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milansabic's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
teachinsci's review against another edition
5.0
Fun short story based on the premise of building a tower to space. All from the perspective of a commercial real estate agent.
Neal Stephenson is always at his best with hard sci-fi. The engineering and science in this story are all on poin (to the best of my knowledge).. I was left hoping that someone builds this tower exactly as described.
If you like engineering sci-fi, this idea a story for you.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this
Neal Stephenson is always at his best with hard sci-fi. The engineering and science in this story are all on poin (to the best of my knowledge).. I was left hoping that someone builds this tower exactly as described.
If you like engineering sci-fi, this idea a story for you.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this
bridge1617's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
asterix77's review against another edition
4.0
In this novella, Neal Stephenson truly embraces his signature style, delving into a plethora of technological concepts, all compacted within a mere 100 pages. I found myself thoroughly impressed, especially considering Stephenson's reputation for crafting weighty tomes like "Seveneves." Here, he weaves a visionary narrative, incorporating high-tech concepts and a handful of characters to fashion a compelling story.
What sets this novella apart from Stephenson's other works is its brevity; you can easily read it in just an hour and a half. It exceeded my expectations.
4 stars
What sets this novella apart from Stephenson's other works is its brevity; you can easily read it in just an hour and a half. It exceeded my expectations.
4 stars
mschlat's review against another edition
3.0
A tasty little apéritif with a focus on a huge engineering project (a future twenty-kilometer-high Tower of Babel). It's not so much a story as a means for Stephenson to describe how such a thing could be built and reminded me strongly of similar passages in [b:Anathem|2845024|Anathem|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488349209l/2845024._SX50_.jpg|6163095] (inspired by the Clock of the Long Now) and some of the technology in the latter part of [b:Seveneves|22816087|Seveneves|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449142000l/22816087._SY75_.jpg|42299347]. It's by no means a necessary read, but it is short and enjoyable.
sch91086's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first experience with Neal Stephenson. At a mere 104 pages, it was much less intimidating than some of his other very lengthy novels. The premise is very simple: eccentric billionaire wants to build tower twenty miles high. It moves at a meandering pace, going over everything from the tower proposal to purchasing the real estate to the actual engineering of the tower and the various obstacles they must face.
But the science behind building something so completely impossible was fascinating, and I didn’t mind the slower pace here. It’s obvious that Stephenson does his research and is very thorough about it. It’s incredibly imaginative and immersive. Little ideas kept popping up here and there like helipads and base jumping and they each put a smile on my face.
The characters were great. I adored Carl, which is truly impressive given that we never really meet him, and I liked Emma a lot too. Within the first few pages it occurred to me that she was someone I could have easily been friends with in real life, which I know sounds strange, but it isn’t a thought that occurs to me about fictional characters often.
It all culminates in one explosive ending which I won’t spoil. I very much enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick break from their usual fare. Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the ARC to review.
But the science behind building something so completely impossible was fascinating, and I didn’t mind the slower pace here. It’s obvious that Stephenson does his research and is very thorough about it. It’s incredibly imaginative and immersive. Little ideas kept popping up here and there like helipads and base jumping and they each put a smile on my face.
The characters were great. I adored Carl, which is truly impressive given that we never really meet him, and I liked Emma a lot too. Within the first few pages it occurred to me that she was someone I could have easily been friends with in real life, which I know sounds strange, but it isn’t a thought that occurs to me about fictional characters often.
It all culminates in one explosive ending which I won’t spoil. I very much enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick break from their usual fare. Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the ARC to review.
valtimke's review against another edition
4.0
This was truly a dense text, and if you're not up for reading pages upon pages of structural design descriptions, this may not be for you.
My experience with this tottered somewhere between enjoyable and relieved it was short. It wasn't that there was too much description but I didn't really connect to the description until the latter parts about the weather and "sprites."
I see some people saying they were glad it was short and in some way, I am glad it was too. It worked as a novella. There was just enough character and dialogue in it to make it work. However, I do think there could have been more scenes demonstrating how the tower affected the lives of those who had built it. We didn't really get a whole lot between the lengthy structural descriptions.
I loved the "into the unknown" aspect to this. It was really well done (and also my first Stephenson though I do own Seveneves.) In the end, for the length it was, I think it was worth the time.
**I did receive this as a Netgalley ARC from the publisher. This is my honest review.
My experience with this tottered somewhere between enjoyable and relieved it was short. It wasn't that there was too much description but I didn't really connect to the description until the latter parts about the weather and "sprites."
I see some people saying they were glad it was short and in some way, I am glad it was too. It worked as a novella. There was just enough character and dialogue in it to make it work. However, I do think there could have been more scenes demonstrating how the tower affected the lives of those who had built it. We didn't really get a whole lot between the lengthy structural descriptions.
I loved the "into the unknown" aspect to this. It was really well done (and also my first Stephenson though I do own Seveneves.) In the end, for the length it was, I think it was worth the time.
**I did receive this as a Netgalley ARC from the publisher. This is my honest review.
mozartbenedict's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved concept of the tall tower described here as well as the technical details about the tower and the potential problems if it were to become a reality. From a fictional point of view, a huge round of applause for the concept of 20 km long tower and also addressing the potential concepts to counter the issues. Now, though the story embedded within the concept was okay, the ending was not that satisfactory for me. To be honest, the ending felt abrupt but it really deserved a proper ending. In a nutshell, it was short indeed. That's the only issue I have with it.
This was my first Neal Stephenson story and I really loved the writing with technical detailing. I'm really looking forward to his novels especially, Anathem, Seveneves and Baroque cycle. ^_^
This was my first Neal Stephenson story and I really loved the writing with technical detailing. I'm really looking forward to his novels especially, Anathem, Seveneves and Baroque cycle. ^_^
casualblasphemy's review
4.0
An intriguing novella/thought experiment about a hyper-tall structure. Nail 30 of these together and you’ve got one of his full-bore novels.