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A visionary technothriller about climate change. Neal Stephenson's sweeping, prescient new novel transports readers to a near-future world where the greenhouse effect has inexorably resulted in a whirling-dervish troposphere of superstorms, rising sea levels, global flooding, merciless heat waves, and virulent, deadly pandemics. One man has a Big Idea for reversing global warming, a master plan perhaps best described as "elemental." But will it work? And just as important, what are the consequences for the planet and all of humanity should it be applied? Ranging from the Texas heartland to the Dutch royal palace in the Hague, from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the sunbaked Chihuahuan Desert, Termination Shock brings together a disparate group of characters from different cultures and continents who grapple with the real-life repercussions of global warming. Ultimately, it asks the question: Might the cure be worse than the disease?
Publication Year: 2021
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'Termination Shock' is peak Neal Stephenson.
That's a high bar. This is the guy who wrote 'Snow Crash' (4 stars) in 1992 and predicted the Metaverse. He wrote 'Cryptonomicon' (5 stars) in 1999 and predicted the influence of crypto currency. He wrote 'Seveneves,' (5 stars) which imagines the world after the end of the world. Stephenson writes excellent, well-researched, page-turning, hard-science science fiction. And he's very good at it.
In 'Termination Shock,' Stephenson imagines a near-future in which a continually rising global temperature has led to political realignments and social upheaval. He imagines an enterprising Texas entrepreneur with an audacious plan to geoengineer the climate back toward historical norms and the resources to act on it. He imagines the political and social repercussions of, essentially, one rich guy thumbing his nose at the world and saying, "Since you can't get your act together, I'll handle it." And he imagines what comes next.
Like all good science fiction, this is all an intriguing proposition. That Stephenson touch, however, lies in his characterization and plotting. The rich Texan isn't a Bond villain: he's a well-meaning guy who hasn't completely thought through the consequences of his actions. The other major characters, including the Queen of the Netherlands, a Texas boar hunter, and an idealistic Canadian Sikh on a quest to find his roots, feel like real people and not constructs. The story takes the reader around a changing world, from refugee camps to palaces, and never once feels preachy or overly ambitious.
In short, this is an excellent novel, fun to read and thought provoking, about a future I think we're all too likely to face. It's everything I hope for when I embark on a new title. I'm so glad I read it.
0DNF @ p. 139. Oh boy, what a horrible introduction to Neal Stephenson.
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