still lookin 4 the face i had b4 the world was made <traveler at afn.org>: Neal Stephenson (was Re: Radicalism of reading)

[Matthew B Hoyt]

Stephenson actually has two earlier books - _Zodiac_ 
and _The Big U_.  Neither was SF in the strict sense.  The
truly anal retentive will also note that he co-wrote _Interface_
as "Stephen Bury" after _Snow Crash_, but before TDA.

I personally found _Snow Crash_ much more like Gibson's
_Virtual Light_, what with much more human characters, the 
coincidence of both having bike messengers as major characters,
and the post-cyberpunk allowance of humor into the writing.

_The Diamond Age_ is a much better, very different, more mature
book.  

Wandering back toward the list...

I got M&D today.  Really a nice package.  Nice feel, I like the plastic 
over the cover.  Decent design work.  Suffering from an
embarrassment of reading riches - _M&D_, Rucker's _Freeware_.
I had been slogging through Brin _Brightness Reef_, but think
I can now put it aside....

Matt
-------------------------------
<traveler at afn.org>:------------------------
Sounds fascinating.  I read _Snow Crash_, which I think is Stephenson's
first novel.  It was quite imaginative...sort of a comic-epic homage to
William Gibson's _Neuromancer_, but definitely with a nod in the
direction
of, say, TRP.  And of course lots of thoroughly original ideas--
extrapolations on contemporary events and trends. 

<snip>

I will look out for _The Diamond Age_, having been thoroughly impressed
by
_Snow Crash_.