Seveneves

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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880 pages

Average rating: 7.17

36 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

LeahJ406
Feb 06, 2025
10/10 stars
This book was a commitment, and one worth seeing through. Set in the not too distant future, humanity proves that character flaws are just as resilient as life itself..
amontulli
May 31, 2024
Oh lordy. I knew what I was getting into here and, as Charles Yu says, "If the moon ever disintegrates, causing Earth to become a fiery hellscape for several thousand years, and we can select only a few hundred humans to entrust with the survival and repropagation of the species, I vote for Neal Stephenson to be one of those humans."
However, after 250 pages of reading about the logistics and mechanics of living in space I just couldn't do it anymore.
The premise here is what drew me. The moon suddenly breaking into 7 pieces from some unknown cause and the fallout...
Neal is an authority on these subjects and he writes about the ramifications of this sudden event in a way that is actually is believable.
I need more character-driving in my stories. But I swear Neal it's not you, it's me. I am much too simple for your complex descriptions of orbital mechanics....

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