Neal Stephenson, "Seveneves"

Neil Stephenson’s novels, including The Baroque Trilogy and Reamde, are a dazzling blend of imagination and science, philosophy and history. His new novel, SEVENEVES, starts with the end of the world. This epic follows the descendants of the exiled Earthlings to their new outpost at the far reaches of the cosmos. The population grows, divides into seven races and ultimately returns to the long-abandoned home, which is unlike anything they have previously experienced.
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[@OccamsBeard]

At around 23:00, someone asked Stephenson what his favorite "little idea" he's had was, and he responded by saying he's tongue-tied at the moment, but this is one of those things that he'd wake up at 3 in the morning thinking about. Further, he promised that when that happens, he'd tweet the idea so as to answer the guy's question. I just checked his Twitter, and at 4:01 AM on the night of this event, he tweeted, "Need one of those life logging wearable cameras so I can rewind a few days and see which sneezing SOB in which airport gave me this cold". What a guy.

[@DustySquitoNM]

I could listen to Neil Stephenson read me a CVS receipt and be perfectly happy doing so. Seveneves is a book I've read several times and then purchased on Audible so I could experience it all over again during my commute. Snowcrash and Cryptonomicon are damn near perfect novels in my opinion, and I regularly go through the rest of his books whenever I get a chance. I really wish there were more books out there set in this universe. I would love to read more about the Pingers and the miners. To essentially experience the second part of Seveneves again from the perspectives of Ivy's fiance and Rufus would be incredible.

[@samuelmontejo114]

Ik it would be cool to see how their society developed and how the pingers look and act like living so deep underwater without light

[@TGBahr]

Synchronicity. I JUST found out about the book and here's the relating talk right on time. Thanks!

[@johnsummers9660]

I love that my two favorite authors are named Neal, though the other Neil is Neil Gaiman. Two very different and also rather similar authors. I did love Seveneves but I think Anathem is my favorite.

[@mrwizardalien]

I was in the room for this! Hi back of my head!

[@phillies4eva]

Diamond Age is one of the most fantastic books ever written and its effect on society cannot be understated but it's ending was painful in the same way that it would be painful to watch a person get to the very end of a year long quest only to walk away right before the finish line.

[@jackieforde]

Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant writer. Curious how they will capture the breadth of Seveneves. Will likely end up as a series like The Expanse.

[@pandariter]

Is there any part of this that he discusses Pingers or if there will be a sequel?

[@toddsmith3199]

The book the Neal alludes to at the beginning about the ark for humanity, Sounds like the Damon Knights "Why Do Birds"

[@broAnansi]

Looking forward to reading this one. If what the top Amazon comment says about the two characters referencing Neil Degrasse Tyson and Elon Musk is true, I'm very interested in seeing which one wins the inevitable argument : )

[@latarajenkins3574]

Qoooq

[@eere3343]

I got it on Audible and I'm almost finished. I love it!

[@uber1015]

+eere3343 just finished it yesterday. still in awe!

[@SaposaBear]

I think Sean Prowst is based more on Jeff Bezos than Elon Musk.

[@satoshinakamoto7253]

anathem and snowcrash are good

[@trollol_]

it's pat!

[@b.w.8104]

ha, in 2008 at Google he makes fun of authors that read their book...

[@trollol_]

"i'm recalibrating" ... lol wut

[@thegamerspace7878]

It's obvious, Almathea is responsible for the moon breaking up.

[@xulent]

When the moon broke up, Amalthea was bolted to the front of the ISS. How did it cause the breakup?

[@Narruin]

I'm afraid of reading his new book "DODO whatever", because I dont want to be dissapointed.

[@FonVegen]

I know it's been a month since this comment was made, but as someone who has read 'Rise and Fall of DODO', I have definitely not been disappointed.

[@anthonybha4510]

Also not disappointed

[@MrSighAnne]

Seveneves is about the future but what about the past? Giant skeletons, elongated skulls, the pyramid builders and the megalith builders... I sometimes imagine that we, modern humans, are only rediscovering the world. The Holocene extinction event appears to have been quite an extinction event, maybe more than woolly beasts went under permanently in that event. Just imagine what it would have been like to cohabitate with other hairless, upstanding, tool-using hominids. Now imagine that some of them are much taller than us and some are much smarter than us. Where would that put us in the pecking order...

[@MrRay3801]

You know when I read this book I couldn't help but think about our past on this earth.....imagine if a past technologically advanced race on earth was faced with an asteroid impact and left earth to live in space but instead of orbit they stayed on the move looking for resources. The present day reports of UFO's and alien sightings were just that past civilization making it back to earth....trying to reintegrate without causing major war. I know this is far fetched but it's fun to imagine....I mean 5000 years is such a long time, the mind boggles!!

[@MrSighAnne]

raymond Moore Thank you for entering with me into this world of speculation. I like it here :) On topic, the book allows 5k years while we may be looking at something like 12k years since the great flood. Are you familiar with Randal Carlson and the theory of sudden ocean level rise as resulting from asteroid impact? Very similar to Neal's "white sky" event. Remember, also, that the earliest human remains that are accepted by academia are 200k years old. Holocene event happened 12k years ago. So what were we doing in the preceding 188,000 years? If it took us only 12k to get to this point, imagine what could have been done in 180k years? 15 times we could have risen to this and fallen again. But there doesn't seem to be evidence for a rise and fall- the climate during those times was gradual in it's shifts. If we had not attained high technology before the flood, that would be a very great anomaly and totally contradictory to all surviving stories from that time. I believe it is possible that technologically advanced societies have sprung up at least once since the flood and then been more or less totally destroyed. We may be the second or third technological civilization that has arisen since the flood. I could be wrong about this speculation though, so don't let me get you wound up.

[@MrRay3801]

+Ragecraft I am familiar with that theory about rising ocean levels and surely feel that in 180k years some truly remarkable things could've happened. I often think about past humans and how they developed. Just because it took us X number of years to go from the wheel to the transistor doesn't mean that's how long others would take....just imagine if a past society developed machinery without the use of fossil fuels, maybe through magnetism or some other form of renewable fuel. Fascinating to imagine the different thought processes that a past society might use to problem solve and if you throw in the possibility of other worldly involvement......it's an interesting rabbit hole to dive into!!

[@MrSighAnne]

Pyramids and megaliths... I would love to learn how and why those things were built

[@aggressivecalm]

Where would that put us in the pecking order... much taller than us, and some are much smarter than us? You do know how evolution works? We would be: 'discontinued.' Now imagine a plague that eats matter... at the speed of light, divides exponentially... :P (just messing with you.)

[@professorfoxtrot]

Is this a gal or a dame?

[@ShaDoWworldshadow]

+professorfoxtrot just a person learn to embrace humans you will fell better about yourself in the long term.

[@StillAtMyMoms]

OMG. Pat?

[@as07011]

Gal Godot?

[@markphc99]

I’ve read all his other books , but found this one unreadable, I couldn’t make it past chapter 4 .Dreadful dialogue, and he can’t write women’s voices, also BORING.