REVIEW: STATION ELEVEN BY EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL

Published by Vintage, 2014. Paperback, 333 pgs

On the night of a production of King Lear, popular actor Arthur Leander unexpectedly falls dead. What follows is a swift flu pandemic that decimates earth's population in a matter of days. The reader follows a young girl Kristen Raymonde, who was present on stage and witnesses Leander's death, through her journey to adulthood with the Traveling Symphony- a collection of actors and musicians who put on plays in passing remaining cities and towns. The caravan they travel in bares the slogan "Survival is insufficient", from a Star Trek episode. The narrative is also told through other perspectives, both before and after the apocalypse...from the paramedic who tries to assist Arthur on stage, to Arthur's friend and confidant, to a librarian in a small town trying to archive events. We even hear from two of Arthur's ex-wives.

There is no shortage of post-apocalyptic fiction. While some are literary and diverse, most focus on why the apocalypse occurred, are often action/adventure based, and deal (appropriately) with finding food and basic survival. Mandel briefly addresses these necessities, but mainly highlights the need for humans to retain artistic expression in some way to make life worth living. The very title of the book relates to a comic book that forms meaningful connections throughout the novel. Humans need stimulation through cultural means of plays, music, books, art, poetry...anything that can connect us in the face of tragedies. It is a way of feeling less lonely, whether there are people around or not.

The most poignant moments in the story (for me) were the sections detailing with what people take for granted in today's day and age. Not only that, but what would we most miss? It forces you to take stock of your life- and evaluate the most important pieces that make up the whole. I appreciated the nuances of human existence, the connections Mandel made among the characters, and the notion that the important parts of life are made up of accrued small moments and coincidences, not big events.  Really pleased I got to this one...you should too! Mandel is a gifted writer and I'm glad her book has received acclaim. 

REVIEW: SEVENEVES BY NEAL STEPHENSON

Published by Morrow, 2015. Hardcover, 861 pgs

     What would you do if you knew the world was ending in two years? What preparations would be made to ensure a genetic legacy through the survival of a few? "Send the best and brightest to space" Stephenson says. This is the most visionary and epic book I've ever read. A mysterious "Agent" from space has broken the moon into fragments that are colliding with each other at an alarming rate. Scientists have studied these fragments from afar and agree that in a few years there will be a White Sky (cloudy debris whiteout), followed days later by Hard Rain...which will effectively be trillions of meteors striking the earth for centuries, decimating every living thing and turning the Earth into a molten wasteland.

    The book is divided into the before, the handling of the catastrophe (political and engineering wise), and a period 5000 years in the future where the seven space races are trying to rebuild planet Earth for habitation. This is an insanely oversimplified explanation, but the process of building structures for survival is one of the incredible parts of the reading experience- so I don't want to detract by sharing details of the journey.

     The majority of the book deals in heavy technical science. The attention to detail is fascinating, even though by the middle I was feeling a bit worn out with some info-dumps. There was a particular 10 page section that could have just said a thermal shield fell off and wasn't protecting some vital material on the spacecraft. Those instances were frustrating, and felt like a chance for Stephenson to show off what I'm sure was an incredible amount of research...but it still didn't detract from my overall enjoyment.

     Due to the apocalyptic nature of the book, the story focuses more on the "How" and "Why" than the "Who". These people need to solve the most serious problem imaginable.You will not find heavy character development, even though there are a few set characters we follow through 2/3 of the story. I think Stephenson is more than capable of developing wonderful characters, but for the purpose of this book it needed to take a backseat- with the human capital being discussed in terms of reproduction and genetic traits instead of extensive social backgrounds and relationship drama. I still thought there were nuanced characters, and even humor- but it certainly doesn't dominate the story line. These nerds in space have a job to do, and they are on a bit of a schedule. This is obviously a depressing time, and the characters have achieved victory if they've simply advanced the space station and surrounding arklets in some way (even when succumbing to radiation poisoning, equipment failure, or a million other accidents).

    I recommend to anyone who loves science, world-building, problem solving, and doesn't mind a long narrative where the character development is secondary to an epic main plot. I think Stephenson is fantastic. Seveneves was incredibly memorable and I can't wait to read more of his work.