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Anathem

Front Cover
121 Reviews
HarperCollins, Aug 25, 2009 - Fiction - 1008 pages

For ten years Fraa Erasmas, a young avout, has lived in a cloistered sanctuary for mathematicians, scientists, and philosophers, protected from the corrupting influences of the outside world. But before the week is out, both the existence he abandoned and the one he embraced will stand poised on the brink of cataclysmic change—and Erasmas will become a major player in a drama that will determine the future of his world, as he follows his destiny to the most inhospitable corners of the planet . . . and beyond.

Anathem is the latest miraculous invention by the New York Times bestselling author of Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle—a work of astonishing scope, intelligence, and imagination.

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5 stars
45
4 stars
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3 stars
25
2 stars
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But Stephenson has always had problems with plot. - Goodreads
The ending was so predictable as to be a letdown. - Goodreads
There are a few action scenes that are page turners. - Goodreads
My suggestion - return to writing stories. - Goodreads
The pace is glacial. - Goodreads
A hundred pages in and the plot has yet to start. - Goodreads
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Anathem
Has made my top five list. Other books are more difficult to enjoy after this.

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As engrossing as Stephenson gets
It takes a creative genius to come up with a world as engrossing as this. The premise sets up a fabulous adventure that never drags, even with the inevitable Stephensonian digressions into math and astronomy theory. Highly recommended.

All 88 reviews »

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About the author (2009)

Neal Stephenson is the author of Reamde, Anathem; the three-volume historical epic the Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World); Cryptonomicon; The Diamond Age; Snow Crash, which was named one of Time magazine's top one hundred all-time best English-language novels; and Zodiac. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

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