Rating: 
Summary: Compelling read, poor ending
Review: An inventive potential future. Stephenson takes the idea of nanotechnology and extrapolates a variety of ramifications. He also has an interesting critique of society, his thesis being that today's western technological culture is socially similar to the Regency and Georgian culture in Britain; this leads to neo-Victorians in the novel just as Victorian England was (he asserts) a backlash against the (im)morality of the decades before Victoria came the the throne. The book makes compelling reading and drew me along verynicely indeed. The explanations of the technological background fit reasonably well into the narrative. Some of his flights of nanotechnological fancy are probably a bit too fanciful to be actually achievable, but that doesn't detract from a good story. In the end the biggest problem with the book is that it doesn't end in anything like a satisfying way. Far too many things are left hanging. Too much is left at stake.
In summary: yes!, buy this book, but don't besurprised if the end leaves you wondering: "but what about..."
Rating:
Summary: Well-written but dangerously flawed in its premise!
Review: Stephenson is an excellent writer with a good understanding of the scientific subject matter, but he buys into Penrose's anti-AI rhetoric, turning this book into a subtle polemic against the logical possibility of strong AI. I could only recommend this book if it is taken concurently with an antidote to its philosophical poison. One such antidote is Daniel C. Dennett's very clear and readable _Consciousness Explained_. Bottom line: read this book as fantasy, not science.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book- A new archetype is created
Review: I don't even consider myself to be a fan of sceince fiction but one of my friends said that I'd really like this book and he was right on. It's is only supposed to be set about 50 years in the future. What I really like about it is that it shows how Nanotech. is going to effect our society. The character of Nell was really a revelation. She learned to how to adapt to all sorts of adversity and she thrived. This guy really harpoons the nuclear family as a social unit. The ideal of philes is cool. But having an electronic mother to connect you to the universe is even cooler. I hope that future is exactly as good as Stephenson's vision of it in this book is.
Rating: 
Summary: Great first half, poor finish.
Review: Like _Snow Crash_, _The Diamond Age_ is populated with wonderful characters, some of whom we have the privilege to see growing up. But the book loses something once the characters have grown up, as though the training they are given in order to be smoothly assimilated into the elite of society requires instead that they somehow dominate--even subjugate--that group. The concept at the core of the book--the Primer--is a bit reminiscent of Ender's desk in Orson Scott Card's seminal _Ender's Game_, but is handled in a fairly original way.
Though I was completely enthralled its first half, this book--much like Gibson and Sterling's _The Difference Engine_--fails to capitalize on its finest ideas.
Rating:
Summary: A beautifully written masterpiece of science fiction.
Review: This was not an easy read for me. At times I did not know what was happening or "where I was". But then, just when confusion was turning to frustration, the author would provide explanations. This happened several times through out the book and I found my self saying out loud and often, " oh - so that's what's going on." The fact that The Diamond Age was not easy to read did not in any way take away from the pleasure of reading it. The author, at times, is just so very descriptive that it feels as though your brain needs to fight to keep up with all the details to allow even a momentary glimpse of what the author intends for you to see. But then, what a fantastic vision he presents. If you want a light book that you can breeze through in a few hours, this is not for you. If you want a book that you will remember for years to come, read The Diamond Age.
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME !! Beginning sort of slow, then it gets REAL good !
Review: I just have to say to anyone who hasn't read this yet that it is GREAT !
Buy it NOW ! Read it NOW !
To the reviewer that gave it a 3 and said
"Nano What ?"
You really missed out on a great book by not continuing to read the book ... it gets REALLY interesting. Come to think of it, what are you doing reviewing a book when you haven't read the whole thing ?
Anyway, This is a wonderful book, I would recommend it to anybody. The beginning is a bit slow, but once you get into it you'll love it.
Rating:
Summary: Nano what?
Review: I have heard good things about Stephenson so I decided to give this book a chance. For only the second time in my life I was unable to finish the book. The characters were utterly uncompelling. His ideas about the future are half-baked. They go against not only common sense but the socio-economic trends of the past few centuries. Also his treatment of nanotech was so superficial and poorly done that it made me laugh out loud. Maybe his other books are great, but this one sure isn't.
Rating:
Summary: THE FINEST nanotechnology novel EVER, but the ending STINKS
Review: After reading the book and the reviews on this page, I must say 2 things. To anyone considering the purchase of this book, RUN, RUN, RUN ! to your bookstore and purchase this jewel of speculative fiction. If you seek cyberpunk excitement, look elsewhere. However, if you are looking for the finest, clearest, razor honed diamond vision of the future of nanotechnology, this is THE book to read. Lucid characters, plot, and just plain perfect writing all contribute to make this the science fiction novel of the year, if not the decade.
The second thing I must say about this book is that the ending SUCKS. Mr. Stephenson, if you have the opportunity to read this review, please take these words to heart. If you wrote the ending of this book as a prelude to a sequel, you did a poor job of it. If, on the otherhand, you are not planning a sequel, then your ending was absolutely idiotic. None of the perfectly woven threads of the story were resolved, and the shoddy construction of the last 20 pages is obviously hurried with no regard to the outcome. If you choose to write another novel, please don't be in such a rush to publish that you abandon your fine work, it is as if a master craftsman of the ming dynasty has crafted the finest of vases then glazed it with Krylon.
Overall, I would recommend this above every other book written in the last 10 years, even over such classics as Greg Bear's Blood Music and William Gibson's Neuromancer. Please keep up the good work, Mr. Stephenson, but please learn how to write good endings for your stories.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic in the sense that technology hurts more than helps
Review: I program for a living, and so I found the engineer character to be quite real. He was deluded by the false hopes brought on by the hype of mastering technology. The hope of station and wealth, which are really never secure and are controlled by people who are in fact far removed from him.
In Diamond Age, the practitioners of technology usually do not wield the most power or the most money, they are kind of like domestic dogs. Good for certain tasks and better off than the animals the master hunts, destroys, or eats, but still caught in the jaws of greater powers.
All the while, the techies feed a rift of greater division of class and money. It smacks of an echo of the Industrial Revolution and the subsequent reduction of quality vs. quantity (i.e. we can all afford living room sets, but only the most elite can afford tables made of single plank wood, real persian rugs etc.). So again in Diamond Age, the few keep the good stuff while growing in wealth cranking out the crap.
If one is aware, they'll see a similar noose around their own neck during the rise of the Information Age now. Some other kind of deal has been cut, and now another large swath of humanity will get more of less.
So, Diamond Age shows this happening again with the twist of combining mechanical engineers (Industrial Revolution house dogs) and programmers (Information Age house dogs) into the nano-tech engineers of the future. And once again an orthodoxy of British origins starts it off.
So the book kind of rips off history, but that's cool because you can think about it from a more detached perspective, but it has and is all happening now.
The book gets better than the first few pages about some skull-gun crap would lead you to believe. Also, it actually has a focus on the lives of people. This is including a little girl who overcomes a lot of abuse. By sharing her life with us, the book takes on a real human edge, I'd even say technology is not showcased here but acts as props and motivations for characters. In this way it replaces the objects of nature that motivated characters in stories from an earlier time in human histroy.
Most of all, Diamond Age made me stop and think some more about what I am doing to/for people in my line of work
Rating:
Summary: Dif. from Snow Crash but Good
Review: Mainly this book is about a girls journey through life with the help of a Primer a little action but mainly this was a people story it was okay but not a fav if you like emotion read it if you like action dont thats the best advice i can give yo
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