Stephenson's vision of a nanotech future is captivating. The technology's interactions with the various cultures are definitely food for thought.

The sections dealing with the Drummers seemed bizarre and jarring at first, but in retrospect I think that effect is appropriate. Technologies do end up being used in rather weird ways compared to the initial intent of their designers. ( )

Decidido, Neal Stephenson se convierte de pleno derecho en uno de mis escritores favoritos. El final me supo a poco, pero el viaje superó todas mis expectativas. ( )

Decidido, Neal Stephenson se convierte de pleno derecho en uno de mis escritores favoritos. El final me supo a poco, pero el viaje superó todas mis expectativas. ( )

To be perfectly frank, I don't get it. The story begins with a man named Hackworth creating an interactive primer for his young daughter, but before he can give it to her he is mugged by a gang of boys. One of these boys grabs the book and brings it home for his little sister, Nell. The book itself is awesome: interactive, multifunctional, and just all around nifty. I wish I had one. Unfortunately, after this things start getting confusing. Hackworth lives with a group called the Drummers, who share a collective consciousness and have a lot of orgies. Then there's this group called the Fists of Righteous Harmony who start making trouble, and then there are a quarter of a million little Chinese girls getting together, and then there's this mysterious group called Cryptnet... Part of me feels what I've felt when reading other Stephenson books: that while he's excellent at world-building, he's not so hot at endings. There's also a possibility that I'm simply not smart enough to appreciate his work. I'm fine with that. I was kind of surprised at how meh I felt about the latter half of this book, since I enjoyed Snow Crash and Zodiac so much, but perhaps this marks a turning point in his writing. The next book he wrote was Cryptonomicon, on which I gave up after 250 pages. I guess I should stick with Stephenson's older works from now on. ( )

A case where the sum of the parts is not greater than the whole. i only finished it because of how much I enjoyed Anathem and Snow Crash and hoped it would all come together in the end, It did not.

I would have given "The Diamond Age" five stars if I were to review only the world that Stephenson created. The Primer is a wonder, the various factions are more than believable and the technology itself pleases the eye.

But I have to admit that I had trouble feeling the need to turn the pages after a while. The various storylines are difficult to follow and I was disappointed by the outcome of the story. Or I missed the point, who knows. ( )

Stephenson has a fine imagination for fantastic technologies, and the effect of these technologies on the future world and its inhabitants. Worth at least three stars just for that. The plot, could use a bit of buffing. The ending was, as other reviewers note, a bit of a let down. ( )

Was good but not as good as snow crash ( )

simply brilliant ( )

Seriously this book put me off reading for quite some time - I tried a number of times to get into it but just couldn't. It has a number of plots kicking off but most at a snails pace and the one that does finally crack the inertia of the book and gets going pretty much stops once you actually have a reason to start turning the pages. I hate it when I give up on a book and especially one from my favorite genre but of the many hundreds of books I have read this joins the scrap heap of three in total which I couldn't finish. Hopefully some day I will try again but probably not. ( )

I think this book would be classified Science Fiction with elements of Fantasy. There are a lot of technical devices which are designed to protect the individual societies, manufacture needed articles and create food (these last two are in the home), among a lot of other things which I won’t try to explain—mainly because I found this part of the novel difficult to comprehend. The main story involves a very young street urchin girl who accidentally receives a book that is interactive and will teach her many things. This is the part of the book I really enjoyed as she learns not only to cope with the bewildering world but eventually becomes someone who will impact this world. In spite of some of the frustration I felt in trying to unravel all the threads in this very dense story (almost as many threads as on LT :-) )which slowed down my reading—am I’m not fast to begin with—I never lost interest in the book and in some ways enjoyed it. I started it as a library book but finally bought it because I know I will want to read it again to see if some of my questions will be answered the second time around when I know somewhat what to look for. ( )

One of the better concepts for a novel by an author known for his awesome concepts, and one of the worst endings by an author known for his terrible endings. "Snow Crash" had one of the most wicked awesome opening chapters of any book I've ever read and petered out to a decidedly yawn-inducing conclusion where very little was resolved. "Cryptonomicon" went on for 800 pages before we even knew what it was about and then ended with strange confluence of events that didn't seem to have warranted a Bible-length novel. Seriously, how is it that Neal Stephenson still feels like he needs to spend 300 to 1000 pages building up to some sort of climax in his books only to scramble to tie everything together in the final chapter or two? Stephenson could really have stood to siphon off a few hundred of those extra pages of irrelevant wankery found in "The Baroque Cycle" and transplanted them into "Diamond Age" in order to flesh out some of its (admittedly very interesting) examinations of Confucianism and the role of education in the development of exceptional personalities. As it stands, the novel sets everything up and then has a seizure and defecates all over itself during the climax; some characters do things that make no sense, some characters disappear, and the plot itself that had so long been advancing towards one thing takes a nonsensical turn and then crashes into the Pacific Ocean. ( )

Wow. This is a great book. It’s set in the not too distant future, and has some interesting ideas about how society may respond in the face of our increasing technological advances. It's an incredibly layered book, and I'm still trying to decide exactly how I feel about it.

