Subject: Review of new Neal Stephenson: DIAMOND AGE

From: [email-masked] (11265-Graham Wills)
Date: Mon, 17 Oct 1994 15:47:24 GMT

I was given a review copy by a friend and read the book mainly at 30,000 feet
 over the atlantic. It captured my interest more than is usual for a cyberpunk
 style book. Here's a few thoughts on it.

DIAMOND AGE is a stylish book. Rather than trying for new ideas and theme, it
uses a set of well-defined cyberpunk ideas and concentrates on welding them
into a coherent whole, utilizing some excellent prose as a medium. As far as
the mechanics of the story go, it spoils little to reveal that most of the
action centres around a young street urchin who is given a present intended for
a rather more wealthy customer. This present educates her far beyond her 
normal background. Anyone who has read "Ender's game" (and who hasn't?) should
recognise the method of education, but in Stephenson's book it assumes a far
larger importance, and is more interactive than in Card's, where it is a 
peripheral issue. Any more detail on the story line would be overly-revelatory,
but be assured there are plenty of plots, factions, explosions, gritty detail,
asian-wizard-scientists and so on. 

So how does it differ from other cyberpunk books, apart from generally being
well-written? For one, Stephenson doesn't hit us with too much techno-speak, 
centering his attention on nano-technology, which is where all the interesting
tech is happening in Diamond Age. Sure, they have head-mounted guns, computers
and the like, but Stephenson is clearly uninterested in it. His touch with 
nano-tech is assured, giving detail where required and with a logical turn of
thought on the side affects and obvious consequences. You won't have to wince
when reading it.

Secondly, the absence of large multinational corporations and the setting of
power structures along clan lines, with nouveau-Victorians one of the most
powerful (Victoria II sitting on her diamond throne gives one reason for the
title of the book). Seeing a society based on morale and ethical differences
rather than race and technology is a pleasant change, and Stephenson gives us,
if not a totally believable society (seems a little fragile), but one different
enough to be forgiveable.

Against the good features must be set a number of poorly handled details. The
main protaganist was unable to capture my sympathy - character detail does not
seem to be a Stephenson acomplishment, but my tastes in SF probably are more
demanding in this respect than the average. Caveat emptor. A more serious
flaw was in the subplot handling and generally when bringing strands together.
It seemed rather rushed and hurried, with plots hitting each other head on and
melding of necessity rather than gently intertwining. Towards the end I began
to lose my belief in the world as new material was rapidly inducted into the
story. The climax left me more than a little unmoved - it could have finished
just as easily a chapter earlier or after another chapter or so. Maybe 
that was the author's intent - if so, success was achieved.

In summary, all cyberpunk fans should enjoy this book. It will seem familiar,
yet different in important ways. For a general SF readership, I'd suggest
waiting for paperback if you feel a little cash-strapped. I doubt anyone
buying it in hardback will feel too disappointed though, so if you loved
_Snow Crash_, give it a go.

	-Graham Wills
--
Graham Wills		     Data Visualization / Software Research (11265)
[email-masked]      AT&T Bell Laboratories, Indian Hill, Naperville IL