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Fall; or, Dodge in Hell,
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Nathan Chattaway
To really click with the metatheme in this book, you need to read Cryptonomicon, The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, Confusion, The System of the World) and REAMDE, in that order.
Yeah, that's about 5000 pages of prior reading, but Stephenson makes it pretty fun. And you definitely have the option of just reading Fall as a standalone novel. Ignorance may be bliss! While there are quite a few characters from Cryptonomicon, and of course many from REAMDE, there is one particular character who ties this all together.
Yeah, that's about 5000 pages of prior reading, but Stephenson makes it pretty fun. And you definitely have the option of just reading Fall as a standalone novel. Ignorance may be bliss! While there are quite a few characters from Cryptonomicon, and of course many from REAMDE, there is one particular character who ties this all together.
Corey Miller
There are multiple references to characters and companies in Cryptonomicon as well, though thus far you don't need to understand anything from that book to enjoy Fall.
Barry Bozeman
Zachary is correct - Dodge the creator of TRain and his brain are key but Fall is easily a standalone effort where Reamde is not a prerequisite.
Richard Barton
No. The Baroque Cycle is the only series of Stephenson books that is better when read in order. While every book Stephenson writes adds something to the depth and understanding of almost every other book he has written, it makes no difference where you start. Stephenson goes out of his way to make things just as enjoyable and understandable irrespective of which book you pick up first.
Zachary
I'm about a third of the way through FALL. So far, the book mostly deals with the next generation of the Forthrast family from REAMDE, with significant appearances by Richard, Jake, Zula, etc . There are major character connections to REAMDE, but storywise it reads like a standalone. I'd say you could read FALL without reading REAMDE and not be confused.
Liam Proven
It is the sequel to REAMDE, so yes, you could say it's connected.
Interestingly, REAMDE is not connected in any visible way with /Cryptonomicon/ or the Baroque cycle, whereas /Fall/ ties the earlier book into that continuity.
I don't you need to have read the earlier ones, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. They are all superb novels.
Interestingly, REAMDE is not connected in any visible way with /Cryptonomicon/ or the Baroque cycle, whereas /Fall/ ties the earlier book into that continuity.
I don't you need to have read the earlier ones, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. They are all superb novels.
Steven
I wouldn't say its strictly necessary, but I will say that Reamde is a better book, and it also introduces characters and situations that come up in Fall. So yea, I'd read Reamde first, and also if you have to only pick one of the two.
Steven Mastroyin
The only thing I would say is that an understanding of T'Rain and Forthrast's imagination does a lot to inform the formation of The Land. Not necessarily, but certainly some decent color.
Shannon Peil
Apparently in the same universe but so far FALL is great, but REAMDE was absolutely unreadable to me. Very interesting.
Trish
I've only read Fall, and I was fine!
Jim Hofmann
It definitely works as a stand-alone as I only vaguely remember most of the recurring characters (or descendants from earlier characters).
If you like it, then definitely read the previous books
If you like it, then definitely read the previous books
Guanxi
not necessary, but it's a good enough read that you should anyway.
Nick Caldarera
You don't need to read REAMDE first. It's good backstory but they only refer back to the events that happened a few times in Fall. We are reading Fall for a book club and I was worried about this, but I realized it isn't really a true sequel just a different book with some of the same characters.
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