Book Review: Seveneves

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Neal Stephenson isn’t an author for everyone, but he is definitely an author for me. So if you’ve already read a Stephenson book and didn’t enjoy the experience, I don’t really think this book will be the one that changes your mind. That said, if you’ve never read one and are looking for one to start with, this is a great place to begin.

Not that his books are all part of a series or anything. They’re all standalone science fiction novels. But many of them have extremely steep learning curves: Stephenson jumps right into the middle of an unfamiliar world with strange terms and customs, and you’re expected to flounder for a while until you get your bearings.

Some people hate that feeling. I get that. But the lovely thing about his books is the way it all comes together untl you’re zooming along, understanding these very hard to describe concepts easily. The destination is worth the journey, peoples.

Seveneves starts quite simply: one day in the not too distant future, the moon explodes. The rest of the book centers around that one event, looking scientifically at the results and then dealing dramatically with how the human race would cope with those effects.

It sounds easy. It’s not. About a third of the way through the book, I wondered what in the world the rest of the novel would be about. It seemed like everything was getting resolved, and it was all coming together.

Boy, was I wrong.

I really enjoyed this novel. It’s intriguing from start to finish, and I found myself sneaking in chapters and pages whenever I could during the day. Books like that–books that *demand* to be read–are just such a blast when you get hold of one, and this puppy’s like that for over 800 pages!

So check it out if you’re looking for a great science fiction adventure. It has a bit of language, but not much else other than a great time.

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