<p><b>From the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Anatham</i>, <i>Reamde</i>, and <i>Cryptonomicon</i> comes an exciting and thought-provoking science fiction epic -- a grand story of annihilation and survival spanning five thousand years.</b></p><p></p><p><i>What would happen if the world were ending?</i></p><p></p><p>A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.</p><p></p><p>But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain. ... </p><p></p><p>Five thousand years later, their progeny -- seven distinct races now three billion strong -- embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown ... to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.</p><p></p><p>A writer of dazzling genius and imaginative vision, Neal Stephenson combines science, philosophy, technology, psychology, and literature in a magnificent work of speculative fiction that offers a portrait of a future that is both extraordinary and eerily recognizable. As he did in <i>Anathem</i>, <i>Cryptonomicon</i>, the Baroque Cycle, and <i>Reamde</i>, Stephenson explores some of our biggest ideas and perplexing challenges in a breathtaking saga that is daring, engrossing, and altogether brilliant.</p><p></p>
