'Seveneves' by Neal Stephenson

 

Ever thought about the moon exploding?  No, neither had I until I read 'Seveneves' by Neal Stephenson.  A speculative piece of work that looks at the possibility of colonising space.  

Split into two halves the book explores what would happen if the moon exploded and the best of humanity had to live in space.  Space isn't the place for human beings but being the adaptive creatures that we are we seem to thrive anywhere.  Politics still exists because living with other human beings is a troublesome thing.  

The second half of the book locates itself 5,000 years from the first half, and the evolutionary tree that flowers from the titular Seveneves.  At the end of the first half only seven women remain in space yet they still have children from which the second half is spawned from.  

All behaviour, from gestures to mannerism stem from the personalities of the seven eves, therefore suggesting that all of our characteristics owe themselves to an evolutionary history that we had no control of, making our luck in life purely a chance occurrence that we had no part in.  It is thanks to our ancestors that we have tasty fruit to eat and that the world created is one to our benefit.

Psychological adapt and philosophical minded Neal Stephenson treats us to a joy of a book, being both highly readable and also chewy on big ideas.  I wish to emulate him in a sci-fi book I wish to write called 'Home' as I am sure his style is the best to copy.