JessicaRulestheUniverse.com

Because two straight nights of reading until 4am were not enough for this long, dense, thrilling book.

It’s so good, the choice was down to wants vs needs: Hot guys dancing in state of near-undress Vs the survival of the human race. To be exact, how the survival of the human race depends on Nerds.

Neal Stephenson’s latest doorstop opens with the moon breaking up, not with a bang but with a “Holy crap, where’d the moon go?” At first life goes on as usual except with more people looking at the sky, and then scientists realize that the Earth is doomed. (No, it’s not the tides or gravity.) There must be a mass evacuation of the planet using existing technology and resources. Seveneves is not so much science-fiction as a what-if scenario.

The first third of the book goes into the logistics of putting people into orbit and keeping them alive in the 5,000 to 10,000 years that Earth will be uninhabitable. This must be done in two months, which means that everyone must work together and there is no time for argument or democratic consultation. Step aside, politicians, this doomsday scenario calls for Nerds. (This is why national leaders should be intelligent people who will consider public opinion but will make their own decisions.)

Read our column at InterAksyon.com.

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A couple of things the proofreaders missed:

On p629 of the William Morrow edition, “Moira” should be “Kath Two” or “the Moiran.” On p778, “Julia” should be “Ariane” or “the Julian”. There are other instances in which characters are confused with their ancestor.