# Review of Termination Shock the Book Review Date: 2022-05-01 ## What is the thesis? >Termination Shock is a science fiction novel by American writer Neal Stephenson, published in 2021. The book is set in a near-future Earth where climate change has significantly altered human society, and follows the attempts of a solar geoengineering scheme. The novel focuses on the geopolitical and social consequences of the rogue fix for climate change, themes common in the growing climate fiction genre. > [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termination%20Shock%20(novel)) A [[termination shock]] is a scientific idea that when you stop doing the climate geo-engineering (as mentioned in this book) with Sulfer Dioxide in the atmosphere you will have a sudden reversal back to the previous state and that will have big repercussions that are un-predictable. It takes place in the _near future_, sometime like about 2033 or so. In this book, TJ a Texas billionaire starts shooting an enormous gun (of course) from his west Texas ranch that shoots S02 into the air to reflect sunlight and cool the earth. Of course, because [[you can't only do one thing]], this creates the possibility of famine in India. So, a geo-political, social media and physical battle starts taking place that puts different nations and regions (Naples & Punjab) against one another. The other main characters include Sastia, the Queen of the Netherlands and Rufus, a Comanche living in Texas. Also involved are Laks (Big Fish), a Punjabi living in Canada who becomes an international celebrity while fighting for the Line of Actual Control in the Himalayas. ## Am I convinced and why? This was a fun, on the edge of believable, and somewhat silly but still scientific in nature book that would make a nice thriller movie like the Martian. ## What else do I wonder about? This book does ask lots of really good questions about what humans will _actually_ do over the next several decades. ## Action I need to keep focus on being [[]] ## When do I want to stumble across this? #source/book📚/ingested #on/science #on/scifi #on/behavior ## Source: Stephenson, N. (2021). _Termination shock_ (First Edition). William Morrow.