I loved Cryptonomicon, but wasn't really able to get into the Baroque Cycle. Very excited about this new book.
We're taking a moment ... and we're done.
Oz ,'Chosen'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Hil R. - Apr 02, 2008 5:22:17 am PDT #5427 of 28344
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
Gris - Apr 02, 2008 4:25:20 pm PDT #5428 of 28344
Hey. New board.
Hil is me.
Polter-Cow - Apr 02, 2008 11:12:25 pm PDT #5429 of 28344
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
I liked Cryptonomicon quite a lot, but Stephenson just took off during the Baroque Cycle.
In a good way? I still haven't attempted it. How does it compare to Cryptonomicon, which I loved? Stylistically/contentwise, I mean.
Why had I not heard of this? Awesome.
Er. Isn't that why we have libraries?
Gris - Apr 03, 2008 5:46:07 am PDT #5430 of 28344
Hey. New board.
Until the local branch library re-opens and/or the NYPL system starts delivering to my door, this is more convenient.
Not that I'm going to do it. Too addicted to my Kindle. Real books are totally passé.
Hayden - Apr 03, 2008 6:24:43 am PDT #5431 of 28344
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."
In a good way?
I think so, but you see a few people here who disagree. It took me a few hundred pages to get into the first volume, but once I was in, I read the trilogy steadily for a few weeks. I couldn't wait to get home from work to read some more.
How does it compare to Cryptonomicon, which I loved? Stylistically/contentwise, I mean.
I think the major themes are similar, but the technology is Enlightenment-era rather than late-90s cutting edge. It's all about the flow of information across the world, the thrill and horror of discovery, and the way that minor political battles in one place can greatly affect larger battles elsewhere. I really loved the way that he inhabited the period and brought a number of these Enlightenment philosopher/scientists types to life. Especially Leibniz. I enjoyed the political intrigue that swung across all of Western Europe, and I liked the Victorian-style boy's-own-adventure style of the seafaring stories. It was a massive undertaking, and I thought that Stephenson brought it all together swimmingly.
It's way more pulp than art, I should say. Stephenson's not the most insightful or poetic writer out there. But he's very creative and clever, and I never felt like he stumbled in the stories.
Polter-Cow - Apr 03, 2008 6:49:36 am PDT #5432 of 28344
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
It's all about the flow of information across the world, the thrill and horror of discovery, and the way that minor political battles in one place can greatly affect larger battles elsewhere.
Oooh, awesome. What I loved about Cryptonomicon was seeing how information flow differed in the two eras.
It's way more pulp than art, I should say.
Not the A-word again!!
Hayden - Apr 03, 2008 7:19:04 am PDT #5433 of 28344
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."
I retain my title of Grand Commissioner Of Using The Term "Art" Correctly Unlike The Rest Of You Proles, Unless You Happen To Be Using It Like I Do, In Which Case It's All Good And I Apologize For Calling You A Prole.
amych - Apr 03, 2008 7:21:06 am PDT #5434 of 28344
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?
Stinkin' relativist.
Hayden - Apr 03, 2008 7:26:19 am PDT #5435 of 28344
aka "The artist formerly known as Corwood Industries."
I'm an absolutist about my authority and innate rightness! Otherwise, yes.
Scrappy - Apr 03, 2008 7:31:44 am PDT #5436 of 28344
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Oh, I just loves me some Corwood.