Anathem
by Neal Stephenson
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Book Reviews of Anathem
Book Review: Clearly a satire akin to "Erewhon"
Summary: 4 Stars
Having read six of Neal Stephenson's novels (still working on "The system of the World" and "The Confusion", I must be counted as a fan. Even knowing of his mercurial style, confounding wit, and ability to get wrapped up in innumerable plot lines, this novel proved a challenge. It takes a long time (' 200 pages), much patience and some studious re-reading to begin to understand what he is writing about, but if you have a firm understanding of Plato's cave, the history of Western civilization and a a wry, ironic sense of humor, this book is well-worth the effort.
True, some of the longer dialogs on the Hylaean Theoric World could have been cut, but then the final chapters would not have made sense. The physics requires a certain suspension of disbelief, but who knows how alternative universes actually function? To get caught up in these matters misses much of the main theme.
Stephenson has clearly written a satire of our contemporary existence, and has used the disguise of alternative fiction to lampoon contemporary society. Religion and academia are turned on their heads, and neither survive intact. Clearly his bias rests with rationality, but when the "speelies" are blaring in the sports bar, the odor of fast food lingers in the mobe, and the Warden of Heaven embodies the wisdom of the Mathic world, one can only experience this as ironic satire.
About half-way through this book, I began to realize that it closest literary cousin was not science fiction, but rather the utopian worlds of Plato's "Republic", Butler's "Erewhon", Swift's "Gulliver's Travels", Huxley's "Brave new World" and perhaps unintentionally - Abbot's "Flatland". While gaining unprecedented freedom by creating a whole separate "world", Stephenson uses that pedestal to move society.
If you pick up this novel, prepare to be challenged. To understand even half of the allusions, you will need a passable knowledge of mythology and Western civilization. It is difficult to approach even on a first level, but can be understood in several contexts. Don't be afraid of re-reading chapters. (They become much clearer the second time!) and watch for anagrams. The most important are fleeting.
Book Review: A labor well-rewarded
Summary: 5 Stars
This may now be my favorite book I have read, and that is in 2 decades of reading the Genre. It blends some of my favorite quantum science that you may get from books by authors like Brian Greene, accessible socratic and modern philosphy (nothing too post-modern bizarre), and lingusitics, with a quirky sci-fi(ish) plot.
If you are new to Stephenson, be warned -- expect lots of digressions --- some may be slow at times, but usually they are thought-provoking, smile-inducing gems.
NS's books are all quirky and go off in many linguistic and mental tangents. Some have me laughing out loud, some have my mind racing, and others cause me to work-out my speed-reading skills. The same person that loves Cryptonomican may be bored by all the tangents in Anathem, and vice versa. I personally loved them both!!
As usual with NS, the plot is only a fraction of the story...the use of language, tone, setting, philosophy/science, and characters are more what he writes about...the plot is just the vehicle that drives it all together.
And for those saying he needed an editor, and he has become too wordy --- I do not think it is a matter of the Author changing...I thinks its a matter of the Author getting respect from the publishers and getting the leeway. Without NS's prior success, the publisher probably demands a harder edit on this book.
My opinion, if you like NS's writing, this book is worth a shot. And don't get too bogged down with the vocab. Like Gene Wolfe, most can be understood from the use and context, and there is no need to use a glossary and/or try to memorize definitions like some have suggested.
Just read it, an be prepared for 1-page a minute read, not 2-3 page per minute read. If you want "book-candy" NS is not the author to turn to. If you enjoy having to stop to think about what you are reading at times, and don't mind linguistic tangents that are not always plot-relevant, than take your time and enjoy this one!!
The labor is well rewarded. This read was one that I didn't want to end --- and I was so sad to get to the last page, I went back and re-read portions for the next 2 weeks ;)
Book Review: Not an easy read, but a great adventure
Summary: 5 Stars
Let's get this out of the way right now: I am a Stephenson fan. Cryptonomicon was wondrous. The trilogy was more of the same. Taken together, they probably represent the best 4,000 pages of fiction I have read in my life.
Snow Crash less so for me, though I seem in the minority on that score. And I'm not much of a fan of Diamond Age because found it seriously flawed. I was looking forward to Anathem not because Stephenson was returning to science fiction, but because it was a new Stephenson book, and that's pretty much all it takes for me.
There is something about the way Stephenson writes that is unlike anyone else I've read. Stephenson has such an obvious love of words and their use and writes with such wit that everything he creates is a joy. Then there's the science, which is a huge part of it all. If I were so inclined, which I am not, I could spend the rest of my days trying to construct the parallels between the philosophies that consume the characters of Anathem and those in our world. I am not a historian of philosophy or science, and so I have to work at each one of them.
