Okay, so the first two thirds of this was shaping up to be pretty much my favorite book ever, like if someone had called me up and said, okay, we will get any author you name, and they will write exactly the book you would like to read, just give us a list of what you want. The story tells of the desperate efforts to preserve homo sapiens in the wake of apocalyptic events on earth following the. The ending is meh and satisfactory only in that it is an ending. I had read one of stephensons earlier books, snow crash, and thought this new one would be a good way to get back into scifi. In the meantime, my friends at lithive have set up a community site for seveneves. No slim fables or nerdy novellas for stephenson anathem, 2008, etc. Liuos lamour tried to tell the story of everyone who has cut paths with joe mark. Five thousand years later after a catastrophic event rendered the earth a ticking time bomb, the progeny of a handful of outer space explorersseven distinct races now three billion strongembark on yet another audacious journey. Seveneves was one of only five books recommended by bill gates as must reads.
I dont read often at all, but i was lucky enough to pick up seveneves randomly in a book store a year ago and it was by far my favorite thing ive read. Seveneves by neal stephenson a truly epic disaster novel. I had read one of stephensons earlier books, snow crash, and thought this new one would be a. The first sections deals with humanities preparation for the cataclysm that will result from the split moon. Is there anything you would change about this book. Listen to seveneves a novel by neal stephenson available from rakuten kobo. Seveneves was included on president obamas summer 2016 reading list. Jan 24, 2019 im amused by this list since im known to listen to an audio book at 1.
Seveneves by neal stephenson, mary robinette kowal, and will. Okay, so the first two thirds of this was shaping up to be pretty much my favorite book ever, like if someone had called me up and said, okay, we will get any author you name, and they will write exactly. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. For the last part of the book, stephenson flashes us forward five thousand years when the earth is returning to a more habitable form. Chapter 1 opens in presentday utah, where an amateur astronomer observes a dustcloud near the moons equator. Neal stephenson explores the long, weird future in fall, or dodge in hell. May 21, 2015 i went in to this book knowing very little about it, and i had no clue as to the meaning of the title. I am interested to see a discussion on whether or not seveneves is a feminist book. Another by stephenson, reamde, a hightech global adventure story.
My favorite long audiobook is seveneves by neal stephenson. Seveneves by neal stephenson audio book simply audiobooks. Science fiction fans everywhere will love this book. The kernel around which the story nucleated was the space debris problem, which i had been reading about, both as a potential obstacle to the companys efforts and as a possible opportunity to do something useful in space by looking for ways to remediate it. Some parts of the middle book were tough to swallow, as i have a little a more pessimistic take on just how mankind would react when it comes to a sinking ship and also there being one, really tiny, lifeboat. It might be heavy in some places, and when i read it myself i quickly zoomed out. May 19, 2015 you certainly cant judge a book by its cover, but its first sentence, i find, can be tremendously tellingand so it is with seveneves, the latest doorstopper of a novel to bear neal. The last third of the book, when the survivors can finally return to earth, exalts similarly in forwardderivative tech, although the story itself picks up a little more steam. Once you hit five thousand years later, then, you can be sure that everyone the book has so far been trying to persuade you. If you like long books composed of 98% backstory with just a smidgen of plot.
There is a lot in the book to suggest that it is, i was wondering what yalls thoughts were. We talk about virtual worlds, the terrors of social media and what uploading our minds after death even. Once you hit five thousand years later, then, you can be sure that everyone the book has so far been trying to. I went in to this book knowing very little about it, and i had no clue as to the meaning of the title. I find the audio book easier to listen to that actually read the book myself.
The story will keep you glued on your seat till the very last page. The last third feels rather detached from the original story and might have worked as a standalone continuation. There are few deus ex machinas and much of the premises feel believable, but in a book nearly 900 pages long, some brevity would have been appreciated. I picked up cryptonomicon after listening to seveneves. The third part of the book might have been better as a more fleshed out second book in its own right. Critic jason sheehan says that while the book can bog down in details.
Seveneves ebook epubpdfprcmobiazw3 by neal stephenson. Why add this last third, set 5000 years in the future. We talk about virtual worlds, the terrors of social media and what uploading our minds after death. Seveneves is a hard science fiction novel by neal stephenson published in 2015. Astronomers estimate only two years remain before debris enters and burns away earths atmosphere, surface, oceans, and all life. So when a friend recommended neal stephensons most recent novel, seveneves, i thought i would give it a try. A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. May 20, 2015 seveneves blows up the moon and thats just the beginning neal stephensons new epic starts big and gets bigger. And if you love the outdoors and a blend of classic adventure, theres no doubt you will love this book. I first started thinking about it when i was working at blue origin, probably circa 2004. Seveneves by neal stephenson overdrive rakuten overdrive.
