Seveneves: A Novel

Written by:
Neal Stephenson

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
163
Narrator
55
Release Date
May 2015
Duration
32 hours 0 minutes
Summary
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anathem, Reamde, and Cryptonomicon comes an exciting and thought-provoking science fiction epic—a grand story of annihilation and survival spanning five thousand years.

What would happen if the world were ending?

A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.

But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and 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 both extraordinary and eerily recognizable. As he did in Anathem, Cryptonomicon, the Baroque Cycle, and Reamde, Stephenson explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.
Reviews
Profile Avatar
Stephen F

Some books you listen to and six months later you see them in your library and don't even remember what they were about or reading them. This is NOT one of those books. It enveloped me and transported me into its world (isn't that what it's supposed to do). I found myself, more than once, obeying the speed limit to slow my drive and sitting in the driveway for an extra 15 minutes because I couldn't pause the story. You must listen to this book. It's worth every minute of the 32 hours.

Profile Avatar
Sonja M

Expansive and fascinating, the complex details, intriguing plot(s) and many varied aspects of humanity make Seveneves worth the time. This is a memorable and impressive work. The narrators are flawless.

Profile Avatar
Gina S

Loved it, I thought it was a very interesting take on the 'end of the world' theme. I love sci-fi and especially stories like these, that feel real and realistic. It might be heavy in some places, and when I read it myself I quickly zoomed out. I find the audio book easier to listen to that actually read the book myself. It's my first book from Neal so I don't have anything to compare it to, but from this I find that I want to read more of his work.

Profile Avatar
lily Dombrowski

Incredible. Someone please get this to James Cameron! I cannot wait for the follow up books. Way to go Neil this is by far your best yet.

Profile Avatar
Ellijah Campbell

This book had me from the beginning. Totally awesome and I would recommend to anybody!

Profile Avatar
Peter Morris

I"ve been a huge fan for over 20 years, but the Tom Swift last quarter in Anathem was a warning of more danger to come. This is not the edgy, constantly surprising curve balls of a younger Neal Stephenson. It's a pedantic shopping list of tired sci-fi tropes. And good or bad, Neal Stephenson books last a really long time. The narration is horrible, worse character voices ever, absolutely no talent for it. Sorry but that is not the voice for this kind of novel. Massive disappointment on both scores. Neal, get your head out of your butt. If this is all you have left in you, then stop now while you are still among the greatest writers who ever lived.

Profile Avatar
sharon fulton

I am struggling to get through this book. Way too much information and not enough conversation. Love the whole idea, but it is not presented well. Sorry author but there you have it.

Profile Avatar
ron bellar

A masterpiece of boring detail covering 5000 years of insignificant import.

Profile Avatar
Jashub Leo

I feel bad for the Narrator, reading this book must have made her very sleepy.

Profile Avatar
Marc B.

Enjoyable book! I have read several of the author's books. He is a very good writer. This is my second time around on this book. Glad I did.

Profile Avatar
Sirinormal S.

Love the voice of the (first) narrator!

Profile Avatar
Rosemary C.

Story gets lost in techno babble. Good premise

Profile Avatar
Charles L.

Well written, sound physics, plausible events. While enjoying the story, I learned a few things and gained another perspective for things I already knew. Thanks for this...

Profile Avatar
Anonymous

nice listen, wish this wasn't a one person read. but she does a great job. novel itself is unstoppable.

Profile Avatar
Randy L.

Thoroughly enjoyable. Fascinating.

Profile Avatar
Gregory F.

SPOILER ALERT!!! I wanted to like this book. The 1st 1/2 of the book was really good. An amazing premise, terrifying in fact, interesting characters and some dry humor. However the 2nd 1/2 of the book almost seemed like it was written by a different author. SPOILER AHEAD SPOILER AHEAD!!!..... Aside from the discovery of what the 7 eves are and how we got see there progeny, SPOILERS OVER SPOILERS OVER!!!! Everything else was painfully boring. Additionally, the world building throughout was very poor, incoherent at times. There were also large swaths of the book that had character interactions that seem to meander to nowhere with absolutely no meaning. Finally, as I began to start reading the final 30 or 40 pages, i began to realize that there is simply not enough book left to get someplace with this story and just as i feared, it didn't...the book basically just ends in what seems like the middle of something. SOME OTHER POSITIVES. 1. Neal Stephenson really knows his stuff with regards to space travel, Astronomy, and Science in general...he really must of done a ton of research 2. If you like very Hard Science type of Fiction this is definitely that. 3.The Narrator for the 1st half of the book Mary Robinette Kowal is an absolute joy to listen to, she made the boring parts more bearable.

Profile Avatar
Dykes J.

loved this book.

Profile Avatar
Luke B.

Very slow place. First 5 hours and im still not hooked. Not worth the money.

Profile Avatar
Joseph L.

Brilliant book

Profile Avatar
Benito C.

I do Love a good scifi that makes my imagination go off in all directions. I am going to see what else I can find from the author.

Profile Avatar
Donald A.

I love end of the world stories and this delivered perfectly. I even liked the well written long technical explanations. I just wished the second section was longer and had more of a storyline. Also, the book just randomly ended. The reader of the the first part sounded pretentious.

Profile Avatar
Ricky B

Part one is fantastic; book and narration. Part two is far harder work and the reader is very flat, making it a difficult listen. Fortunately, part two is very much a sequel to the fast paced fascinating thought experiment of part one.

Profile Avatar
Ian Kay

This is a moderately interesting book. The long descriptions of technical elements are a little bit dull, but the overall story and perspective on human nature tend to make up for it. Unfortunately, the narrator is pretty awful. She simply cannot do accents: nearly every accent sounds like she's winging it. Most of her attempts at male voices are odd to the point of being bizarre: several of them sound like they have cerebral palsy or something, and the attempts at "deep voices" sound like a child's attempt to sound like a man. She also seems to be much better at tossing sarcasm into the dialogue than imbuing any sense of tension or drama. I am completing the book in physical form, because the narrator is just that bad.

Profile Avatar
Brenda McCracken

Like listening to somebody read a technical manual than a fiction novel. Development of the characters is overwhelmed by the technical explanations which I would love if they were extracted into an appendix where the reader could refer to at their leisure. I couldn't even finish listening to the book. It's a shame. Rewrite it so the story and technical explanations are separated.

Profile Avatar
Steven Howard

Narration is great. The idea for the book itself has a lot of potential. But the lack of suspense or direction in this book makes it feel a lot like a science textbook instead of a story. I've been trying to get through it but it's sooo dry. I wouldn't purchase this book if you aren't into dry descriptions of very scientific mechanisms.

1 book added to cart
Subtotal
$48.99
View Cart