A History of What Comes Next
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- Create Date：2021-04-08 13:52:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Sylvain Neuvel
- ISBN：0241445132
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Summary
Showing that truth is stranger than fiction， Sylvain Neuvel weaves a scfi thriller reminiscent of Blake Crouch and Andy Weir， blending a fast moving， darkly satirical look at 1940s rocketry with an exploration of the amorality of progress and the nature of violence in A History of What Comes Next。
Always run， never fight。
Preserve the knowledge。
Survive at all costs。
Take them to the stars。
Over 99 identical generations， Mia’s family has shaped human history to push them to the stars， making brutal， wrenching choices and sacrificing countless lives。 Her turn comes at the dawn of the age of rocketry。 Her mission: to lure Wernher Von Braun away from the Nazi party and into the American rocket program， and secure the future of the space race。
But Mia’s family is not the only group pushing the levers of history: an even more ruthless enemy lurks behind the scenes。
A darkly satirical first contact thriller， as seen through the eyes of the women who make progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them。。。
Always run， never fight。
Preserve the knowledge。
Survive at all costs。
Take them to the stars。
Over 99 identical generations， Mia’s family has shaped human history to push them to the stars， making brutal， wrenching choices and sacrificing countless lives。 Her turn comes at the dawn of the age of rocketry。 Her mission: to lure Wernher Von Braun away from the Nazi party and into the American rocket program， and secure the future of the space race。
But Mia’s family is not the only group pushing the levers of history: an even more ruthless enemy lurks behind the scenes。
A darkly satirical first contact thriller， as seen through the eyes of the women who make progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them。。。
Reviews
Karen Mace
，
This was an exciting and imaginative piece of speculative fiction， that features some really strong female characters， who are front and centre of the plot to try and save the world - despite the humans doing their best to destroy it all with the advancement of rocket technology。 The women， mothers and daughters， are seen at various times throughout history， but the main characters， Mia and her mother Sara， are based around Germany in 1945 as the world is busy destroying itself with another war， This was an exciting and imaginative piece of speculative fiction， that features some really strong female characters， who are front and centre of the plot to try and save the world - despite the humans doing their best to destroy it all with the advancement of rocket technology。 The women， mothers and daughters， are seen at various times throughout history， but the main characters， Mia and her mother Sara， are based around Germany in 1945 as the world is busy destroying itself with another war， and the race is on to expand the rocket technology to cause even more destruction。 The women work on the premise 'Take Them to the Stars'， and you watch as they try and engineer their way into a male dominated world to try and steer humans to a different path。 Added to the mix is 'The Tracker' whose task over the years is to stop these women， by any means necessary， and it really is often a race against time to save themselves or those around them when the tracker closes in on their new location。What I loved about this book is the pure strength of the characters - with history repeating itself over and over - we see these women faced with constant hurdles， and their own emotions of anger at the world they witness。 We get to see the impact of wars on the countries after the events， how it affected the population and how the bond between mother and daughter never waivers。 There's more show of humanity in their behaviour than amongst the humans they encounter at times！This was a book with a great mix of sci-fi and history， and I found it to be really compelling and had a great 'spark' about it。 There's also some fascinating author notes at the end， along with a playlist that really added something extra to the whole reading experience。 。。。more
Jenny Cooper
，
The Space Race between two of the world’s superpowers （the US and the USSR） was a competition to achieve advanced spaceflight technology。 It had its origins in WW2 ballistic missile development and this is where the novel begins。 Although the book follows accurate historical fact， things are not quite what they seem as Historical fiction meets Science fiction。 Enter the Kibsu， an alien race with superior powers who have come to earth to oversee the development of the space flight technology。 The The Space Race between two of the world’s superpowers （the US and the USSR） was a competition to achieve advanced spaceflight technology。 It had its origins in WW2 ballistic missile development and this is where the novel begins。 Although the book follows accurate historical fact， things are not quite what they seem as Historical fiction meets Science fiction。 Enter the Kibsu， an alien race with superior powers who have come to earth to oversee the development of the space flight technology。 The Kibsu operate in mother/daughter pairs。 Mia is the main protagonist， responsible for orchestrating the efficient development of space flight on earth and she and her mother are the 99th pairing。 