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Neal Stephenson's The Confusion Released

Posted by michael on from the use-potion-of-clarity-to-avoid-confusion dept.

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."

10 of 254 comments (clear)

  1. Confusion by Chuck+Bucket · · Score: 4, Funny

    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!
    1. Re:Confusion by Patrik_AKA_RedX · · Score: 4, Funny

      A review? It's a book: Something happens to main character, a lot of other stuff happens, some more things take place, main character defeats King koopa and saves the princess and the butler did it! And they lived happely ever after, except for the butler who went to jail for doing it (she was underaged).

  2. Opportunity for profit by product+byproduct · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

  3. trilogy and endings by svallarian · · Score: 4, Funny

    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."
  4. The problem with Stephenson is male-female dialog by Nakito · · Score: 4, Funny

    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?

  5. Re:Cryptonomicon, Quicksilver, & the downward by TwistedGreen · · Score: 4, Funny

    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.

  6. Re:Why I didn't like Cryptonomicon or Quicksilver by decapentaplegic · · Score: 5, Funny
    If Stephenson doesn't have a personal issue with "gay" people, fine, but he doesn't have to turn his books into an advertisement for homosexuality.
    Man, you said it. It's about time people writing so called "literature" quit wasting my time with junk like character development and multiple layers of contextual meaning. And authors who use so-called art to present their views of the world? What a yawner!

    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.
  7. Re:Cryptonomicon, Quicksilver by uradu · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, I got bored half-way through your second paragraph. Not enough character development.

  8. Re:The problem with Stephenson is male-female dial by Anonymous+Cow+herd · · Score: 5, Funny

    What about eliza made you feel supposed to be banter?

    --
    Ita erat quando hic adveni.
  9. Re:Why I didn't like Cryptonomicon or Quicksilver by Bullet-Dodger · · Score: 5, Funny

    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?