MrHenko
MrHenko

The reading continues. After finishing Life 3.0 I resumed my listening of Neal Stephenson’s Fall; or Dodge in Hell. This one is a wild ride. Such an interesting premise and great start, then kind of slow for while and know (Prim’s journey) it’s great again.

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Cheri
Cheri

@MrHenko I love the way he writes, but his books are too chewy for me.

I did love Anathem even though it took me four tries to finish!

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kirschen
kirschen

@MrHenko my first listen on Audible was "Snow Crash" - lengthy but very enjoyable @cheri

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In reply to
MrHenko
MrHenko

@Cheri “Fall” is only the second Stephenson book I’ve read, but I’ve gathered that brevity isn’t exactly his thing. But I do like both “Fall” and “Snow Crash” a lot.

Have you read “Fall”? I seem to recall you posting a photo from Moab a few weeks ago, and that place quite a big roll in the first part of the book.

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MrHenko
MrHenko

@kirschen “Snow Crash” was the first Stephenson novel that I read, and the only one prior to “Fall”, and I really, really liked it. One of my favorite sci fi novels!

Have you read/listened to any other Stephenson novels? Any recommendations for me?

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jack
jack

@MrHenko I loved the first 300 pages of Fall, but stopped at about 500. The further they got into "bitworld" the less interesting it was to me. I liked "Seveneves". It's especially great if you're interested in orbital mechanics as a main character. (My goodness he can drone on about stuff). Also enjoyed "Reamde" and "Anathem". Didn't finish "D.O.D.O".

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Cheri
Cheri

@MrHenko I have a copy of Snow Crash that I’m nibbling at. But I saw how thick Fall was and my internal reaction was: Ha ha ha nooooooo. 😂

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MrHenko
MrHenko

@jack I don't have my physical copy of "Fall" at hand, but the page numbers probably corresponds well to my impression of it. You should have pressed on because it did get a lot better again once the time of Adam and Eve had passed. The ending was genuinely good, something it seems based on other reviews isn't Stephenson's strength.

And yeah, he does drone on, and on, and on. I think "Fall" would have been just as good, probably even better, if condensed to half och 2/3 the length.

"Seveneves" is the next audio book in my queue, but I think I need something shorter before embarking on another 30+ hour journey.

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MrHenko
MrHenko

@Cheri I've just now finished "Fall" and while in the end I liked it a lot I think it would have been just as good, probably better, if it had been edited down to half och 2/3 the length.

Keep nibbling at "Snow Crash", it's a really good one.

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kirschen
kirschen

@MrHenko I've listened to "Cryptonomicon" - it's an amazing tale interwoven amongst several generations, with all the threads falling in place at the end. I remember telling myself "so that's how it's all connected"! Quite a long listen but worth it

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MrHenko
MrHenko

@kirschen I'll add that one to my list of books I might listen to. I see a possible Neal Stephenson binge coming up. :)

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