Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

 

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

I had a long Stephenson hiatus. Sometime in the 00s I gave up on the System of the World, then bought Anathem but never had the courage to read it. Between then and 2023, I only read two books with his name on, both collaborations, and both not very good. Then Termincation Shock last year which I really enjoyed. Which prompted me to catchup with the ones I had missed before finding the courage to tackle Anathem. Seveneves was recommended. I didn't realise it would be such a mammoth of a book, so it took me a few weeks to get through, but it was good time spent. It's hard to talk about it without some high level spoilers, so if you don't want any, don't read on. 

The book is structured in three parts. The starting point is the shattering of the moon and its slow but devastating consequences on Earth. This prompts a humanity survival program in space, built around the ISS. The first part describes how that program is put in place in the two years until Earth's announced cataclysm due to chunks of the moon gradually falling down to Earth at an increased rate. The second part describes the attempts at survival of the fledgling humanity, the technology, daring and politics of it all. The third part is an aftermath of sorts, set in the far future, when the Earth has cooled off enough that it can be explored again. 

It's quite the ride, and as always with Stephenson, made even more enthralling by the fact that the most unlikely science in there is actually documented right now. Stephenson's writing style makes this an easy (if long) read. I do think the book could have been tightened with a little less exposition, especially of scientific facts (I read and immediately forgot more about orbits, apogees and perigees than I thought existed...) With 100 pages less, it would have been a perfect read. It's still really good as it is though, and for those convinced that Stephenson can never end a book, I think it ends in quite a satisfying way.