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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
3.5 stars. Interesting concept, messy execution. I probably should have read the paper version instead of the audible. The narrators were good, but there were too many parts that don’t play well when read out loud repetitively, like email headers, time signatures, constant journal entries, etc. Maybe the whole book wouldn’t have felt so scattered to me in paper.
For a novel that clocks in at over 700 pages, The Rise and Fall of DODO is a surprisingly fast, entertaining read. Told from a "found footage" (or I guess it would be "found documents" in this medium?) perspective (i.e. diaries, chat logs, correspondence, etc), the book tells the story of a world where magic is real, but has been catastrophically dampened by the rise of technology. The story catalogs the attempts of a ragtag group of people in a budding military organization to bring magic back, mostly though time travel.
While entertaining, the best way to describe DODO is probably with the word "scattershot". The characters that the novel is at all interested in spending time with are compelling and well-developed. When the novel travels into interesting time periods, it's as much of a page-turner as anything else. But there are so many undeveloped characters, so many ideas and subplots that don't go anywhere, and the book gets lost in its own conceits, like the aforementioned chat logs and government correspondence which go as far as being copies of workplace policies. Which, from a certain perspective, can be funny, but overall wind up being kind of a gimmick, and it feels as if the authors are more stuck with seeing that stuff through than with having fun with it. That being said, they're also the source of some of the novel's biggest laughs, so in a roundabout way, it's sort of worth it. Furthermore, the actual plot of the novel feels secondary to the buildup and sort of gets lost in the the last couple hundred places as the authors race to wrap it up.
There's a good base here, and I'd love to read another story set in this universe, but the novel has more than its fair share of faults. That being said, getting through a 750 page novel wasn't as much of an ordeal as I thought it might be, and the style applied by Stephenson/Galland makes this an easier, more fun read than you might think.
While entertaining, the best way to describe DODO is probably with the word "scattershot". The characters that the novel is at all interested in spending time with are compelling and well-developed. When the novel travels into interesting time periods, it's as much of a page-turner as anything else. But there are so many undeveloped characters, so many ideas and subplots that don't go anywhere, and the book gets lost in its own conceits, like the aforementioned chat logs and government correspondence which go as far as being copies of workplace policies. Which, from a certain perspective, can be funny, but overall wind up being kind of a gimmick, and it feels as if the authors are more stuck with seeing that stuff through than with having fun with it. That being said, they're also the source of some of the novel's biggest laughs, so in a roundabout way, it's sort of worth it. Furthermore, the actual plot of the novel feels secondary to the buildup and sort of gets lost in the the last couple hundred places as the authors race to wrap it up.
There's a good base here, and I'd love to read another story set in this universe, but the novel has more than its fair share of faults. That being said, getting through a 750 page novel wasn't as much of an ordeal as I thought it might be, and the style applied by Stephenson/Galland makes this an easier, more fun read than you might think.
If you're tired and bored of characters that can't express themselves without swearing up a storm, this isn't the book for you. Neal Stephenson has better books with characters who are able to express themselves intelligently.
This started promisingly but I felt fell short of the expectations it had raised.
So we have time travel and our first narrator stuck in 1851, we have magic and witches and technology. The opening third or so of the book is great as D.O.D.O gets set up and we have a small core group of characters. We have paragraphs explaining some of the science and technology, as expected with Neal Stephenson as a co-writer, but these are much reigned in compared to some of his other works. The first DEDEs are fun to read about but after the first diachronic shear event, I started to get a bit bored and frustrated.
One of the reasons is that while the core group of characters spend so much time working and sometimes even living together, relationships simply do not evolve, and all the focus remains strictly on the 'professional'. The exception being Mel and Tristan "will they/won't they", but even that isn't very successful. Narration is through a series of journals and transcripts. Mel's POV is well represented and as a result she's one of the most developed characters. On the other hand, Tristan never narrates, and he's very much a wooden character.
I liked both Erszebet and Grainne, and viking Magnus certainly helps add fun to the proceedings. But the middle part of the book just feels a bit repetitive with the various DEDEs, and too many minor characters are introduced.
Thankfully things picked up towards the end, yes the Viking Walmart saga is utterly silly, but also hilarious. It is a funny book overall. The 1851 events are nicely wrapped up. But the modern storyline remains open-ended and it's a bit of an abrupt ending.
So we have time travel and our first narrator stuck in 1851, we have magic and witches and technology. The opening third or so of the book is great as D.O.D.O gets set up and we have a small core group of characters. We have paragraphs explaining some of the science and technology, as expected with Neal Stephenson as a co-writer, but these are much reigned in compared to some of his other works. The first DEDEs are fun to read about but after the first diachronic shear event, I started to get a bit bored and frustrated.
