Re: [PLUG] I need a book recommendation

[Rich Freeman <r-plug@thefreemanclan.net>]

On Fri, Jun 8, 2012 at 12:45 PM, Doug Stewart <zamoose@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Jun 8, 2012 at 12:24 PM, Jay Dobies <jason.dobies@redhat.com> wrote:
>> I'm one of the few geeks who just doesn't get Stephenson. I want to try Snow
>> Crash again but I hated Cryptonomicon. It felt like 100 pages of story
>> stretched out into 800 pages of fluff.
>>
>
> That's definitely a position I can respect. I think it's something to
> do with his OCD-esque prose at points. He focuses on details that
> might seem trivial (Proper Methodology For Eating Cap'n Crunch comes
> to mind) but that appeal to a certain strain in some folks. I read
> those sections and think "Well played, good sir." while others think
> "What a waste...!"

Can't agree more.  I liked Cryptonomicon, tolerated Snow Crash, and
really enjoyed Anathem.  Sometimes he gets a bit carried away with
side-topics, like the Bazian Arks and Qwghlmian culture.  Perhaps a
telling sign is that in the Anathem plot summary (4 pages long) there
is the sentence fragment "After a dangerous journey over the planet's
frozen pole," which is multiple chapters in the 928-page book that has
relatively little alignment to the overall plot (even as backstory,
aside from showing the Vale'rs in action).

When I clear up some space in my audiobook queue I will probably
attack another of his novels.

Certainly a good author for any geek to follow - you'll either love it or not.

Rich
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