
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Enjoyed the book -it does meander a bit but then you already know that is a given in a Neal Stephenson book; he does his homework thoroughly (good)) and has to let you know how thoroughly (sometimes not so good). I've heard it often said that he should learn to use editors and sub-editors, but then sometimes those ancillary bits of information are as interesting as the plot from which they are a diversion. I know they were for me on Anathem, sparking an interest in quantum physics and the many worlds theory -and in the Baroque Cycle, as this was a historic period of which I knew very little and which contains the germ of much modern thinking in science and other fields. The book is very topical, climate change is real and it is a threat; ideas like the geo-engineering methods to take carbon out of the atmosphere are and will be contentious and controversial. This was a good take on those subjects.
View all my reviews