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The Diamond Age
by

Neal Stephenson (Goodreads Author)

Anthony's review

Jul 12, 2023

liked it

bookshelves: sf-group-2018, sf, nebula-nominees, hugo-winners, arthur-c-clarke-award-nominees, locus-award-winners, 2021-popsugar-challenge, 2021-sffbc-tbr-challenge, 2023-sffbc-tbr-challenge

This began with a lot of promise: more wit and humanity than I found in Stephenson’s famous debut Snow Crash, all in support of a fascinating portrait of a nanotech-driven future. And then it devolved into near-nonsense, as Stephenson seemed to have lost the ability to craft a compelling, logical narrative.

I admire his ambition, and I understand why he’s such an influential and popular SFF writer, but I am left scratching my head at the end of this lengthy read.

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Reading Progress

June 27, 2018 – Shelved

June 27, 2018 – Shelved as: to-read

July 17, 2018 – Shelved as: sf-group-2018

August 15, 2018 – Shelved as: sf

September 7, 2018 – Shelved as: nebula-nominees

September 7, 2018 – Shelved as: hugo-winners

July 28, 2019 – Shelved as: arthur-c-clarke-award-nominees

July 28, 2019 – Shelved as: locus-award-winners

December 12, 2020 – Shelved as: 2021-popsugar-challenge

December 16, 2020 – Shelved as: 2021-sffbc-tbr-challenge

December 1, 2022 – Shelved as: 2023-sffbc-tbr-challenge

July 1, 2023 – Started Reading

July 1, 2023 –

10.0% "I was a bit underwhelmed by Stephenson’s very popular Snow Crash, but I am also aware of how highly regarded he has become, so I have been curious to read more of his work. In the early going, this is engagingly off-center and fun, and not suffering from the too-cool-for-school vibes of Snow Crash."

July 4, 2023 –

40.0% "It’s entertaining and unpredictable and has so many intriguing things on its mind."

July 6, 2023 –

51.0% "Finished PART THE FIRST. I’m curious to see whether or not Stephenson is going to be able to pull off tying his many and various strands together in a satisfying manner. It’s certainly a very ambitious and original work."

July 10, 2023 –

68.0% "Pacing and forward momentum has taken a nosedive. There are still lots of interesting ideas at play, but Stephenson seems to have hit a wall in terms of putting those ideas into the form of a story."

July 12, 2023 – Finished Reading