That's because Stephenson wrote a several thousand page monster of a manuscript, and the folks at HarperCollins had to cut it down to a marketable length. I read an 1100 page version of Volume 1 last fall. Like Cryptonomicon, it's got some great bits, fascinating characters, and some interesting digressions, but the overall structure of the story needed some editing to make it more coherent. I'm curious to see what the 'final' product is like this September.
Also add Greg Egan to your list. If you want a recap of recent "Hard SF" short fiction, read 'The Hard SF Renaisance' collection that was recently released. It addresses this issue while collecting many stories that keep the tradition going.
Amateur Rocketeers
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Ask Larry Niven
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· Score: 2, Interesting
What is your view of ametuer rocketry and the teams going for the X-Prize?
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There is lots of "geek-ness" involved, mostly about Newton, Leibniz, Cassini and Hooke, as they explored the cutting edge of science and technology.
And yes, it is a very long book.
That's because Stephenson wrote a several thousand page monster of a manuscript, and the folks at HarperCollins had to cut it down to a marketable length. I read an 1100 page version of Volume 1 last fall. Like Cryptonomicon, it's got some great bits, fascinating characters, and some interesting digressions, but the overall structure of the story needed some editing to make it more coherent. I'm curious to see what the 'final' product is like this September.
Also add Greg Egan to your list. If you want a recap of recent "Hard SF" short fiction, read 'The Hard SF Renaisance' collection that was recently released. It addresses this issue while collecting many stories that keep the tradition going.
What is your view of ametuer rocketry and the teams going for the X-Prize?