1. 30 January 2007

    The System of the World

    Neal Stephenson

    584 days ago

    Stephenson wraps up his Baroque Cycle in high style. Read it.

    And man do I wish Stephenson would’ve told what happened to precipitate Jack’s crowd-surfing episode.

  2. 28 December 2006

    The Confusion

    Neal Stephenson

    617 days ago

    Volume 2, books 4 and 5 of Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle, good as always. If I couldn’t claim Stephenson as my favorite author before reading it, I don’t have much choice after.

  3. 24 December 2006

    Odalisque

    621 days ago

    Stephenson continues with his epic, 3rd book of 8. Reccommended.

  4. 14 December 2006

    King of the Vagabonds

    Neal Stephenson

    631 days ago

    Another Stephenson, supremely good stuff. The book ends in a real rut, can’t wait to get at the next one.

  5. 04 November 2006

    Quicksilver

    Neal Stephenson

    671 days ago

    There isn’t really much that I can say. Here’s some previous stuff on Stephenson, who’s hands down my favorite fiction writer.

    I’m pissed that the last 35 pages of Quicksilver are the first chapter from the next in the series. The ending just ran up behind me and bashed me over the head. Not that it was stunning (a fault lots of people find with Stephenson’s books), but there was still a good chunk of pages between my right thumb and forefinger that threw me.

    The second I got done with it I hopped onto amazon to order the next two. It’s been awhile since I’ve really read at a good pace, much less stuff as good as Stephenson. They pull you through just like pulp/trash novels do, but after reading a Dan Brown or a John Grisham you feel almost guilty because reading the book doesn’t really get you anything. I’ve read a few, and they all just blur together. (If you want, you can switch the pronoun you for me in the rest of this…)

    Stephenson won’t just blow you away for the few days it takes to get through the book (I read 80 pages thursday, ~250 yesterday, and 100 today), but you can actually tell one of his novels from another. Which is a plus. I take it as a sign that they didn’t just rot my brain.

    If I had to describe Quicksilver (I can’t), I’d say it was history/science/fiction. All three about balanced. Its going on in mid 17th century england, featuring scientists at the genesis of the Royal Society in London. Daniel Waterhouse makes friends with Netwon, Liebnitz, and plenty of other bigwigs; not to mention sails through a flotilla of pirates in the second, temporally distant plot line. I’m not describing any more than that, you should read it.

  6. Also somewhat recently

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