A review by onewooga
Anathem by Neal Stephenson

4.0

Ok, so maybe this isn't classic Stephenson (read: snarky, insouciant and funny with a few mind boggling techno-twisters thrown in), but it's the next best thing. There were still moments where I had to sit on the feeling that maybe I wasn't smart enough to follow the metaphysical flights of fancy that pepper the book, but on the whole I was pleasantly impressed with the premise, the characters, and the completely unexpected plot twist that takes off about mid-book. You still have to be patient, since Stephenson uses a lot of self-referential terms only relevant to his new fictional universe (this book is of the slow revelation type: you start to understand this universe and its culture slowly, like wading into a pool slowly; there's no lifeguard to tell you how deep it is or what rules apply), but he has provided a brief appendix of terms that may help keep you afloat. And, better yet, there are brief glimpses of Stephenson's dry humor resurfacing throughout the book. If you could barely finish "Cryptonomicon" and couldn't bring yourself to even start the The Baroque Cycle, don't be afraid to return to Stephenson--this time, it's worth it.