a book

Seveneves

Name: Seveneves
Rating: 5 (11 reviews)
Author: Neal Stephenson
ISBN: 9780062190376

Neal Stephenson · 2015 · 861 pages

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anathem, Reamde, and Cryptonomicon comes an exciting and thought-provoking science fiction epic—a grand story of annihilation and survival spanning five thousand years.

What would happen if the world were ending?

A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.

But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and 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 both extraordinary and eerily recognizable. As he did in Anathem, Cryptonomicon, the Baroque Cycle, and Reamde, Stephenson explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.

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recommended by 11 people

sourced from public statements

Andrej Karpathy
“I thought I would really enjoy this book: a problem of epic proportions, a struggle for survival through science/technology... Unfortunately, this book is like taking The Martian, removing many of the best parts (humor, compelling characters you actually care about), and then making it (what feels like) 10 times longer. It's dry, it lacks focus, pace and clarity. For example, I was frustrated to read about Dinah's problems with her robots or other trivialities when the entire plant Earth downstairs is about to burn. We just barely get to learn something about how the social order copes with the impending doom - a copout. In the end I couldn't take it anymore so I skipped through some of the later parts and then read the synopsis on Wikipedia. More importantly, this experiment confirmed to me that I loved the The Martian not just because it was about science and had lots of nerdy details, but because it was legitimately a fun, interesting, compelling and _appropriately sized/paced!_ story. Seveneves is not. EDIT: found this gem on another review: "The moon exploded, humanity is on the brink of extinction and I just might die of boredom." +1.”↗
Bill Gates
“Belongs in the subgenre of hard science fiction, which means it emphasizes scientific accuracy.”↗
Chris Williamson
“Humanity The moon explodes in the first chapter. The remainder of the book deals with humanity trying to survive the oncoming armageddon. How would we try to preserve entire species if we only had 18 months to get people off earth and nowhere to put them? I got totally immersed in this. Be warned it’s a big investment which can move slowly at times but there are some jaw-dropping moments. You’ll be learning about orbital dynamics and the challenges of existing in space, so concentrate.”↗
Andreas Klinger
“@multikev Great book. Loved the first part the most”↗
Adam Savage
“A better book than Snow Crash.”↗
Adrienne Porter Felt
“@susanthesquark Seveneves -- such a unique book that has stuck with me but also was too much detailed hard science for me to want to do it again”↗
Chris Young
“I found I actually enjoyed Seveneves a lot, but mostly because it was competence porn.”↗
Barack Obama
Cleo Abram
Delian Asparouhov
Christopher Mason