Lev Grossman, geek blogger for Time magazine, reports on the plot of Neal Stephenson’s new novel, Anathem:
Since childhood, Raz has lived behind the walls of a 3,400-year-old monastery, a sanctuary for scientists, philosophers, and mathematicians—sealed off from the illiterate, irrational, unpredictable “saecular” world that is plagued by recurring cycles of booms and busts, world wars and climate change. Until the day that a higher power, driven by fear, decides that only these cloistered scholars have the abilities to avert an impending catastrophe. And, one by one, Raz and his cohorts are summoned forth without warning into the Unknown.
Interesting. No mention of other planets or aliens (as originally rumored, though the above doesn’t rule that out either), but a promising plot, I guess. [via io9]
Modern blasphemy: I’m about a third of a way through Quicksilver and am enjoying it about a billion times more than I did Cryptonomicon. It’s like someone said to Stephenson “stay on target” and he said “Yes! Let us write about people cutting up dogs, it will be awesome,” and it was.
Personally to me this summary sounds like it is another world, another planet dystopian sort of thing. Kind of like Ursula Le Guinn’s The Disposessed, to my eye.
Huh, I would have thought Quicksilver would have the same issues as Cryptonomicon for you. Personally, I thought Quicksilver was a distinct step down, but the series as a whole was pretty cool, and I like it a lot. I still think Cryptonomicon is better though. Keep an eye out for all the references in the Baroque cycle that are also in Cryptonomicon. Puts a new spin on certain things.
I really should pick up The Dispossessed and read it. I’ve heard a lot about it….
So far it doesn’t jump around and, while it doesn’t seem to have a grand point, I’m okay with that. I still can’t read it as fast as I can “real” books.