Kathryn’s Pick: Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson is often recognized for his ability to implement ideas of science, philosophy, mathematics, and history into his novels.  This novel is definitely a representation of that mixed with a wonderful science-fiction plotline. Seveneves is a novel that follows the events caused by the unexplained disintegration of Earth’s Moon and thoroughly depicts the process of saving at least a portion of humanity.  Now, the character development in the later portions of this book left me wanting more, but the world-building and fast-paced problem-solving this book constantly provided more than made up for that. After finishing this book I felt like I’d read two novels. This is because the last portion of this book is set thousands of years in the future, and will allow the reader a peek at what all of the initial science scenes created. I highly suggest this book to anyone who loves space, science-fiction, or engineering.

“We’re not hunter-gatherers anymore. We’re all living like patients in the intensive care unit of a hospital. What keeps us alive isn’t bravery, or athleticism, or any of those other skills that were valuable in a caveman society. It’s our ability to master complex technological skills. It is our ability to be nerds. We need to breed nerds.”
– Neal Stephenson, Seveneves