The book follows the fortunes of the Space Race up until 1961， mixing hard fact with creative fiction。This is a very cleverly constructed novel and quite a complex one。 An enormous amount of historical fact has been introduced， but the interpretation of these facts has been creatively and subtly altered。 It’s a rewriting of the history books， looking at events from a slightly different perspective without interfering too much with the basic facts。 It is innovative， creative and very well researched。 Before reading it my expectations were low as I am not a great lover of either Sci-fi or historical fiction， but this book not only exceeded my expectations， it surprised me by being a gripping and exciting novel。 Reviewers who have read previous books by this author do not necessarily think that this one compares favourably but this was my first book by Sylvain Neuvel and I really enjoyed it， albeit with a few hiccoughs along the way。My problem with the book stems almost entirely with the writing style， which is somewhat haphazard and chaotic。 This makes it quite difficult to follow at times。 There are jumps between timeframes as well as constantly switching Points of View as different characters take over the storytelling in alternating chapters。 The book tries to mirror the narrators’ thought processes which， by their very nature are often random – this results in a “stream of consciousness” style of writing in places （although thankfully with short sentences！）。 Another issue was that I didn’t understand the motivation of the Kibsu – why were they so desperate to save us from ourselves and find a way for us to leave the planet before we destroy it？ I felt that the book generally left more questions asked than answered， presumably to make way for a second book。 I had never come across this author before but would certainly read more of his work。 It is an absorbing novel that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys an interesting read。 。。。more
Kerine Wint
，
The audiobook is a must though I don't really know who to suggest this book to （maybe Doctor Who 🤔）。 Either way， I didn't expect to listen to this in one sitting but I needed this！ The audiobook is a must though I don't really know who to suggest this book to （maybe Doctor Who 🤔）。 Either way， I didn't expect to listen to this in one sitting but I needed this！ 。。。more
Michael Rhoda
，
I really enjoy Sylvain Neuvel's books。 This one's about a long line of women who together manipulate events in history with the ultimate goal of sending humanity into space， and an equally long line of men who try to stop them。 Most of the story takes place during the end of WW2 and the beginning of the space race， with a lot of real life events and people blended into the fictional story。 There is an addendum at the end of the book that helpfully describes all of the real life aspects of the bo I really enjoy Sylvain Neuvel's books。 This one's about a long line of women who together manipulate events in history with the ultimate goal of sending humanity into space， and an equally long line of men who try to stop them。 Most of the story takes place during the end of WW2 and the beginning of the space race， with a lot of real life events and people blended into the fictional story。 There is an addendum at the end of the book that helpfully describes all of the real life aspects of the book， but I was busy googling the things I didn't know about while reading， out of curiosity。 Also， each chapter is the name of a song from the era that part of the book took place in， and the author compiled a playlist online as an added bonus。 4。5 stars， and can't wait for the rest of the series！ 。。。more
Bethany
，
This was an interesting concept but the writing was dry and it just fell flat。 There’s some good writing in the flashbacks but you have to wade through a LOT to get to it。 I also really disliked the style of how the dialogue was written。 Interesting ideas， not a good book。
Bob Box
，
This one took me by surprise because it started out as a World War Two thriller about some women helping Wernher Von Braun escape from Germany but it turned into a fascinating science fiction adventure of good versus evil。 It looks at the development of the American and Russian space programs but with a clever twist。 Can't wait to read the next chapter。 This one took me by surprise because it started out as a World War Two thriller about some women helping Wernher Von Braun escape from Germany but it turned into a fascinating science fiction adventure of good versus evil。 It looks at the development of the American and Russian space programs but with a clever twist。 Can't wait to read the next chapter。 。。。more
Jeff
，
I couldn’t put this down。 Sylvain Neuvel knows how to write a damn book！I feel like that girl in Mean Girls who said， “Regina George punched me in the face once。 It was awesome！” Sylvain punched me in feel goods with awesome fiction。Bring it Sylvain。 I’m ready。
Nate
，
Major letdown。
Nancy Shaffer
，
A promising start。
Heather
，
