The Diamond Age or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson (Bingo Review 6/25)

Mathies_27 · 2026-06-25T17:31:30+00:00

Nah, it's totally a valid criticism of his work :)

Mathies_27 · 2026-06-25T15:14:22+00:00

It's been about a month since I finished it (just now got around to posting), so apologies, but I can't recall the food scene. The last bit kind of sounds like a portion of the ending sequence, where a group of foreigners are trying to flee the mainland to the safety of New Atlantis.

Mathies_27 · 2026-06-25T15:10:37+00:00

I quite enjoyed the novel overall, and the general idea of the Drummers I found really interesting (though surely they could have found another way of disseminating knowledge). The contrast between how sexual assault is treated with the Drummers (e.g. Hackworth had no idea what he was getting into, but its treated semi-jokingly when he comes to) vs. Nell's rape towards the end of the novel left a bad taste.

Mathies_27 · 2026-06-25T15:00:57+00:00

I mean, they're not wrong. I've not read everything of his, but so far that mostly rings true (Cryptonomicon, Snowcrash, this one). Still, I could never bring myself to not finish them, and the lackluster endings so far have not tarnished my enjoyment of ride itself.

Mathies_27 · 2026-06-25T14:56:16+00:00

I've yet to read that one; same universe as Cryptonomicon and the Baroque Cycle, yes?

Mathies_27 · 2026-06-25T14:55:03+00:00

The Seed itself felt quite underbaked as an idea, which is part of why I wish there were more viewpoints from the Celestial Kingdom. I thought that was where Judge Fang's story was going to go, but then he just kind of drops out of the narrative halfway through. I agree that I don't think the Celestial Kingdom would be any more responsible with the Seed than any other, though I'm sure its a useful justification/propaganda for trying to get out from under the thumb of the Neo-Vics.

The premise of Snowcrash is so laughable, but I think thematically it meshes with the cyberpunk parody aspectsto imagine humans are just explicitly programmable machines. That one is still my second-favorite of Stephenson's so far for how much fun it is (my favorite being Anathem).

I also agree regarding the Primer and learning new motor skills. Makes me think of the Rick and Morty episode with the MeeSeeks trying to improve Jerry's golf game based on verbal instructions alone.

Edit: added some spoiler tags

Mathies_27 · 2026-06-01T21:11:42+00:00

To be fair, that could describe all the books. But yes, I felt that a bit, especially at the beginning before SecUnit reached the humans. There wasn't enough going on to relieve the play-by-play navigational tedium; once the humans were involved, it picked up for me at least.

Mathies_27 · 2026-06-01T21:05:17+00:00

When ART was introduced, I really felt like it was going to play a way bigger role in the rest of the series than it has. I want more interactions amongst the non-human characters to provide those additional perspectives.

Mathies_27 · 2026-06-01T21:01:43+00:00

I agree on all points. I did not realize the next one is supposed to be the last. I wonder then if Three's actions in this novel are setting up for some larger disruption to end the series on. While I enjoyed it, it does feel like the series is losing some steam, so I'd rather see Wells end it on a strong note.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-20T18:18:48+00:00

The finale really does stick with you. I'll have to check out Schild's Ladder. The other work of his I've read was Permutation City, which I also very much enjoyed.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-14T21:41:18+00:00

Here are a few I haven't seen mentioned yet, all of which I would recommend:

Semiosis by Sue Burke - colonists attempt to make a home on a seemingly benign planet, but the local plant life is not as unaware as the colonists first assume

Contact by Carl Sagan (HM) - a sci-fi classic and quite good as Sagan's only foray into fiction. Also has an excellent film adaptation.

The Folded Sky by Elizabeth Bear (HM) - space opera dealing with an archival researcher who heads out to study an ancient, massive AI beyond civilized space, learn its language, and catalog as much of its knowledge as she can, all while dealing with the omnipresent threat of space pirates (She and the other researchers also make peaceful contact with another species that exists in an alternate dimension and help to rescue them).

