Review of Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

Seveneves was better than I thought it would be.

I loved the technical explanations of orbital mechanics and life on a futuristic ISS.

Then a certain “villain” was introduced, and she was so deceptive and conniving that I hated her in the best way possible.

I haven’t gritted my teeth at a villain that hard since Professor Umbridge.

The rest of the cast was good, too.

So far, it’s the longest book I’ve read by word count, and I’m actually happy it’s as long as it is.

It’s packed with amazing hard science-fiction ideas, and I can’t wait to jump back into it in a few years with a fresh perspective.

Some of the technology was hard to visualize on this read-through.

There’s nice banter between Dinah and Ivy, along with some great, Sorkin-esque, high-IQ—but realistic—dialogue.

Oh, and while I understand why people hate the last third of the book, I liked it.

No, I didn’t understand the importance of Kath Two and her epigenetic shift at the end. It seemed like an idea for its own sake, unless I missed something.

Yeah, the Pingers were a little far-out.

But I gave Stephenson the benefit of the doubt and just let myself enjoy it.

Overall, I’d read it again and recommend it to anyone looking for a kick-ass piece of science fiction.