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…
Synopsis
Showing that truth is stranger than fiction, Sylvain Neuvel weaves a scifi 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…
Review
A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Started out intriguing, but vague references became more than I could understand. I reread some passages, others skimmed over. I enjoyed mentions of specific events in history but it was too difficult for me to figure out context. Others who like contemplation of sorts may like it more than I did.
I read this one for The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book-of-the-Month Club.
The Story
I just didn’t feel like reading it. I couldn’t for the life of me figure what in the world was going on or what the story wanted to say, the point that it was making.
The Writing
Reads like a diary, this epistolary look through time’s past but with a much more open, modern viewpoint which was great for supporting the story, but I just couldn’t connect with it or relate to the counterpoints as I read on.
Kind of babble to me.
I liked the idea behind it, just wasn’t for me. Oh well, we’ll see what’s next.
View all my reviews
A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain NeuvelMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
Started out intriguing, but vague references became more than I could understand. I reread some passages, others skimmed over. I enjoyed mentions of specific events in history but it was too difficult for me to figure out context. Others who like contemplation of sorts may like it more than I did.
I read this one for The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book-of-the-Month Club.
The Story
I just didn’t feel like reading it. I couldn’t for the life of me figure what in the world was going on or what the story wanted to say, the point that it was making.
The Writing
Reads like a diary, this epistolary look through time’s past but with a much more open, modern viewpoint which was great for supporting the story, but I just couldn’t connect with it or relate to the counterpoints as I read on.
Kind of babble to me.
I liked the idea behind it, just wasn’t for me. Oh well, we’ll see what’s next.
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