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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Probably closer to a 3.5 but I'm rounding it down just because it really didn't need to be this long. It was fun but some of the shticks got old.
Excellent work, up there with Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle
3 ½ stars
Take time travel, witches, Schrodinger’s cat, dwindling magic, a shadowy government entity and naked Vikings and you have some idea of what to expect.
Magic had disappeared from the world in 1851 because of the development of science and technology, particularly the photography of an eclipse. The story follows the exploits of a government agency that tries to restore magic by any means possible.
The story idea was fantastic and fun but also frustrating at times. I think the time travel concept was very well thought out with just enough metaphysical jargon to make it feel believable.
The ridiculousness of bureaucracy is well-captured with some funny emails and memos between department heads showing the tension between characters. But these also irritated me a little at times, it slowed down the pace and I think most of these could have been cut shorter.
The mysterious Fuggers were not explored properly and makes me think this book is setup as the start of a series.
This is a light, madcap satirical book that reads surprisingly fast for a 750-page book. It has something for everyone. The science geeks, historical fiction fans, thrill seekers and even a little romance.
This is my first book by Neal Stephenson and if some of the more negative reviews are anything to go by this is not the author’s best work, so I will definitely try more from this author.
Take time travel, witches, Schrodinger’s cat, dwindling magic, a shadowy government entity and naked Vikings and you have some idea of what to expect.
Magic had disappeared from the world in 1851 because of the development of science and technology, particularly the photography of an eclipse. The story follows the exploits of a government agency that tries to restore magic by any means possible.
The story idea was fantastic and fun but also frustrating at times. I think the time travel concept was very well thought out with just enough metaphysical jargon to make it feel believable.
The ridiculousness of bureaucracy is well-captured with some funny emails and memos between department heads showing the tension between characters. But these also irritated me a little at times, it slowed down the pace and I think most of these could have been cut shorter.
The mysterious Fuggers were not explored properly and makes me think this book is setup as the start of a series.
This is a light, madcap satirical book that reads surprisingly fast for a 750-page book. It has something for everyone. The science geeks, historical fiction fans, thrill seekers and even a little romance.
This is my first book by Neal Stephenson and if some of the more negative reviews are anything to go by this is not the author’s best work, so I will definitely try more from this author.
This is probably my least favorite Neal Stephenson book so far. The book is written through diaries, letters, and internet posts. With another book, this would work but with this one I found it very disjointed. I finished the book without feeling connected to any of the characters. The ending was very disappointing as well.
Still, it is a Neal Stephenson book and there are things to like. The story is ambitious and fun. He loves the historical subject matter so much it comes through in the writing. I suddenly have the urge to research many events I never had an interest in before.
Overall, an okay book. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either.
Still, it is a Neal Stephenson book and there are things to like. The story is ambitious and fun. He loves the historical subject matter so much it comes through in the writing. I suddenly have the urge to research many events I never had an interest in before.
Overall, an okay book. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either.
adventurous
medium-paced
Interesting concept, filled with details and funny bits. But a bit too long and out of focus at some point... plus, I think all readers will get their suspicions early on about some plot points, while characters remain surprisingly oblivious.
A really good book, although while this sounds pretentious I like my time travel books more involved :/ although the time travel was pretty well developed it lacked follow through on some mechanics and complications
Any time I read a new Neal Stephenson book, I hold it to an extremely high standard—because my favorite Stephenson books are among my all time favorite books. Because of this, the first time I read this book, I enjoyed it, but couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, since it did not rank among these rare few. Upon second reading, and with reasonable expectations, I enjoyed this much more than the first time through. It still doesn't make it into my favorite Stephenson books, but DODO is a fun read, presents some interesting concepts, and has lots of great historical settings. The characters are also great! They are highly varied and detailed. There is more pseudoscience than I really like in my scifi, but that's somewhat unavoidable when dealing with time travel.
What a relief to discover that this is book #1 of the D.O.D.O. As the ending left me yelling that the ending was quite abrupt with threads of the tale wrapped up suddenly or left dangling after 100s of pages of build-up.
Witches and time travel and office politics told with great amusement.
Witches and time travel and office politics told with great amusement.