Do you enjoy enjoy generational thrillers？ Creative histories like Doctor Who？ Rocket science？ Then this is the book for you！ The book revolves around a mother-daughter pair， the 99th of their line。 Always two: flashbacks reveal the hard lessons learned from generations of living the way they do。 Their goal: get mankind to the stars。 Why？ They've lost that knowledge， but we see hints and pieces as the story goes along。It's an intriguing book told from a distant yet close perspective。 Sometimes t Do you enjoy enjoy generational thrillers？ Creative histories like Doctor Who？ Rocket science？ Then this is the book for you！ The book revolves around a mother-daughter pair， the 99th of their line。 Always two: flashbacks reveal the hard lessons learned from generations of living the way they do。 Their goal: get mankind to the stars。 Why？ They've lost that knowledge， but we see hints and pieces as the story goes along。It's an intriguing book told from a distant yet close perspective。 Sometimes the lack of true connection pulls you away from the story; sometimes it makes it right。 But it's a neat ride and I can't wait for the sequel。 。。。more
Sean Smart
，
Started really well and a great idea but just seemed to peter out
Tara （Spinatale Reviews）
，
It took me four tries and a couple of months to finally get through A History of What Comes Next。 At times， I only persevered because I wanted to like this book so much。 But ultimately， this one was just wasn’t for me。 It’s obvious that Sylvain Neuvel has done a massive amount of research for this book and it was definitely interesting to read at times。 However， it makes this book read more like a history text sandwiched between some science fiction aspects。 I found it hard to get caught up in t It took me four tries and a couple of months to finally get through A History of What Comes Next。 At times， I only persevered because I wanted to like this book so much。 But ultimately， this one was just wasn’t for me。 It’s obvious that Sylvain Neuvel has done a massive amount of research for this book and it was definitely interesting to read at times。 However， it makes this book read more like a history text sandwiched between some science fiction aspects。 I found it hard to get caught up in the story， although that was likely exacerbated by how slowly the plot moved overall。 It also felt as if Neuvel focused so much on including the historical aspects of this novel that the science fiction aspects， namely details surrounding the Kibsu and the Hunters， were somewhat left by the wayside for the majority of the book。 Unfortunately， those aspects were why I had originally picked up this book so having almost everything about them be shrouded in mystery didn’t exactly work for me。 I also found it difficult to connect with the main characters， particularly Mia。 This novel exists on such a cerebral level that I never really felt like I understand who the characters were。 Which made it difficult to care about them。 This was really a surprise because Neuvel had done such a great job of creating vibrant characters in The Themis Files。 Without a strong emotional core to balance out the excess of historical and scientific details， the plot ended up dragging quite a bit。 Overall， this one wasn’t for me。 But， I do think that there are some readers out there who will really enjoy this one。 If historical fiction with a side of science fiction sounds good， it’s worth checking this one out。 *Disclaimer: I received an advance digital copy of this book for free from the publisher。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 。。。more
Tim Hicks
，
Worthwhile， maybe memorable， but I won't call it good。 If I hadn't already known quite a bit of the history of rockets and space flight， this book would be excellent for that alone。 It's an interesting idea: what if our journey to the stars has needed and had outside help？ But after 300 pages I don't know who/what the helpers are， how they got here， why they are humanlike， why they are helping， or why half of them are trying to stop the other half。 And why have they split male-female？ And I wond Worthwhile， maybe memorable， but I won't call it good。 If I hadn't already known quite a bit of the history of rockets and space flight， this book would be excellent for that alone。 It's an interesting idea: what if our journey to the stars has needed and had outside help？ But after 300 pages I don't know who/what the helpers are， how they got here， why they are humanlike， why they are helping， or why half of them are trying to stop the other half。 And why have they split male-female？ And I wonder how Neuvel decided that these helpers （and by extension their opponents） would be JUST like us only capable of superhuman physical feats。 We have straight-up reporting of scientists， and suddenly we have Marvel Comics / graphic novel gore violence。 And there's a lot of it。Mia's a whiner， and gets a lot of page time。 Her social ineptness is OK， but we spend too much time on it。 It's hard to like her - but why do we have to？ Maybe it works better this way。 What saves this book for me is nearer the end， where we are shown that some of the super-characters all along have been asking the classic question， "are we the baddies？" 。。。more
Angela Schoemehl
，
I thought it was terribly boring。
Noah King
，
