Reviews
"Intertwined the tale of an Internet startup with a Greatest Generation flashback, as if the author had foreseen both the Nasdaq bubble and Saving Private Ryan.", Â[Stephenson] Makes Reading So Much Fun It Feels like a Deadly Sin.Â, “Neal Stephenson has guts, a killer story, and—for the first time since Cryptonomicon —a thriller I can thoroughly recommend to any reader....With REAMDE we have a very smart page-turner—a global chess game expertly played.”, “A Hell of a Read.”, Neal Stephenson has guts, a killer story, and—for the first time since Cryptonomicon —a thriller I can thoroughly recommend to any reader....With REAMDE we have a very smart page-turner—a global chess game expertly played., "What ever happened to the great novel of ideas? It has morphed into science fiction, and Stephenson is its foremost practitioner. A-", "There's an intellectual pill buried deep in Mr. Stephenson's narrative candy, one powerful enough that he deserves to be classified as a major national and international resource.", âStephenson has a once-in-a-generation gift: he makes complex ideas clear, and he makes them funny, heartbreaking and thrilling.â, "Stephenson Somehow Makes His Crazy Setup Entirely Plausible and Tons of Fun.", Reamde is an entertainment, an emormous, giddily complex one. There's no telling what Stephenson might be planning for his next novel, but now's the time to dive into a first-rate intellectual thriller without fear of being overwhelmed by its virtuosity., "This is a book about science and philosophy which demands the full concentration of the reader -a worthwhile, smart, exciting read.", It's hard to sum up a 1,000 page tome in a short review, so if you don't feel like reading this rather long one, I'll boil it down to three words: I loved it., “Reamde Is...One Big, Carefully Choreographed, Jet-Set Square-Dance of Mayhem.”, After a decade of novels set in 18th century Europe and in alternate universes, Neal Stephenson triumphantly returns as a bestselling author to contemporary America., Â[The] Homer of Geek Mythology.Â, âThereâs an intellectual pill buried deep in Mr. Stephensonâs narrative candy, one powerful enough that he deserves to be classified as a major national and international resource.â, "A daring feat of speculative fiction.ANATHEM offers the reader a luscious arrangement of words, jokes, and speculations.", ÂStephenson Somehow Makes His Crazy Setup Entirely Plausible and Tons of Fun.Â, "Anyone who has read Stephenson's Baroque Cycle will be familiar with his ingenuity when it comes to mixing science, sociology and satire with swashbuckling adventure, and ANATHEM duly marries extensive dialogues on quantum mechanics and the nature of consciousness to literal cliffhangers, high-tech warfare and general derring-do.", “ Reamde is an entertainment, an enormous, giddily complex one. There’s no telling what Stephenson might be planning for his next novel, but now’s the time to dive into a first-rate intellectual thriller without fear of being overwhelmed by its virtuosity.”, ÂReamde Is...One Big, Carefully Choreographed, Jet-Set Square-Dance of Mayhem.Â, 'A story that, despite its gargantuan heft, speeds along like a bullet train....The depth of the story, the attention to detail, the interlocking narratives and fine characterizations mark REAMDE as an immersive literary experience.'(Pittsburgh Tribune on REAMDE), Learned, witty, weirdly torqued, emotionally complex, politically astute, and often darkly comic.ANATHEM is an audacious work by a highly intelligent imagination, a delightfully learned text., “An Engrossing Look at the Way the Flow of Information Shapes History.”, "After a decade of novels set in 18th century Europe and in alternate universes, Neal Stephenson triumphantly returns as a bestselling author to contemporary America.", ÂStephenson, Best-Known for His Genre-Hopping Novels, Tackles Tech-Terrorism in Reamde.Â, "Anathem duly marries extensive dialogues on quantum mechanics and the nature of consciousness to literal cliffhangers, hi-tech warfare and derring-do.", “Fascinating...Hysterical.”, A masterpiece...mind-bogglingly ambitious...readers will delight in puzzling out the historical antecedents in philosophy, science, mathematics, and art that Stephenson riffs on with his customary quicklsilver genius...it's one of the most thought-provoking novels I've ever read, and also one of the most engaging., âSometimes when youâre reading Neal Stepheson, he doesnât just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the < only one.