Anathem (2008) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Characters edit see section history

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• Erasmas: The protagonist of Anathem; a Decenarian fraa from the Concent of Saunt Edhar. The neglected son of slines, he was Collected by the concent at the age of eight.
• Orolo: A Decenarian fraa from the Concent of Saunt Edhar. He is an eminent cosmographer and Erasmas's mentor at the concent, but he's later Thrown Back for using forbidden technology to observe the Geometers before their existence is officially confirmed by the Sæcular Power.
• Arsibalt: A Decenarian fraa from the Concent of Saunt Edhar and one of Erasmas's friends. The estranged son of a Bazian prelate, he seeks to reconcile religion with theorics.
• Lio: A Decenarian fraa from the Concent of Saunt Edhar and one of Erasmas's friends. He's known as an absent-minded eccentric and is interested in military history, Vale-lore, and unusual gardening techniques.
• Jesry: A Decenarian fraa from the Concent of Saunt Edhar and one of Erasmas's friends. Unlike Erasmas, Jesry is from a prosperous burger family, and he is bored with the routine of mathic life preceding the arrival of the Geometers. He becomes famous for going into space with the Warden of Heaven, the head of the Sæcular Power, to investigate the Geometers' ship.
• Ala: A Decenarian suur from the Concent of Saunt Edhar and later a major organizer of the Convox. Although they disliked each other as children, she and Erasmas become romantically involved in the course of the story.
• Jad: A Millenarian fraa from the Concent of Saunt Edhar. Jad is evoked in the same aut as Erasmas and accompanies him to Bly's Butte in search of Orolo. He later reappears at the Convox.
• Cord: Erasmas's half-sister and a machinesmith who lives extramuros near the Concent of Saunt Edhar. She accompanies Erasmas on his search for Orolo.
• Sammann: An Ita from the Concent of Saunt Edhar who accompanies Erasmas on his search for Orolo.
• Yul Crade: Cord's boyfriend and the rugged cousin of Ganelial.
• Jules Verne Durand: a Geometer linguist
• Ferman Beller: someone not so important
• Lodoghir: likes his food well served
• Asquin: from consensus
• Moyra: one from the end
• Orth: language
• Apert: opening of the gates of the maths
• Barb: tavener
• Paphlagon: teacher of orolo
• Regulant: looks for trouble
• Criscan: does not matter
• Bly: was anathemized
• Ganelial Crade: believed in god
• Emman: Add a description of this character.
• Tamura: old one
• Fendant: defends
• Karvall: emman's love interest
• Esma: fights well
• Rosk: bad one
• Shuf: forgot him
• Lise: Girlfriend of Jules Verne Durand
• Sark
• Brajj
• Gnel
• Orhan: important one
• Ignetha Foral: lineage linked

Quotes edit see section history

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• “"We would get lost for days as rumor or convincingly wrong data sent us up some promising path that only later proved a logical cul-de-sac. It didn't help that all of us had suffered the psychic equivalent of third-degree burns."”

• “"Orolo said that the more he knew of the complexity of the mind, and the cosmos with which it was inextricably and mysterioulsy bound up, the more inclined he was to see it as a kind of miracle- not in quite the same sense that our Deolaters use the term, for he considered it althogether natural. He meant rather that the evolution of our minds from bits of inanimate matter was more beautiful and more extraordinary than any of the miracles cataloged down through the ages by the religions of our world"”

• ““Conservation of momentum,” he announced, “it’s not just a good idea—it’s the law!””

  Yulassetar Crade

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• People who couldn’t live without story had been driven into the concents or into jobs like Yul’s. All others had to look somewhere outside of work for a feeling that they were part of a story, which I guessed was why Sæculars were so concerned with sports, and with religion.

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• They knew many things but had no idea why. And strangely this made them more, rather than less, certain that they were right.

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• Diax said something that is still very important to us, which is that you should not believe a thing only because you like to believe it. We call that ‘Diax’s Rake’ and sometimes we repeat it to ourselves as a reminder not to let subjective emotions cloud our judgment.”

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• “I always tend to assume there’s an infinite amount of money out there.” “There might as well be,” Arsibalt said, “but most of it gets spent on pornography, sugar water, and bombs. There is only so much that can be scraped together for particle accelerators.”

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• “Consciousness amplifies the weak signals that, like cobwebs spun between trees, web Narratives together. Moreover, it amplifies them selectively and in that way creates feedback loops that steer the Narratives.”

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Arbre: The planet on which the novel is set.
• Concent of Saunt Edhar
• Tredegarh: One of the 'Big Three' concents.
• Ecba: A volcanic island.
• Daban Urnud
• Orithena: A temple on the Isle of Ecba.
• Præsidium
• Statho
• Samble
• Hylaean Theoric World: A higher plane of existence populated by perfect geometric forms, ideas and theorems.
• Butte
• Mahsht
• Clesthyra
• Flec
• Fraa Osa
• Antiswarm
• Day Gate
• Ethras
• Book
• Lucub
• Antarct
• Sæculum
• Hedron
• Varax
• Protism
• Baritoe
• Elkhazg
• Cnoüs
• Deät

Organizations edit see section history

• The Avout: Add a description of this organization.
• The Saecular Power

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Allswell: A naturally occurring chemical that, when present in sufficient concentrations in the brain, engenders the feeling that everything is fine. Similar to endorphins.
• Analemma: A shape like a slender, elongated figure eight, observed by astronomers who track the way the sun's apparent movement across the sky varies from day to day over the course of a year.
• Ark: The equivalent of a mosque, synagogue or church in our world.
• Aut: A rite observed in the mathic world.
• Avout: a term for intellectuals living under vows and separated from saecular society
• Big Three: The Concents of Saunt Muncoster, Saunt Tredegarh, and Saunt Baritoe, all relatively old, wealthy, distinguished and close together.
• Calca: An explanation, definition, or lesson that is instrumental in developing some larger theme but has been moved aside from the main body of the dialog and placed in a footnote or an appendix.
• Deolater: A person who worships God.
• Extramuros: The world outside the walls of a math; the Saecular world.
• Fraa: A male avout.
• Math: A relatively small community of avout (typically fewer than a hundred, sometimes as small as one).
• Suur: A female avout.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Epistemology: The philosophy of how we know what we know. In the course of the book, there are a lot of discussions about this. The terminology and the history do not quite match how the arguments have gone during the same arguments in Terran (earth) history--but the content is strikingly similar. If you enjoy philosophy and epistemology already, you will probably enjoy that aspect of this book. If you are considering studying epistemology, you could do a lot worse than to read this book first.
• Science vs. Religion: In this world, the scientists live monastic lives and perform rituals celebrating their pursuit of knowledge, while the religiously devout occupy a fringe position.At various points in the story, members of the two communities interact with each other and discuss the different points of view.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Neal Stephenson (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Locus Science Fiction Award (2009, Winner)
• Hugo Award (Finalist, 2009: Best Science Fiction Novel)
• Arthur C. Clarke Award (Finalist, 2009)
• BSFA (British Science Fiction Association) (Finalist, 2008)
• Prometheus Award (2009: Best Novel, Nominee)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PS3569.T3868 A53 2008
• Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

While there is nothing offensive or sexually explicit in the material, the intellectual depth is likely to make it inaccessible to children. It does contain an implicit tilt away from religious faith. An excellent choice for a deep thinking young adult who wants to grapple with very complex ideas. Becomes more conventional sci-fi in the last third. Definitely a book that a 13-year old kid would re-read at 25.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Authors, A-Z › ( S ) › Stephenson, Neal
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Science Fiction

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

Books That Influenced This Book edit see section history