Full disclosure…I am not a hardcore Sci-fi reader, although a good Sci-fi flick will capture my attention. Neal Stephenson writes a solid fictional story, and I like that. He spends a lot time on character development, and he loves to nerd out on the “why” as to why things work they do. I appreciate that. Sometimes I ask myself “why is he spending so much time on this topic with so much detail?” But he always ties it in to the larger story…you’ve just got to wait for it. Neal Stephenson is not a good fit for impatient lazy readers.
He absolutely adores human beings with all their warts and b.s. Human beings are fighters, and he celebrates that in his writing. They are often seriously flawed, and he does a good job of exploring that they’re “complicated.” He writes powerful stories about human beings…
Termination Shock is yet another masterful Neal Stephenson tale base in enough fact to keep the reader going along for the ride. I appreciate how the author continuously develops characters from the “lowest” levels of society and intermingles them with the so-called “highest.” He has an appreciation for the human spirit no matter where the character comes from, and the “under dog” plays a prominent heroic role with their grit, native intelligence and self learning.
This story is set in the near future, and the author weaves in so many topics that I are very alarmed about…most importantly climate change due to human greed and selfishness. We’re all sitting here watching our planet being destroyed day by day…we talk about it, but I gotta say…I don’t really trust that anything meaningful is going to be done about it. My adult children are actually talking about not having children because they don’t want to bring them into a world with no real future. The story is about shit that is actually going down.
The solution to addressing meaningful solutions to catastrophic climate change? Greed and self interest…it’s the way it has always been. Yes, the vast majority of us love our friends and our family very dearly, and we are often selfless in our devotion to those who are close to us. Nothing ever changes on a macro level unless greed and self interest come into the picture at some point.
Neal Stephenson has a solid grip on telling stories that a reader can relate to on both a personal level and a societal level. He cherishes and explores the “little things” that happen in day to interactions between human beings, yet adds a hardcore healthy amount of cynical distrust in the bigger picture.
Will a heroes come along and save our planet? Probably not, but I’m a dreamer and I buy lottery tickets…you never know. :)
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About the author
Best Clmate Change Novel Yet, Wide in scope, deep in concept, fine in execution.
Best work of climate change fiction I've seen. Stephenson is a master of hard techno sf. He also can't write anything short. It's got 140-degree heat in Waco, a jet crash involving a herd of wild boar, a Dutch Queen on a secret mission, and an ex-military guy who needs a new mission after killing the boar that ate his daughter...and that's just the beginning. Terrific writing, but I strongly recommend the audible version which walks you along at the author's pace rather than letting you jump ahead and miss the detail. Perfect for fans of Kim Stanley Robinson, Paolo Bacigalupi, Bruce Sterling and of course...Stephenson himself.
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- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on January 30, 2022
A rolicking, timely, entertaining and well crafted novel
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase - Saurabh PrabhuReviewed in India on September 27, 2022
Entertainment modern scifi
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