â, Anathem is a challenge: Make yourself one of the avout. Make yourself a scholar, and try to understand the world a little differently., ÂExpertly Crafted and Often Gorgeously Written.Â, Noir futurist Stephenson returns to cyberia with this fast-moving though sprawling techno-thriller...Who'll prevail? We don't know till the very end, thanks to Stephenson's knife-sharp skills as a storyteller. An intriguing yarn--most geeky, and full of statisfying mayhem., Sometimes when you're reading Neal Stephenson, he doesn't just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the < only one., "Anathem is a challenge: Make yourself one of the avout. Make yourself a scholar, and try to understand the world a little differently.", "Anathem is a brilliant, playful tour of the terrain where logic, mathematics, philosophy and quantum physics intersect, a novel of ideas par excellence, melding wordplay and mathematical theory with a gripping, human adventure.", âREAMDE combines meticulous observation of the stranger socioeconomic effects wrought by technology with rousing fusillades of adventure.â, âNeal Stephenson has guts, a killer story, andâfor the first time since Cryptonomicon âa thriller I can thoroughly recommend to any reader....With REAMDE we have a very smart page-turnerâa global chess game expertly played.â, "He Mashes Up Genres with the Flair of Thomas Pynchon and the Intellect of William Gibson.", "Even at a thousand pages, Reamde is sprightly enough to jump between 9 or 10 plot threads without getting tangled up in itself, and, refreshingly, it does so without employing the annoying modern thriller trend of rat-a-tat sprays of two-page chapters.", "The world Stephenson builds is richly visual, its complicated social politics are convincingly detailed, and its cool and conflicted heroes struggle with thrilling intellectual puzzles while they are tested in epic physical adventures.", "The Cult Legend's Newest Book, Anathem, [Is] Destined to Be an Instant Sci-Fi Classic.", Intertwined the tale of an Internet startup with a Greatest Generation flashback, as if the author had foreseen both the Nasdaq bubble and Saving Private Ryan., "Sometimes when you're reading Neal Stepheson, he doesn't just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the < only one.", “Stephenson...Delivers a Sprawling Thriller That Shows Him in Complete Control of His Story.”, “Stephenson Somehow Makes His Crazy Setup Entirely Plausible and Tons of Fun.”, Even at a thousand pages, Reamde is sprightly enough to jump between 9 or 10 plot threads without getting tangled up in itself, and, refreshingly, it does so without employing the annoying modern thriller trend of rat-a-tat sprays of two-page chapters., “Stephenson’s REAMDE: perfectly executed, mammoth, ambitious technothriller...a triumph, all 980 pages of it.”, â[A] rip-roaring race through computer hacking and guns, China and North America, virtual reality and terrorism. â, “After a decade of novels set in 18th century Europe and in alternate universes, Neal Stephenson triumphantly returns as a bestselling author to contemporary America.”, A daring feat of speculative fiction.ANATHEM offers the reader a luscious arrangement of words, jokes, and speculations., " Reamde is an entertainment, an emormous, giddily complex one. There's no telling what Stephenson might be planning for his next novel, but now's the time to dive into a first-rate intellectual thriller without fear of being overwhelmed by its virtuosity.", “In less masterful hands, this pile-up of implausible coincidences, madcap romance, technological mayhem and nail-biting suspense might have been a train wreck, but Stephenson pulls it off. REAMDE has one of the most satisfyingly over-the-top endings of anything I’ve read in years. ”, âStephensonâs REAMDE: perfectly executed, mammoth, ambitious technothriller...a triumph, all 980 pages of it.â, “Sometimes when you’re reading Neal Stepheson, he doesn’t just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the one.”, A Magnificent Achievement., “Expertly Crafted and Often Gorgeously Written.”, âIntertwined the tale of an Internet startup with a Greatest Generation flashback, as if the author had foreseen both the Nasdaq bubble and Saving Private Ryan.