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Neal Stephenson's The Confusion Released
Jon Lasser writes "Neal Stephenson's 'The Confusion', second volume of his Baroque Cycle is released today. I received an advance copy and have a book review up here. The hypertext site for the trilogy is here. The short review: if you liked 'Quicksilver', this one is better; if you didn't, don't bother."
I'm confused, usually there's some long review of a book, followed by the FP! and GNAA posts, along with the 'cheaper at Amazon' links. This thread is different, at least for the time being.
CVsb
free ipod and free gmail!
Easy way to make cash if you're Cowboy Neal:
- Write a book titled "Stephenson".
- The book cover should say in big letters:
Cowboy
Neal
Stephenson
- Cash in on people who think this is "Cowboy" from Neal Stephenson.
Well, i guess since it's a trilogy, this will actually give stephenson an excuse for a book to not have an ending.
Steven V.
I patented screwing your mom. But it got revoked for "prior art."
Stephenson makes great use of speculative history. He postulates some great "what if" scenarios arising from past events and uses them to weave an alternative present. He always succeeds in grabbing my attention. And then -- and then his male protagonist tries to talk to a woman. And that is where his novels fall apart. His dialog does not ring true. Every conversation sounds contrived. I think it's supposed to be banter, but it's just stilted. Is it any wonder he chose the name "Eliza" for the female protagonist in Quicksilver?
The Confusion is out ? Well, then, Hail Eris ! Or something...
Maybe we deserve this world ?
If you "got through" Cryptonomicon, didn't finish Quicksilver, and then bought "three Pratchetts"
You might also like:
Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stoner
The Sword of Shanarra
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Well ok sorry but you get the idea.
I frequently felt like the author was writing just to "hear himself type."
Actually, Quicksilver was written with a pen and paper.
Maybe it's an ink company conspiracy.
Antique Dealer: I'd say don't fix it unless it's baroque.
kind of drawn out, mediocre, masturbatory adjective-slinging, twaddle that my teachers were so fond of.
Please tell me you're being ironical here...
Call me old fashioned, but I like a dump to be as memorable as it is devastating - Bender
And I totally agree on how his books overdo the sexuality politics. I mean do you know how much effort was wasted pushing the heterosexual agenda in Cryptonomicon? Page after page of "Randy" getting worked up over some chick in a wetsuit. And that WAY too descriptive het-sex in the car scene. Imperial Pint?!? YUCK! Too much information!
I sure as hell don't want to have to think too hard about why they do stuff. Just hurry up and get to the good parts where they wire routers and blow stuff up.
Well, I got bored half-way through your second paragraph. Not enough character development.
What about eliza made you feel supposed to be banter?
Ita erat quando hic adveni.
I've read both of these books and (nominally) enjoyed them as far as the story was concerned, but on the whole, both of them left a bad taste in my mouth because of Stephenson's inability to tell a story without injecting his own political viewpoint into it. Take for example heterosexuality. Both books feature sympathetic and heroic characters (Jack Shaftoe and Bobby Shaftoe) that are heterosexuals. However, their heterosexuality has nothing to do with the story. Why mention it at all? I mean, Bobby sleeps with two different women in the book! Stephenson is obviously hitting out over the head with his pro-heterosexual agenda. Why can't we just have good old fashion books about upstanding Christians of undisclosed sexuality?
Heh, pinko leftist Euro liberal homo here. I have to admit Cryptonomicom made me FURIOUS. :-)
We have ONE smart Japanese guy. When confronted with Christianity he immediately converts and moves to America.
Somewhere in the book the hero meets his girl where she is at a cafe (I think) with her friends and some famous liberal arts guy from the university someone I get the feeling is a thinly disguised real person. Our hero reveals the sloppy thinking of this evil liberal person and completely demolishes him with a few choice phrases. I'm surprised the Stephenson alter ego didn't kick his ass and sent him crying home to mommy while he was at it. Can you say strawman?
We have the scene where a Chinese person in a business negotiation has a twinkle of irony in his eye despite trying to play hardball, because he was once an exchange student to California and "once exposed to the virus of irony you can't completely be rid of it". Yes Virginia, only USians have a sense of humor. They invented it you know!
The whole worshipful attitude of the military and the perfect masculine marine... Stephenson is practically on his knees drooling in front of Shaftoe.
These are just the things I remember off the top of my head. The whole book was full of these little digs. Going back and reading the books by him that I like (Zodiac, Snow Crash, Diamond Age), you can see the beginning of this attitude. The veiled contempt he has towards the average environmentalist ("checking the wires on the car would be like black magic to these people"). How incredibly one dimensional all female characters are in his books and how unconvincing the relationships.
He is turning more and more conservative with every book. People worrying about the pro-gay content in the books shouldn't be concerned, he probably won't bother keeping up this pretence of tolerance long either.
Dear lord, I've been modded up for mistakenly repeating something from the post. Well, as long I have this chance I'd like a pony too. I'll name her princess and I'll ride her every day!