Anathem by Neal Stephenson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Anathem
Book Review: Amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
i'm a huge neal stephenson fan, but i have to say this book redefined him for me.. i can draw a line between all of his prior works and cryptonomicon, and another one after the baroque cycle and this.
great read.
Book Review: Amazing Speculative Fiction: Stephenson's Best Yet
Summary: 5 Stars
Stir together geek culture, quantum mechanics, steam-punk, and cyber-punk; mix in a dash of classic kung fu and a bit of Aristotle/Descartes/Heidegger (but not in any real punishing way), then pour it all into a tall glass of string theory. That's Anathem.
This is Stephenson's best book since Snow Crash. Like what Snow Crash did for cyber-punk, Anathem does for speculative fiction: it turns the present on it's head through envisioning a radical, alternative near-present.
Possibly the best science/speculative fiction book I've ever read!
Book Review: Amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
Like some of the reviewers my initial feeling after reading the first 50-100 pages was that Stephenson was full of himself and the story wasn't really going anywhere. Still, I have enjoyed so much of his work that I went on...
After finishing this book, I feel that everything fit together perfectly, the new language introduced served exactly the purpose intended. It really forces the reader to re-think our perception of the world and cosmos as viewed through the characters in the story. I have continued to think about this book for months after Ive completed it.
If you enjoy a deep plot heavily intertwined with cosmology, math, physics and philosophy and don't mind learning a few words then this book is for you.
Book Review: An epic reminiscent of Miller, Egan and Miéville
Summary: 5 Stars
Anathem is not a simple book. There are plenty of pulp blockbusters for those 'slines' who might find this book "dull." Personally, I found the entire book -- including the first few chapters -- quite profound. Simply one of the best books I've ever read. It does delve quite deeply into mathematics, physics, and philosophy, but then again I do read Egan as well (his latest, Incandescent, is also quite good).
This book is quite unlike the Stephenson I've read in the past. Evidently I should not have skipped his Baroque Cycle.
As an aside: take the dust jacket off when you get the book. The binding is quite beautiful, even if it is not really cloth, nor sewn.
Book Review: An extraordinary ride.
Summary: 5 Stars
Anathem was the first Neal Stephenson book that I have read. I now intend to go back and read Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash as soon as I can.
I decided to read Anathem, based solely on reading the blurb. The idea of the intellectuals being rounded up and put into their own sub-community fascinated me, and the book certainly didn't disappoint.
Stephenson has imagined and created a deep and fully realised world, full with its own customs, devices, languages, and Stephenson manages to weave it all almost seamlessly. I say almost seamlessly in that the beginning 100 or so pages are a bit difficult to grasp. The reader is thrown into a world, and is expected to pick up on the slang and terminology instantly - there is however, a glossary to you help along.
While the first 100 pages are a tad difficult, they are not uninteresting. Mainly because this universe Stephenson has created is highly interesting, compelling and cerebral.
The story quickly picks up and doesn't let you go. It's an amazing intellectual adventure, and I couldn't recommend it highly enough.