â, "Sometimes when you're reading Neal Stephenson, he doesn't just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the < only one.", âElectrifying . . . hilarious...a picaresque novel about code making and code breaking, set both during World War II and during the present day.â, âBig, complex, and ambitious...Promises to be one of the most extravagant literary creations of the turn of the millennium--and beyond.â, Noir futurist Stephenson returns to cyberia with this fast-moving though sprawling techno-thriller...Who'll prevail? We don't know till the very end, thanks to Stephenson's knife-sharp skills as a storyteller. An intriguing yarn-most geeky, and full of statisfying mayhem., “Big, complex, and ambitious...Promises to be one of the most extravagant literary creations of the turn of the millennium--and beyond.”, “Noir futurist Stephenson returns to cyberia with this fast-moving though sprawling techno-thriller...Who’ll prevail? We don’t know till the very end, thanks to Stephenson’s knife-sharp skills as a storyteller. An intriguing yarn—most geeky, and full of statisfying mayhem.”, Neal Stephenson has guts, a killer story, and--for the first time since Cryptonomicon --a thriller I can thoroughly recommend to any reader....With REAMDE we have a very smart page-turner--a global chess game expertly played., "[Stephenson] Makes Reading So Much Fun It Feels like a Deadly Sin.", “Nobody Else Writes like Stephenson”, Stephenson displays his ingenuity when it comes to mixing science, sociology and satire with swashbuckling adventure. Anathem marries extensive scientific and philosophical dialogues to cliffhangers, hi-tech warfare and derring-do., "A tour-de-force of world building and high-concept speculation, wrapped around a page-turning plot.", Stephenson has a knack for making even the driest topics fascinating while rending the most complex subjects understandable. His attention to detail and relish for providing historical context provide the attentive reader with a liberal education, while his imagination and humor delight., â[REAMDE] is, without a doubt, one of the smartest, fastest-moving, and most consistently enjoyable novels of the year, a book with the rare distinction of being one this reviewer wishes he had written.â, "REAMDE combines meticulous observation of the stranger socioeconomic effects wrought by technology with rousing fusillades of adventure.", Sometimes when you're reading Neal Stepheson, he doesn't just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the < only one., “There’s an intellectual pill buried deep in Mr. Stephenson’s narrative candy, one powerful enough that he deserves to be classified as a major national and international resource.”, "Stephenson has a knack for making even the driest topics fascinating while rending the most complex subjects understandable. His attention to detail and relish for providing historical context provide the attentive reader with a liberal education, while his imagination and humor delight.", "A sprawling disquisition.[a] logophilic treat for those who like their alternate worlds big, parodic and ironic.", ÂNobody Else Writes like Stephensonâ, "Blending quantum physics, phenomenological philosophy and various other fun hobbies...Stephenson's enthusiasm to share his theories and explanations is infectious...think "The Name of the Rose" crossed with "Dune"...genuinely fascinating brain food.", ÂFascinating...Hysterical.Â, It's almost impossible to not be impressed by Anathem; there's simply too much erudition, wit, craft and risk-taking., “It’s hard to sum up a 1,000 page tome in a short review, so if you don’t feel like reading this rather long one, I’ll boil it down to three words: I loved it.”, "Stephenson''s REAMDE: perfectly executed, mammoth, ambitious technothriller...a triumph, all 980 pages of it." -- Cory Doctorow, boingboing.com "Noir futurist Stephenson returns to cyberia with this fast-moving though sprawling techno-thriller...Who''ll prevail? We don''t know till the very end, thanks to Stephenson''s knife-sharp skills as a storyteller. An intriguing yarn--most geeky, and full of statisfying mayhem." