The Diamond Age : Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer

Rating:
Summary: It's Not About Nanotech!!!!!!!!
Review: Tiresome fans of "hard" science fiction and their insulting comments about fantasy fiction and this brilliant novel to the contrary, _The Diamond Age_ is not about nanotech. Repeat, it is not about nanotech! Although the world of the novel is indeed soaked in nanotechnological systems, the real subject of the novel, as in all good speculative fiction, is human culture. And here Stephenson succeeds brilliantly in depicting a new and fascinating structure for a post-state-level human society, a possible extrapolation of contemporary trends, with rootless urban trash (and their more sophisticated equivalents--much like today's mercenary yuppies--in such loose associations as the "Reformed Distributed Republic") contrasted with stable cultures such as the neo-Victorians and the craftsfolk of Dovetail. Frankly, I can see the roots of something like this in Chicago today--it's one of the reasons I hate the city and look forward to leaving. Stephenson is unquestionably one of the best writing today and I look forward to his next work.

Rating:
Summary: Starts strong, ends stupid and misanthropic
Review: I was drawn into this book in the beginning by the well-drawn characters and humor, and then it seemed like the author hit deadline or something and went for the cheap sexual wrap-up. The second half of the book was a real disappointment - and it made my husband more sick than myself. Avoid it.

Rating:
Summary: slow moving disapoinment
Review: I put this book down after about 50 pages and did not pick it up again. After reading the triumphant "Snowcrash" I had high hopes for this next novel, only to feel robbed of the money I spent on it. Slow moving with poor character development, I didn't care what happened to anyone in the story, nor did I want to find out what happened in the end, much less the very next paragraph. All of the parts I read, reminded me of the boring bits of "Snowcrash" without the prospect of excitment or gripping story telling. I can't even recommend buying this book used, if you must read it, then borrow and assure your friend, that it will be returned, and the last pages will still never have been read.

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Summary: ...and this is called science fiction? How depressing...
Review: If this were "fantasy" it would be forgivable. Flat characters, big logical flaws, and the most pretentious (and superficial) treatment of nanotech I've ever read. Big waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: Giga-thoughts about Nano-technology.
Review: Adventures in the 22nd century after the perfection of nanotechnology. Diamond Age offers wonderful visions of a science that is out of most people's dreams. The story is Stephenson's normal/bizarre cast of characters, but fun. However the ideas powered by nano-science stay with the reader. Liberally seasoned with utterly absurd words, which upon further research, can be found lurking in your home dictionary! You can't go wrong recommending this to friends.

Rating:
Summary: Great ideas, but not the greatest book...
Review: The ideas and technology in this book are fascinating. The characters are, for the most part, engaging. I found myself enjoying parts of the novel greatly. But the way characters seemed to just drift out of importance was frustrating. When I finished reading, I nearly threw the book across the room. It seems that he wanted the book to be under 400 pages, so when he reached the bottom of page 399, he just stopped writing. I ended up feeling like he didn't care about the story or the characters. I really enjoyed the ideas presented, but the author's cavalier attitude towards storytelling left a bad taste in my mouth.

Rating:
Summary: A great book--I'm now a Stephenson fan!
Review: I never read much cyberpunk before reading "The Diamond Age"; for this reason, I was somewhat leery of picking up this book, despite its many great recommendations. What a great surprise! I was really impressed by Mr. Stephenson's ability to create the world of China and Atlantis-Shanghai. The many storylines - Hackworth's search for the alchemist, Nell's growth and experiences with the primer, Miranda and Carl Hollywood, Judge Fang and Dr. X - were all engrossing. The only problem I noticed was that the story got a bit weak toward the end. Despite that, this book has turned me into a Neal Stephenson fan. I've since read all of his other books and am anxiously awaiting the next.

Rating:
Summary: When will Stephenson write more?
Review: The Diamond Age is a more sophisticated, more challenging and more rewarding book than Snow Crash (which was a fantastic first novel). Stephenson is an enormous talent - anyone desperate for more from him while we await his next book should read the 10,000-word travelogue he wrote in the December 1996 issue of Wired. It is as different from his novels as they are from each other, but a joy to read nonetheless. Anyone with no interest in technology will hate it.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty dang good
Review: This is a really good cyberpunk novel, set in the near future (but not incredibly near). I'm still reading _Snow Crash_, so I won't even attempt to compare the two as so many others have done. Stephenson has a firm view of the future, and has done an excellent and thorough job of thinking out the implications of nanotechnology. He's also got some interesting and at times subtle things to say about where we are headed as a civilization in regard to education, fragmentation, entertainment, and a hundred other areas. You won't agree with everything he thinks -- but you'll find yourself at least rethinking your ideas, in addition to just having a good time being completely immersed in a world strikingly similar, and yet substantially different, from our own.

Rating:
Summary: The Diamond Age
Review: While Snow Crash, Stephenson's previous book, was based around virtual reality, The Diamond Age is based around nanotechnology and how society would change as nanotech became more and more widely available. This book shows that besides being an engaging and humourous cyberpunk writer, Stephenson is also an excellent Victorian novelist.

The only real problem I have with this book is that it fell apart slightly towards the end, as did Snow Crash.