“Perihelion Summer” by Greg Egan

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Rating: 4/5 Stars

An interesting tale of immediate survival in the face of catastrophic climate change. Compared to his previous stories, there isn’t as much ‘hard science’ involved here, but surviving the changes would involve making tough decisions about how they can prepare and save themselves from the oncoming global crises.

The story starts with the discovery of a black hole that is passing through the solar system. Initially worried about the possibility of huge tides induced by the black hole, a group of people decide to ride it out in the ocean with their self-sustaining vessel. As the danger passes with little incident, the group realize that the orbital changes induced by the passing black hole would cause the global climate to become even more extreme.

The second part deals with the immediate aftermath. The summer temperature has shot up and the group, along with some refugees who have decided to join them, are making a desperate journey towards Antarctica. But as conditions worsen in the rest of the world, one member of the group decides to head back to try to persuade his family to join him on the desperate journey.

By the end of the story, the immediate crisis is over. But the journey in a new world with more extreme weather conditions is not over, and their survival still hangs in the balance.

Book read from 2019/04/28 to 2019/05/01