Terrestrial History opens on a scene that is simultaneously its most grounded and its most fantastical, of a woman wading through the water off the Scottish coast to meet a mysterious being that has effectively crash-landed in the sea, a being that eventually claims to be a human from the future. This is where the novel is at its best, as it lends a deeply human, realistic perspective to the utterly speculative. This scene is so tied to geography, to earthly atmosphere, to a modern mind (with that portion of the novel taking place in 2025), and there's something particularly arresting about it. I wanted to stay in that moment for 200 pages or so.

But there was much more to see from there: This demonstrated love of Earth, in all its simple beauty and complex workings, reverberates through the rest of the novel, which jumps between several different perspectives, telling a generational story of humanity escaping to Mars in the face of environmental disaster back home. If there's a flaw to this storytelling method, it's that each perspective ends up taking up, in sum across many interweaved chapters, about the space of a long short story or a short novella, and I'm left wanting more of some and less of others. What it all comes together into, though, is an engaging, affecting piece of science fiction that folds in on itself in ways that may not be groundbreaking or unexpected but are certainly emotionally satisfying, further demonstrating to me what I already know, that the emotional arc of a sci-fi story matters far more than anything happening around it.

A thought-provoking multigenerational sci-fi saga, Terrestrial History explores the intertwining of family dynamics and humanity's impact on Earth and beyond. With its unique perspective on climate change, technology, and a future beyond our planet, Reed's beautiful writing immerses you in both the sorrow and hope of an uncertain future, making this an engaging and contemplative read.

I love future history when it’s done well. Instead of info dumps and encyclopedic exposition, the future unfolds in the details shared via multiple points of view. Ken Macleod’s Fall Revolution books come to mind.

What doesn’t work well for me is when said future history unfolds as a multigenerational family saga. Granted this is an aesthetic bias; hence, utterly subjective. I just don’t find stories about families all that gripping. Except in this novel, I did. It takes artistry to make me invest in each member of a family. Usually, family sagas in speculative fiction come off as mom, dad, sis, or brother from some literary version of central casting. This is where Reed’s artistic virtues shines. He confirmed my suspicion that the best science fiction being written is from authors who usually pen literary fiction. With Reed, each family member is fully realized avoiding the sin of one-dimensionality that’s so common to science fiction. That alone kept me reading.

My general impression of the work had me thinking of the philosopher Martin Heidegger’s last interview. Speaking on the imminent dangers of technology Heidegger famously said, ‘only a god can save us now.’ In Terrestrial History a ‘savior’ does come and the impact of that coming make for one beautiful story.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a wonderful book. In a way, the futuristic narrative, plus skipping between different points in time, gave me vibes of Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. The character development was excellent - the characters are all SO different, and you could really feel that from their first-person perspectives. What I loved was the author's writing style. Really beautiful, haunting prose and metaphors. I'm a sucker for a book with language and this had it. I may buy this in print just to annotate some of my favorite parts.

I didn't love the resolution of one of the four character's stories, but that is just my preference for neat, tidy endings. Pay attention to the dates, or you may get confused! Overall a good book, and I would be interested to read more from this author!

I give this a 4/5.

I really wanted to love this but honestly found it a bit hard to get through—it may be I was just not in the right mood for it. Thank you NetGalley and WW Norton & Co for the advanced reader copy.

Super interesting read, plus i LOVE multigenerational stories. The author writing style keeps you engaged, especially for this storyline. As a climate scientist, I was particularly appreciative off all the creative turns taken. Great read!

In the same vein as titles such as How High We Go In the Dark and Sea of Tranquility, Terrestrial History tells multiple stories across the spans of generations with a central thread tying them together. In Reed's depiction of both our present and future, we follow a generational chain to witness not only the impact of their actions on the next, but a development of the world at large as it reacts to an increasingly hostile Earth at the hands of man.

Each voice is so distinct, Reed asking the questions such as "What impacts of technology have on society at large?" as well as "What would possibly shape future generations that would never know our home planet?" These are common concepts in sci-fi, but by no means is this book missing in the creativity and exploration of them in a possible branch of a future through the eyes of the author. Even as each new generation grew further away from Earth, ultimately the stories revolved around a love of it, a yearning for a home I currently know and yet still was filled with a pang of sadness as if it were immeasurably distant from me. We! love! future! yearning!

Thank youNetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was a really fantastic book. I tend to like books with multiple POVs whose characters intersect with each other, and this book has it. I really cool science fiction book that also is grounded in the reality of family and love. I really loved all of the characters, and felt moved by their stories and growth. Loved this book!

This was a really fascinating read, and the author, undeniably has talent. Very interesting story. Keen to read more from this author.

great writing and great style of this tale about a scottish family in space on a different planet. 5 stars, tysm for the arc

I really enjoyed this book! I'm a sucker for multi-generational stories, so it was right up my alley. I think that this style of storytelling worked well for this topic. Watching climate change rapidly alter the lives of a family over the course of a few generations helps emphasize the severity of the problem and the rate at which it can change life as we know it. I liked seeing the ways that one character's decisions impacted their children and grandchildren, as well as how interconnected everything was.

I found the characters compelling, especially Roban. I loved his first chapter and the exploration of definitions/the evolution of language. It was a fresh way of considering ways in which living on Mars would impact specific aspects of society that are not commonly mentioned (in this case: language).

In terms of bigger themes, Terrestrial History delved into a lot of pressing questions regarding climate change. For example: how should we leverage technology in the face of this crisis? How do we adapt (or do we take another path altogether?). How do politics and climate change intersect? How do we go on living in the face of an issue like this? What makes a life well-lived; what makes a decision a good one? I appreciate how this book prompted me to consider these questions, while also immersing me in an engaging narrative.

While there is a lot of sorrow in this story, I finished the book feeling hopeful and grateful. In many ways, I found Terrestrial History to be a love letter to Earth. It made me want to lay in the grass with my eyes closed and soak up every moment I have on this planet.`

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Slow and quirky. Interesting time jumps and technology/visions of future societies. Would recommend to sci-fi fans!