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ShortNCuddlyAm · 11-05-2008, 01:24 PM

Books On Board have his stuff, including the new one, Anathem. Fictionwise may do too. Both are happy to sell ebooks to people in the UK (I got all of Neal Stephenson's novels from BoB, not long after I got my reader...)

As for an entry book... it depends what you're after! His style has changed over the years, so if you like Snow Crash, you may not like the Baroque Cycle, or Anathem, at all.

I like all his books (which would be obvious given I bought the lot of 'em as ebooks), some a lot more than others though.

Snow Crash would be good if you like cyberpunk/sci fi type stuff - and if you go for Snow Crash, it's worth bearing in mind it was written well before things like Second Life were around.

Diamond Age is futuristic steampunk in style - it's set in the future, but there is a Neo Victorian society. There were aspects of it I really liked, and I wanted to like a whole lot more (as I'm "into" steampunk); but personally I think it's the weakest of his books. It took a long time to get into, which is a bad thing given it's a short book. However, it has lent a phrase to our household talk, so it wasn't all bad.

Cryptonomicon is modern day & WWII computer espionage and adventure. Sort of cyberpunk-ish. Although it was written before The Baroque Cycle, it comes after them - some of the characters in the Baroque Cycle are ancestors of some of the characters in Cryptonomicon.

The Baroque Cycle is a series of three books (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of World). These are set in the late 1600s/early 1700s and follow scientific advances in that period. There is a side plot of piracy, and another of financial dodgy dealings and espionage. It took a while to get into Quick Silver, but as the books are large, and the story excellent, I forgave it that. These three are far and away my favourites of his, but may not be the best starting point.

And finally there's Anathem, his most recent. Again, that took a little while to get into (partly because there's a lot of almost-made-up words in it), but again it was well worth the effort. It's sci fi, set in the future, where scientists are cloistered away like monks and nuns... it's a brilliant book, but it is different from his earlier works.

11-05-2008, 01:24 PM	#2
ShortNCuddlyAm WWHALD Posts: 7,879 Karma: 337114 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mitcham, Surrey, UK Device: iPad. Selling my silver 505 here	Books On Board have his stuff, including the new one, Anathem. Fictionwise may do too. Both are happy to sell ebooks to people in the UK (I got all of Neal Stephenson's novels from BoB, not long after I got my reader...) As for an entry book... it depends what you're after! His style has changed over the years, so if you like Snow Crash, you may not like the Baroque Cycle, or Anathem, at all. I like all his books (which would be obvious given I bought the lot of 'em as ebooks), some a lot more than others though. Snow Crash would be good if you like cyberpunk/sci fi type stuff - and if you go for Snow Crash, it's worth bearing in mind it was written well before things like Second Life were around. Diamond Age is futuristic steampunk in style - it's set in the future, but there is a Neo Victorian society. There were aspects of it I really liked, and I wanted to like a whole lot more (as I'm "into" steampunk); but personally I think it's the weakest of his books. It took a long time to get into, which is a bad thing given it's a short book. However, it has lent a phrase to our household talk, so it wasn't all bad. Cryptonomicon is modern day & WWII computer espionage and adventure. Sort of cyberpunk-ish. Although it was written before The Baroque Cycle, it comes after them - some of the characters in the Baroque Cycle are ancestors of some of the characters in Cryptonomicon. The Baroque Cycle is a series of three books (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of World). These are set in the late 1600s/early 1700s and follow scientific advances in that period. There is a side plot of piracy, and another of financial dodgy dealings and espionage. It took a while to get into Quick Silver, but as the books are large, and the story excellent, I forgave it that. These three are far and away my favourites of his, but may not be the best starting point. And finally there's Anathem, his most recent. Again, that took a little while to get into (partly because there's a lot of almost-made-up words in it), but again it was well worth the effort. It's sci fi, set in the future, where scientists are cloistered away like monks and nuns... it's a brilliant book, but it is different from his earlier works.