Thanks to Brianeisley, I was able to read Neal Stephenson’s Anathem well before it hit shelves. (That was a perverse pleasure for a bibliophile like me, I can tell you that much.) I offered to review it for the Martlet, and after much agonizing and nail-biting I got it in under deadline. It’s finally made its print and electronic appearance, and you can read it here.
The ending of the book is quite a different kettle of fish than the beginning, and I found it difficult to overview this shift without giving too much away – so I only alluded to it. I find my own review ultimately unsatisfactory because I had to omit so much and couldn’t go in-depth with commentary without spoiling huge portions of it for possible readers. I feel like I barely scratched the surface, and perchance did not do Mr. Stephenson justice – even though I call him a polymath.
As a more personal note, I really quite like the politics of the Geometers, and the whole premise of their journey. Jules Verne D. is growing on me quite a bit…I’ve still got a small mouthful of pages to digest until I’m 100% done. I’m not sure how I feel about Ala, or her involvement with Raz. The “romantic” subplot feels kind of unconvincing to me. For sheer emotional enjoyment, Quicksilver is still my #1 Stephenson pick. Despite that, on the whole the book has been an enjoyable, thought-provoking read overall.
