Neal Stephenson's (@nealstephenson) #TerminationShock is just the fun romp through the psychology of future technologies and problems that we should expect. Stephenson's central question for the work seems to be: when consequences from human alteration of the atmosphere finally catch up with us, how will we deal with it?

Stephenson's answer to that question is interesting. He starts with invasive species (anti-aircraft feral hogs), discusses the wet bulb over 98.6F problem with earth suits, moves to persistent disease (COVID-23 and COVID-27), and addresses the elephant in the room: climate engineering.

Overall, while climate change is at the center if this piece of speculative fiction, the mood is just so absurdist and full of pulpy fun that every page and new idea is interwoven and compelling. If you have been caught in the doom-and-gloom contemporary discourse of climate-induced global collapse, Termination Shock helps you to see a future without reflexively shutting out horrible truths.

Termination Shock is what happens when climate engineering is no longer maintained and climate shifts even more rapidly. However, because an actual termination shock never occurs in the book, I must conclude that Stephenson's title refers the mental shock of the termination of the status quo as neoliberal structures fall and everything becomes weird.

Also, does anyone remember mention of the Zone of Actual Control in #KimStanleyRobinson's #MinistryoftheFuture?