Coincidentally， this is the SECOND alternate history of 1950s rocket scientists I've read in the last year。 And as much as I love Robert J。 Sawyer。。。 Sylvain Neuvel just swept the category！What I liked so much about this story， was how the fictional main characters affected， influenced， and manipulated the real life scientists of the time into a Space Race， in order to serve their own purposes。 And even though their reasons， the author sprinkles enough clues throughout to keep it interesting。I a Coincidentally， this is the SECOND alternate history of 1950s rocket scientists I've read in the last year。 And as much as I love Robert J。 Sawyer。。。 Sylvain Neuvel just swept the category！What I liked so much about this story， was how the fictional main characters affected， influenced， and manipulated the real life scientists of the time into a Space Race， in order to serve their own purposes。 And even though their reasons， the author sprinkles enough clues throughout to keep it interesting。I absolutely loved it。 The protagonists are the 100th mother/daughter pair of a matriarchal line that goes back 3，000 years。 And in all of that time， they've had one goal。。。。 you can guess at what it is from the name of this series "Take Them to the Stars"。 The current generation finds themselves in 1940's Germany， pulling strings from the sidelines as Germany tries to perfect the V2 rocket。 And then， there's the mysterious Tracker。。。 who seems to have been just a few steps behind our heroes for the entire 3，000 years。 Highly recommended， and can't wait for the next book in the series。 。。。more
Marlene
，
Originally published at Reading RealityWhen I picked this up I was kind of expecting something like the Lady Astronaut series， an alternate history where women， in spite of the odds and the decks that are stacked against them， manage to participate more fully and much earlier in humankind’s race to get off this planet and into the stars。 Maybe crossed with any of several books I’ve read that cover the post-WW2 frenetic scientist-nabbing of Operation Paperclip， books like Miss Graham’s Cold War C Originally published at Reading RealityWhen I picked this up I was kind of expecting something like the Lady Astronaut series， an alternate history where women， in spite of the odds and the decks that are stacked against them， manage to participate more fully and much earlier in humankind’s race to get off this planet and into the stars。 Maybe crossed with any of several books I’ve read that cover the post-WW2 frenetic scientist-nabbing of Operation Paperclip， books like Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook and Moonglow， along with plenty of others。The story I got wasn’t quite the one I expected。 For one thing， the Lady Astronaut series is alternate history， but the story in A History of What Comes Next is really a secret history。 It’s not that the world is different， it’s that the world is pretty much the same but there are things happening behind the scenes and under the surface that were brought about by secret groups with hidden motives that， sometimes intentionally and sometimes accidentally， have created the world we know。The world of the Kibsu and the Rādi Kibsu， the secret groups operating behind the scenes， are a bit like the Templars and the Assassins in the Assassin’s Creed videogame series， two groups trying to manipulate history to further their own ends， which are never half so benign as either group pretends they are – something that is also true in the games。This story of hidden and secret operations is， at this juncture in its history， crossed with Operation Paperclip， the Space Race BEFORE the Space Race， as Sarah and Mia， the 99th cell of the Kibsu， do their best to further both the US and the Soviet immediate post-WW2 operation to “rescue” and “rehabilitate” as many Nazi rocket scientists as they can manage to get across one border or the other。Both sides want to build better rockets， in order to have more opportunities to drop bombs on each other from great distances。 The Kibsu， hiding in the shadows helping both sides， believe that those rockets are the key to manned space flight， and therefore to the eventual success of their millennia long mission to get humankind to the stars。In their two-steps-forward-one-step-back progress in that mission， the Kibsu are opposed by their opposite number， the Rādi Kibsu。 The ones who track them back and forth across the globe and eliminate them whenever they can。 The Rādi Kibsu’s mission is to retrieve a machine that they believe the Kibsu are hiding from them。 A machine that will help them fulfill their mission to return to the stars。But these two sides， these two families， have been crossing the globe and killing each other – along with a whole lot of collateral damage inflicted on both sides – for a mission that neither completely understands。Even though they both think they’re working for the “Greater Good” – for all of the worst definitions of that terrible phrase。Escape Rating B: This is not a quick read。 I mean that not in the sense that the book is terribly long – because it’s not – but rather that the story starts out slowly and moves forward in fits and starts。 Also the way that the story moves forward almost necessitates those fits， as there are three perspectives or three types of narration， depending on how one interprets such things。The real action parts of the story are from Mia’s first-person perspective。 As the story begins， Mia is a child， with all of a child’s selfishness and self-absorption。 And she doesn’t really grow out of that perspective until the very end when she’s forced to take the parental role。Then there are not one but two types of interstices。 In between Mia actually doing what her mother believes is necessary， there are sections of the story that consist of conversations between Mia and her mother Sarah。 Conversations where the two women often talk past one another because of conflicts both internal and external。