A History of What Comes Next
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 First edition cover | |
| Author | Sylvain Neuvel |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Take Them to the Stars |
| Genre | |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
Publication date | February 2021 |
| Publication place | Canada |
| Media type | Hardback |
| Pages | 302 |
| ISBN | 978-1-250-26206-6 |
| Followed by | Until the Last of Me |
A History of What Comes Next is a 2021 science fiction alternate history novel by Canadian writer Sylvain Neuvel. It was first published in the United States in February 2021 by Tor Books, and in the United Kingdom in March 2021 by Michael Joseph. The book is the first of three books in Neuvel's Take Them to the Stars series, followed by Until the Last of Me (2022) and For the First Time, Again (2023).
A History of What Comes Next is set between 1945 and 1961 during World War II and the Cold War. It is about a group of women who manipulate history for their own ends. Some of the historical figures included in the book are German and Soviet rocket scientists Wernher von Braun and Sergei Korolev. Historical events covered include the United States' Operation Paperclip and the Soviet counterpart, Operation Osoaviakhim. The novel's chapter titles are titles of songs from the period in which the chapters take place.[1]
A History of What Comes Next is about the Kibsu, a mysterious society of powerful women who have been manipulating history for three thousand years to save humanity, and ultimately get them into space. The story begins in Germany in 1945, near the end of World War II. Sara and her nineteen-year-old daughter Mia are the 98th and 99th generation of the clan, and Mia is instructed by her mother to infiltrate Germany's rocket research facility at Peenemünde and persuade rocket scientist Wernher von Braun to surrender to the advancing Americans, rather than the Russians. Then, satisfied that von Braun is working for the Americans in their space program, Sara and Mia move to Moscow, where Mia coaxes Russian rocket scientist Sergei Korolev to recruit German specialists to jumpstart Russia's own missile and space program. The Kibsu's aim is to create a space race between the Americans and Soviets that will accelerate research and development on both sides. This results in the Soviet Union launching Sputnik 1 in October 1957, followed by Explorer 1 four months later by the United States.
