“Seveneves” by Neal Stephenson – Re-Taming the Earth

The subject of space exploration in literature has taken us to incalculable depths, all plucked from the gold mine that is human imagination.

When a book takes us into outer space, we often think of the Earth as ground zero, the starting point for the great journey, the home we've left and can always come back to, where everything makes sense.

However, as Neal Stephenson so acutely demonstrates it Seveneves, our big blue home can easily become the most alien world we can think of.

In this science-fiction story, we are presented with seven human races, relatively distinct from each other, living in outer space as a result of certain events that took place a few thousand years ago, rendering the Earth uninhabitable.

In the present day, the descendants of those that took flight from their homes and became the pioneers of human civilization in outer space have embarked on a rather exciting journey: a return to Earth. However, time and abandonment haven taken their toll on the planet, and the discoveries they make upon their return go well beyond defying their grandiose expectations.

To begin this review, I would like to draw your attention to the book's strongest aspect, though perhaps it is something by which certain people will be put off.

The world-building aspect of this book is simply sensational, as Stephenson dedicates a huge chunk of the book detailing the five thousand years of human history which took place starting from the moment when humanity began its mission to leave Earth and inhabit outer space.

We are spared no details to the point where it feels like we are reading an accurate history book from the distant future.

The various processes, mechanisms and dynamics which were adopted, modified and replaced during these thousands of years by human societies really help to draw you into the world and perceive it as a real one, disbelief suspended into the high heavens.

Unfortunately for some people, this means that less time is dedicated to the development of the characters and the story itself, which at a certain point pretty much comes to a halt to make way for the history lesson.

Personally, I am a big fan of such devices so I didn't see it as a problem, but you can see certain readers would think that.

Moving on to the characters and the plot itself, I have to say that the former are at times lacking in originality in the sense that they adhere to some long-established science-fiction archetypes, but that by no means makes them unlikeable.

When it comes to the latter, it is perhaps the second biggest shining star of this book. It moves along rather quickly and puts all the characters in nearly-constant danger and peril, the kind that feels omnipresent and doesn't let up even during the calmest of moments.

In other words, there is nary a boring moment to it, unless of course you count the previously-mentioned five thousand years of world-building to be as such.

All things considered, Seveneves is, one hand, a remarkable science-fiction novel for those who are more interested in learning about the functions and philosophies of the various mechanics governing a very strange and enthralling universe.

It is more idea-driven than anything else, and those who prefer the focus to be placed on characters will find somewhat less enjoyment in it.

However, I do believe that nearly all science-fiction fans out there will take a liking to the book, if just for the sheer novelty value of its story.

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Neal Stephenson Personal site Neal Stephenson is an American writer and game designer whose many novels have touched on science-fiction, cyberpunk and historical fiction. Some of his better-known novels include Snow Crash, which earned him a nomination for the Clarke Award, and Cryptonomicon, which won him the Locus SF Award and the 2013 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award.