Questions tagged [neal-stephenson]
Neal Stephenson is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction, which have been variously categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and post-cyberpunk.
52
questions
31
votes
1
answer
9k
views
What is the connection between Snow Crash and The Diamond Age?
I've heard that these two novels by Neal Stephenson take place in the same universe.
What connections exist between the two novels and what is the time-line like?
- 1,715
26
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Which of the three endings to Stephenson's "Anathem" is "definitive"?
Near the end of Anathem, the story posits three different "world lines":
Jad and Erasmus arrive on the bridge of the invading ship;
Erasmus (and, presumably, Jad) die when Jad triggers the "...
- 4,186
22
votes
5
answers
10k
views
The ending of The Diamond Age
I have just finished rereading Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age for about the fourth time and am still confused about the ending.
The part that is confusing me is as follows:
- 321
22
votes
6
answers
5k
views
When does the action of Snow Crash take place?
I remember there are some clues in the book, like the year of birth of Hiro's father and his age when Hiro was born. I don't remember if Hiro's exact age is specified.
So, has someone calculated the ...
- 95.6k
18
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Looking for a Neal Stephenson passage on religion as inoculation / vaccination / prophylactic
I recall a section in a Neal Stephenson book where a couple that secretly went to church (or at least didn't make it known) with their kids. As I recall it, they did this not because they were ...
- 283
16
votes
3
answers
599
views
Why was Raven peddling drugs on the street?
In Snow Crash, the behemoth of a man, Raven was seen trying to sell the Snow Crash "drug" to Hiro just outside the Black Sun Club in the metaverse.
Why would he be doing this if
If he had that plan ...
- 42.4k
16
votes
3
answers
4k
views
What is in Enoch Root's mystery box in Cryptonomicon?
I read the book(s) long time ago and I don't have them with me now (sorry if some details are vague), but as I recall, Shaftoe gets addicted to morphine as a consequence of the treatment of his war ...
- 8,417
15
votes
3
answers
34k
views
Why does Neal Stephenson use the term Nipponese instead of Japanese?
Is there any particular reason why Neal Stephenson consistently refers to Japan as Nippon, and the Japanese as the Nipponese? I first noticed this in the novel Cryptonomicon, again in Reamde, and ...
- 253
15
votes
5
answers
10k
views
Do these Neal Stephenson books have a recommended chronological order?
I've had "In the Beginning...was the Command Line" by Neal Stephenson on my Amazon Wish list for a while, but I do realize it's not much of a science fiction / fantasy book (still going to get it some ...
- 1,580
15
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is Miss Matheson from Diamond Age, YT from Snow Crash?
In Diamond Age the character Miss Matheson alludes to her past in a reminiscence concerning the 'smart wheels' on her wheel chair. She likens them to those on skateboards and then talks about how she ...
- 4,160
14
votes
4
answers
930
views
Is the IP address used realistically in the book "REAMDE"?
I understand that IP addresses are not reliable in pin-pointing a person's
physical location. The inaccuracy is attributed to multiple factors. The
IP could be from the DHCP pool and shared between ...
- 385
14
votes
1
answer
2k
views
In Seveneves, what happens to this mission?
In Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, a breakaway group launches a Mars mission. A preliminary mission is sent but is it ever revealed what happened to it?
- 607
13
votes
3
answers
884
views
What is the purpose/rules of the Day Gate in Anathem?
In Neal Stephenson's Anathem, the gates of Unarian, Decenarian, Centenarian and Millenarian maths open once a year, decade, century and millennium respectively. But what is the Day Gate for? Clearly, ...
- 22.4k
12
votes
2
answers
897
views
How did YT end up in the van with religious people in Snow Crash? (spoilers)
When YT was skating away from a Fed Land building, someone launched a rocket at her and knocked her off her board. She went unconscious and woke up in a van with religious people headed to the raft. ...
- 2,030
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
In Cryptonomicon, why does Mr Wing have to learn the coordinates of Golgotha from Randy?
In Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, Mr Wing tries to learn coordinates of Golgotha from Randy Waterhouse. If I understood this part correctly, then my question is why? Clearly, Goto Dengo knew the ...
- 223
12
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How does Hiro Protagonist afford his motorcycle?
From Chapter 3 of Snow Crash:
But in the bleak light of full adulthood, which is to one's early twenties as Sunday morning is to Saturday night, he can clearly see what it really amounts to: He's ...
- 1,024
11
votes
2
answers
707
views
How did Hiro help YT out of jail?
