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Neal Stephenson's Anathem.

ThaedThaed
edited October 2008 in Everything Else
I finished reading Anathem today. It is easily the best book I've read this year and probably makes my top ten of all time list. If you want to be intellectually challenged, motivated to do some real thinking and entertained at the same time, buy it and read it. Do not be intimidated by its colossal length and its use of made up words. You can take all the time you want and the words will make sense after a while. I bow before Stephenson's mind in creating this amazing work.

Comments

  • ......
    edited October 2008
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  • Victor FrostVictor Frost
    That graph makes me laugh every time I see it. It completely describes why I stopped reading fantasy novels. It's Sci-Fi, not Fan-Fi.
    Wait a minute, "Fan-Fi"...It all makes sense now.
  • YoshoKatanaYoshoKatana
    "I'm looking at you, Anathem."
  • ThaedThaed
    "Fraa" is in Anathem. "Awesomer" is, thankfully, not. XKCD is correct about these types of books but Anathem is still good book despite the made up words. Also, there's a reason for them.
  • ......
    I listened to Neal Stephenson reading a bit out of Anathem on the Amazon page linked over at Mental Interface. Eh, I have to say, either mr. Stephenson really does sound that boring and monotone, or the part he read was brain numbing. Repeated 'What?'s crossed my mind while listening.
    That graph makes me laugh every time I see it. It completely describes why I stopped reading fantasy novels. It's Sci-Fi, not Fan-Fi.
    Wait a minute, "Fan-Fi"...It all makes sense now.
    Post of the day. Oh lord.
  • KoholintKoholint
    I finished reading Anathem earlier today, and it was fantastic. Thanks for the suggestion, Thaed. I'm just curious, what are the other books in your top ten? As for the rest of you, I suggest you pick this up if you haven't already.
  • JasonJason
    You can have made-up words and they'll work, as long as they're organic. West of Eden was a pretty interesting alt-history book that used an extensively fake vocabulary.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    I don't mind long books or made up words, I just need to know the book is good. For example, I'm 250 pages into Perdido Street Station by China Mievile which is about 900 pages long and full of strange words... and I'm thoroughly enjoying it!

    However, my only other experience with Neal Stephenson sis Snow Crash, a book I found so bad I was actually angry by the time I finished it. I only finished it because it was recommended by geeknights.

    So before I read Anathem I need to find someone who has read both Anathem and Snow Crash, who agrees with me that Snow Crash is a pile of unmitigated wank and still think Anathem is teh awesomer.
  • CramitCramit
    Well I can say that Diamond Age is much better then Snow Crash, but the book still has many moments that just feel like geek fan-service. What I mean is that Stephenson puts a lot of things in to the book just to make geeks thing "wouldn't that be cool". I'm not sure how his later books are.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    I'm 250 pages into Perdido Street Station by China Mievile which is about 900 pages long and full of strange words... and I'm thoroughly enjoying it!
    Turns out this book was a real drag by the end.
  • ThaedThaed
    I'm 250 pages into Perdido Street Station by China Mievile which is about 900 pages long and full of strange words... and I'm thoroughly enjoying it!
    Turns out this book was a real drag by the end.
    I liked the whole thing.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    I liked the first half, but loads of good ideas were simply dropped in favour of a bug hunt. I don't mind bug hunts, but not bug hunts that take 500 pages. By the end I was like "Ok, the city is a shit hole.... stop describing it street by street and get on with the story!" Taken as a whole I liked it. Cutting it down to half the length and I could have loved it.
  • ChurbaChurba
    I liked the first half, but loads of good ideas were simply dropped in favour of a bug hunt.
    How do I get out of this chickenshit outfit?
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    How do I get out of this chickenshit outfit?
    You have no idea how close to the truth you are.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    My full (non-spoiler) review is now here: Science Fiction Book Review Podcast episode 34 though I left out quite a few things I could have said both in favour and against the book. It is a long book, there is always more to say.
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