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Whew, I finished it. What a weird experience. Like a geek telling a romance tale, filled with quasi-medieval trappings, wild speculative thought, space drama, technology aka praxis, and ending with a wedding.
It was funny at times. I liked some of the characters, weird as they are, and some of the action was good. The science? Not my field and mostly bored me until he got on with it. The vocabulary was cutesy and was annoying after a bit.
It was funny at times. I liked some of the characters, weird as they are, and some of the action was good. The science? Not my field and mostly bored me until he got on with it. The vocabulary was cutesy and was annoying after a bit.
For about the first 100 pages, I had to look up every other word in the glossary in the back, but after that I got the hang of it and only needed the single definitions that were inserted occasionally. For a person with a 60 hr/week job and a family life, reading a 980 page novel is a big deal, and not something I do often, which is probably why I've been neglecting Neal Stephenson. The only other book by him I've read is Snow Crash. Unfortunately for my spare time, the creative world-building
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Dec 24, 2013
KG
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It was okay! I found it a bit ponderous, but had enough tidbits upon which to ponder to make it worthwhile. I liked the characters quite a bit, but found the plot a bit protracted and belabored. Still, not sorry I listened to the audiobook (which, by the way, was VERY well voiced by William Dufris!). And, I'm glad it's behind me!
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What an awesome book. I've never read anything by Stephenson before, but I definitely will be in the future.
Starting this book is like jumping into a pool of chilly water... a real shock at first, but you acclimatize without realizing it. And once you're used to the temperature (i.e. the vocabulary), you enjoy it so much that hours pass like minutes.
Speaking of the lexicon of Anathem, there is an included glossary, but I strongly encourage trying to work straight through the book without consult ...more
Starting this book is like jumping into a pool of chilly water... a real shock at first, but you acclimatize without realizing it. And once you're used to the temperature (i.e. the vocabulary), you enjoy it so much that hours pass like minutes.
Speaking of the lexicon of Anathem, there is an included glossary, but I strongly encourage trying to work straight through the book without consult ...more
May 25, 2010
Nithin C
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Trinity
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Jul 27, 2012
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Oct 27, 2012
Phoenixfalls
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Dec 08, 2013
gloria
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Sep 10, 2017
Mcnighteyes
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Nov 30, 2018
Philip Spagnolli
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