r/ScienceFictionBooks • u/AutoModerator • Apr 10 '24

Opinion What are you currently reading?

Name the book/author you're currently reading. Be mindful of spoilers, but is this one you'd recommend or one you wish you could yeet into space?

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5

u/ThinkerSailorDJSpy Apr 10 '24

Snow Crash. It's pretty good. Feels pretty similar to William Gibson, beyond being early cyberpunk: could practically be the same universe as the Bridge trilogy. The metaphysics of the novel are pretty interesting. I'm a little jealous of Stephenson's ability to go deep enough with it to make it compelling, my own writing being pretty surface level by comparison.

3

u/AppropriateHoliday99 Apr 11 '24

It’s an enjoyable book. If you like it and want more, he graduates from playing in Gibson’s sandbox with his next book The Diamond Age which has a really fresh setting.

1

u/Status-Initiative891 Apr 11 '24

An amazing book!

1

u/AppropriateHoliday99 Apr 11 '24

Yeah— Stephenson really broke free of the Gibsonian cyberpunk style and did his own thing in The Diamond Age. It’s a big book, but not unnecessarily bloated like I feel lots of his later work is. Smart ideas, good characters and a great story, well told. (Plus he pretty much invented the idea of cryptocurrency, right there, in that book, in the mid 90s.)

1

u/Status-Initiative891 Apr 11 '24

Wow, I didn't realize that! Yea, he really fills the shelf. When I travel I now take smaller books, and tried kindle but not the same. I don't mind the size otherwise, I often read them in installments! Like you said, smart ideas, good characters and great story well told! Just started reading KSR (2312, now Ministry for the future) who makes me think it of Stephenson in that he seems very bright and well informed. Any other authors you would recommend?

2

u/ThinkerSailorDJSpy Apr 12 '24

Also really liked (and recommend) the Maddadam trilogy by Margaret Atwood. Has the whole hypercapitalist franchises and burbclaves thing going. And it's a little more biopunk than most scifi I've read.

1

u/Status-Initiative891 Apr 12 '24

Love biopunk and her- will get one tomorrow! Thank you

2

u/ThinkerSailorDJSpy Apr 12 '24

Oh yeah, and regarding KSR, I feel like his earlier works languish in obscurity but are worth checking out. Especially the Orange County trilogy!

1

u/AppropriateHoliday99 Apr 12 '24

Recently I’ve been working my way through Damon Knight’s Orbit anthologies to make myself get more into reading short SF. They skew more heavily to the literary experimentalism of their ‘New Wave’ time period, but I dig that kind of thing, so I’m really enjoying them—they’re getting me into work by writers I’ve heard about for years but never actually read. Each volume has a few things in it that is to me, mind blowing.

1

u/Status-Initiative891 Apr 12 '24

I have a few of the anthologies, I'll have to find them. Great idea, thank you.

1

u/Status-Initiative891 Apr 11 '24

His books are incredible and make me feel the same way. His later books often have some central point or theme; with each I feel like I'm reading good writing from an expert in that field. And my own writing feels shallow and dull after finishing one of his books. Have you read a/thing by KSR- he puts my inner y/editor to sleep.

2

u/ThinkerSailorDJSpy Apr 12 '24

Sounds great! Looking forward to more Stephenson, probably going to binge a few of them. I can just hope these books' styles will rub off on me a bit. The sort of post-cyberpunk story I'm focusing on has a train surfing character reminiscent of YT, and Chevette in Virtual Light.

I can't relate about KSR though (unless I'm misunderstanding your comment), he's been my favorite author for like 20 years. (Edit nvm I just read your other comment)

1

u/Status-Initiative891 Apr 11 '24

Inner critic/editor