The story of an engineer who creates a device to raise a girl capable of thinking for herself reveals what happens when a young girl of the poor underclass obtains the device.
This is still my favorite Neal Stephenson book, notwithstanding his tendency to characterize Asians like alien species (paging Mr. Spock). Also one of his more bizarre stories. In a way, it's a sequel to Snow Crash. The characters are more developed and emotionally gripping, and there are more layers of technology. I still dream of working on the Young Lady's Illustrated Primer.
I have to say, this was a fun read. And like the author's book Snow Crash from 3 years prior, it features a young girl protagonist, nation-state world-building, a sometimes awkward treatment of Asia, and sections of excessive violence.
In some ways, the book aged a lot better than Snow Crash. The world has made VR a thing which means a lot of the computer-related predictions from Snow Crash feel laughable, but we're nowhere near the level of nanotechnology in A Diamond Age. Snow Crash is a book of the 90s. The Diamond Age feels good even today.
Where this book let me down, however, was in how the plot was woven together. There are a lot of interesting characters that never get the attention they should. I don't demand that all plot threads get tied up in a nice neat bow (I think Anathem even went a bit too …
I have to say, this was a fun read. And like the author's book Snow Crash from 3 years prior, it features a young girl protagonist, nation-state world-building, a sometimes awkward treatment of Asia, and sections of excessive violence.
In some ways, the book aged a lot better than Snow Crash. The world has made VR a thing which means a lot of the computer-related predictions from Snow Crash feel laughable, but we're nowhere near the level of nanotechnology in A Diamond Age. Snow Crash is a book of the 90s. The Diamond Age feels good even today.
Where this book let me down, however, was in how the plot was woven together. There are a lot of interesting characters that never get the attention they should. I don't demand that all plot threads get tied up in a nice neat bow (I think Anathem even went a bit too far in wrapping up the story) but what about Hackworth? Did the author just give up on trying to decide his fate? Did anything come of Miranda joining the Drummers? Who is the mysterious boss of Dr. X? Is CryptNet important or not? Did I accidentally only read half the book?
The author makes so much of these characters only for them to be inconsequential, as if he meant to write a book twice the size but had to abruptly end it mid-way (or wanted to leave room for a sequel). And even the parts that are fleshed out don't seem to fit together very well, and I'm sure you could come up with a long list of plot holes if you tried.
Nonetheless, the main character's story and the imaginative nanotech-based world make this a fun if imperfect book. Don't let me scare you away - you may like this one better than Snow Crash.
Quite a thick plot, lots of characters, many plot twists and more world-building in a single book than you can shake your nanobots at. Also, if you're interested in a fictionalized primer (ha!) on Turing machines, this is the book you're looking for.
Well, that was a rush. Just finished the book 5 minutes ago. I rate it 5 stars+ for sheer force of imagination, and 4 stars for characterisation, which gets slightly overwhelmed by the huge scope of the concepts in the book.
I had not heard of Neal Stephenson until I was looking for recommendations for books that would wean me off my commitment to Iain (M) Banks and David Mitchell. I was not entirely sure I knew what 'steampunk' meant, and I had not yet encountered what was described as 'hard' science fiction. I am not sure if I am any the wiser now.
The great things about this book are the strong female protagonist, imaginative yet coherent 'alternative universe' dystopia, and some decent science. The later parts of the primer involving Turing Machines are especially good. The whole story is really about a programmer writing a programme that will …
Well, that was a rush. Just finished the book 5 minutes ago. I rate it 5 stars+ for sheer force of imagination, and 4 stars for characterisation, which gets slightly overwhelmed by the huge scope of the concepts in the book.
I had not heard of Neal Stephenson until I was looking for recommendations for books that would wean me off my commitment to Iain (M) Banks and David Mitchell. I was not entirely sure I knew what 'steampunk' meant, and I had not yet encountered what was described as 'hard' science fiction. I am not sure if I am any the wiser now.
The great things about this book are the strong female protagonist, imaginative yet coherent 'alternative universe' dystopia, and some decent science. The later parts of the primer involving Turing Machines are especially good. The whole story is really about a programmer writing a programme that will then be able to run and write its own programme on itself - thus transcending the Turing machine paradox. The mechanical rods and drums of the Turing machine are replaced by networks of humans, child development, cultural peculiarities and, most strangely, mass orgies. I cannot explain it better than that.
But it has a plucky heroine, some great action, page-turning suspense, heart-breaking drama (verging on melodrama - which is one of Stephenson's weaknesses) and is quite funny in places. The idea that British stiff upper lip and emotional coolness will have become the dominant cultural force in the world is especially encouraging. It's nice to read science fiction that does not assume we all become American. In this story, to be successful you need to be Victorian or Confucian.
Review of 'Diamond Age. Die Grenzwelt.' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
Neuromancer with nanotech and lazy, badly edited, self-indulgent writing and plot. One could possibly praise Stephenson for explaining how his nano-tech works when nobody else does, but that would be a mistake, because the way Stephenson explains it, it just won't work.
Even worse than the plotting and writing is the conclusion Stephenson draws about the Chinese, which is blatently condradicted by everything the Chinese do in the novel...what a waste of time. Even more frustration occurs because it could have been good - some interesting ideas and characters go to waste.