In Snow Crash, Hiro Protagonist is called on by YT to help her get out of jail when she was caught in a burbclave without a permit.
How did Hiro help her out if he was in the Black Sun with David ...
- 42.4k
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Difference between Anathem and Voco
I'm about 1/3 of the way through Neal Stephenson's 'Anathem' and so far, I've been able to follow most of his terminology, but one thing sticks out in my mind.
Spoiler'ed for those who haven't read ...
- 2,031
11
votes
3
answers
725
views
In Neal Stephenson's "Anathem," is Cnoüs' statue a reference to Freemasonry?
In Part 2 ("Apert") of Anathem, Erasmas was guiding a tour and was explaining the story of a statue of Cnoüs:
"The central sculpture was more than six thousand years old; it had
been a world-...
- 463
11
votes
4
answers
2k
views
When did the Millenarian's incantations start [spoilers]?
Massive Spoiler Warning: The question discusses events very near the end of Neal Stephenson's Anathem.
When Cell 317 was up in space floating with the Cold Black Mirror, several members discussed ...
- 427
10
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Can you find or draw a diagram of the Icosahedron orb stack from Anathem by Neal Stephenson?
I'm having a hard time visualising some of it.
- 584
10
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Who's Randy Waterhouse's father in Cryptonomicon?
I just read Cryptonomicon's chapter 70 - "Origin", and at the end of it I didn't quite get who's Randy Waterhouse's father. All of Lawrence Waterhouse's children are referred to as "Uncle" or "Aunt" ...
- 245
10
votes
1
answer
357
views
Is the word "vitamin" meaning "any item shippable to space" a creation of Neal Stephenson in Seveneves?
As the title states. Stephenson uses (and describes the use of) the word "vitamin" to mean any goods that can be shipped to space. Is that actual space lingo?
- 11.2k
10
votes
2
answers
555
views
What sub-genre of Science Fiction is the Baroque Cycle?
Per the Wikipedia entry about the series -
Despite featuring a literary treatment consistent with historical fiction, Stephenson has characterized the work as science fiction, because of the ...
- 201
9
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Ongoing racial purity in Seveneves
Spoilers for third section of Seveneves:
Moira is able to synthesize a Y chromosome to create boys for the second generation of infants on the Cradle. And yet, there is no explanation of what ...
- 275
9
votes
1
answer
701
views
Possible anomaly in Cryptonomicon
Toward the beginning of Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, Avi gives Randy two strings of sixteen supposedly random hexadecimal numbers as encryption keys:
AF 10 06 E9 99 BA 11 07 64 C1 89 ...
- 101
8
votes
2
answers
439
views
Was the Metaverse based on the World Wide Web?
Reading through Snow Crash today, it's hard not to think of the Metaverse and The Street as a futuristic version of the Internet which we have today. However, given that Snow Crash was published in ...
- 684
8
votes
2
answers
511
views
Why was Seed being developed instead of iterative building on an existing solution?
Why they built a seed technology for "open source nanotechnology" instead of iterative building on feed lines?
The iterative build seems to be quite simple:
Establish healthy community of open feed ...
- 2,365
8
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Are there any plans to turn any Neal Stephenson novels into film/TV?
Are there any plans afoot to adapt any of the works by Neal Stephenson into film or television?
Has Neal Stephenson sold any of the rights to anyone?
- 4,160
8
votes
2
answers
315
views
Is the background of Neal Stephenson's character Root revealed in previous novels?
Many years ago I started reading the Baroque series by Neal Stephenson. I really hated it and abandoned it without finishing, but I was intrigued by his enigmatic character of Root, who was long-lived ...
- 81
8
votes
5
answers
5k
views
In Neal Stephenson’s "Fall; Or, Dodge In Hell", which Meatspace characters are identified with which Bitspace characters?
Spoilers for Fall; Or, Dodge In Hell.
- 61k
7
votes
1
answer
834
views
Why does the mouse army follow Nell?
In Nell's version of the Primer she saves the mouse army and thus they are indebted to her.
I assumed that each of the mouse army had her own Primer which ran its own story arc. This seems to be ...
- 1,657
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Did Neal Stephenson make up the nickname for the ISS in Seveneves?
In the book Seveneves, early on it's mentioned that, unmongst the inhabitants of the International Space Station it is colloquially known as 'Izzy'. This nickname then persists throughout the rest of ...
- 4,160
7
votes
1
answer
509
views
What becomes of the drummers?
So at the end of the book it seems as if Nell actually drowns all the drummers:
They passed up through many tunnels, always taking the uphill fork until they saw sunlight shining down from above ...
