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Comment by zeroonetwothree | Hacker News Reader

It’s not my favorite of his books. Try Cryptonomicon (if you like history/math) or Anathem (if you like sci fi/math) or The Diamond Age (if you like sci fi).

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I think that Snow Crash is good, but those are three of his best books, too.

I appear to be a little odd in liking Reamde as much as I do, but if you want something lower-concept and more thriller-like, I really enjoy Reamde.

Those three and REAMDE (which I'm currently rereading) are just fantastic. Snow Crash was very stylized; too much for some tastes, not enough for others.

I loved REAMDE until a little more than halfway through, when it became a DNF for me.

IMO, Stephenson's books are too long for the stories they tell, especially the final 25-33% - those can be a real slog. I gave up on Seveneves at about 90% or the book, reading it was no longer fun. I read a handful of his prior work to completion when I was a book completionist, so I can't tell of it says anything about the nature of the novels, or my own perseverance.

I think that's a failure mode his worse books fall into, but I've found his better books enjoyable all the way through.

I’d say the first half set up is the always the slog with his books and the best part payoff is the end.

Seveneves are very much two books. I liked the first one best.

Doesn't that make them quite mediocre books when viewed holistically?

Imagine if movies were like that: a huge slog for 1h15, and then a twist at 1h50 at which point it actually gets interesting/entertaining.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good slow burn read/watch, but "slog" is not that.

Anathem payoff is worth it

With Cryptonomicon I had to keep stopping to look up every other word in a thesaurus. It made me feel incredibly stupid and just made the experience a slog.

One of the biggest pros of a reading device like a Kindle is that you don't have to interrupt the flow, just tap the word and get your definition. Same for footnotes. It was the only way I could get through Infinite Jest.

Take it as a relatively fun way to improve your vocabulary ! (And apparently needed)

Using "anfractuous" in a conversation sounds like a great way to make people stare at you in silence.

Fractuous is fine though

Interface is the best Neal Stephenson book.

I'm really enjoying The Baroque Cycle.

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