Seveneves
-
-
4.3 • 208 Ratings
-
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
The astounding new novel from the master of science fiction
President Barack Obama’s summer reading choice
THE EARTH WAS A TICKING TIME BOMB.
To ensure the survival they had to look beyond its atmosphere.
So they became pioneers.
Five thousand years later and their progeny form seven distinct races and they must journey to an alien: Earth.
A magnificent, visionary work of speculative fiction from a true visionary that will dazzle you with its depth, psychology and awesome imagination.
Reviews
Praise for Seveneves:
A Financial Times Summer read
‘The scope of Seveneves is breathtaking, the suspense tremendous, the execution faultless’ Financial Times Books of the Year So Far…
‘Remarkable’ Publishers Weekly
Praise for Neal Stephenson:
‘Genius’ Time
‘He makes reading so much fun it feels like a deadly sin’ The New York Times
‘Fast-forward free-style mall mythology for the 21st century’
William Gibson
‘[Stephenson is] the hacker Hemingway’ Newsweek
About the author
Neal Stephenson is the author of Reamde, Anathem; the three-volume historical epic the Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World); Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age, Zodiac and the iconic Snow Crash, named one of Time magazine's top one hundred all-time best English-language novels. He lives in Seattle, Washington.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Stephenson's remarkable novel is deceptively complex, a disaster story and transhumanism tale that serves as the delivery mechanism for a series of technical and sociological visions. When the moon explodes, it doesn't take long for scientists (including Doc "Doob" Dubois, who bears no small resemblance to Neil DeGrasse Tyson) to realize that the debris will soon cause the destruction of Earth. The residents of the International Space Station, including roboticist Dinah MacQuarie and commander Ivy Xiao, immediately begin working with their colleagues on Earth to turn the ISS into a viable habitat for as many people as possible. The next two years are filled with heroic sacrifices, political upheavals, and disasters, most of which are only exacerbated when Earth finally succumbs to the "Hard Rain," meteorite bombardment that last for millennia. The survivors seven fertile women are destined to repopulate the human race, and it's only here, over halfway through the story, that Stephenson (the Baroque Cycle) really shows his hand, moving ahead 5,000 years to explore the moral and political implications of the earlier events. There's a ton to digest, but Stephenson's lucid prose makes it worth the while.
Customer Reviews
Two thirds great, one third rubbish
Parts one and two are so interesting and engrossing, if a little (or a lot) heavy on the technical detail. Part 3 however becomes an entirely new book that is, frankly, disappointing and very, very strange. The book could have finished at the end of part 2.
Too technical
I’m sorry but half way through and it was still a heavy slog of technical detail with very little storyline to keep me interested. Good luck
First part great, then.....
The first part was a great read, but then the second part descended into masses of technical detail and long winded descriptions, that frankly made it hard to follow the plot. I couldn’t finish the book, which was disappointing. The writer clearly has an immense imagination, but masses of detail and laboured descriptions makes for a poor read.