And there are sections， Entr’actes as the book labels them， written in the third-person omniscient as the reader gets glimpses of the Kibsu through history – often through real history that’s attributed to them in the story。 Real history that feels meticulously researched and functions a bit like “Easter eggs” for history nerds。The three perspectives don’t quite gel – or alternatively they are gelid to the point of stickiness。 Your mileage will probably vary。 I loved the history bits， but not everyone does or will。In the end， the book that I was most reminded of was This is How You Lose the Time War。 A story that also left me a bit conflicted in the same way that this one does。The reason that’s the part this is sticking has to do with the revelations about the origins and role of the Rādi Kibsu。 We begin the story kind of on the side of the Kibsu。 They seem to be working for the betterment of humanity even if their methods of doing so are very messy and have an extremely high body count。 They don’t want to kill people， but sometimes， at least from their perspective， it just has to be done。Their goal is a lofty one， to get humanity off this ball of rock and into the stars before we’re wiped out。 They are scientists and they’re following the science as best they can。But， but， but， the rules they follow are rigid， the price they personally pay is high and they are always on the run from the Rādi Kibsu， the men they call the Trackers。Because that’s a part of it too。 The Kibsu are always women， and each daughter appears to be a clone of her mother。 The Rādi Kibsu are always men， and each generation appears to be the clone of the one before it。 That the Rādi Kibsu have become entirely too fond of violence for its own sake helps to make them less than sympathetic， not just to the Kibsu， but to the reader as well。As it turns out， they each have a mission。 Actually， they each have a part of a mission that has been garbled and degraded over the centuries。 A mission that they were supposed to fulfill together。Each of them thinks that the other is evil。 And they are continuing their race， against time and each other， in the hopes that one side or the other can make it stop。 But they can’t。 Or won’t。It’s the eternal nature of their race， that they each hold pieces of the puzzle but can’t put them together， that they each think their side is righteous and the way that they are both working towards an ultimately nebulous goal that made the whole thing echo This is How You Lose the Time War。Because the race between the Kibsu and the Rādi Kibsu is definitely how they are BOTH losing the damn time war。 Over and over and over again。 And quite possibly the war to take humanity to the stars along with it。 。。。more
Kate
，
An unusual and intriguing exploration of the origins of space travel， removing it from human hands and placing it within the plan of an ancient line of female beings who have influenced life since the beginning。 Woe betide anyone who should discover their true identity。 Much of the story is set in the 1940s but there are flashbacks into history。 While I enjoyed the concept， I did find this a difficult story to warm to， not least because this is just the beginning。 I listened to the audiobook， wh An unusual and intriguing exploration of the origins of space travel， removing it from human hands and placing it within the plan of an ancient line of female beings who have influenced life since the beginning。 Woe betide anyone who should discover their true identity。 Much of the story is set in the 1940s but there are flashbacks into history。 While I enjoyed the concept， I did find this a difficult story to warm to， not least because this is just the beginning。 I listened to the audiobook， which is narrated by a range of actors。 I think I found this a better way of 'reading' this tale。 2。5 stars rounded up。 Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights。 。。。more
Leanne
，
Very cool alternate history story about the end of WWII and the space race， centred on a mother and daughter who influence humanity's progress。 I loved the relationships and all the wonderfully nerdy bits of space history。 I listened to this as an audiobook and the performances were incredible。 Very cool alternate history story about the end of WWII and the space race， centred on a mother and daughter who influence humanity's progress。 I loved the relationships and all the wonderfully nerdy bits of space history。 I listened to this as an audiobook and the performances were incredible。 。。。more
Sharon
，
Not my favorite from Neuvel。 Heavy on research， light on characters and plot。 The story progresses through the Soviet side of the space race but remains opaque as to the mission or reason to be following the Kibsu。 Peppered with real events and people， this was surprisingly dry。 I'll probably pick up the next anyway， just to see where it's all going。 Not my favorite from Neuvel。 Heavy on research， light on characters and plot。 The story progresses through the Soviet side of the space race but remains opaque as to the mission or reason to be following the Kibsu。 Peppered with real events and people， this was surprisingly dry。 I'll probably pick up the next anyway， just to see where it's all going。 。。。more
Chiara
，
