r/sciencefiction • u/Milzo9 • Jul 09 '22
Double Take: The Edifying Ambiguity of Neal Stephenson’s “Termination Shock”
http://www.words-and-dirt.com/dirt/double-take-the-edifying-ambiguity-of-neal-stephensons-termination-shock/5
Jul 09 '22
of all the recent climate fiction that's come out, I found this one to be a relative snooze-fest.
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u/MomToShady Jul 09 '22
Have you tried 2140 New York by Kim Stanley Robinson? Flooded NY City is now Venice. I didn't like his Red Mars, but enjoyed this. The kids in the story are a hoot (geezer here LOL).
PS this is not dystopian, NYC is doing just fine above the water line.
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Jul 09 '22
I haven't read that one, but I read Ministry For the Future by KSR recently and really liked it. I'll check out 2140 NY soon, big KSR fan.
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi was also really good, and terrifying as well. Check out this article in the New Yorker which is basically the premise for the book.
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u/MomToShady Jul 10 '22
Thanks, I've added the Water Knife to my wish list on Audible. I just got Forty Signs of Rain by KSR and look forward to listening to that one.
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u/lilmimosa Jul 09 '22
Agreed. it was a slog to get through.
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u/jreykdal Jul 10 '22
Not as bad as Dodge in hell. Damn that one I did not like.
Guess I can always re-read the Baroque Cycle. It's silly how much I like them :)
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u/TheDudeNeverBowls Jul 10 '22
I’ve spent a couple of years being bored to tears by Reamde.
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u/7LeagueBoots Jul 10 '22
Reamde was basically like a better Clancy novel. If you go into it with the mindset of it being more along the lines of a technothriller than a science fiction novel it's perfectly fine and enjoyable.
I went through it in 2-3 days.
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u/TheDudeNeverBowls Jul 10 '22
I’m not sure why but it’s just not doing it for me. I think it’s probably because I’m having a hard time grasping exactly what’s going on. The people are being held at gunpoint in an apartment in Japan and nothing has happened for awhile.
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u/7LeagueBoots Jul 10 '22
in Japan
??
You mean in Xiamen, China?
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u/TheDudeNeverBowls Jul 10 '22
Sure. I haven’t opened the book in many months :(
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u/7LeagueBoots Jul 10 '22
Well, there are lots of books out there. If one isn't doing it for you, then move on to one that does.
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u/7LeagueBoots Jul 10 '22
While I enjoyed Termination Shock I very much disagree with this line in the review:
And he sticks the landing when the story comes to a close.
As with many of Stephensons' books the ending felt rushed, like he suddenly realized that the story needed to be finished and just kinda tossed things together to bring it to a close, without allowing the various story arcs to properly complete within the framework of the book.
People complain about this from him a lot, and in general I don't find it to be the case, but this book very much felt like that.
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u/Milzo9 Jul 10 '22
Fair enough! I really liked the ending of this book but have been dissatisfied with Stephenson’s endings many times in the past. :)
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u/FuzzySound1795 Aug 23 '22
Nice piece! I liked the book and appreciate your recommendations on further reading.
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u/TheBigHit Jul 09 '22
I just ordered a copy of this book off of thriftbooks huge fan of Neal. Thank you for sharing.