Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
reviewed by Paul Graham Raven
Few modern novels divide opinion among science fiction fans with quite the sharpness of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash,
the book that blasted him to geek-hero status after its original publication in 1992. Subterranean Press's handsome limited
edition re-release seems as good a reason as any to look at Snow Crash with the benefit of hindsight, and ask why
it is a sacred text for some but an execrable failure for others.
Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
reviewed by Alex Lightman
Novels are supposed to be character-driven, and the characters inhabiting this story feel as real as any historical figures. The focus
shifts around between the ageless alchemist Enoch the Red, genius without compare and alchemist/religious fanatic Isaac Newton,
puritan (and Newtonian roommate) Daniel Waterhouse, polymath lonely Wilhelm Leibniz, "Half-cocked" Jack Shaftoe (yes, that is an
anatomical reference), Eliza the virgin slave turned duchess/countess/spy, Royal Society standout Robert Hooke, and sexy beast
William of Orange are the most vivid and memorable characters.
The Cobweb by Stephen Bury
reviewed by Rodger Turner
Let's suppose you want to start a war or you want to annex some land because you feel that
it is part of your country (despite having lost it in battle). Suppose you want to have
weapons against which your opponent has little or no defense. But all you have is money:
you don't have the technology, you don't have the science infrastructure, you don't have
the planning to bring it all together. But you do have the money and you do have the time.
One way to do it is to buy the pieces in such a way as to make it appear that you are buying something else.
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In the Beginning... Was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
It is an amusing guide to the whole dos/mac/windows/unix/gnu/linux/beos
soap opera, for the perplexed -- highly recommended.
It's aimed at the Unix-literate (whose ranks certainly don't include Peter), but
anyone who's messed about with computers will find some goodies.
In the Beginning... Was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Whether you are a computer expert, someone who understands computer basics,
a person who knows nothing at all about computers, or simply a reader who
will snatch up anything with this author's name on it, you'll be transfixed
by this essay on how software operating systems evolved and where it is all going.
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
reviewed by Kim Fawcett
Cryptonomicon alternates between the 40s, where the infant science of
cryptography is winning World War II for the allies, and the 90s, where an
eclectic group of businessmen, hackers, and thieves are using the same science to create an Internet
data haven. That's the Cliff Notes version, of course -- even the simplest of Stephenson's plots defies description.
The Cobweb by Stephen Bury
reviewed by Alex Anderson
Another sci-political thriller from Stephen Bury, the pseudonym for Neal Stephenson and his
uncle, Frederick George.
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