Neal Stephenson fans

[Deke Rivers]

Ive been hearing good things about his books but haven taken the plunge yet..
the ones im thinking about are Snow Crash and Cryptonomican(maybe mispelled)
any opinions?

[Tsar Chasm]

Start with the lighter Snow Crash and Diamond Age before trying to tackle Cryptonomicon.

When you finish those three, you can make a decision on Quicksilver.

Side reading that was interesting but not of the same vein is his Eco thriller - Zodiac.

[SiberianLlama]

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE Stephenson. One of my favorite authors. The things that this guy comes up with just boggle my mind.

I totally agree with what Tsar Chasm recommended. Start out with either Snow Crash or the Diamond Age before trying out his more heavier stuff in Cryptonomicon and Quicksilver.

Zodiac and the Big U, which was recently republished, are also quite good, but not up to the standards as the books already mentioned.

I'm about 200 or so pages into Quicksilver right now and am loving it. It boggles my mind how much stuff, for lack of a better word, Stephenson manages to pack into his novels. Not only are they enjoyable, hilarious, and innovative, they make you think.

That's pretty much what reading should be about, in my opinion...

[Deke Rivers]

thanks for the tips..is his later stuff that difficult to read though?

[Tsar Chasm]

Originally posted by Deke Rivers
thanks for the tips..is his later stuff that difficult to read though?

It took me two tries to get into Cryptonomicon. Once you're past the 50 page mark, it is smooth sailing. Don't expect to speed through this book though.

[SiberianLlama]

I wouldn't say that his later stuff is "difficult" to read. His earlier works are more like traditional cyberpunk books. Starting with Cryptonomicon and continuing with Quicksilver, Stephenson starts incorporating actual science and mathematical principles into his novels. For example, in a couple of instances in Crypto, there are various code making and code breaking machines that Stephenson talks about. He goes into great detail explaining the mathematical formulas that are the basis of how they work. Math isn't my strongest suit so I just skimmed these parts.

That being said, I had no problems reading Cryptonomicon and am loving Quicksilver. Cryptonomicon is one of my favorite books and I've read it twice. It's just that with his latest novels Stephenson increases the scope of his novels and makes them a lot more complex and educational than his earlier stuff.

Hope that helps...

[TeeSeeJay]

Hear, Hear. Thumbs up to Snow Crash for a starter. I didn't get into the Diamond Age for some reason but I loved Cryptonomicon and I'm looking forward to starting quicksilver.

[Deke Rivers]

thanks guys..i think im gonna pick em both up..Snow Crash sounds good and Im really into WWII so Cryptonomicon sounds pretty intriguing as well..

[TeeSeeJay]

Originally posted by Deke Rivers
thanks guys..i think im gonna pick em both up..Snow Crash sounds good and Im really into WWII so Cryptonomicon sounds pretty intriguing as well..

If you're into computers AND WWII, you're gonna LOVE Cryptonomicon. But still read Snow Crash first.

[Lastblade]

A friend lent me a copy of A Diamond's Age. I wish I had read Snow Crash first... Maybe that would have helped, but I quit reading ADA after 120 pages or so.

I just find it very boring, and cannot get into it at all.

[SpacemanSpiff]

stephenson rules

snow crash is rather light and fun

the other ones are good as well

quicksilver needs to go into tpb so i can buy it

[Mordred]

I had a question regarding Stephenson. I'm a huge fan of his and have read everything but Zodiac and Big U.

I remember when I read Diamond Age that there was a lot of technical discussion that I wouldn't expect a non Computer Science major to make much sense out of. In particular I'm thinking about the somewhat lengthy discussion of Turing Machines using a chain analogy if i remember correctly. Having taken Formal Languages and Automata a year or two before reading that I obviously knew exactly what he was talking about. Does the average person though? Anybody remember what I'm talking about?

I'm currently about 2/3 through Quicksilver and I'm enjoying it a lot. I have to say that it's the slowest reading of any of his books, mainly because there's just so much information and great stuff packed into every page that you have to read it amazingly slowly so you can pay attention to everything. Definitely a rewarding experience, but it's taking me forever to finish.

Mordred

[Verbal Gorilla]

I really didn't care for Snow Crash or The Diamond Age. I thought that they were too poor in the character development. I didn't care about the actions of anyone, so I was bored. I love math and real "Science" fiction books. Do you guys think I should give Quicksilver a try? Or is it similar to the other two in writing style, etc. Thanks

[SpacemanSpiff]

you should read crypto
then decide

[nqle57]

I thought crypto started out good, but fizzled towards the end.

[SiberianLlama]

As I said earlier in this thread, Stephenson is one of my favorite authors, and I've loved all his books so far.

That being said, my one complaint about him is that his endings are somewhat of a let-down. Instead of ending with a big conclusion, he kinds of gradually leaves things off. I especially noticed this in Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash.

All his books are excellent, don't get me wrong, I just wish he had stronger conclusions to his books.

[Deke Rivers]

well i picked up both Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon used so Ill will check them out once I finish The Stars My Destination (found that used in my search for the other two books)

[SiberianLlama]

The Stars My Destination, by Bester, is another great if classic sci-fi novel. If you like that, his other novella, The Demolished Man, is also excellent!

[Deke Rivers]

read Demolished Man years ago...I am enjoying Stars though..this would make one kick-ass movie too.

but knowing Hollywood they would use Arnold S. in the role of Gully and turn it into some halfbaked adventure-comedy :)