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A review by crufts
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Totally amazeballs, like woah. A seriously amazing book involving the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Pros:
- Manages to maintain interest and a strong story arc over the course of the entire 937-page novel.
- Introduces at least fifty new concepts and neologisms without getting confusing.
- Clear storytelling; I didn't struggle to understand what was happening, and it was easy to recall earlier events in the story.
- Successful suspension of disbelief from start to finish.
- Includes accurately-represented real-life science and maths concepts, including Occam's Razor, the Penrose Tiles game, the Pythagorean theorem, and others.
- Includes amusing satires on corporate language and other aspects of modern-day life.
- Engaging characters who I found myself genuinely caring about. When [Major Character] died, it was like a punch in the gut.
- Frequently hilarious.
- Great monastery/scifi aesthetic.
- Intelligent characters whose thought processes are examined in detail.
- Strong forces of antagonism which really challenge the protagonists.
- Really hits against the limits of the story's universe; the characters go as far as they can go.
Cons:
May be awkward to carry around the 937-page brick. I recommend getting the audiobook/ebook instead.
Overall:
Perfect rating. Simply superb. If you like science fiction, I strongly recommend Anathem.
Pros:
- Manages to maintain interest and a strong story arc over the course of the entire 937-page novel.
- Introduces at least fifty new concepts and neologisms without getting confusing.
- Clear storytelling; I didn't struggle to understand what was happening, and it was easy to recall earlier events in the story.
- Successful suspension of disbelief from start to finish.
- Includes accurately-represented real-life science and maths concepts, including Occam's Razor, the Penrose Tiles game, the Pythagorean theorem, and others.
- Includes amusing satires on corporate language and other aspects of modern-day life.
- Engaging characters who I found myself genuinely caring about. When [Major Character] died, it was like a punch in the gut.
- Frequently hilarious.
- Great monastery/scifi aesthetic.
- Intelligent characters whose thought processes are examined in detail.
- Strong forces of antagonism which really challenge the protagonists.
- Really hits against the limits of the story's universe; the characters go as far as they can go.
Cons:
May be awkward to carry around the 937-page brick. I recommend getting the audiobook/ebook instead.
Overall:
Perfect rating. Simply superb. If you like science fiction, I strongly recommend Anathem.