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on REAMDE "Stephenson...delivers a sprawling thriller that shows him in complete control of his story." -- Publishers Weekly on REAMDE "In less masterful hands, this pile-up of implausible coincidences, madcap romance, technological mayhem and nail-biting suspense might have been a train wreck, but Stephenson pulls it off. REAMDE has one of the most satisfyingly over-the-top endings of anything I''ve read in years. " -- Washington Post Book World "Nobody else writes like Stephenson" -- Press Association (England) on REAMDE "Neal Stephenson has guts, a killer story, and--for the first time since Cryptonomicon --a thriller I can thoroughly recommend to any reader....With REAMDE we have a very smart page-turner--a global chess game expertly played." -- Mental_Floss on REAMDE "REAMDE is...one big, carefully choreographed, jet-set square-dance of mayhem." -- Bloomberg News "Sometimes when you''re reading Neal Stephenson, he doesn''t just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the only one." -- Lev Grossman, Time magazine "There''s an intellectual pill buried deep in Mr. Stephenson''s narrative candy, one powerful enough that he deserves to be classified as a major national and international resource." -- Wall Street Journal on REAMDE "[Stephenson] makes reading so much fun it feels like a deadly sin." -- International Herald Tribune on REAMDE " Reamde is an entertainment, an enormous, giddily complex one. There''s no telling what Stephenson might be planning for his next novel, but now''s the time to dive into a first-rate intellectual thriller without fear of being overwhelmed by its virtuosity." -- San Francisco Chronicle on REAMDE "Expertly crafted and often gorgeously written." -- Boston Globe on REAMDE "Even at a thousand pages, Reamde is sprightly enough to jump between 9 or 10 plot threads without getting tangled up in itself....[A]n addicitve reading experience. You don''t so much read the book as tear whole hundred-page chunk out of it with your eyes." -- Stranger magazine on REAMDE "It''s hard to sum up a 1,000 page tome in a short review, so if you don''t feel like reading this rather long one, I''ll boil it down to three words: I loved it." -- Tor.com on REAMDE "After a decade of novels set in 18th century Europe and in alternate universes, Neal Stephenson triumphantly returns as a bestselling author to contemporary America." -- www.fantasyliterature.com "Stephenson, best-known for his genre-hopping novels, tackles tech-terrorism in Reamde." -- OakPark.Patch.com "A story that, despite its gargantuan heft, speeds along like a bullet train....The depth of the story, the attention to detail, the interlocking narratives and fine characterizations mark REAMDE as an immersive literary experience." -- Pittsburgh Tribune on REAMDE "REAMDE combines meticulous observation of the stranger socioeconomic effects wrought by technology with rousing fusillades of adventure." -- The Guardian on REAMDE "Stephenson somehow makes his crazy setup entirely plausible and tons of fun." -- Knoxville News-Sentinel on REAMDE "[REAMDE] is, without a doubt, one of the smartest, fastest-moving, and most consistently enjoyable novels of the year, a book with the rare distinction of being one this reviewer wishes he had written." -- Irish Examiner on REAMDE "[A] rip-roaring race through computer hacking and guns, China and North America, virtual reality and terrorism. " -- Sunday Times (London) on REAMDE, Â[Neal Stephenson] Has a Magnificent Gift.Â, Sometimes when you're reading Neal Stephenson, he doesn't just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the only one., “Stephenson has a once-in-a-generation gift: he makes complex ideas clear, and he makes them funny, heartbreaking and thrilling.”, “Intertwined the tale of an Internet startup with a Greatest Generation flashback, as if the author had foreseen both the Nasdaq bubble and Saving Private Ryan.”, Reamde is an entertainment, an enormous, giddily complex one. There's no telling what Stephenson might be planning for his next novel, but now's the time to dive into a first-rate intellectual thriller without fear of being overwhelmed by its virtuosity., âNoir futurist Stephenson returns to cyberia with this fast-moving though sprawling techno-thriller...Whoâll prevail? We donât know till the very end, thanks to Stephensonâs knife-sharp skills as a storyteller. An intriguing yarnâmost geeky, and full of statisfying mayhem.