You can find this and other reviews on my blog :）The third scifi book in a row？ I hear you ask。 Well， yes， but I have to say the three of them felt so different that I didn't even realise they were all scifi novels until I started writing the reviews （which has taken me way more than it should have。 Ooops）。But let's talk about the story。 Sarah and her daughter Mia are the ninety-nine， and at the beginning of the novel they are fleeing nazi occupied Germany and going to America。 If that number co You can find this and other reviews on my blog :）The third scifi book in a row？ I hear you ask。 Well， yes， but I have to say the three of them felt so different that I didn't even realise they were all scifi novels until I started writing the reviews （which has taken me way more than it should have。 Ooops）。But let's talk about the story。 Sarah and her daughter Mia are the ninety-nine， and at the beginning of the novel they are fleeing nazi occupied Germany and going to America。 If that number confuses you as much as it confused me when I first read it， welcome to the club。 I will explain。They are the ninety-ninth generation of the Kibsu， which are some kind of alien species sent to Earth to help the human race reach the stars and （I guess） leave the planet before it's too late。 As told in one of the protagonist's own words: Take them to the stars， before Evil comes and kills them all。At least that's what they think they are doing; they have lost the ancient knowledge of the first generations， and only fragments of what their mission is has survived the ages。Enter the Tracker， an almost mythological figure who has been chasing the Kibsu since the dawn of the world with the only aim of hindering their mission and possibly kill them。 It's been many generation since they have met them for the last time， but the fear of this hunter still guides the movement of Sarah and her daughter; every time something happens close to where they live， they pack up their belongings and begin a new life in a different country， while at the same time still pursuing their primary mission: to help the humans along in their scientific and technological progress， until they are able to leave the planet。After a short intro， the story begins with Mia， one of the protagonists， travelling to Nazi Germany in order to save a handful of scientists whose loss might mean a huge set back in scientific progress， particularly in regards to missiles。 We then keep following Mia and her mother Sarah while they live in Russia for a few years after the fall of Hitler， and then again when they move back to America， all the while working together with scientists and engineers to push the two powers in a race to reach space and fulfil their mission。The premise is so interesting， I'm mad that this book fell flat for me。The Kibsu as a concept are fascinating; a hundred generation of what are basically exact copies of the same individual， all bent on "saving the humans" from some unknown Evil， while being chased by the Tracker。 They have a small set of rules they follow as if they were set in stone because they have kept them alive this long; and the best parts of the novel are actually the flashbacks in which we can see how some of these rules came to be。If the book had consisted only of those snippets of past Kibsu， I would have enjoyed it much more。One of the reasons why this book didn't click for me is probably the historical period in which it is set; I can get aboard with stories set anytime up to the beginning of the 1900s， but everything that comes after does not hold any appeal for me。 I also could not connect to the characters for the life of me， and I just did not like Mia in general。 Sorry。I found her to be annoying most of the time， rash the rest。 Didn't care about her love story either。 She redeemed herself at the end， but by then it was a bit too late for me to change my general impression。 Hopefully the next instalment in the series will do her justice。I liked Sarah a bit more， and the chapters we got from the point of view of the Tracker added a little bit of mystery that intrigued me and helped me to get to the end of the story。 Apparently they know more about the Kibsu than the Kibsu themselves！I think the writing style was the biggest culprit in this case。 Most of the book is written in interview-like snippets， with mostly dialogues and little to no description。 From time to time we get a chapter from Mia that sounds more like a stream of consciousness， or a journal entry from Sarah's perspective， but I always felt like I was kept at a distance from the characters， and the action scenes were often confused due to a lack of details。 I understand it was a choice of the author， and it did flow well， but at the same time it was a bit confusing and I found myself spacing out from time to time - and then having to go back and reread because I wasn't paying attention。I understand now why there was so much controversy about this book。 I think I sit somewhere in the middle; I did like the general story （and especially the flashbacks）， but I felt disconnected from the characters and all that was happening。I will read the sequel eventually， if only to find out what the Tracker knows。 。。。more
Dustin
，
it's interesting。 very well written， but that's something Neuvel is known for。 So i'm looking forward to the future of this series。 it's interesting。 very well written， but that's something Neuvel is known for。 So i'm looking forward to the future of this series。 。。。more
Jade
，
