Today’s authors’ pick has been chosen by Michael Pryor.

Seveneves, By Neal Stephenson

Of all the books I read in 2015, I only gave five stars to one: ‘Seveneves’ by Neal Stephenson. I am an unashamed Stephenson fan – he’s one of the few authors that I will buy their next book sight unseen. ‘Seveneves’ is hard SF and is a book of two parts. It begins with the end of the world and ramps up from there … The human race is reduced to seven women and after a substantial time gap the second half of the book explores how these seven women – aided by technology – have managed to resurrect and preserve the human race. Absolutely fascinating, full of the hugest ideas, the sort of book that goes where mainstream titles wouldn’t even think of. And at nearly a thousand pages, it’s a great read for the holidays!

Michael Pryor writes fantasy and science fiction, mostly for teenagers. He has published more than thirty novels and 50 something short stories. He is one of the co-publishers of Aurealis, Australia’s longest running Fantasy and SF magazine. He has been shortlisted for the Aurealis Award six times, and seven of his books have been CBCA Notable books. His website is www.michaelpryor.com.au.