Seveneves

by Neal Stephenson

The astounding new novel from the master of science fiction.
President Barack Obama's summer reading choice and recently optioned by Ron Howard and IMAGINE to be made into a major motion picture.

What would happen if the world were ending?

When a catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb, it triggers a feverish race against the inevitable. An ambitious plan is devised to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere. But unforeseen dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain...

Five thousand years later, their progeny - seven distinct races now three billion strong - embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown, to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.

A writer of dazzling genius and imaginative vision, Neal Stephenson combines science, philosophy, technology, psychology, and literature in a magnificent work of speculative fiction that offers a portrait of a future that is at once extraordinary and eerily recognizable. He explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.

• ISBN10: 0062334514
• ISBN13: 9780062334510
• Publish Date: 17 May 2016 (first published 30 April 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 880
• Language: English

Reviews

[ross91]

The first part was really great, the second one was at first a little boring but at the end it was enjoyable, the final part... I couldn’t care less.

This book finally answers the burning question about what would happen if you sent Malala Yousafzai, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Elon Musk, and Clair Underwood into space in a three-part somewhat unrelated series that probably should have been two (or more) books. O, it was also a good metaphor for Donald Trump's rise in America at one point but that was like 600 pages ago so I forgot it. Really though, the book is classic Neal Stephenson (i.e. good and interesting), but it's definitely not my favorite effort by him. It actually may be my least favorite book of his but it's nonetheless enjoyable if a bit of a slog. There's also some weird anti-US government bureaucracy/pro-Communist dictatorship flavor for a bit but I'll chalk that up to my hyper-awareness of such things and also relative lack of countries who can reliably fling things into space.

[remo]

Otro maravilloso tocho, con título palindrómico, de mi admirado Neal Stephenson. A pesar de que en el resumen del libro que hace Goodreads se cuenta el 80% de la historia (¡no leais ese resumen!), yo solo diré que en el párrafo 1 del capítulo 1 la luna se rompe en pedazos (7 en concreto), y a partir de ahí el autor construye una historia fantástica. La parte final, que es tanto o más importante que la inicial, le queda más corta y apresurada, un tercio frente a dos tercios, pero da igual: la historia es una aventura cósmica genial. El autor habla tan bien de tantas cosas, hay tantas subtramas tan absolutamente geniales, que el libro debe ser un clásico de la ciencia ficción YA. Muy recomendable.

[adamfortuna]

Unlike Anathem, this one drew me in right away. Unfortunately it didn't keep me. The scope and theme makes for a great story -- something happens that destroys the moon. How does humanity react? I felt like things went from entirely too optimistic, to way too pessimistic real fast. While relying on imperfect characters to move the plot along, the story leaned too much on their impact on everyone else in a way I felt didn't hold true to those people. Not as good as Anathem, but some interesting points. This book in 3 parts could easily have been 3 books. I appreciate the storytelling, and Stephenson's desire to tell an entire tale at once, but I would have preferred more "Gravity" and less a series of unfortunately decisions.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Caffeinated Aspects:

• Seveneves had a realistic vibe that makes you stand up and take notice. Instead of aliens attacking or a meteor bumping Earth out of orbit, Stephenson created a scenario that felt realistic. Fans of the Martian will enjoy Seveneves although be warned there is a lot of technical jargon. All of which made the geeky side of me squee. From the characters to the technology Stephenson offered up a suspenseful tale.


• Get your geek on. I loved all the technical jargon from how they built things to handling resources. It was truly fascinating and I found myself completely caught up. It delves into so many aspects from mining asteroids using tiny robots and housing folks as they build. Then there is the whole process of determining who will be placed on board the ship to ensure humanities survival. The story the governments tell folks sent me chills it was so realistic.


• The story is broken up into three parts. The first shares the catalyst and humanities plan to preserve the species. The second part focuses on Earth’s final days and the final section unfolds five thousand years later as the survivors of humankind return to Earth. The action scenes were suspenseful and beautifully described giving me a panoramic view as events unfolded.


• The characters are fascinating and Stephenson does a good job of helping us imagine how each would react to the events as they unfold. From happens on Earth to the tensions in Space, he shares all facets of what these events may be like. Despite knowing most of the characters we meet will not be around for the return, Stephenson managed to make my heart clutch when danger arose or we lost a character.


• Suspense and the unknown created some edge of your seat moments and I felt myself holding my breath right along with the characters.


• The meaning behind the title Seveneves is revealed and to me it was a brilliant and poetic. I always love discovering the significance behind these obscure titles.


• Stephenson gives us a lot to ponder as we consider how humanity would respond as mankind builds an ark.

Decaffeinated Aspects:

• As much as I loved all of the details and scientific jargon parts of the tale, where dry. I would find myself caught up in the story and then we would be thrust into pages of jargon and it disrupted my ability to remain within the story.


• I was disappointed that the segments weren't balanced and that we spent the least amount of time learning about the return. The last two hundred plus pages was intense and some of the strongest writing.


• Seveneves is massive, and generally, I do not have a problem with that. It is also a standalone, but in this instance, I really would have preferred this to be a trilogy with the three segments being balanced. Who knew I would encourage a trilogy?

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer