Termination Shock
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- Create Date：2021-11-16 04:19:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Neal Stephenson
- ISBN：0063028050
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Andrew Bartel
，
Absolutely brilliant！ I've been a long-time reader of Stephenson。 The level I've liked his books has gone up and down depending on the release。 Termination Shoc has the best elements of his work to date and I found it to be the upper echelon of my favorites of his novels （Cryptonomicon， Snow Crash， Anathem， Reamde）。 No spoilers below。 Stephenson's ability to connect a variety of vastly disparate nodes into a comprehensive whole is unprecedented。 Lots has been of the dramatic intro to the book （qu Absolutely brilliant！ I've been a long-time reader of Stephenson。 The level I've liked his books has gone up and down depending on the release。 Termination Shoc has the best elements of his work to date and I found it to be the upper echelon of my favorites of his novels （Cryptonomicon， Snow Crash， Anathem， Reamde）。 No spoilers below。 Stephenson's ability to connect a variety of vastly disparate nodes into a comprehensive whole is unprecedented。 Lots has been of the dramatic intro to the book （queen-piloted plane crashing into wild hogs being hunted by a Commanche drone pilot on a revenge mission in a painfully overheated Texas）， but it's indicative of the whole。 He's， of course， done this before （organs， code breaking， and intercontinental cable laying， for example）， and in a more complex manner （monks， math， and inter dimensional travel， for example）， but never in such a fun and relatable fashion。 The jumps and cuts of the different elements rubbing against each other were consistently surprising and enjoyable。 The most intriguing component to me， however， was the elaborate network of metaphors layered over the story itself。 In addition to the story and character arcs， the dialogue， characters， and actions also function as metaphors for current discussion and arguments on various sides of climate change。 Some of the silly one-liners or jokes have deeper meaning on further reflection getting readers to consider the deeper consequences of the world's actions and inactions on the climate。 Again， highly recommended。 I received an ARC with the request for a review。 This review was not influenced in any way by that。 。。。more
Tony Cohen
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I'm sure something like this will happen。 America will be a funny place in the future。 I'm sure something like this will happen。 America will be a funny place in the future。 。。。more
Ronald Manley
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Very good story almost too real could possibly or probably would happen。 Exciting and intertaning。 Great characters。
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
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Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson is a recommended speculative climate science fiction novel set sometime in the future。A change of climate in the future has resulted in rising temperatures， heat waves， superstorms， flooding， and rising sea levels。 Billionaire T。 R。 Schmidt has a plan and has invited a selected small group of representatives from across the world to Houston。 He has a plan to reverse global warming and is about to set it into action for his guests。 The guests include the Queen Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson is a recommended speculative climate science fiction novel set sometime in the future。A change of climate in the future has resulted in rising temperatures， heat waves， superstorms， flooding， and rising sea levels。 Billionaire T。 R。 Schmidt has a plan and has invited a selected small group of representatives from across the world to Houston。 He has a plan to reverse global warming and is about to set it into action for his guests。 The guests include the Queen of the Netherlands， who asks to be called Saskia， and her entourage， who， due to a storm， were forced to make an emergency landing in Waco。 Their landing resulted in meeting Rufus during a scene involving wild boars， alligators， and a crashed plane。 Rufus helps them get to Houston and becomes a part of T。R。's team。In another narrative thread we are introduced to Laks， a Canadian Sikh who travels to the Punjab to help assist at oxygen centers there。 He stays there to learn more stick fighting techniques and eventually meets others and they all make their way to the Line of Actual Control。 There Laks and the others engage in fighting the Chinese with sticks and rocks to defend their homeland from the Chinese。Chapters switch between story lines and characters set in different parts of the world until they eventually merge at the end。 The beginning of this massive novel will grab your attention and propel you forward。 The geoengineering solution that T。R。 comes up with and begins to undertake is very interesting。 Right up to learning T。R。's plan and seeing it in action， I was engrossed in the novel。 Then it slowed down and became a chore to read。In any cli-sci novel you want to see the solution along with the complications intelligently presented and follow the execution of the plan， which Stephenson does。 However， after introducing many of the players and setting events into motion the story itself slows to a crawl and feels bloated and long-winded。 The actual plot could have been presented and reached a resolution much quicker。 Additionally， the characters are certainly all very well developed， but there are also a lot of them and not all deserve or need the level of attention that they are given。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2021/1。。。 。。。more
Chris Osborne
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I am sorry to say I just couldn't get interested in this book。 It is a different genre for me。 I really tried to read this book but just couldn't stick with it。 I will say I thought the plot line was interesting。 I am sorry to say I just couldn't get interested in this book。 It is a different genre for me。 I really tried to read this book but just couldn't stick with it。 I will say I thought the plot line was interesting。 。。。more
Scott Vandehey
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I got an advance reader's copy， and greatly enjoyed this。 Like all of Neal's books， it's fun to figure out what topics he was diving deep on during research。 In the opening pages of this book， we see 30-50 feral hogs， and I laughed out loud。 This book slots in with Reamde as less sci-fi and more airport thriller， but it's a rip-roaring read， and I hope we get to see more of Saskia， Rufus， and TR in the future。 I got an advance reader's copy， and greatly enjoyed this。 Like all of Neal's books， it's fun to figure out what topics he was diving deep on during research。 In the opening pages of this book， we see 30-50 feral hogs， and I laughed out loud。 This book slots in with Reamde as less sci-fi and more airport thriller， but it's a rip-roaring read， and I hope we get to see more of Saskia， Rufus， and TR in the future。 。。。more
Clinton Tallman
，
My cousin Alex told me about a hacker named METRONET CREDIT SOLUTION， who is an expert on credit repair and how he deleted negative reports on his credit such as IRS， liens and even boosted his score from 440 to a whopping 800。 He gave me his contact and I also followed him up， and guess what？ It worked for me too。 The guy is fast and reliable。 You can reach him through METRONETCREDITSOLUTION@GMAIL。COM or text on +1。205。518。3032。 I bet you， metronet will fix your credit within 8 working days。
travelgirlut
，
Two stars for the majority of the book， three for when the action finally picked up towards the end， put it together for about 2。5 stars。If this has been a book by a new author to me， I probably wouldn't have finished it。 I kept reading because I've loved most everything Stephenson has written。 The beginning was just sooooo slow。 All the characters don't come together until right at the end， which is when things finally get good。 Before then things just feel random。 Between this and the last Ste Two stars for the majority of the book， three for when the action finally picked up towards the end， put it together for about 2。5 stars。If this has been a book by a new author to me， I probably wouldn't have finished it。 I kept reading because I've loved most everything Stephenson has written。 The beginning was just sooooo slow。 All the characters don't come together until right at the end， which is when things finally get good。 Before then things just feel random。 Between this and the last Stephenson book I actually didn't finish， I'm going to start hesitating before automatically picking up one of his books from now on， which is just too bad。 。。。more
Cat
，
Another brilliant work of speculative fiction by Neal Stephenson， Termination Shock is a fascinating and detailed consideration of our future in the anthropocene。 While most climate fiction tends to focus on the largely on the repercussions of a world irreversibly altered by climate change， Termination Shock is equally concerned with questions of what we can and should do to ameliorate the harmful effects humans have caused。 Stephenson’s narrative is informed by extensive research and a broad vi Another brilliant work of speculative fiction by Neal Stephenson， Termination Shock is a fascinating and detailed consideration of our future in the anthropocene。 While most climate fiction tends to focus on the largely on the repercussions of a world irreversibly altered by climate change， Termination Shock is equally concerned with questions of what we can and should do to ameliorate the harmful effects humans have caused。 Stephenson’s narrative is informed by extensive research and a broad view of climate change in the context of the geopolitical， socio-political， economic， personal and practical。 Like all of his novels， Termination Shock engages you on every level: intellectually， emotionally and cognitively。 You’ll learn new information; get to know characters that you love and/or are invested in knowing; and be pushed to think in new ways and/or consider perspectives and issues you hadn’t。 **more to come near publication date[I received a complimentary advance reader’s copy of this book from William Morrow/HarperCollins and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review。] 。。。more
Jeanne
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Too long long long long long long longI did get involved with a number of the characters， but the tremendous amount of description setting the scene， detailing characters' histories， just WAY too much。 I was tremendously relieved when I finally made it over halfway through the book。。。 by the the final hundred pages， I just wanted to know who was going to live and who was going to perish。 And at least one who I believe DID perish I have no idea WHO IT WAS。 Really？ This LONG a book and I don't kno Too long long long long long long longI did get involved with a number of the characters， but the tremendous amount of description setting the scene， detailing characters' histories， just WAY too much。 I was tremendously relieved when I finally made it over halfway through the book。。。 by the the final hundred pages， I just wanted to know who was going to live and who was going to perish。 And at least one who I believe DID perish I have no idea WHO IT WAS。 Really？ This LONG a book and I don't know what happened to whoever that was？ And the horse？ The eagles？ Give me a break。 Jeez。。。wrap it up！ It took long enough to GET THERE。 Wrap it ALL up。 。。。more
Dwight
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I received an advance copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway。To start， I love Neal Stephenson's books and writing style。 His attention to detail and deep research into the topics he's writing about are in evidence here， as with all his other science fiction novels。 Termination Shock is a near-future techno-thriller focusing on climate change。 The main thrust of the story is about what happens when individuals take matters into their own hands and the knock-on consequences from those decisio I received an advance copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway。To start， I love Neal Stephenson's books and writing style。 His attention to detail and deep research into the topics he's writing about are in evidence here， as with all his other science fiction novels。 Termination Shock is a near-future techno-thriller focusing on climate change。 The main thrust of the story is about what happens when individuals take matters into their own hands and the knock-on consequences from those decisions。I found the plot of Termination Shock to be a bit meandering。 It weighs in at around 700 pages but the first 100 pages are a sort of exposition about a couple of the main characters that tries to set the scene for the world but seemed mostly superfluous to me。 The next 100 pages outline what will be the main thrust of the plotline but rather than keeping up the pace from there it drops off into numerous discussions and side plots。 The world Stephenson builds is vast with a large cast of characters but a lot of the book seems more about communicating dire warnings about climate change， and what might happen if something isn't done， and less about actually moving the story forward。There were several of the side plots that I thought were really interesting and would have liked to learn more of， and a number of them that just seemed to fall flat。 The pacing of the final climactic scene of the book was great and pulled several of the plots together but left a number of unanswered questions and loose ends dangling。For me， the overall storyline was interesting and clearly well researched but at 700 pages the pacing really drags throughout the middle of the book。 If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller I would pass on this one。 。。。more
Will
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Science fiction in the very best tradition: the message， in this case relating to climate change， is so embedded into the fabric of great storytelling， that there is no pill to swallow， rather a gourmet meal to savor。
Thea
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I won this book on the book giveaway from Goodreads。 It is definitely worth the read for Neal Stephenson's take on our global environmental crisis along with pandemics。 It is a little too long but otherwise a good read since our planet is facing all these same crisis today。 I won this book on the book giveaway from Goodreads。 It is definitely worth the read for Neal Stephenson's take on our global environmental crisis along with pandemics。 It is a little too long but otherwise a good read since our planet is facing all these same crisis today。 。。。more
Mandy Adams
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Enjoyable enough。 I thought there was a lot of interesting world building and I really enjoyed all the ideas around climate and the environment。 That said， the plot felt meandering and it seems the book could have been much shorter。 I think a tighter plot would have served it well。
Sue
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First of all， it took me forever to read this book: 3 weeks exactly， which is forever for someone who can usually turn over a 300 or 400 page novel in a weekend。 This book just couldn't keep my attention for a few reasons， one of which of is that it was just too damn long。 I feel like this book could have been so much more entertaining with half of it edited out。 Thanks to Goodreads for the free book！ First of all， it took me forever to read this book: 3 weeks exactly， which is forever for someone who can usually turn over a 300 or 400 page novel in a weekend。 This book just couldn't keep my attention for a few reasons， one of which of is that it was just too damn long。 I feel like this book could have been so much more entertaining with half of it edited out。 Thanks to Goodreads for the free book！ 。。。more
Jon Lewis
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It's a strong eco-thriller， not in any way like his great speculative fictions。 Satisfying read， but not the exhilaration of Snow Crash， Diamond Age， Cryptonomicon， Baroque Cycle， or Anathem。I recommend the novel， but with the caveat that this thriller period for Stephenson is not my favorite。 It's a strong eco-thriller， not in any way like his great speculative fictions。 Satisfying read， but not the exhilaration of Snow Crash， Diamond Age， Cryptonomicon， Baroque Cycle， or Anathem。I recommend the novel， but with the caveat that this thriller period for Stephenson is not my favorite。 。。。more
Todd
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Like many of Stephenson's other works， this book is a fantastic blend of science-fiction， history lessons and prescient predictions about the future。 I agree with some of the other reviewers that it is a stretch to call this a thriller， but I suspect that calling it a thriller is mostly for marketing purposes。 For me， one of the main benefits of Stephenson's writing is that he gets you to look at things obliquely， question your assumptions and meditate on the nature of everyday occurrences。 I al Like many of Stephenson's other works， this book is a fantastic blend of science-fiction， history lessons and prescient predictions about the future。 I agree with some of the other reviewers that it is a stretch to call this a thriller， but I suspect that calling it a thriller is mostly for marketing purposes。 For me， one of the main benefits of Stephenson's writing is that he gets you to look at things obliquely， question your assumptions and meditate on the nature of everyday occurrences。 I also enjoy how Stephenson immerses the reader in many different cultures （in this book， that includes the U。S。 South， Native Americans， Dutch， Southeast Asian， Italian， South American， English and many others） which gives you a new （or better） appreciation and understanding of those cultures。In Termination Shock， Stephenson synthesizes many different plot lines to underscore how complicated tackling global warming will be， especially in a geopolitical environment as fraught with division as ours is currently。 The book derives its name from the idea that there potentially could be a rapid and substantial rise in global temperatures following a cessation of a climate change geoengineering strategy that slows or suspends the rise in temperatures （This paper is a good academic resource for the term and its implications: https://agupubs。onlinelibrary。wiley。c。。。）。Similar to Fall or， Dodge in Hell's use of D'auliers Book of Greek Myths as a plot thread， Stephenson both literally and figuratively interweaves Moby Dick and many of its characters and metaphors into this novel。 It makes you want to re-read the classic text and be in on all of the inside jokes throughout Termination Shock。 Fortunately， I read the Great Illustrated Classic version of Moby Dick with my kids right before reading this book！Overall， I learned a lot about the Netherlands， its colonialism throughout many of the world's continents， its royalty （and the legacy it has on many Dutch companies）， and its own attempts to combat climate change。 I also was not aware that many European countries have areas that are facing some of the same climate change issues that beset New Orleans and have come up with some novel strategies to address them。 I read Bill Gate's How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need， but did not recall learning some of the geoengineering techniques I read about in this book that could theoretically suspend （but not reverse） the effects of climate change。 Some other areas of exposition in Termination Shock are the tensions between India and China related to border disputes， the Comanches past and current influence on America's culture， the joint plight of many locations throughout the world that are below sea level， their fight to keep the sea at bay， and the possibility that non-state actor（s） can advance the fight against climate change given our geopolitical divisions。 Thank you to HarperCollins for the Advanced Reader Edition of this book。 I really enjoyed it。 。。。more
Mythius
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I just finished Neal Stephenson's new novel Termination Crash。 It started out pretty good， but then got real slow and plodding。 It picked up around page 250 （out of 706）， and then an awkward sex scene at about 280。 In fact anything dealing with sex in this book was awkward in the way a teenage is talking about sex is usually awkward。 Then is got slow again。 It picked up in the second half， and the last 100 or so pages were real good。 The story takes place in a not too distant future where concer I just finished Neal Stephenson's new novel Termination Crash。 It started out pretty good， but then got real slow and plodding。 It picked up around page 250 （out of 706）， and then an awkward sex scene at about 280。 In fact anything dealing with sex in this book was awkward in the way a teenage is talking about sex is usually awkward。 Then is got slow again。 It picked up in the second half， and the last 100 or so pages were real good。 The story takes place in a not too distant future where concerns of climate change， rising temperature， and rising oceans are the main concerns。 There is an interesting cast of characters including the Queen of the Netherlands， a Texas billionaire， a Sikh warrior， and a pig hunter who turns into The Drone Ranger （that's not a spelling mistake）。 The closeness to our times was unsettling， like I was looking into the 10 or 20 years into the future （no 'current date' is ever mentioned）。 The mention of things that happened in our last year or two are many， including COVID still being a problem， the US insurrection with that Viking dude， YouTube， Google Maps， Drones， AR goggles， and internet slang。 All in all， it was a well told story， as Stephenson in my opinion is a solidly good author， but stared out way to slow for my taste。 The best parts for me were the sci-fi elements of inventions just years away from now。 But the best part is the actual premise of the book which I'll try not to spoil， but it does involve The Biggest Gun in the World。 The point is， that if humanity， or a few humans， try to do something about climate change on a global level， and things start changing （in some places for the better， in some places for the worse）， what would happen if that suddenly was stopped？ The answer: Termination Shock。 The climate might go into shock， just as a patient might if you suddenly stopped giving them the meds you've given the for so long， that suddenly stated showing signs of unwanted side effects。 All in all， I'm going to give this book 3/5 stars。 I would only recommend it to those who love the author， or want to read climate change sci-fi。 。。。more
Eric
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I have received an ARC from Goodreads and WillliamMorrow。Takes place in the near future where the effects of climate change are even more pronounced and apparent with perspectives from the plains of West Texas， Northern Europe， and Southern Asia that provides a glimpse of what we can experience through the characters。 The plot set ups and as a science fiction mystery that pivots to a form a game theory。The central theme boils down to a what if scenario where given that resources are available to I have received an ARC from Goodreads and WillliamMorrow。Takes place in the near future where the effects of climate change are even more pronounced and apparent with perspectives from the plains of West Texas， Northern Europe， and Southern Asia that provides a glimpse of what we can experience through the characters。 The plot set ups and as a science fiction mystery that pivots to a form a game theory。The central theme boils down to a what if scenario where given that resources are available to geo-engineer the climate unilaterally， what would the political， economical， and moral spillover effects be if we explore that option？ Once the these spillover effects are unveiled， what are the responses from supposed "winner" and "losers"？ Other than the obvious roles of superpowers regarding climate change， is there a role for smaller nation states as well as individuals？Neal Stephenson - similar to his other novels - dives deeps into the details to paint a vivid picture of a setting or a establish a historical background of his characters。 While it can come across as a chore to read through his long paragraphs explaining a technical detail of a given work of engineering marvel， one can appreciate the level of research he puts in and furthermore， the level of faith he has in the reader to also invest that level of focus。 Whether he is right or wrong in this gamble ultimately depends of you as the reader。 。。。more
Timothy Langhorst
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I received this advance reader's copy of Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson from HarperCollins Publishers。 I was really excited to read this book because I have been a big fan of Stephenson's since I read Snow Crash and Diamond Age in the early to mid-1990s。 Both of those books were fantastic because they introduced me to new ideas and new worlds， interesting and quirky characters， along with strong， quick-paced plots。 Termination Shock has many of the same qualities as these earlier novels。 I I received this advance reader's copy of Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson from HarperCollins Publishers。 I was really excited to read this book because I have been a big fan of Stephenson's since I read Snow Crash and Diamond Age in the early to mid-1990s。 Both of those books were fantastic because they introduced me to new ideas and new worlds， interesting and quirky characters， along with strong， quick-paced plots。 Termination Shock has many of the same qualities as these earlier novels。 Interesting ideas and concepts and some really engaging characters （and for me， a couple of not so engaging characters）。 The plot bogs down in the middle some， and picks up steam for a hard-driving conclusion。 The story takes place in a near-future earth that feels very much in ways like where we are at today。 Human impact on the climate has resulted in superstorms， rising sea levels， merciless heat waves， and seemingly endless variations of COVID。 The United States is seen as a joke in this future earth with a total lack of leadership， leaving climate change up to individuals who have the resources and the will to tackle the issue on their own。The novel has a crazy beginning that really had my hopes up that this would be another Snow Crash。 One of the main characters in the book， Frederika Mathilde Louisa Saskia， a member of the Royal Dutch family， is about to land in Texas for a secret meeting with J。R。 Schmidt， a person of unlimited financial resources and ego， along with representatives from other leaders from across the global， to talk about how to deal with the climate crisis。 Of course， they are landing in a terrible storm， and they crash land into a group of wild pigs on the runway。 That's right - a horde of wild pigs。 As they exit the plane， they encounter Rufus， another of the main characters in the book， who is a wild pig hunter， but also a technology and drone expert as we read about later in the book。Rufus gets Saskia to her meeting with J。R。， who has a bold， and incredibly simple method for helping improve climate conditions。 From his Texas location， he is launching tons and tons of sulfur into the atmosphere using one big， Texas-sized gun。 Because the United States has become such a deregulated country， he has no problems doing this on his own。 But as his efforts improve the climate in certain parts of the world， it has negative impact on other parts of the earth。 Which takes us to the Line of Actual Control， a demarcation line that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory。 Here we are introduced to another very interesting character， Laks， who becomes a video/Internet star as he battles the Chinese in moving the Line of Actual Control， an area that has been negatively impacted by the sulfur from J。R’s gun。Laks is seriously injured during one of his battles with the Chinese， but he recovers and is given one more assignment， which ultimately will take him to Texas and the big gun where he will encounter Rufus， along with J。R。 and Saskia， in a rapid-fire conclusion of the novel involving drone chariots， eagles that have been trained to attack drones， and radioactive material。Overall， this was a very enjoyable book to read。 It was a little long。 The world of the Royal Danish Family was slow for me， and I really never connected with Saskia and those in her sphere of influence。 But J。R。， Rufus， and Laks were all intriguing characters。 And Stephenson really brings it home with a great ending。 。。。more
Stephen Hanafin
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Please note that I received an advance reader's edition of this book via a Goodreads giveaway。I enjoyed this book， although I did find the ending somewhat unsatisfying， in that （view spoiler）[I wanted to know if the geoengineering scheme central to the book's plot actually worked out in the end or not （hide spoiler）]！This book is set in the near future， and contains plenty of references to things that happened very recently in the real world， such as COVID-19 and the January 6th insurrection， wh Please note that I received an advance reader's edition of this book via a Goodreads giveaway。I enjoyed this book， although I did find the ending somewhat unsatisfying， in that （view spoiler）[I wanted to know if the geoengineering scheme central to the book's plot actually worked out in the end or not （hide spoiler）]！This book is set in the near future， and contains plenty of references to things that happened very recently in the real world， such as COVID-19 and the January 6th insurrection， which felt a bit weird to see in a work of fiction already。I think that if you liked Neal Stephenson's other recent books， you'll probably like this one too。 It was an enjoyable techno-thriller。 。。。more
Roger
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Can a fan of Neal Stephenson comment here and let me know if this is a prime example of his writing and where it would rank amongst his best works？ If it's in the top 5 or 10， I have no shame in saying I won't bother reading anything else by him。Termination Slog， I mean， Termination Shock， is a book by Neal Stephenson that will unfortunately be available in stores near the end of November。 It's a 700+ page novel about characters that aren't very interesting， trying to stop climate change。 Obviou Can a fan of Neal Stephenson comment here and let me know if this is a prime example of his writing and where it would rank amongst his best works？ If it's in the top 5 or 10， I have no shame in saying I won't bother reading anything else by him。Termination Slog， I mean， Termination Shock， is a book by Neal Stephenson that will unfortunately be available in stores near the end of November。 It's a 700+ page novel about characters that aren't very interesting， trying to stop climate change。 Obviously I can't reveal much more since I read through an advance copy， but even if I could there really isn't much to say。 It's a book of ideas that doesn't culminate into anything and wouldn't change the mind of a naysayer who doesn't believe in climate change in the first place。 It's hard sci-fi at it's worst with bloated descriptions that add nothing to the story and feels more like Stephenson was just wanting to show off how intelligent he is。 Speaking of bloated descriptions， I saw a reviewer on here DNF the book saying it was akin to Stephen King's verbosity but boring。 Stephenson constantly adds back story to characters that don't need it and builds upon them in ways that put a halt to any progression that may be trying to happen。 Even if the stories were interesting， the cardboard cutout characters are so wooden and lifeless it wouldn't even matter。 When they're talking to each other it feels like AI that's trying to figure out what smart， cool people would sound like if they were real humans。 It's unbelievable。 Also， I find the shoehorning in of COVID to be pretty tasteless。 It was very obviously added in at the last moment to be relevant。 It adds nothing and feels lazy。I'd say I'm sorry for sounding so harsh but I just don't care。 Termination Shock is a rambling mess that feels like amateur hour。 I was already in a reading slump and this definitely didn't help。 Thank you to William Morrow and Harper Collins Publishers for being kind enough to send me a physical advanced copy of this book。 。。。more
Monnie
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This is a book with an important message， but by no means can I call it an easy book to read。 For starters， there are way too many characters， several of which go by different names part of the time， and too many different location settings to make things very confusing if you don't pay close attention。 Couple that with more than 700 pages， and well， getting through the whole thing requires serious commitment。That said， though， it's worth making the effort， especially if you have an interest in This is a book with an important message， but by no means can I call it an easy book to read。 For starters， there are way too many characters， several of which go by different names part of the time， and too many different location settings to make things very confusing if you don't pay close attention。 Couple that with more than 700 pages， and well， getting through the whole thing requires serious commitment。That said， though， it's worth making the effort， especially if you have an interest in climate change。 It takes place in the post-COVID but not-too-distant future， when the world is reeling from the effects of global warming。 Everywhere are scenes of impending doom， like devastating， land-altering floods， superstorms and infestations of critters like feral pigs （yes， you read that correctly）。 The story centers around groups of people from different countries who are seeking ways to rectify （make that survive） the dire situation。 At the beginning， the Queen of the Netherlands is on her way to Texas when a storm forces a crash landing of the airplane she's piloting。 On her way to meet up with some kind of secret conference with a wealthy Texan who may have devised a way save humanity， she must keep her true identity secret。The rest follows several characters on their journey toward save-the-earth enlightenment， which includes the awareness that whatever solution is found may help some， but at the expense of others。 Obviously， there's much more action and food for thought going on here （at 736 pages， a LOT more）， but I'll keep those details to myself so other readers can discover them firsthand。 My thanks to the publisher， via NetGalley， for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy。 。。。more
Brenda
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3。5 stars。 A thoroughly entertaining eco-thriller， for readers of Kim Stanley Robinson New York 2140。 A doorstopper， with info-dumps。
Lisa Wright
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This would have been a 5 if it had been 200 pages shorter。 Stephenson is famous for going off on tangents and usually I am willing to just sigh and go with it because he has great characters and his ideas are fascinating。 But this time it took him over two hundred pages to introduce a handful of characters and establish that climate change is bad。 I didn't need to know the long history of feral pigs in Texas， of the Comanches， of piloting traditions of the Netherlands royal family， of 。 。 。 Get This would have been a 5 if it had been 200 pages shorter。 Stephenson is famous for going off on tangents and usually I am willing to just sigh and go with it because he has great characters and his ideas are fascinating。 But this time it took him over two hundred pages to introduce a handful of characters and establish that climate change is bad。 I didn't need to know the long history of feral pigs in Texas， of the Comanches， of piloting traditions of the Netherlands royal family， of 。 。 。 Get to the plot Neal！That said， I am glad I stuck with it。 Once it got going I loved it。 Will it take some stinking rich person doing something outrageous for the world to start addressing climate change in a useful way？ Probably。 Will there be unexpected fallout？ Of course。 A timely subject approached in an engrossing way。 。。。more
Sue Kelso
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I never felt like there was any movement forward in the book。 Not my cup of tea so I stopped reading。
Kim McGee
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Climate change has rendered the Earth spent in this near future apocalyptic saga。 Major low lying cities are under water， deserts have become larger and more prevalent as well as animals adapting to the change， superstorms that last longer and are far more destructive as well as longer pockets of extreme temperature change。 It is a nightmare out there。 A wealthy Texan calls for action and invites a group of international powerhouses to his ranch for his solution。 Each has an interesting role to Climate change has rendered the Earth spent in this near future apocalyptic saga。 Major low lying cities are under water， deserts have become larger and more prevalent as well as animals adapting to the change， superstorms that last longer and are far more destructive as well as longer pockets of extreme temperature change。 It is a nightmare out there。 A wealthy Texan calls for action and invites a group of international powerhouses to his ranch for his solution。 Each has an interesting role to play and all the characters represent a global and ethnic mix。 I won't pretend that I understood all the technology or science behind the solutions （or the problems） but the general theme is that somebody has to do something and whatever that is it will save some countries and demolish others。 Politics， violence and sneaky behavior all play a part。 I did enjoy reading how they were using golden eagles to take out armed drones and other really interesting ideas （not sure how much the eagles enjoyed this activity）。 It is a long story that has all the shock and awe of a Robin Cook medical or Michael Crichton science thriller。 The scariest part is that this near future could be here faster than we expect。 My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Steve Essick
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Thank you William Morrow for the ARC。I’ve read my fair share of long books。 Anna Karenina was long。 Shogun was long。 But Neal Stephenson’s new mind bending entry，#TerminationShock， is something else entirely。 Instead of calling it long， I’d rather say it’s BIG。 On every page you feel the vastness of this endeavor。 Taking place in the very near future， perhaps 10 to 15 years from now，Stephenson’s epic view of global warming and its unsustainability is a monument to story telling。 Using a world wi Thank you William Morrow for the ARC。I’ve read my fair share of long books。 Anna Karenina was long。 Shogun was long。 But Neal Stephenson’s new mind bending entry，#TerminationShock， is something else entirely。 Instead of calling it long， I’d rather say it’s BIG。 On every page you feel the vastness of this endeavor。 Taking place in the very near future， perhaps 10 to 15 years from now，Stephenson’s epic view of global warming and its unsustainability is a monument to story telling。 Using a world wide cast of characters， #TerminationShock never lags in its narrative drive。 Many will consider the book science fiction， and it does have its fair share of fictional science， but reads as if it is tomorrow’s headlines describing the doomed fate of the earth unless the world wakes up and smells the coffee immediately。 Packed with engrossing exposition that leads the reader into action scene after action scene， #TerminationShock is a prodigious feat of penmanship。 In every sense of the word this is a BIG BOOK about a BIG TOPIC which entertains while informing and well worth the time you invest by reading it。 。。。more
John
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Is taking decisive action against climate change without knowing the global effects better than taking no action until you are sure of the outcome？ What if the effects are good for some and bad for others？ What if things have gotten so bad that entire regions have been taken over by feral pigs and airplanes can't fly to certain places because it has already gotten too hot？The （only） problem with reading Neal Stephenson's speculative fiction is that his imagination creates possible realities that Is taking decisive action against climate change without knowing the global effects better than taking no action until you are sure of the outcome？ What if the effects are good for some and bad for others？ What if things have gotten so bad that entire regions have been taken over by feral pigs and airplanes can't fly to certain places because it has already gotten too hot？The （only） problem with reading Neal Stephenson's speculative fiction is that his imagination creates possible realities that hit way too close to home。 "Termination Shock" could end up being prophetic。 This could very well be what our world looks like in 10-20 years。 As with any deep look at possible outcomes to global climate change， this one ends with no answers and no solutions。 Too many people caught in feedback loops， too many moving parts， and if the machine of humanity tries to change/stop too suddenly， we may be facing a whole different kind of termination shock。 The story is great of course， because Stephenson is a great writer。 He thankfully avoids moralizing， preaching， or heroifying。 He does make one rather nihilistic thought towards the end that sums up as: Climate change is not likely to kill off humanity。 Before that happens， the good side of humanity will find a solution to fix it， or the bad side of humanity will destroy us。 So。。。there's that。 。。。more
Kelsey Palmer
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