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Seveneves

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Seveneves

By: Neal Stephenson
Narrated by: Peter Brooke
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About this listen

 The astounding new novel from the master of science fiction

President Barack Obama’s summer reading choice

What would happen if the world were ending?

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. But unforeseen dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain…

Five thousand years later, their progeny – seven distinct races now three billion strong – embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown, to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.

A writer of dazzling genius and imaginative vision, Neal Stephenson combines science, philosophy, technology, psychology, and literature in a magnificent work of speculative fiction that offers a portrait of a future that is at once extraordinary and eerily recognizable. He explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.

 Classics Fiction First Contact Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Political Science Fiction Women's Fiction Survival

Critic Reviews

Praise for Seveneves:

A Financial Times Summer read

‘The scope of Seveneves is breathtaking, the suspense tremendous, the execution faultless’ Financial Times Books of the Year So Far…

‘Remarkable’ Publishers Weekly

Praise for Neal Stephenson:

‘Genius’ Time

‘He makes reading so much fun it feels like a deadly sin’ The New York Times

‘Fast-forward free-style mall mythology for the 21st century’
William Gibson

‘[Stephenson is] the hacker Hemingway’ Newsweek
All stars
Most relevant
Neal Stephenson is a great story-teller and this is the only reason I stayed with this book to the end. This time his characters were drowning in excess technical and scientific detail. If I were reading this book it would be possible to scan and skip these lengthy and tedious passages, but this is difficult when listening. Secondly, I found the technology 5000 years in the future somewhat difficult to imagine from his explanations. I couldn't 'see' the shape and colour of the things without listening to the passages a few times. Overall, I think this one was a clunker and I'm hoping for him to regain his narrative strength.

A stretch too far?

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What a story. Totally believable and takes into account both the scientific and social ramifications of the unfolding story. Left me volunteering to strangle a few of the characters whilst driving along listening! Well characterised by the teller and I forgave the accents

Gripping and structured

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The book started off with such promise but unlike some other books I have read that include physics, mechanics and sciences etc the author struggles to create something that is cohesive. so for the first 20 hours you listen in hope of what could be and are disappointed. The last 11+, well I'm not sure it's like the author had an idea and got board very quickly and in the end didn't know what to do, so just ended it. The narrator was OK but didn't have the scope of some of the other narrators I have listened too, so that didn't exactly engage you either. I bought the book so listened to it all, but am left feeling very let down by the experience.

32 hours you will never get back

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I must admit it was a bit slow to start then , boom, it got going. Loved it.

Brilliant

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Bit long winded in places but so well written it doesn't matter. Really looking forward to the sequel

Epic sci-fi.

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