Termination Shock
by Neal Stephenson · first published 2021
30% recommend61% neutral10% critical
Why HN recommends it
Near-future climate thriller about stratospheric sulfur geoengineering, with a well-researched premise and a geopolitical look at who acts and who suffers. Rambling Stephenson fun for ideas-driven sci-fi readers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Visionary near- future techno thriller about climate change.
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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…like science fiction, there were a few books published this year worth picking up: - The Hail Mary Project by Andy Weir (of the Martian). Nice page turner and he's back to form with his third novel. - Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson. Enjoyable and fun; though arguably not his finest work. I might pick up his earlier work for re-reading over Christmas. Anathem probably, which I would recommend to anyone. - Leviathan…
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗> Alternately it is something a billionaire could afford, like a James Bond villain in reverse This is roughly the premise of Neal Stephenson's new book Termination Shock, if anyone's looking for a (IMO pretty fun) fictional exploration of the idea.
Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson covers this topic well via some insightful sci-fi story telling. I think his concept of a sulfur cannon(s) is more realistic and likely to be implemented in near future.
on “MIT researchers propose Brazil-sized fleet of “space bubbles” to cool the Earth” ↗Neal Stephenson's excellent (if a little over-long) book Termination Shock suggests another option for dealing with attacking drones. Not going to leave a spoiler here though.
on “Military drone swarms and how to combat them” ↗…effects of making such a drastic change to Earth's ecosystem. Life to the desert could lead to death to the rainforest... https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-satellite-reveals-... Neil Stephenson's Termination Shock is a great narrative about how any kind of active attempt to address climate change chaos could lead to near hopeless geopolitical complexities.
on “Greenland ice sheet climate disequilibrium and committed (274mm) sea-level rise” ↗…in Freedom by Matt Ridley * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie…
on “Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?” ↗Neal Stephenson's new novel Termination Shock addresses this. Without spoiling too much: Its characters view political obstacles to mitigating climate change as important as technological ones. They see the urgent need to act, and try to do so with…
on “Tech Won’t Save Us. Shrinking Consumption Will” ↗I recently finished Rosewater by Tade Thompson and am about 20% of the way through Neal Stephenson's latest, Termination Shock. I recommend both. They are super fun and irreverent but with character depth and interesting sci-fi / future elements.
on “Ask HN: What Books Do You Recommend Reading for 2022?” ↗I agree, I did not actually finish the book. The setup was interesting but it was all a bit too moralistic and righteous for my taste. Neal Stephenson's Termination Shock is much more fun in that respect. The terrorism aspect is interesting though. He's not the only one that is predicting conflict as a direct result of global warming. Mass population displacements due…
on “Nearly the hottest place on Earth, India swelters under intense heat wave” ↗Recommended reading: Neal Stephenson "Termination shock" and of course "Ministry for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson, which has already been mentioned.
on “Heatwave in India breaks records, still worsening” ↗Neil Stephenson explores this theme in Termination Shock [1], worth a read if you are curious about the subject. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termination_Shock_(novel)
on “A subpolar-focused stratospheric aerosol injection deployment scenario” ↗Check out Neal Stephenson's Termination Shock. In fiction you can consider things that are too taboo to discuss seriously.
on “Cooling the Earth with a sunshade near the inner Lagrange point (2006)” ↗Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino, a great companion to the movie and expands on characters in really unique ways that make me think about them. Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson, a near future book about climate change and trying to fix it with an interesting geopolitical look of China acting like the US. I also liked Ministry of the Future but it was less…
on “Ask HN: Best books read in 2022” ↗Fiction -------- Termination Shock - Neal Stephenson Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel Shards of Earth - Adrian Tchaikovsky Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir Gnomon - Nick Harkaway The Gone Away World - Nick Harkaway The Apollo…
on “Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2022?” ↗It reminded me of the body suits which people need in Termination Shock (2021)[0]. Written by Neal Stephenson, the same dude who wrote Snow Crash. Can recommend Termination Shock, very interesting, global story about climate change and the involved politics etc. These body…
on “Insulation: First the body, then the home (2011)” ↗