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Neal Stephenson is my favorite contemporary writer. I really think he stands apart — his ideas are big, varied, and interesting, and he doesn't limit himself to
by jwr 11y ago
Neal Stephenson is my favorite contemporary writer. I really think he stands apart — his ideas are big, varied, and interesting, and he doesn't limit himself to one particular corner of fiction. Definitely worth checking out, if you haven't read his work.
I'd especially recommend "The Diamond Age" to start with.
- Vaskivo 11y agoI only read The Diamond Age. It's setting is grand, immaginative and full of detail. I was specially enamored with the concept of "ractors". But the last 100 pages left me extremelly dissapointed. Some plot threads go nowhere, others intersect "just because". The whole ending sequence was weird and happened too fast. I guess there was some moral or meaning to the end, but if there was i just didn't get it). And there was a disgusting thing that happened that left me really disturbed. (I'm usually NOT disturbed by that kind of situation. I guess I was just really attached to the character. And the way it was written was tactless and too casual). But I loved the rest of the book. I think of it as a great meal with a crappy desert :) EDIT: About "Ractors": After VR sets in, I can totally see "racting" being the next big thing for entertainment! EDIT 2: Forgot a "not" in there.
- xioxox 11y agoI've read a few of his books, and what they seem to have in common are the badly written endings. He doesn't seem to be able to properly wrap up a book (although I haven't read the last couple of his).
- callahad 11y agoThis is definitely a common flaw. If I recall correctly, he gives up on endings altogether in Anathem, with the narrator literally writing something along the lines of "there's much more left to tell, but this is enough." Seveneves skirts the issue by basically slapping together two rather disjoint stories, ending one "book" by abruptly beginning another. Not the worst flaw in an author, once you know to expect it.
- tashoecraft 11y agoI've read a few as well, and I totally agree. It seems everyone else whose read his books says the same thing. His ending just never compare to the fantastic worlds and stories he creates in the first 2/3's.
- bcgraham 11y agoI understand where people are coming from when they say Stephenson's endings aren't up to snuff, but I disagree. His endings are usually like the ending of the first Matrix movie. Things are about to get very different for almost everyone; the story was about how that transformation happened, not what that transformation is. Saying anything further would feel, at best, extraneous. At worst, it would undermine the story that was just told.
- jkestner 11y agoRight. A story with an ending is nice, but he makes whole worlds that stick in my mind, where endless stories can play out.
- chaosphere2112 11y agoSnow Crash is much lighter fare, and my usual suggestion for people who want to try Neil Stephenson. Though with the audience here, Cryptonomicon is probably a good bet.
- DanBC 11y agoZodiac is fun and lighter than Snow Crash.
- jere 11y agoIndeed. It's got some really great one liners, the kind of stuff that is a bit lower brow, but makes me so giddy I have to read it aloud. If you don't believe me: http://soquoted.blogspot.com/2006/04/neal-stephenson-zodiac.html http://soquoted.blogspot.com/2006/04/neal-stephenson-zodiac....
- chaosphere2112 11y agoAbsolutely, Zodiac was excellent. I feel like Snow Crash is slightly more representative, though I guess his range is pretty huge at this point; the difference between, say, Big U and Anathem is cavernous.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- grimman 11y agoCryptonomicon was my first contact with Stephenson, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It also opened my eyes to WW2 crypto and a whole lot of other very interesting things!