â, “Stephenson, Best-Known for His Genre-Hopping Novels, Tackles Tech-Terrorism in Reamde.”, Stephenson's REAMDE: perfectly executed, mammoth, ambitious technothriller...a triumph, all 980 pages of it., "Neal Stephenson has guts, a killer story, and--for the first time since Cryptonomicon --a thriller I can thoroughly recommend to any reader....With REAMDE we have a very smart page-turner--a global chess game expertly played.", Stephenson has a once-in-a-generation gift: he makes complex ideas clear, and he makes them funny, heartbreaking and thrilling., âEven at a thousand pages, Reamde is sprightly enough to jump between 9 or 10 plot threads without getting tangled up in itself.âŠ[A]n addicitve reading experience. You donât so much read the book as tear whole hundred-page chunk out of it with your eyes.â, "Stephenson, Best-Known for His Genre-Hopping Novels, Tackles Tech-Terrorism in Reamde.", Noir futurist Stephenson returns to cyberia with this fast-moving though sprawling techno-thriller...Who'll prevail? We don't know till the very end, thanks to Stephenson's knife-sharp skills as a storyteller. An intriguing yarn—most geeky, and full of statisfying mayhem., âAfter a decade of novels set in 18th century Europe and in alternate universes, Neal Stephenson triumphantly returns as a bestselling author to contemporary America.â, "It's almost impossible to not be impressed by Anathem; there's simply too much erudition, wit, craft and risk-taking.", â Reamde is an entertainment, an enormous, giddily complex one. Thereâs no telling what Stephenson might be planning for his next novel, but nowâs the time to dive into a first-rate intellectual thriller without fear of being overwhelmed by its virtuosity.â, "Nobody Else Writes like Stephenson", âA story that, despite its gargantuan heft, speeds along like a bullet train....The depth of the story, the attention to detail, the interlocking narratives and fine characterizations mark REAMDE as an immersive literary experience.â, A story that, despite its gargantuan heft, speeds along like a bullet train....The depth of the story, the attention to detail, the interlocking narratives and fine characterizations mark REAMDE as an immersive literary experience., Electrifying . . . hilarious...a picaresque novel about code making and code breaking, set both during World War II and during the present day., "Stephenson's expansive storytelling echoes Walter Miller's classic A Canticle for Leibowitz, the space operas of Larry Niven and the cultural meditations of Douglas Hofstadter - a heady mix of antecedents that makes for long stretches of dazzling entertainment.", ÂA Hell of a Read.Â, Big, complex, and ambitious...Promises to be one of the most extravagant literary creations of the turn of the millennium--and beyond., "Expertly Crafted and Often Gorgeously Written.", REAMDE combines meticulous observation of the stranger socioeconomic effects wrought by technology with rousing fusillades of adventure., "Stephenson displays his ingenuity when it comes to mixing science, sociology and satire with swashbuckling adventure. Anathem marries extensive scientific and philosophical dialogues to cliffhangers, hi-tech warfare and derring-do.", There's an intellectual pill buried deep in Mr. Stephenson's narrative candy, one powerful enough that he deserves to be classified as a major national and international resource., “Electrifying . . . hilarious...a picaresque novel about code making and code breaking, set both during World War II and during the present day.”, “ Reamde is an entertainment, an emormous, giddily complex one. There’s no telling what Stephenson might be planning for his next novel, but now’s the time to dive into a first-rate intellectual thriller without fear of being overwhelmed by its virtuosity.”, Neal Stephenson has guts, a killer story, and-for the first time since Cryptonomicon -a thriller I can thoroughly recommend to any reader....With REAMDE we have a very smart page-turner-a global chess game expertly played., “Even at a thousand pages, Reamde is sprightly enough to jump between 9 or 10 plot threads without getting tangled up in itself, and, refreshingly, it does so without employing the annoying modern thriller trend of rat-a-tat sprays of two-page chapters.”, âItâs hard to sum up a 1,000 page tome in a short review, so if you donât feel like reading this rather long one, Iâll boil it down to three words: I loved it.