The first hundred pages are difficult, period. Stephenson has creates a new vocabulary, and we readers had better learn at least some of it if we expect to understand what's going on. Beyond the new words, we have to learn the way things operate in the world he describes, as well as a whole lot of science. Once past the first 100 pages or so things get easier, the characters become more familiar and less alien, and the story seems to move more quickly.
Anathem is a massive book that gets better as it moves along. Because of its bulk and subject, it is not for everyone, but that's true of Stephenson generally. If you love words, their rhythm, placement cadence and uses, you have to at least admire Stephenson's work, or even love it, as I do.
I'll be rereading Anathem this summer, just because I find it fun. Maybe even try to parse the philosophical and scientific connections between he world Stephenson has connected and ours. I don't expect much success, but the effort will be fun. Needless to say, I strongly recommend this book.
Book Review: You must be willing to endure to read this
Summary: 5 Stars
I looked forward to this book with trepedition. I had purchased the Baroque Cycle, but simply could not read it. I tried twice. And here we have another thick book of what might be the same stuff. But I decided before going in that I would steal myself and force myself to give it a shot. It was kind of like jumping into a pool you know is going to be cold for a few minutes until you adjust to the temperature. But when I did I was treated to a great ride. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Stephenson has a bit of a reputation as an egoist; I think it is an unfair one. After reading his quite eloquent interview on slashdot.org I came away with a new appreciation for his intellect and where he was coming from. If you are cowed by his erudition, that's your fault--not his.
On the 'new language.' It isn't that bad. It just looks bad going in. Lots of the new words are just slightly off, but you'll learn them soon enough. Don't worry about it. Just look them up if you have to. You'll have it all down half way through.
On the 'difficult concepts.' What difficult concepts? You're not stupid. Don't pretend to be. If you've done any reading at all in physics or cosmology, the concepts will be familiar to you. If you REALLY are unfamiliar with the anthropic principle, look it up on Wikipedia. That'll be good enough to set you right side up on it (and others).
On the plot. Well, he has some tricks up his sleeve, and you can't shake the impression that he has some pretty esoteric stuff going on that you are ideally supposed to 'get' but probably won't. The plot itself, when it is finally revealed, seems thin to me. Without giving it away, I was left thinking, "These guys 'A' did 'this' to these guys 'B' because why, again? That can't be real." Also, I don't buy the ending (the big ending, not the little ones.) I can get behind the structure of the universe as Stephenson postulates. Indeed, I think it is probable, but not the manipulation of said structure on such puny antecedents. The Millenials simply don't have the chops to pull this off, sorry.
But a great read. Worthwhile. And thanks!
Book Review: Stephenson's Best To Date; 4.5 Stars
Summary: 4 Stars
This is Stephenson's best novel. While Anathem is a thick book, it is more disciplined than Cryptonomicon or the Baroque Trilogy. Anathem has one main plot line, a central character-narrator, and action concentrated over a relatively short interval of months. In terms of plot construction, this is a really ingenious book. Stephenson combines, in a creditable fashion, three of the major themes of Science Fiction novels. Anathem is simultaneously a parallel worlds, first contact, and post-holocaust novel. Stephenson uses one of the most effective science fiction plot devices, following the maturation of a young/inexperienced central protagonist as he or she experiences a new world, as his central narrative element.
Anathem is essentially a novel of ideas presented as a parallel worlds adventure story. Stephenson does well in presenting the ideas in the context of the adventure story. The primary ideas presented are a mixture of Platonic metaphysics and parallel worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. Drawing on a broad spectrum of Western history, Stephenson throws in a variety of other scientific and intellectual concepts. These include, for example, a version of empiricist epistemology and a version of the nominalist-realist debate. This is surely the only novel influenced by the work of the contemporary epistemologist David Lewis.
Like his prior books, this one contains a reasonable bit of satire. Stephenson is only a competent stylist and the real strength of this book is his ability to put the intellectual content into a reasonably sophisticated but nonetheless popular fiction format. This is not a criticism because the latter is undoubtedly quite difficult.
Stephenson's parallel earth, Arbre, has clear parallels to our world but also one in which there has been a basic divide between science & philosophy, largely based on Platonic metaphysics, and religion. If this is intended to be a comment on our world, its not accurate as Platonism proved to be very hospitable to theology. Arbre is also apparently a world without any equivalent to Aristotle.