One of the reasons is that while the core group of characters spend so much time working and sometimes even living together, relationships simply do not evolve, and all the focus remains strictly on the 'professional'. The exception being Mel and Tristan "will they/won't they", but even that isn't very successful. Narration is through a series of journals and transcripts. Mel's POV is well represented and as a result she's one of the most developed characters. On the other hand, Tristan never narrates, and he's very much a wooden character.
I liked both Erszebet and Grainne, and viking Magnus certainly helps add fun to the proceedings. But the middle part of the book just feels a bit repetitive with the various DEDEs, and too many minor characters are introduced.
Thankfully things picked up towards the end, yes the Viking Walmart saga is utterly silly, but also hilarious. It is a funny book overall. The 1851 events are nicely wrapped up. But the modern storyline remains open-ended and it's a bit of an abrupt ending.
A really funny and creative story of witches, time travel, secret government agencies, naked Vikings and WalMart that has quickly become my favorite book of 2018. I can't wait to read the follow-up : )
The publisher's blurb...
When Melisande Stokes, an expert in linguistics and languages, accidently meets military intelligence operator Tristan Lyons in a hallway at Harvard University, it is the beginning of a chain of events that will alter their lives and human history itself. The young man from a shadowy government entity approaches Mel, a low-level faculty member, with an incredible offer. The only condition: she must swear herself to secrecy in return for the rather large sum of money.
Tristan needs Mel to translate some very old documents, which, if authentic, are earth-shattering. They prove that magic actually existed and was practiced for centuries. But the arrival of the scientific revolution and the Age of Enlightenment weakened its power and endangered its practitioners. Magic stopped working altogether in 1851, at the time of the Great Exhibition at London’s Crystal Palace—the world’s fair celebrating the rise of industrial technology and commerce. Something about the modern world "jams" the "frequencies" used by magic, and it’s up to Tristan to find out why.
And so the Department of Diachronic Operations—D.O.D.O.—gets cracking on its real mission: to develop a device that can bring magic back, and send Diachronic Operatives back in time to keep it alive . . . and meddle with a little history at the same time. But while Tristan and his expanding operation master the science and build the technology, they overlook the mercurial—and treacherous—nature of the human heart.
The publisher's blurb...
When Melisande Stokes, an expert in linguistics and languages, accidently meets military intelligence operator Tristan Lyons in a hallway at Harvard University, it is the beginning of a chain of events that will alter their lives and human history itself. The young man from a shadowy government entity approaches Mel, a low-level faculty member, with an incredible offer. The only condition: she must swear herself to secrecy in return for the rather large sum of money.
Tristan needs Mel to translate some very old documents, which, if authentic, are earth-shattering. They prove that magic actually existed and was practiced for centuries. But the arrival of the scientific revolution and the Age of Enlightenment weakened its power and endangered its practitioners. Magic stopped working altogether in 1851, at the time of the Great Exhibition at London’s Crystal Palace—the world’s fair celebrating the rise of industrial technology and commerce. Something about the modern world "jams" the "frequencies" used by magic, and it’s up to Tristan to find out why.
And so the Department of Diachronic Operations—D.O.D.O.—gets cracking on its real mission: to develop a device that can bring magic back, and send Diachronic Operatives back in time to keep it alive . . . and meddle with a little history at the same time. But while Tristan and his expanding operation master the science and build the technology, they overlook the mercurial—and treacherous—nature of the human heart.
I liked it! It was silly and it was satire. There was magic, time travel, and shameless shenanigans. The collaboration of the two authors blended the characters and storylines very well. Would have liked an ending with a bit more resolution. Sequel, maybe?
The New York Times review of this book described as a fat marshmallow of a book. It really is an apt comparison as it’s a fun book full of technology and magic (which as many a computer nerd may think, the same coin). It’s a long book but the story keeps moving. It’s also light and entertaining. It brings up the big questions but is still able to induce laughter and interest. Apparently the series is continued in spirit through the Bound app. Very well done.
Not typical Stephenson. Not geeky enough. Sounds like they're planning sequels.
I loved it! I think one of the coolest things about it is that it is almost entirely told through women's perspectives. With a couple of minor exceptions, women drive the narrative and are major players in the action.
Immensely satisfying and fun read that answers so many important questions, such as:
- Why doesn't magic work in the 21st century?
- Why should no one rely on time travel, ever?
- What is the one thing you can carry through time with you?
- What use is a broom if not for flying?
- Why doesn't magic work in the 21st century?
- Why should no one rely on time travel, ever?
- What is the one thing you can carry through time with you?
- What use is a broom if not for flying?