Review: REAMDE
Whenever I talk about a Neal Stephenson book, I generally have nice things to say. REAMDE has all of his strengths as an author on display: a well thought-out near-future (or maybe divergent timeline) world, many thought-provoking elements in service of a good story, a set of interesting protagonists solving tricky problems, and a breakneck pace. There is also the occasional bit of perfect description that causes you to see the commonplace from a new angle.
It’s a lot of fun to read, and one gets the impression that Stephenson is having fun writing it. At one point, in the middle of a firefight, he steps back and introduces a new character – backstory and all – a detour of tens of pages. He does this, I think, both for the joy of pulling such a thing off well, and to cheerfully heighten the tension of the conflict by drawing the reader’s attention away.
I can pick at this or poke at that, but basically REAMDE delivers the well-imagined thrills of a Cryptonomicon. If you liked that, you’ll like REAMDE.
Strongly recommended.