Justin Younger reviewed Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Review of 'Seveneves' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I hated less than I enjoyed. Could have been great if it were under half as long.
Paperback, 872 pages
English language
Published May 16, 2016 by The Borough Press.
When a catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb, it triggers a feverish race against the inevitable. An ambitious plan is devised to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere...
Five thousand years later, the survivors' progeny embark on another audacious journey into the unknown, to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.
I hated less than I enjoyed. Could have been great if it were under half as long.
All of the positive raving for this book is true! All of the criticisms are also true! Stephenson is his own thing and he breaks all the rules of fiction. He breaks them in a couple different ways in this book. When it's great it's REALLY GREAT. When it's not so great, it kinda sucks. At different moments, I wanted to give this five stars. It's a hell of a book and I absolutely recommend it to any "hard" SF fans. Know that the exposition can really be a brick wall in the storytelling and it's not artfully done at all. But Stephenson has certainly earned himself a place on the hard-core SF shelf with this one (if he hadn't already).
LOVED this book. It's my first novel by Neal Stephenson, and I listened to 99% of it on audiobook, only turning to the hardcover for the epilogue. (Side note: the Audible recording is excellent.) The blend of hard science, space life, and human personalities and relationships was enthralling and intoxicating - it was one of those rare books that I wanted to start again as soon as I finished it.
The man needs to learn to edit his work better (or find a brave editor). The story dragged its feet in the middle. But I'm giving the book 5 stars anyway. The writing is not as tight as some of his better books, but the story is just as engaging, entertaining and thought-provoking.
I gave up after 12%. the story is boring so are the characters. life is too short to read a book of this size where nothing happens.