinting that perhaps one of the spores of humanity will transcend self-destruction on one of its newfound homes.
If Miller were to write the story today, I wonder if he would revise the question to ask, instead, "Are humans capable of depriving themselves of wealth & pleasure, in their own lifetimes, for the sake of the long-term survival of the species?" Faced with global warming & overpopulation, self-destruction by war feels almost quaint.
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