Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Not an easy book. I've gotten more out of it with successive re-readings and re-listenings, which I find to be the norm for Stephenson. But I enjoy it.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“Just finished rereading this book. It was as good as I remember.”
Luke Chadwick wrote this review 10 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“An always interesting writer.”
Sam O wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Love it!”
Constance E. Shields wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This book was a mixed bag. I like the premise and the general story line, but a lot of the book was really slow and boring. It almost felt like more than one person was writing the story. The premise is about an engineer creating an interactive book that has live actors do the interacting in real-time. The young lady's primer gets into the hands of Nell, a young girl who's mother is useless and always into abusive relationships. The setting is in China sometime in the 21st century. The fascinating part is that the main actor involved in the interactions almost becomes the girl's surrogate mother. The story is very complex and involves numerous players who are trying to change the way society operates. Nell becomes a very intelligent and well-educated young women who transcends her upbringing and station in life. She learns a lot through the interactive Primer. In fact, she is the main character, Princess Nell. Story and reality merge and what Nell learns in the story she applies to real life. Nell is a very strong character and becomes in real life what she became in the story, a Princess. I did enjoy the mix of old world Victorian and Chinese culture, combined with futuristic technology, thinking and imagery. I think the story could have been about half as long and still been effective.”
Ron Arden wrote this review Monday, March 18, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“almost finished it. intriguing concept re: valuing subversion and changing how education works but so wordy and boring and dragged on too long.”
Arundati N wrote this review Thursday, March 7, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The best sf novel I have read in the last twenty years or so (and it is hard to think of a non-sf novel that impressed me as much, apart from Ulysses). Stephenson succeeds on so many fronts: imaginative future world creation, many memorable characters, nanotechnology, witty dialogue, subversion, and much humor, not least from an improbably Confucian judge with a yen for KFC. Along with all this he includes game design, cybernetics, child education, and the Turing Test. And memorable characters from a young girl in a slum to a master software engineer to a subversive lord. Simply brilliant and rewards re-reading. ”
Miskatonic wrote this review Monday, January 21, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Zowie, I love Stephenson. this is the 5th or 6th book of his that I've read. He is a great story teller and always has a message to offer the reader. In this tale, which takes place somewhere deep into the 21st century, people live in a somewhat dystopian world that looks highly technological while presenting a Neo-Victorian perspective. Formalities play out, there are expected roles for all worldly participants, and the joy is in those that break the rules (well, those that do it without violence). I Love Dr. X, Magistrate Fang, Harve, and of course Nell. A great read, so far. UPDATE: finished book and still feel it was a very good read, altho I've recognized a pattern with Stephenson. His books tend to trail off at the end. I sometimes feel he doesn't want to, or can't figure out how to, end a book. The writing suffered a bit in the last quarter of the book and was not as descriptive, prose-ful, and challenging. But all-in-all, I love the author's style and approach. ”
APerper wrote this review Monday, January 21, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
0 of 1 members found this review helpful“Started off interesting. I wasn't particularly enamoured with the author's writing style, but it was tolerable. Then about a quarter of the way in I started getting bored. By half way through the book I was skimming. Three quarters of the way and I was pretty much lost from not paying attention before, and unable to figure out what was going on with all the jumping around in time and point of view. I still don't know what the point of the story was supposed to be and how the conflict was resolved.
Helen is Arastar wrote this review Wednesday, November 21, 2012. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
That being said, I did like the world that had been set up. It read like a lot of effort had been put into world building. I just wish there had been a little more effort put into making a compelling story all the way through.”1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Not an easy book. I've gotten more out of it with successive re-readings and re-listenings, which I find to be the norm for Stephenson. But I enjoy it.”
Crossing Rebecca wrote this review Friday, September 21, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