It is mere coincidence that I have been reading about the space race before picking up A History of What Comes Next。 Never would I have imagined how retelling the story with a little historical revisionism could possibly work。 In this familiar chapter of our world， the story introduces a new hidden figure - a woman in her quest to take Man to the stars。 It is a long mission as she inherits the work of her mother and generations before them。 Through 99 iterations of her kind， she appears alongsid It is mere coincidence that I have been reading about the space race before picking up A History of What Comes Next。 Never would I have imagined how retelling the story with a little historical revisionism could possibly work。 In this familiar chapter of our world， the story introduces a new hidden figure - a woman in her quest to take Man to the stars。 It is a long mission as she inherits the work of her mother and generations before them。 Through 99 iterations of her kind， she appears alongside real world historical figures from decade to decade and quietly changes our future。 It is easy to forget just how much of reality the story is based on amid the thrills。 The extra chapter at the end emphasises on the facts - the incredible feats of the forgotten， the horrors committed by the ones who got away， and even the very grounded prejudice faced by minorities。 It reminds us that history is sometimes stranger than fiction。 Credit however goes beyond that。 This gripping narrative comes together not just due to the fascinating nature of the real events， but in how Sylvain Neuvel had so cleverly woven in his sci-fi concept to present， once again， an extraordinarily original narrative。 。。。more
Jessica
，
TW: murder， suicide， death of a parent， death of a child， torture， rape （probably more）This was an interesting take of mixing the actual events of the space race with a sci-fi aspect where a mother-daughter team work to move along history as teams have for thousands of years。The writing is great here and Neuvel really put a lot of work into it。 However， it reads pretty dry and I find it lacking a bit of humanity。 I also would have loved more background on how the mission to take them to the star TW: murder， suicide， death of a parent， death of a child， torture， rape （probably more）This was an interesting take of mixing the actual events of the space race with a sci-fi aspect where a mother-daughter team work to move along history as teams have for thousands of years。The writing is great here and Neuvel really put a lot of work into it。 However， it reads pretty dry and I find it lacking a bit of humanity。 I also would have loved more background on how the mission to take them to the stars initially started。 。。。more
Nick Bonnet
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I was excited to read this book as it has been recommended on a few contemporary sci-fi lists。 However， I have to say that I dislike the book from start to finish。 The narration was juvenile。 The character development and descriptions of the setting were lazy。 The plot was cliche and predictable。 Even the "twists" were eye-roll worthy。 Probably would recommend to a freshman in high school。 Wouldn't recommend to anyone wanting a thought-provoking read。 I was excited to read this book as it has been recommended on a few contemporary sci-fi lists。 However， I have to say that I dislike the book from start to finish。 The narration was juvenile。 The character development and descriptions of the setting were lazy。 The plot was cliche and predictable。 Even the "twists" were eye-roll worthy。 Probably would recommend to a freshman in high school。 Wouldn't recommend to anyone wanting a thought-provoking read。 。。。more
Jennifer Moore
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It was good， heavy on the science， but not overwhelmingly so。 The kibsu is odd and intriguing and the Trackers for that matter。 And I felt like I learned something about rockets and the space race in the process。
Rachel
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This is such a well researched historical fiction and it's also so thrilling！！！ I think the writing style sometimes feels a little awkward because the characters almost seem to be journaling to the reader during fight scenes， but that aside， this book reminds me why I love Sylvain Neuvel's work。 It expands my thinking and has me so excited to simply exist。 Really excited to see what comes next！ This is such a well researched historical fiction and it's also so thrilling！！！ I think the writing style sometimes feels a little awkward because the characters almost seem to be journaling to the reader during fight scenes， but that aside， this book reminds me why I love Sylvain Neuvel's work。 It expands my thinking and has me so excited to simply exist。 Really excited to see what comes next！ 。。。more
Essjaykay
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An enjoyable alternative history with a undercurrent of ancient stranded aliens。 It also showed how our history and tradition develop from unexpected actions。
Marina Dranitsaris
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I wanted to like this book but it was difficult。 I like the author and his previous works， but I am not sure about this one
Linda
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It was ok， but a long journey to get from here to there。 Didn't hold my interest。 It was ok， but a long journey to get from here to there。 Didn't hold my interest。 。。。more
Thomas
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