Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson

5 reviews

machen27's review

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Neil Stephenson describes a future nanotechnological society where our mastery of the atom has given us complete control over our built environment. No longer shackled to the physical world, people now associate by culture, choosing a phyle whose ideals fit your own. The story revolves around a wondrous invention, the eponymous Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, a technological wonder that can raise a child, and the people surrounding it. While the technology has not aged the way Stephenson predicts (we do not build a world out of atomic machinery as of yet), this often violent tale of clashing cultures is undeniably cyberpunk, and a fun read for it. Yet, for all of the depth it reaches for, I can't help but feel it is mostly a fun cyberpunk romp, rather than any deep commentary on culture or what makes a person. The plot happens to the main characters (
Nell and Hackworth
), and they seem to make very few meaningful choices. The handling of Chinese culture is also, frankly, dated and questionable even though the arc results in
Chinese independence from Western influence.
Still, I recommend it as a fun and creative read, though a guilty pleasure.
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kingcrookback's review against another edition

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Just could not engage. For something of a criticism of Orientalism, it sure does fall into the very same trap sometimes.
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ksorianotaylor's review

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adventurous challenging dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

idk i wanted to like this book. the world building is interesting, like the idea that a post-scarcity world wouldn’t necessarily be a utopian one. and nell, the main main character is “loveable” and it’s satisfying to watch her grow up and see her relationship with the primer.

but some of the ideas didn’t really come across to me like the “seed” vs the “feed”, like why are they different?
and the weird bioluminescent orgy supercomputer as a new technology
and the political conflict was a little confusing and maybe not necessary since its bubbling over seemed like a rushed afterthought at the end.

very very white savior-y and orientalist. like literally
an army of faceless “abandoned” chinese girls being led by a white girl?
the white characters are the only ones who get to have their inner lives explored and who get to be the “good guys”.
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drkshadow's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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merst_nob's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

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