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Title: The Diamond Age : Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson ISBN: 0-553-38096-6 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 02 May, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.18 (271 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A CAPTIVATING SCI FI JOURNEY
Comment: Jennifer Wiltsie gives indelible voice to this bizarre yet totally believable tale by ace science fiction writer Neal Stephenson. A versatile actress, her credits include the HBO favorite "The Sopranos," and the movies Wirey Spindell and Windigo.
Considered by many to be the hottest scifi writer in our country today Neal Stpehenson grabbed attention and accolades with his debut sf epic Snow Crash (1992). Readers who were held sway by his rich imagination and innovation will find much to praise about The Diamond Age.
John Hackworth is a genius, a nanotechnologist who designs and executes the Primer, a computer book capable of totally educating its reader. Wanting a copy for his one daughter, Hackworth steals one. But, leave it to this challenging author, the copy is lost and winds up with Nell, not a girl of privilege for whom the Primer was originally intended.
The tale picks up steam as Nell begins her unique education and readers are taken on a captivating technological journey that only Stephenson's vision could have conceived.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Great Read
Comment: The Diamond Age is another great, thought-provoking and exquisitely written book by the author of Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson. Stephenson has an incredible way with words and pleasantly surprised me with some of those that aren't used nearly often enough. (I've only ever seen the words callipygious, quiescently, and redolent on my daily word calendar.) Stephenson is also incredible at changing the tone of his writing between the story and a story within the story. The Diamond Age revolves mostly around the story of a young girl, Nell, and her book that is an incredible feat of technology, the Young Lady's Illustrated Primer. It is an interactive book that teaches everything from reading to social skills to self-defense. The stories of the Primer remind me of the fairytales I loved reading as a child and Stephenson writes them as if they were just interactive versions of Grimm's Fairy Tales.
Stephenson sets up the story of Nell by telling the stories of all of the people that end up affecting her life, directly and indirectly. These stories point out some amazing truths about society and people. In the book, Stephenson discusses the importance of every kind of education, experiencing life and good old book learning. He examines class distinction and social mobility, the good and bad consequences of nanotechnology, and the aspects of true intelligence.
Overall, the beginning of this book was probably the best first half of a book that I've ever read, a true page-turner with a great plot and great character development. Unfortunately, the end did not live up to the beginning. Still, it ranks up there with some of the best books I've ever read.
Rating: 5
Summary: Completely Original
Comment: The Diamond Age is the second of Stephenson's books that I've read. I enjoyed it far more that Snow Crash. While Snow Crash got off to a great start, I didn't enjoy the second half at all. I found myself reading it because it was a groundbreaking book, not because I enjoyed it. I read The Diamond Age because it was a fast-paced enjoyable read AND because it was unique and thought-provoking.
The Diamond Age is set is a very plausable near future where nanotech has eliminated basic problems, such as starvation, but its created its share of problems as well. Nasty nanotech devices that can track or kill people require sophisticated nanotech defenses.
Meanwhile, all nanotech products are provided be a central feed that both controls what can be delivered, what is free and what costs money, and frees peasents from substistence farming and the poor from working to survive. While this world is harldy a utopia -- as there are still massive economic disparities between the rich and poor and a tremendous amount of crime and pollution -- Westerners on the whole seem happy with this arangement.
But there are more than a few who are unhappy or restless. The Diamond Age is the story of what happens when a father who wants a better life for his daughter collides with an entire culture that wants change. Throw in an enormous computer made of human bodies, an interactive storybook that tells a story that takes over a decade to read, an army of teenage girls and a few other interesting characters and you have a compelling and fascinating view of the future.
When I first finished the book, I thought the ending was abrupt and disappointing. But, as I started to think about the end, I could see everything falling into place.
This is the best book I've read in a while and I highly recommend it.
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Title: Snow Crash by NEAL STEPHENSON ISBN: 0553380958 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 02 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson ISBN: 0060512806 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 05 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Zodiac by Neal Stephenson ISBN: 0553573861 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 June, 1995 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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Title: Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1) by Neal Stephenson ISBN: 0380977427 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 23 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: In the Beginning...was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson ISBN: 0380815931 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 09 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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