What if everyone on the planet was doomed? I mean, like, in the very real immediate future! That's where Neal Stephenson's ambitious novel, Seveneves, begins. Our lovely Moon, which we take for granted, blows apart into several chunks, shocking the world. As scientists rush to make sense of the bewildering freak incident that destroyed Earth's one and only natural satellite, the realization sets in that the cause of the Moon's shattering matters much less than what is about to happen next: the falling rain of burning debris that is about to cause the end of all life on Earth.
Everyone on Earth will die.
That is exactly why we must get as many people off the surface and into orbit above the debris. But that's no small feat, especially when humanity has to survive in orbit for at least 5,000 years before the Earth will become habitable again. Told you this was an ambitious novel. The time scale and scope are incredible!
But not everyone can be saved. And even if we preserve the human race, is it ultimately worth it? Or will we eventually just fall prey to the same problems and weaknesses that have always plagued us?
I recently dove into reviewing and discussing the themes brought up in Seveneves in my podcast. I invite you to check out the episode and give me your thoughts. Have you read Seveneves? What did you think? Listen to my thoughts below.
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