Books: The Confusion by Neal Stephenson

[woodwardiocom]

-A great big galumphing Moby Dick of a novel, forming the middle of an even greater galumphing trilogy. Once I got started, it kept me quite adequately engrossed for all 800+ pages. It's hard to find a novel that can make the debt structure of the French royalty in the late 1600s fascinating, but somehow Stephenson pulls it off. Not to everyone's tastes, but highly recommended to those with tastes like mine.

Comments

[whswhs.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed it a lot, but enjoyed The System of the World even more. On the other hand, the presentation of international currency transactions in the form of a masque was a tour de force if I ever saw one.

The System of the World got onto the final ballot for last year's Prometheus Award, helped I think by some sustained lobbying on my part (I'm on the judging committee that picks the finalists)—and won, which I credit entirely to the novel's visible merits. The award is for "best libertarian science fiction novel," for which it qualifies by virtue of neither category being defined stringently: it does have fantastic elements (one volume of the trilogy has the resurrection of Isaac Newton from death) and it's about the historical sources of several things that libertarians admire, including separation of church and state, limited government, free market economics, hard currency, and the abolition of slavery—broadly it's a pro-Whig novel, which gives me considerable pleasure after exposure to a few too many romantic treatments of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the cause of the reactionary Stuarts.

[anselm23.livejournal.com]

I have to agree. It's a brilliant book. Sadly, I can't find anyone else who's willing to commit to reading all three books.

Yet.

[sleepyworm.livejournal.com]

I may not enjoy a book like that, but I have a taste for your icon, though!

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

-The Myst series is its own special kind of book porn.

[chadu.livejournal.com]

It's right here, Ray.

It's... looking at me.

(Waiting on the shelf for when I can afford to pick it up and get lost.)


CU