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Monday, September 22nd, 2008 12:27 pm
I just finished the new Stephenson book Anathem. And, wow. I was completely hooked after the first... well, 100 pages or so. It's a dense universe he sets up, but completely worth it.

Most surprising: zomg dénouement! He finally learned how to end a book!
Monday, September 22nd, 2008 08:59 pm (UTC)
Ooh, I have that one sitting in my "to read" pile. I've been entrenched in my "read everything Iain Banks has ever written" goal, but if that's good, I might stop my marathon and switch to Stephenson.
Monday, September 22nd, 2008 09:21 pm (UTC)
Huh. I've got some long flights coming up; maybe I'll pick up a copy some time this week.
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 12:54 am (UTC)
I started it this morning, and amid long sentences about auts and splines and maths and saunts, I keep thinking of Rick Moranis in "Ghostbusters," talking about how many shubs and zuuls knew what it was to roast in the belly of the slor that day. I'm fairly confident it'll pick up, but the learning curve going in is kinda steep.
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 04:28 am (UTC)
I just can't get myself to start that series. *sigh*

-B.
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 04:52 am (UTC)
This isn't part of the Baroque Cycle (which I haven't actually finished myself). It's a standalone, completely new universe. Much more SFy than anything since Diamond Age, though that isn't immediately obvious.
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 07:25 am (UTC)
I loved it. Stephenson's books always make me want to go read the sources from which he draws.

The Baroque Cycle was similar, but less so.

I found myself wishing that we'd get two more equal-sized books from this universe, but the marked lack of a lack of dénouement makes that seem unlikely.

I guess I'll just have to re-read it two times.