Typing that comment made me do my semi-annual check for adaptations, and I just saw that announcement came out a couple of weeks ago. Hope it comes along better than the movie that got stuck in development hell.

You wouldn't even have to obsess over the history, alchemy, etc., just don't fuck it up. People get too wrapped around an axle thinking every single infodump has to be there. Stephenson's got issues (coughendingscough), but the stories are informed by the same research as the infodumps, and they'll hold up well.

Yeah, it certainly doesn't hold up as well as the "origin" story, but silly though it was I liked the last part of Seveneves. It could definitely work as an animation.

FALL could as well, or at least kind of a Tron-like thing.

Seveneves is functionally two separate books jammed together. I hope they do the serious TV show on just the first book.

First part as a movie, second part as a tabletop roleplaying setting