Seveneves by Neal Stephenson (2015)

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson (2015)

A hard sci-fi tale of Earth’s efforts to survive following a lunar disaster.

Laura’s Rating: 2/5 Stars

Plot: In the near future, an unknown agent explodes the moon into 7 pieces. These collide, causing conditions that will eventually threaten Earth and humanity. What follows is a desperate effort to preserve humankind.

Analysis: This book is tough because I liked the story but it was a slog to get through at 872 pages. I did genuinely find the ideas behind the Cloud Ark and the plan to preserve/continue humanity really fascinating. Unfortunately, after investing so much time, the last third is essentially a completely different book. Learning a whole new set of characters at 20 hours in is literally insane. It felt like I had read a series rather than a single novel.

The level of detail is so unnecessary. It’s not even always boring, but it just doesn’t matter. Explaining how the spacesuits work or the lock system of space station doors is a thought exercise that does nothing to advance the plot. The acronyms and nicknames for literally everything drove me crazy and I couldn’t keep track of what they were referencing half the time. 

I was quite interested in the characters and their relationships, which were present enough to keep me fairly engaged, although it felt like this made up only a fraction of the book. As opposed to the science and descriptions, the characters lacked depth and detail. I couldn’t be bothered to care about the characters in Part 3.

I would call this realistic science fiction. Of course the scenario and plot are fictional, but the science is grounded in reality (until it becomes a little far-fetched toward the end). If you’re a space nerd or love detailed hard science, check this one out. Otherwise, Seveneves might be a bit much for the average reader.