Anathem
by Neal Stephenson
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Book Reviews of Anathem
Book Review: A collection of speculative, philosophical ideas disguised (badly) as a novel
Summary: 3 Stars
I was a fan of Snow Crash, Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and occasionally the Baroque Trilogy, though in hindsight, it's clear that both Cryptonomicon and the Trilogy were already delegating the entertainment aspects of fiction to madcap characters of action best suited for the job. This trick allows the author to indulge in large sections devoted entirely to journeys of the mind, with mixed success. I don't mind at all the long dialogues between characters on the nature of reality. What I do mind is the short shrift--if such a thing is possible to attribute to such a long work--given to the usual art of the novel. The prose lumbers on for long stretches of thoroughly imagined but excruciatingly boring description, which any sensible reader will simply skip; Stephenson is a writer unable to tell you that characters have improvised climbing gear out of portions of a tent without giving you a six-page detailed manual on how you too might do so should you find yourself abandoned on a glacier-covered mountain ridge by people you have paid to smuggle you over a border. But in what is almost a parody of manly nerdiness, the narrator awkwardly passes over events of undoubtedly great emotion (death, exile, shame, violent trauma, desire, envy, etc.) with barely a mention. If I wanted this, I'd just watch action movies. It's a good bet that his inclusion of an obnoxious though probably autistic nerd-boy, who rattles off long streams of facts and corrects his elders but can't recognize emotions on faces, is a winking acknowledgment of this tendency, as are the many amazed and admiring references to the vast emotional understanding of women. Furthermore, the narrative is studded with false starts. What is the import of the song Erasmus sings that causes such a to-do at the Convox? What about that dragon in the parking lot? Some readers will probably find Anathem Stephenson's most impressive work, but many others (this reviewer included) will find it a dull grind, unsatisfying as a novel, confused as a work of ideas, and frustrating for containing so many good ideas brought together without a sense of purpose.Book Review: the professor never loses touch with the humanity
Summary: 4 Stars
i would say not as balls to the walls enjoyable as "snow crash" and it takes a little while before things start firming up but once it does, you all of a sudden have a VERY rich world, made all the richer for the alien terminology (you'll be racking your brains for a while figuring out "earth analogs" and it becomes a fun game after a while) and a familiar but distinct history.
does indeed play off the motifs and themes in "a canticle for leibowitz" but stuffs in the mindf@#$ factor of the "2001: a space odyssey" movie, stirs in "rendezvous with rama" for taste, adds half a cup of "a brief history of time" and then throws in kung fu for luck.
and it's all still in the established style of neal stephenson: telling a fun story and then every so often stopping it cold to lay out interesting ideas, often in the form of an aristotelian dialog or something.
in another's hands, his stories and his exposition could very well end up being extremely pedantic and cold but NS keeps everything working by keeping the beating heart of humanity at the core of his work. no matter how epic the ideas, you are still involved with people you recognize and end up caring about.
it's funny, in my mind, i see lio as being a similar mental image as goto dengo from "cryptonomicon" and i see orolo and a priest in "a canticle for liebowitz" as ian holm!
the whole thing builds to a thrilling, breathless space finale that i can totally imagine being played out in cinema as a tense but MOS sequence almost where the only sound is one of mic'd breathing.
and an ending that is as self admittedly pro forma fiction as it is satisfying.
p.s. if you are inspired to learn more about ORBITAL MECHANICS from the space part of the book, http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/ is a great free simulator! i'm already learning more about the stuff that stephenson introduced to me!
Book Review: Great story, weak start
Summary: 4 Stars
First off, I am not a Neal Stephenson fangirl. He had been recommended to me for awhile, but this was the first book of his that I'd ever read. I expected density, and I got it! This book demands a second reading, and I'll be happy to give it one.
The reviewers who say you've got to give this awhile are absolutely right. For the first roughly 150 pages, I wondered if this was going anywhere, if it had a plot, if it was worth my time. But I'm so glad I stuck with it. And after I finished the book, I understood why he'd had to take so long to set it all up. He's created an entirely new world, new culture, new language. Maybe he didn't have to, but he did, and it is fascinating. It just takes awhile to get used to. So plow through those first couple hundred pages. Don't get frustrated if you don't understand a word or a historical reference - just file it away and all will be explained in good time. By the time you get to the first Anathem (trying not to spoil anything), the plot really gets moving.
The plot quickens, but this is never a fast-paced, action-packed book. Don't expect it. There are long descriptions of highly theoretical things that walk the boundary between science and philosophy. If you've ever read a science or philosophy non-fiction book for fun, you're probably going to enjoy these digressions. I certainly did. If you're looking for more of a space adventure romp, go find something else to read. Don't skip or skim them either, or the plot - when you get back to it - really won't make any sense (hence, I suspect, the criticisms about the confusing ending).
The book is well thought out, intriguing, intellectually challenging. I could easily read this two or three more times (except my library wanted it back). The only thing that prevented it from getting five stars is an exceptionally, frustratingly slow beginning that almost stopped me from finishing.
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: mindful of Gulliver's Travels to Laputa
Summary: 4 Stars
In the future on the planet Arbre, great thinkers are clustered behind the "Concent" walls where they control knowledge from the illogical thinking "Saecular" masses. Preadolescents who show a strong logical ability for rational thought are taken away from the masses to be educated as logical scientists or pragmatic mathematicians inside the cloisters. They learn early on their responsibilities as knowledge is power and knowledge used unwisely is dangerous; thus must be coveted and protected.
Nineteen year old Raz showed signs of brilliance when he was eight, he was collected to be trained as a muse. He has become a "Tenner" over his decade plus of intense learning. Thus his time to go outside amongst the low life Saecular is coming; an event he is allowed once every ten years hence a Tenner. However, the cloistered soon realizes a pandemic catastrophe from outer space is coming soon. Much of the older Concent members feel strongly that physical intervention is prohibited as they debate what to do. However, teens like Raz and those he associates with have not lost their need for adventure. Foolishly perhaps without adult supervision and some would say in violation of their elders, they set forth to save Arbre.
This is a fascinating tale mindful of Gulliver's Travels to Laputa, the flying island of scientists and mathematicians. The debates and discussions on history and the upcoming calamity are enjoyable to follow, but can turn tedious as long stretches purposely lack action; those behind the walls are reflective thinkers not necessarily doers except perhaps the teens. Fans who appreciate a cerebral science fiction thriller with as much philosophizing as action will want to read Neal Stephenson's brilliant, interesting but different ANATHEM.
Harriet Klausner