Reviews

The libertarian myth of the Single Hero Saves The Day was fun in [b:Snow Crash|40651883|Snow Crash|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589842551l/40651883._SX50_.jpg|493634], but that story also explored the concepts of language & it's impact on the brain, copyright, how companies protect their IP, and a post-democratic capitalist state.

[b:Cryptonomicon|816|Cryptonomicon (Crypto, #1)|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327931476l/816._SY75_.jpg|1166797] arguably also had the SHSTD, but there was a group of them, and the book also explored some interesting concepts, and had some cool insights into WW2 code-breaking.

[b:Seveneves|22816087|Seveneves|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449142000l/22816087._SY75_.jpg|42299347] has the least SHSTD, though it does start to do the "let's use the cool tech I've been reading about in my story, but not really explain it or talk about it's impact on society" thing. Chains & cool space shit was there to help the characters out, and there was the classic chapter explaining the tech in a very helpful way. The real sci-fi "what would society be like if...?" was

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the Moon exploding, not any big tech breakthrough or societal progress.

That "look at this cool tech" really takes over [b:Reamde|10552338|Reamde (Crypto, #2)|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1305993115l/10552338._SY75_.jpg|15458989], and now Transition Shock to an even greater degree. These books are basically no longer Science Fiction, they're action-hero stories with some "cool new tech" as a plot point. Rufus is yet another reskin of the SHSTD. The closest we get to actually exploring a concept & it's impact on society is the Comanche culture stuff, but that should have been way more central to the story if it was the central concept to explore. Showing how those who are Comanche survive, while those who aren't, don't. Or how Comanche-minded people or cultures have particular strengths or weaknesses. Literally anything more than "here's something I've been thinking about... anyway, off to go hide in a cave & not engage with that idea at all."

The tech is the triggering event, but there's no exploration of what that actually means in the world! The

Spoiler

Biggest Gun in the World

is explored from an engineering perspective, but replace it with cobalt mines, and this story would be the exact same in a contemporary setting.
The drones are just a tool being used by the Heros & Villains, the world isn't really changed in any significant way by them. Rufus doesn't even

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use drones in the climactic scene!

that was his whole shtick, but the final message came out as an anti-tech "don't depend on tech, it'll let you down. Animals are more reliable" I guess?

This story could have been told the exact same, using a cobalt mine or human rights in TX instead of

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a big sulfur gun

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Big Fish's brain attack & tech upgrades

were a "neat thing", but they had literally no impact on the story or the outcome..
The Netherlands is there in an audience capacity only. Saskia intentionally does nothing through the whole story. I really thought something would happen with

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Netherworld, even if just "these countries have made a dedicated body distinct from the UN to manage their shared interest in sea level"

, but literally nothing was done with it. Willem was a great character, but had no agency. He didn't even bemoan his lack of agency, just noted that his dad would want him to do more.
There was no real Lesson Learned about geoengineering or the politics of Netherworld. The queen's impotence was raised, but there was no consideration of a monarchical single-point-of-responsibility is better to handle the threats of our age. No discussion of whether billionaires taking on world-changing projects as a side hobby is Good or Bad. A lot of neat ideas were laid out on the table, then just ignored in favor of following the Stephenson Action Story Framework.

To me, "science fiction" means exploring the impact of a technology or other big change on the world. It's "what happens if we settle on Mars?" and "In a world where the internet's balkanization of culture is taken to the Nth degree, how to people live, and make a living?"

In [b:The Ministry for the Future|50998056|The Ministry for the Future|Kim Stanley Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1668935201l/50998056._SY75_.jpg|75844661], KSR

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uses cryptocoin to make Carbon Coins happen, which is an idea people are talking about now

. The story then looked at how that would impact the global economy, imagining how people's, corporations, and country's behaviours would change in response to changing incentives. There were a number of ideas that were explored that way, from

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assassinating oil executives to blowing up all the jet planes in a day,

there was always a consideration of "how does society respond to this?", they weren't just used as mcguffins to solve a hero's problem and move the story forward.

All in all, it's a fun story, and I did enjoy reading it. I'm just disappointed that Stephenson seems to have given up on really speculating about the future, and is instead writing Yet Another action story where a single hero who knows about this Cool New Thing is able to save the world.
It feels like Stephenson is either too much of a libertarian at heart to move away from the SHSTD, and didn't want to engage with any of the bigger questions because they can't be solved that way, or didn't want to take any true political stance about any of the ideas he raised for fear of upsetting some portion of his audience. A let down compared to his past works & what I've come to expect from him.

alayna017's review against another edition

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2.0

Such a long book to tell an “eh” story. I just got bogged down in all the details and storylines. They come together at the end, but it was such a long drudge to get there. Not the best book to start the year, but at least it’s over!

raijhu's review against another edition

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adventurous informative reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

brandongryder's review against another edition

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5.0

Neal Stephenson knows how to stop climate change and you will too if you read this book. As with all of his books, I stop multiple times on each page to research interesting tidbits. That is the mark of good fiction

mathematicalcoffee's review against another edition

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3.0

Really interesting premise and cool world building eerily imaginable as a near-future earth but the plot never really got underway. The characters felt like they were drifting through life with stuff happening to the but not doing much to affect it (sometimes ok with more introspective/insights/character development book but this was not that)

yvettekeller's review against another edition

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informative reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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