â, [A] rip-roaring race through computer hacking and guns, China and North America, virtual reality and terrorism., “[The] Homer of Geek Mythology.”, "Clever and Intricate...Truly Ingenious...It's Brilliance Is Undeniable.", “[REAMDE] is, without a doubt, one of the smartest, fastest-moving, and most consistently enjoyable novels of the year, a book with the rare distinction of being one this reviewer wishes he had written.”, "Neal Stephenson has guts, a killer story, andfor the first time since Cryptonomicon a thriller I can thoroughly recommend to any reader....With REAMDE we have a very smart page-turnera global chess game expertly played.", Stephenson's expansive storytelling echoes Walter Miller's classic A Canticle for Leibowitz, the space operas of Larry Niven and the cultural meditations of Douglas Hofstadter - a heady mix of antecedents that makes for long stretches of dazzling entertainment., Even at a thousand pages, Reamde is sprightly enough to jump between 9 or 10 plot threads without getting tangled up in itself.…[A]n addicitve reading experience. You don't so much read the book as tear whole hundred-page chunk out of it with your eyes., "Suddenly, Novels of Ideas Are Cool Again.", "Learned, witty, weirdly torqued, emotionally complex, politically astute, and often darkly comic.ANATHEM is an audacious work by a highly intelligent imagination, a delightfully learned text.", "Stephenson...Delivers a Sprawling Thriller That Shows Him in Complete Control of His Story.", "Reading Anathem ISA Humbling Experience.", "In Anathem, Stephenson Creates a Religion for Skeptics and Nerds.", "Big, complex, and ambitious...Promises to be one of the most extravagant literary creations of the turn of the millennium--and beyond.", ÂStephenson...Delivers a Sprawling Thriller That Shows Him in Complete Control of His Story.Â, “Rambling and Revelatory...[Stephenson Is] the Hacker Hemingway.”, "[REAMDE] is, without a doubt, one of the smartest, fastest-moving, and most consistently enjoyable novels of the year, a book with the rare distinction of being one this reviewer wishes he had written.", “[A] rip-roaring race through computer hacking and guns, China and North America, virtual reality and terrorism. ”, "Noir futurist Stephenson returns to cyberia with this fast-moving though sprawling techno-thriller...Who'll prevail? We don't know till the very end, thanks to Stephenson's knife-sharp skills as a storyteller. An intriguing yarnmost geeky, and full of statisfying mayhem.", "[A] rip-roaring race through computer hacking and guns, China and North America, virtual reality and terrorism. ", ÂAn Engrossing Look at the Way the Flow of Information Shapes History.Â, “A story that, despite its gargantuan heft, speeds along like a bullet train....The depth of the story, the attention to detail, the interlocking narratives and fine characterizations mark REAMDE as an immersive literary experience.”, "In less masterful hands, this pile-up of implausible coincidences, madcap romance, technological mayhem and nail-biting suspense might have been a train wreck, but Stephenson pulls it off. REAMDE has one of the most satisfyingly over-the-top endings of anything I've read in years. ", Anathem duly marries extensive dialogues on quantum mechanics and the nature of consciousness to literal cliffhangers, hi-tech warfare and derring-do., "Reamde Is...One Big, Carefully Choreographed, Jet-Set Square-Dance of Mayhem.", Anathem is a brilliant, playful tour of the terrain where logic, mathematics, philosophy and quantum physics intersect, a novel of ideas par excellence, melding wordplay and mathematical theory with a gripping, human adventure., “[Stephenson] Makes Reading So Much Fun It Feels like a Deadly Sin.”, "A masterpiece...mind-bogglingly ambitious...readers will delight in puzzling out the historical antecedents in philosophy, science, mathematics, and art that Stephenson riffs on with his customary quicklsilver genius...it's one of the most thought-provoking novels I've ever read, and also one of the most engaging.", "Stephenson's REAMDE: perfectly executed, mammoth, ambitious technothriller...a triumph, all 980 pages of it.", Anyone who has read Stephenson's Baroque Cycle will be familiar with his ingenuity when it comes to mixing science, sociology and satire with swashbuckling