[Shinrei]

I just went down the list of Authors in this Forum and didn't see his name. If you haven't read Snow Crash by NS, I would highly recommend it. My personal favorite of his was The Diamond Age but Snow Crash is an easier introduction to his writing style. Cryptonomicon was a beast but I enjoyed that as well. Any other fans of his on the forum?

By the way, he's not fantasy, but a distinct flavor of Sci Fi.

[Devore]

@Shinrei: Oops, I see your point. That came out in a bad way. It was a "Lazy Man Review" in response to Pale's question of it being in the same line as Cryptonomicon (and I now see that you had already explained what it was about which make my post even more stupid ) So, the book is great and it(the greatness) has nothing to do with the future of the US. Sorry if I offended any one.

You are right about his vision of America not being difficult to imagine. Especially his ideas on gated communities I find interesting.

---
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former"

[stone monkey]

Big Neal Stephenson fan here!

Snow Crash - Loved it calling your hero/protagonist Hiro Protagonist, how wonderfully post-modern! It's a proper SF novel too, there are ideas init.

The Diamond Age - I didn't think the ending was a letdown, it's what the Primer was supposed to produce. I loved the disparities of writing style all set within the same world. I thought the ending became obvious as soon as the limited copies of the Primer were made and the other two owners of the original fell by the wayside. And also if you look carefully you can spot YT from Snow Crash.

Cryptonomicon is a work of genius. A little hard to get into at first but the confident, colloquial voice that sounds like a raconteur telling their friends a story in the pub, but is actually explaining a fairly complex plot, hooks the reader and draws them in. The payoff is a little underwhelming but promises much for the other books in the series.


Haven't read The Big U or Zodiac, they're early works.
He has a new book due soonish called Quicksilver which he says he wrote with a quill, just so he could get in character (it's an historical novel I believe)

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Having fun at the expense of everyone...

[Shinrei]

Devore: "let's say that Stephenson does not invision a bright future for the US. Great book. Read it."

First of all, I'd like to say that in a way, NS's vision of a future America isn't that difficult to imagine. He's put a lot of real life concerns and issues into the light as being a potential future.

My other comment is; did the flow of that quoted sentence DeVore mean to imply that its a great book because the US doesn't have a bright future?

[Shinrei]

This is how I would break it down.
- Snow Crash is eye candy. Cryptonomicon was a mass undertaking, and definately requires more of the reader and comes at a more intelligent spin. Of course, I DID find the theories on the origins of languages interesting in Snow Crash, which I felt showed a brilliance and show early in NS`s interest for research to be used in a fiction novel.

Basically I like the fact that his stories aren`t pulled out of nowhere and that he actually puts in the effort to make his stories realistically fit our world. Diamond Age was definately the craziest of the books, which makes it my favorite. It makes plenty of references to Far Eastern culture which of course I love, plus, I once dated a girl named Nell, so that made it easier to cheer on the heroin.

Oh, and Ur-Lord: Yeah, I don`t know why Crypto would be put in Sci-Fi. It`s not. Just a way to organize authors I guess.

"I'm not an assassin, I'm a man who simplifies."

Assassin of High House Shadow. Former Ambassador to the Arbitors.

[fortyseven]

Who's read Quicksilver?

[RodeoRanch]

Hey ho there! I saw his book "Cryptonomicon" in the stores and am thinking of picking up. I didn't know about this thread until today. See kidds, this is what beer can do to you...

"Against the wind
We were runnin' against the wind
We were young and strong, we were runnin'
Against the wind"

[Clarkesworld Books]

You're further along than I (by a couple of hundred pages) but I'm pleased as well.

As for sales, it's barely moving in my store. I suspect that it will pick up as word spreads and the holidays approach.

Neil Clarke
Clarkesworld Books

[First Seguleh]

I haven't read Cryptonomicon yet, though we have it. Its on my list though. I have read Snow Crash and Diamond age, Snow Crash IMHO, was better. I think it just appealed to me more. I was completely blown away by the ideas behind both of them (though more in Snow Crash), I cannot imagine how he came up with them. Sooner or later I'll get around to the Crypto., and then maybe some other books of his. But as it is I'm going to be tied up till about Easter with all the books I've been given and bought around Christmas!

------------------------------
These things I do despise
Hypocrisy and lies
And anything at all that dims
The light in children's eyes

All work and no play makes Jack a fromage frais.

Honorary Hug-Basher!

knefles has a hat!

[Clarkesworld Books]

There is an even more attractive version of the book coming out in April. It's a signed limited edition bound in Japanese silk, with a traycase that has a cutout for the Quicksilver icon. There are only 1000 of these being made and the list price is $200. That said, I ordered one for myself and a couple for the store.

Sometimes being a collector is a curse. They'll be doing the whole series like this. Eh, the kids don't *need* to go to college.


Neil Clarke
Clarkesworld Books

[Shinrei]

Snow Crash is a much shorter read, and it's full of far more thrills per page. Basically, it's action packed, with some really cool cyber-future ideas. The Hero Protagonist (who's name is actually Hiroaki Protagonist, tongue in cheek) really really rocks.

You get the sense that Stephenson is obsessed with codes and ciphers in Snow Crash and the Diamond Age, but the story doesn't revolve around'em. Cryptonomicon I think was just the book NS decided to dedicate to the subject. The cornerstone of Snow Crash is language (and cool sword fights).