- 173
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Chain of events in second act of "Seveneves"
[The title of this questions is deliberately vague to avoid spoiling the plot]
In the second act of Seveneves, hilarity ensues because
However, this could have been avoided if
which was justified ...
- 3,401
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
In Seveneves, who are the Owners?
Ty mentions "the Owners" several times. They seem to be neither Red nor Blue and furthermore are hinted to have links to "the Purpose", but is it clarified anywhere who they are?
- 607
6
votes
2
answers
391
views
Courts, governments, and jurisdictions in The Diamond Age?
In The Diamond Age, the narration firmly establishes that the traditional geography-based nation-state has been made obsolete by technology. That is, information secrecy has made it impossible for ...
- 807
6
votes
1
answer
722
views
Is it possible to use an EMP weapon, as described in Cryptonomicon?
In chapter 76, Pulse, we see a parking lot, a street, and (the contents of) a building across the street being taken out by an EMP gun. The target was a computer within the building.
This is ...
- 37.4k
6
votes
0
answers
593
views
Rise and Fall of DODO: How reasonable is Grainne's syntax, as rendered in the text?
It's not much of a spoiler to reveal that there's a character named Grainne in Stephenson and Galland's The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O, nor that this character is mostly represented in the text by ...
- 747
5
votes
3
answers
438
views
Were the Hindu job applicants really in danger of having their heads sawn off by their collars?
Early on in Diamond Age: A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, the following passage is used to describe a group of people who have come to apply for jobs at Machine-Phase Systems Limited:
Hackworth ...
- 53.9k
5
votes
2
answers
297
views
Why did Erasmas' chant cause a commotion?
A few days after his arrival to Tredegarth, Erasmas is summoned along with other newcomers for Inbrase, and is expected to perform a chant.
I was expecting a follow-up on why the chant that he ...
- 53
5
votes
1
answer
549
views
In Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, what other biblical stories besides Babel does he symbolize or reference?
I understand the Babel reference but am blind to the others. I'm not too familiar with the Bible. Thanks guys
- 51
5
votes
1
answer
483
views
Is there a longer version of "Jipi and the Paranoid Chip"?
In the version of "Jipi and the Paranoid Chip" that appears online, there's a note at the top: "(excerpt as appeared in Forbes, July 7, 1997)." Was the version that appeared in Forbes an excerpt of a ...
- 5,168
5
votes
1
answer
319
views
Has Dynabook inspired Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age?
I'm looking for evidence about Dynabook, by Alan Kay, being the inspiration for Neal Stephenson self-learning book in The Diamond Age: a young lady's illustrated primer.
- 69
4
votes
0
answers
112
views
What inspired Shekondar?
Shekondar is a name that shows up across several unrelated Neal Stephenson books, always referring to something different.
In The Big U:
Tonight they were testing Shekondar Mark V, their state-of-the-...
- 25.4k
3
votes
1
answer
504
views
Was Enoch Root right about Heracles killing a large chunk of the offspring of Ares in original myths?
"... it appears that Heracles, backed up by Athena all the way, personally murders at least half of Hannibal Lecterish offspring of Ares." (“Cryptonomicon” By Neal Stephenson, Page 806, Enoch Root's ...
- 340k
3
votes
1
answer
61
views
Significance of van Hoek's Manila Galleon narration in The Confusion
In Neal Stephenson's The Confusion, the character Van Hoek narrates a story to the crew of Minerva whilst in the habour of Manila.
At the end of the chapter, "Japan to Manila," it starts (pg....
- 133
3
votes
0
answers
256
views
Four archetypal figures in Stephenson's "Diamond Age" and in Rajaniemi's "Le Flambeur trilogy"
Warning: minor spoilers to "Diamond Age" and "Le Flambeur" ahead.
In "Le Flambeur", there are four Aun: Chimney Princess, Green Soldier, Kraken of Light and Flower Prince, former imaginary friends of ...
- 131
3
votes
0
answers
269
views
How to find the missing appendices from the Anathem audiobook? [closed]
I've listened to Anathem by Neal Stephenson on Audible AudioBook.
While browsing in my local bookshop the other day I picked up a copy of the book and had a flick through. It turns out that there are ...
- 4,160
3
votes
0
answers
117
views
Was there an opposing group in "Interface?"
Near the beginning of the novel Interface, we learn of an organization (actually a business coalition) called "The Network" that acts as a driving force behind the plot of the novel. It's briefly ...
- 9,428