I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for other. Seveneves david mitchell, author of cloud atlas and the forthcoming slade house, recently interviewed neal stephenson about seveneves, stephensons. Nations band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the. I just preordered neal stephensons new book seveneves and it is 96 hours, 18 minutes long. I took cryptanalysis in college and continued to have an interest so even though seveneves was long and overlydescriptive i thought it would be worth a gamble. I found this was a good way to approach this book, because as each new plot point was. Listen to seveneves audiobook by neal stephenson, narrated by mary robinette kowal, will damron. I found this was a good way to approach this book, because as each new plot point was revealed, my enjoyment increased. Instead of a dialogue driven story we get lengthy descriptions of new societies. Seveneves david mitchell, author of cloud atlas and the forthcoming slade house, recently interviewed neal stephenson about seveneves, stephensons breathtaking new book about the survival of the human race, which amazon picked as one of the best books of the month. Kindle edition published in 2015, 0062190377 hardcover published in 2015, 0062190415 ebook published in 2015, 97800082 h. The book tour has wound down, and in classic introvert fashion i am recharging my batteries in solitude and beginning to turn my thoughts toward future projects. Boston globe a novel of big ideas, but its also a novel of personalities, of heart, and of a. The kernel around which the story nucleated was the space debris problem.
You certainly cant judge a book by its cover, but its first sentence, i find, can be tremendously tellingand so it is with seveneves, the latest doorstopper of a novel to bear neal. First off, i am a big fan of neal stephensons work and snow crash is a favourite book of mine, but my goodness what a mess this book is. Its not that i dont like love long audio books, but im always impatient. Seveneves blows up the moon and thats just the beginning neal stephensons new epic starts big and gets bigger. Its my first book from neal so i dont have anything to compare it to, but from this i find that i want to read more of his work. Insights into the human character shine like occasional full moons.
Seveneves was one of only five books recommended by bill gates as must reads for summer 2016. Seveneves audiobook by neal stephenson 9781501220258. Some parts of the middle book were tough to swallow, as i have a little a more pessimistic take on just how mankind would react when it comes to a. Boston globe a novel of big ideas, but its also a novel of personalities, of heart, and of a particular kind of hope that only comes from a stephenson story. Cryptonomicon is slow, boring, has lengthy descriptions just for descriptionsake. Whats the story the human race faces a catastrophic event which leaves them scrambling to survive.
You will be relieved to know that humanity does survive. Five thousand years later after a catastrophic event rendered the earth a ticking time bomb, the progeny of a handful of outer space explorersseven. I found technology to actually be the primary subject of the book, seveneves is a. Roughly scifi, on what might happen if the earth were suddenly not livable, good science, good plot, well written. The secret to seveneves, however, is spelled out in the authors five pages of acknowledgements at the. Read seveneves a novel by neal stephenson available from rakuten kobo. There is a very good reason why the book is called seveneves. Critic jason sheehan says that while the book can bog down in details, if the. For all of the fun and speculation and technical geekery in seveneves, its most. The story tells of the desperate efforts to preserve homo sapiens in the wake of apocalyptic events on earth following the unexplained disintegration of the moon, and the remaking of human society as a spacebased civilization after a severe genetic bottleneck. His new novel, seveneves, starts with the end of the world. One thing about the story is that its not just based on the struggles of joe mark. Peter brooke does an ok job reading the nondialog passages but as soon as people are talking to each other i really would have preferred to switch to reading that passage on a page. For me, the last part turned an outstanding five star book into an average three star.
If i were reading this book it would be possible to scan and skip these lengthy and tedious passages, but this is. Seveneves en espanol by neal stephenson, paperback barnes. The secret to seveneves, however, is spelled out in the authors five pages of acknowledgements at the end. Seveneves is a speculative novel dramatizing humankinds effort to survive following the moons explosive fragmentation by some inexplicable agent. I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for other similarish books based on the fact seveneves was my favorite book. Listen to last of the breed audiobook streaming online free. Seveneves is an 880 page novel, ostensibly about a very nearfuture catastrophe where the world must work together in a short amount of time to build out an orbiting habitat using the iss as a core, to save what tiny fraction they can of the human race. Narration my main beef with this audio book is the narration. Im really glad i did, because seveneves is a thoughtprovoking and thoroughly enjoyable book. Jan 02, 2019 the story will keep you glued on your seat till the very last page. He tells how he started developing ideas for the book in 2006, and lists the huge cadre of techies, space scientists and enthusiasts, and geeks that helped him vet any number of ideas in his book. May, 2015 seveneves by neal stephenson a truly epic disaster novel.
Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream it right to your computer, smartphone or tablet. As you can imagine, this rush to save the essence of humanity is a perfect stage. Its not that i dont like love long audio books, but im always impatient and what to know what happens next. Nerds realized a long time ago in the united states that they needed to were not huntergatherers. Uprooted by naomi novik seveneves by neal stephenson the fifth season by n. Neal stephenson, mary robinette kowal, will damron. So, while its not my fav book by neal stephenson, still, its a fascinating book, and well worth your time.
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