adventure, and ANATHEM duly marries extensive dialogues on quantum mechanics and the nature of consciousness to literal cliffhangers, high-tech warfare and general derring-do., [REAMDE] is, without a doubt, one of the smartest, fastest-moving, and most consistently enjoyable novels of the year, a book with the rare distinction of being one this reviewer wishes he had written., “Stephenson has a knack for making even the driest topics fascinating while rending the most complex subjects understandable. His attention to detail and relish for providing historical context provide the attentive reader with a liberal education, while his imagination and humor delight.”, "[R]Iveting Idea Porn.", In less masterful hands, this pile-up of implausible coincidences, madcap romance, technological mayhem and nail-biting suspense might have been a train wreck, but Stephenson pulls it off. REAMDE has one of the most satisfyingly over-the-top endings of anything I've read in years., "Electrifying . . . hilarious...a picaresque novel about code making and code breaking, set both during World War II and during the present day.", ÂRambling and Revelatory...[Stephenson Is] the Hacker Hemingway.Â, “REAMDE combines meticulous observation of the stranger socioeconomic effects wrought by technology with rousing fusillades of adventure.”, Noir futurist Stephenson returns to cyberia with this fast-moving though sprawling techno-thriller...Who'll prevail? We don't know till the very end, thanks to Stephenson's knife-sharp skills as a stopryteller. An intriguing yarn-most geeky, and full of staisfying mayhem., âIn less masterful hands, this pile-up of implausible coincidences, madcap romance, technological mayhem and nail-biting suspense might have been a train wreck, but Stephenson pulls it off. REAMDE has one of the most satisfyingly over-the-top endings of anything Iâve read in years. â, âStephenson has a knack for making even the driest topics fascinating while rending the most complex subjects understandable. His attention to detail and relish for providing historical context provide the attentive reader with a liberal education, while his imagination and humor delight.â, What ever happened to the great novel of ideas? It has morphed into science fiction, and Stephenson is its foremost practitioner. A-, A sprawling disquisition.[a] logophilic treat for those who like their alternate worlds big, parodic and ironic., A Tour-De-Force of World Building and High-Concept Speculation, Wrapped Around a Page-Turning Plot., “[Neal Stephenson] Has a Magnificent Gift.”, This is a book about science and philosophy which demands the full concentration of the reader -a worthwhile, smart, exciting read., The world Stephenson builds is richly visual, its complicated social politics are convincingly detailed, and its cool and conflicted heroes struggle with thrilling intellectual puzzles while they are tested in epic physical adventures., ' Reamde is an entertainment, an enormous, giddily complex one. There's no telling what Stephenson might be planning for his next novel, but now's the time to dive into a first-rate intellectual thriller without fear of being overwhelmed by its virtuosity.'(San Francisco Chronicle on REAMDE), “Sometimes when you’re reading Neal Stephenson, he doesn’t just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the one.”, "It's hard to sum up a 1,000 page tome in a short review, so if you don't feel like reading this rather long one, I'll boil it down to three words: I loved it.", "Stephenson has a once-in-a-generation gift: he makes complex ideas clear, and he makes them funny, heartbreaking and thrilling.", "A story that, despite its gargantuan heft, speeds along like a bullet train....The depth of the story, the attention to detail, the interlocking narratives and fine characterizations mark REAMDE as an immersive literary experience.", "Neal Stephenson has guts, a killer story, and-for the first time since Cryptonomicon -a thriller I can thoroughly recommend to any reader....With REAMDE we have a very smart page-turner-a global chess game expertly played.", â Reamde is an entertainment, an emormous, giddily complex one. Thereâs no telling what Stephenson might be planning for his next novel, but nowâs the time to dive into a first-rate intellectual thriller without fear of being overwhelmed by its virtuosity.â