Anathem by Neal Stephenson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Anathem
Book Review: no spoilers review
Summary: 5 Stars
First off, I'll let slip that I am a big Neal Stephenson fan, although I did not enjoy the Baroque Cycle. Anathem is, in some respects, "difficult" to read. Yes, there is language here that Stephenson made up, although he didn't take it to the same level that Tolkein did in his Middle Earth works. (There is an glossary of terms at the back, and entries from a dictionary are spreckled throughout the book.) And Anathem may be "slow" in that it takes approximately 200 pages to get to the core of the plot. However, I never found myself bored with the writing.
It is a difficult book to describe to others. In some ways, I felt like I was reading a novelization of "Goedel, Escher, Bach". There are some complex ideas here, some of which are expanded upon in appendices, which contain dialogues (ie in the Socratic sense of a philosophical or mathematical discussion between two people of differing views). I find such discussions intriguing, so I never found the book dry or boring, though strictly speaking, much of the material could have been removed to focus strictly on the plot. (This would, however, have weakened the reader's understanding of the plot.) Such digressions are quite characteristic of Stephenson's work (ie the discussions of language theory present in Snow Crash), and for a certain audience, it is quite enjoyable. If you have a tolerance for (or perhaps even enjoy) side-discussions of interesting material, and enjoy speculative fiction, then none of this should put you off. If you read xkcd, or liked Snow Crash, or the Foundation series by Asimov, then Anathem is likely a good bet for you. If mathematical or philosophical concepts make you cringe in fear, then you would probably not enjoy Anathem (or anything else by Neal Stephenson for that matter).
This review is based on an advance copy.
Book Review: nothing superfluous in this book
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm 3/4 of the way through this book and haven't read anything that is not integral to the story or uninteresting.
Two weeks ago, someone gave it to me using the 'you'll really like this' maneuver, which doesn't really work often on anyone - myself included. After 80 pages of struggling to adapt to this world, it just happened. I found myself floating over this new world, following a thread that kept me going 'just one more page' late into the night. I've lost alot of sleep and given up all of my freetime so that I can follow this narrative.
I enjoy thought experiments, metaphysical discussions (metatheorics) and I've been fascinated by the idea of the millenium clock for about a decade now. I'm not a big science fiction or fantasy fan, (actually hate most spec fiction) but this fits as my second great unexpected discovery from this genre.
The thought experiments are integral to the story. It's not as difficult or intense as some would suggest. The author assumes that you don't read thought experiments on a day to day basis. You learn, and the story builds on what you learn. If you don't want to digest these, then you are going to miss much of the weight of the story. If you want to dismiss them as unnecessary fluff, then you shouldn't be reading the book.
Book Review: overwrought and trite
Summary: 2 Stars
The protagonist for this book is 19 years old, and this unfortunately sets the tone: 900 pages of adolescent emo, held together by the flimsiest thread of unlikely circumstances. Neal Stephenson has never been long on plot, preferring instead to rely on page after page of amazing ideas. This worked when the books were full of amazing ideas (like Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash), but Anathem, while containing the germs of a few great ideas, is unfortunately nothing original while at the same time suffering from a paucity of adventure. No, Stephenson has mangled and obfuscated the topics he's trying to create narratives from. My vote instead of reading this humdrum is the following:
To learn about the fascinating complexities of quantum mechanics, read "Fabric of the Cosmos" by Brian Greene. For a more lucid treatment of the interpretation of visions, read "The Varieties of Religious Experience" by William James. And to understand the semantic/syntactic argument, start with a little John Sowa ("Knowledge Representation"). Everything else can be got from your basic college Philosophy 101 textbook.
Book Review: ponderous, derivative
Summary: 5 Stars
possible spoilers:
one of my biggest complaints about this book is that it is too darn heavy. One gets tired of falling out of bed in the beginning or end of this book, with it's massive and inhuman weight. the binding is actually beautiful and sewn with high quality thread, something I feel is overlooked by modern readers. If you buy a hardback from the UK, the books almost always use only glue, so that the book self-destructs after one reading. Also the paper at the front and back are wonderfully textured and the paper acid free which is I guess
something the people in England can only dream of. Please, if publishers are going to include a glossary, put it into a light, small pamphlet and package it in with the book.
I don't know how many times I turned to the back of the book only to have it knock all of the stuff off of my bedside table, which can be a drag after replacing all the junk on it 3 to 4 times a night -see enormity of weight mentioned above.
thank god for Hugh Everett because SF would be all military adventures in space if it hadn't been for his bifurcation theories. The story in this book, although slow at times, will stick with you for a very long time. Neal was clever in spending an early enormity
of time in character development, it pays off well for the remaining two thirds of the book. The story is detailed, clever, fun and memorable. What more can you ask for? If you are reading the book, do not be daunted by the first third of it, it may seem boring at first, but it is an integral and necessary part of the story. will this become a trilogy?
Book Review: reverent awe
Summary: 5 Stars
The Fraas and Suurs of Saunt Edhar's have much to teach about what we lose in our harried Everyday, and even more about the grand scope of a rich inner life that is lost in all the bustle. For a time the reader is immersed in the cloister, viewing the world though eyes that see farther in space and time than the nearest mere physical wall. Indeed, it is the length that allows Stephenson to offer more than plot and protagonist. We are inculcated in another way of life, in a place and time and order that somehow ought to exist but which does not. Turning the many pages is itself a kind of pilgrimage for those who value the search for truth more than the finding of it. This may explain the mixed reviews, for to read it with less than a kind of quiet, shocked, and reverent awe is to have missed the point entirely.