To paraphrase Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories, I prefer Stephenson’s earlier, funnier work.
I agree with the review. Also, I don’t believe that there would have been so little interbreeding between the 7 ‘races’ over 5000 years.
I think it can be overcome by engineering. The biggest obstacle is basically people who complain that the resulting people wouldn’t “really” be human anymore.
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Let’s ignore their complaints.
Only if they start getting into the way, let’s fight them.
The meek shall inherit the earth. Let them keep the stupid rock, ours are the stars.
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This was… Interesting to read right after Weir’s The Martian. Whither expedition to mars? The most egregiously handwavey bits did feel unbalanced after reading page upon page of space whip maneuvering. Talking about things like: “ps. everyone died (in space)”, “sure, everyone lived (underground/underwater)”, “hey, genetics is easy” and “the whole fate of mankind for ever and ever? let’s sit at a table and decide it in a single conversation before a literal ten minute timer goes out, because why bother”.
I found the obvious real-world-person stereotypes to be a curious choice, and trying to figure out who was supposed who was distracting. Elon Musk, Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Malala Yousafzai were the obvious ones, of course, but I wonder who else I missed.
Oh, and having the US president called Julia made it impossible, impossible I say, for me not to picture her like this through the whole damn thing:
Am I the only one who got strong D&D/videogame vibes from the much-maligned last third? It’s almost like everything else was a strangely serious setup to a preposterous fantasy future. The whole horde/alliance faction dynamics, the ready-for-the-guidebook racial powers and modifiers (Julians get a bonus to perception, etc.). By the time we got to the ‘picking up a new party member and random quest at the tavern’ bit I had to laugh about it.
I’d totally read a better fleshed out novel set in the last-third world. Or play the game.
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I had this conclusion at the end of Anatheum. I didn’t buy Reamde and read the library version. Enjoyable but rambling and the third act was a mess. I’m planning on the same plan for this as well. I’m not in a hurry based on everything I’ve heard so far.
This post above needs a FUNNY FLAG!
Melville gets that a lot… 
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I just finished reading it an hour ago.
Though I do kind of agree with the reviews saying that some parts may be too long with others too short (I really did enjoy reading all the technical minutiae, though!) I think this perfectly sets up a possible sequel. Half way through the last part I started expecting the book to end the way it did, leaving room for exploration of the very interesting newly discovered world of diggers and pingers in later works. Can’t wait for more!
Also fully agree with @abhayakara. This book has been the most interesting and gripping to read for me in a long time!
Stephenson doesn’t do sequels.
The paper lasting 5K years was a problem for me but what do I know I am not a paperologist.
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Wow, Kurons still exist? Is localroger still churning out weird sadistic fantasies? Has LilDebbie had any more negligent discharges? Is Egil back?
But acid-free! 100% so, they kept reminding us. (not a paperologist either)
I ain’t readin no book takes an entire chapter to get someone to walk up the beach and buy a damn beer.
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What about the quicksilver trilogy?
If you read any interviews with Stephenson or discussions of the book when it came out, you will see that it is actually one giant book in three (or five) parts. No sequels there.
That seems functionally identical to a sequel if you ask me. I wish Seveneves had been given a similar treatment either way.
Well, except:
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Stephenson has said he doesn’t write sequels
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Stephenson has said it is really one big book (just like the Lord of the Rings was).
The point is that it was said that Seveneves is set up for a sequel and…Stephenson doesn’t write sequels and never has. When he’s done with a body of work (however it is divided on publishing) he moves on.
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