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I know that there are some sci fi nuts here.
Some students recommended his books to me, especially the new one called Anathem, which looks like a play on the title of an Ayn Rand (ugh!) novel, but may well not be.
The reason is that Anathem is supposed to re-personify some of the philosophers I work on, and supposedly says some interesting things. I'm sceptical about this, since "philosophy" in novels tends to look like it has been cribbed from "Plato for Dummies" books. But Mr Stephenson has a pretty good reputation, so it appears he may be different.
Should I bother? Is he a good writer over and above his intellectual pretensions? If so, then it will be worth reading whatever the content (like HST or WSB).
For the record, I generally don't read contemporary novels. The last one I liked was a trash novel about some Classics students who go insane and kill people. I'm still trying to finish The Road, but a world full of ash seems to be rather boring.
Some students recommended his books to me, especially the new one called Anathem, which looks like a play on the title of an Ayn Rand (ugh!) novel, but may well not be.
The reason is that Anathem is supposed to re-personify some of the philosophers I work on, and supposedly says some interesting things. I'm sceptical about this, since "philosophy" in novels tends to look like it has been cribbed from "Plato for Dummies" books. But Mr Stephenson has a pretty good reputation, so it appears he may be different.
Should I bother? Is he a good writer over and above his intellectual pretensions? If so, then it will be worth reading whatever the content (like HST or WSB).
For the record, I generally don't read contemporary novels. The last one I liked was a trash novel about some Classics students who go insane and kill people. I'm still trying to finish The Road, but a world full of ash seems to be rather boring.
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