Seveneves

Looking over some of the other reviews, I think this is one of those books that you either love or hate. I definitely fall into the "loved it" category as I was engrossed by the epic nature of the story. The "hard" science fiction aspects were fantastic. I understand how some people may feel that it weighed down the story, but I am a big fan of world building and thought it was great. I am glad I didn't breeze through some of the more heavy descriptions and took the time to really appreciate the details. Fortunately, there were a few illustrations to help understand what the author was describing in intricate detail. The book is broken into three sections. Part One documented a somewhat slow motion two year build up before the destruction of the Earth's surface. I was lulled into the story of our "plucky" technocrats' desperate efforts to prepare a sustainable structure around the International Space Station (Izzy). To save a remnant of humanity, they made great efforts to archive the planet's history and preserve its genetic blueprints by improving Izzy and building "Arks" to house Earth's few survivors Part Two shattered that trope, as it documented the more realistic aspects of the consequences of cramming 2000 diverse humans into small capsules pretty much in constant danger. It ended with the origin of the title "Seveneves" which was absolutely brilliant! Part 3 takes place 5000 years later, covering only a few weeks. It provides several historical details about the intervening period and the ramifications of the original survivors' eugenic policy, but NOT enough!! I wish this book had ended at Part 2, then went on with a series of books telling the stories of each cultures' progress/evolution in each millenium. I want more!