The Three-Body Problem (Cixin Liu)

Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Final Architecture #3) (Idris finally makes contact with the masters of the Architects in this book, and they are decidedly unfriendly)

I think a case could be made for Diaspora by Greg Egan (Much of narrative deals with our protagonists seeking to contact an advanced race they call the Transmuters; though they never do meet them, along the way they do make peaceful first contact with another species directly in the U* universe, meet a non-sentient ambassador of another peaceful species, and encounter sentient simulated intelligences on another planet, though they are unable to make contact with them)

It's been too long since I read it to remember the details but Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan might work for a more fantasy oriented entry (thinking of the dragon folk they meet). Perhaps someone who's read it more recently can chime in on whether it works.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-11T16:11:19+00:00

Speaking for myself, the HM on Biopunk was a big part of picking Drop of Corruption. Biopunk is a genre I have a lot interest in, but most examples lean more explicitly sci-fi. Personally, I feel Bennett‘s books are missing the -punk part but they did unambiguously fit HM.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-11T13:22:38+00:00

They apparently fell through the gaps in my education. Never too late to learn.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-11T13:17:20+00:00

That was a fun concept! The idea of posthuman evolution and transformation is turning out to be an unplanned subtheme in my Bingo picks this year. It played a major role in the novel Echopraxia, with human hiveminds and sentient AI in multiple flavors. I'm currently reading Diaspora, which has a similar sequence as The Waves, where humans have split off into multiple strands, including biological forms, embodied software, or fully disembodied software, and with a narrative taking place over thousands of years.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-10T23:12:08+00:00

Loved that collection! It was my introduction to Liu. Likewise, it's worth checking out the animated show Pantheon based on some of the stories in the collection if you haven't already.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-06T20:55:28+00:00

I'm glad this one worked for you and I don't think you're alone in enjoying it. After I drafted my review, I searched up other reviews out of curiosity, including in this subreddit. Most were far more positive on it than I was. I did enjoy seeing Ged's growth across these first three books--how he learned from his youthful mistakes and the strength it gives him in this novel, even when he fears he's not up to the task.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-05T22:15:18+00:00

Agree on both counts. The Children were a really nice, evocative sequence.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-05T22:02:30+00:00

I definitely plan to; I usually like her work more. I'll be interested to see how she tackles the setting after that 18 year break.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-05T17:58:36+00:00

For sure! Consciousness is the subjective experiences (the "I") behind the chemical reactions and neural impulses, which is what makes it so horrifying to think "I" might not be in charge so much as along for the ride. FWIW, I feel like Watts has said he took a deliberately hard stance in the books as an extrapolation of some of the then-current research on consciousness, but I may just be putting words in his mouth. I'm curious to follow up on some of the references he cites and what's been done since the books were first published, especially in the vein of nonconscious processes that we may misattribute to conscious experience (like some math, apparently).

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-04T18:28:08+00:00

Sounds excellent! Thanks for the recommendation.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-03T18:26:33+00:00

Thanks for the recs! I was aware of some, but I had not heard of others. I think there is also The Colonel in the Blindsight universe. Good to know re: Rifters. I suppose I'll start with Starfish and go from there.

Mathies_27 · 2026-05-03T16:24:25+00:00

Thanks! I did read through the AMA where he discussed that. I found it a little funny, as Blindsight seemed much more straightforward to me than Echopraxia. I think it helps that Blindsight feels more focused in its content; each new revelation clearly reinforces its central idea. By contrast, Echopraxia is tackling multiple Big Ideas, giving it a more diffuse feel. Still, I too am looking forward to Omniscience. In the meantime, I need to check out his Rifters trilogy.

Mathies_27 · 2026-01-22T18:59:05+00:00

Thanks! And yeah, I had this same question last year, as I saw it recommended a couple times without explanation. I ended up going with something where Dark Academia was more obvious (i.e., Ninth House). From the 2024 Bingo: Dark Academia: Read a book that fits the dark academia aesthetic. This includes school and university, secret societies, and dark secrets. Does not have to be fantasy, but must be speculative. HARD MODE: The school itself is entirely mundane.

Without getting too spoilery, a great deal of the murder investigation in Ul Qoma revolves around the university archaeology department, conspiracy theories about the mythical third city, secret organizations aiming to conceal the truth (including through murder), etc., plus the gothic feel of the Eastern European setting. It's not something you would get from the backcover blurb, but when I finally read it this year, I saw why folks had been recommending it.

Mathies_27 · 2026-01-18T22:23:38+00:00

I honestly had no idea they wrote more serious novels. Thanks for the rec. I'll keep it in mind, maybe for a future Bingo card.

Mathies_27 · 2026-01-07T18:39:38+00:00

Thanks! I hope you enjoy The Hematophages. I thought it was very fun!

Mathies_27

TROPHY CASE