David Rubenstein's Reviews > Fall; or, Dodge in Hell

I have loved all of the books I've read by Neal Stephenson. Up until this one, that is. This book is quite disappointing. Maybe it's the length; it's 883 pages long, and it would have been much better if it had been half that length.

The beginning of the book is fun; sort of science fiction, I would say. then the cast of characters shifts abruptly, and there is no continuity during Sophia's trip across the country. This lack of continuity just lost me.

Then the book gets interesting again, as the protagonist, Dodge, finds himself in a new plane of existence. At this point, the book is mostly fantasy; For a while this part of the book is fascinating, a blend of the Bible, Greek and Norse mythologies all wrapped into one. Then, a major portion of the book is a quest--which starts out just fine, but drags on and on. I didn't feel for any of the characters at this point, as the members of the quest simply faced one obstacle after another. Of course, The Quest is taken from a blend of mythology and modern video games. But it drags on and on, without any rhyme or reason until the end.