The main character in this book is a girl named Nell, an under-privileged girl in Shangai who is given a copy of A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer, a technological teaching tool disguised as a book. This book will ultimately teach Nell how to change the world.

I can’t say this was always an easy book to read. You’re immediately thrust into the action of a world much more technologically advanced than our own, with a very different social structure. It take a little while to figure out what’s going on, and even then, the story is constantly advancing, and things you thought you knew change. The layers of detail and plot are fascinating, and really kept me going. I was actually a little irritated by the end. While I think that a little distance will make it more satisfactory, it was a bit abrupt after all of the layers of detail I had waded through to get there.

Ultimately, I think this book is a great example of why I read science fiction. I like being challenged to think about what’s making out society tick, and what that might lead to in the future. ( )

A complex read, but one that rewarded with moments of sheer pleasure (like reading Dickens or Austen, there are patterns here that must be appreciated). A strange combination of the historical and the post-modern aesthetic, with a post-cyberpunk edge.

I'd read only one other Neal Stephenson novel before this one, and it did nothing to prepare me for this breathless run through East Asian urban landscapes and cyberspaces. One day I'l go back and re-read it slowly, enjoying the detail and the characters as much as the razzle-dazzle technology and high-concept ideas. ( )

Stephenson has constructed an elaborate future world with detailed descriptions of society and the nanotechnology that has become commonplace. ( )

I don't remember really loving the plot or the characters in this book--or hating them, either--but oh my goodness, does Stephenson paint a wonderful world, full of interesting technology. It's worth the read just for the descriptions. ( )

(disclaimer: I read a Spanish translation of the book)

A very interesting and entertaining tale of a futuristic society in which nanotechnology has been completely mastered, allowing incredible feats in the manipulation of matter and even mind (with nano-"bugs" that can easily get into the brain and interact with neurons).

The main story follows a poor girl, Nell, who comes into possession of a highly advanced interactive book that essentially guides her through her life, saving her from trouble and teaching her a lot about people, skills, culture and technology.

I really liked the technological premises in the book. For example, the idea of "matter compilers" as described in the book, which can essentially fabricate anything you want, is fascinating (I want one!). In the book, nanotechnology makes possible everything from very powerful computers in small sizes (e.g. smart paper) to powerful explosives and bulletproof clothing. Of course it's science fiction, but the idea is very interesting.

I found the ending a bit anticlimactic, but overall a very satisfying read. Highly recommended. ( )

A wild speculative tale of the impact of nanotechnology on the world. Complex, varied, and furiously paced, I recommend this one to any sci-fi fan. ( )

There were some brilliant concepts in this story which takes place in a world where diamonds and anything else you might want are easily fabricated, and where the nationalism we know in our time is replaced by a kind of social tribalism. A little girl in a bad situation comes in possession of a powerful interactive book which takes her on a fantastic voyage both within its pages and throughout her life. It took me years to read this book because the story jumps frequently between many characters and situations, too frequently to hold my interest until the second half of the book when I could see how all the elements were related. By the time I'd read the first half of the book I was so completely bored that I set it aside for over a year. When I picked it back up all that time later though, I sped through the second half. It was definitely a worthy read, but it's heady. complicated, cyberpunk science fiction, and it took some time to really get into the story. The imagery and social workings of the world Stephenson built for the story are top notch. ( )

Perhaps the finest nanotech novel ever written. ( )

Excellent, but the ending was a bit too abrupt for me. ( )

I started with Snow Crash, and Diamond Age has only increased my awe of Stephenson's superb abilities. If you like sci-fi or just a good fiction read, you'll love Diamond Age. ( )

Another marvelous creation by Neal Stephenson. Like his previous novels; Diamond Age is a seamless melding of several different storylines. Set in future Shanghai the story begins with John Percival Hackworth; an engineer that has been hired to create a digital education for the daughter of a leading politician. When Johns tries to steal the primer for his own daughter he looses it. The book is picked up by Nell; a poor orphan and the book picks up as John; his daughter Fiona; Nell; her brother Harv and actress Miranda are thrown together in this science fiction/fantasy/political thriller masterpiece! ( )

A compelling cyberpunk allegory. Countries as political entities have long since ceased to exist and instead people belong to phyles or tribes; political and socio-economic groups whose members share philosophical, spiritual or aesthetic ideals. Nanotechnology has infiltrated the day to day lives of even the poorest in every conceivable way. Nanowarfare and nanoterrorism is a continued threat and noone can control the nanotechnology, which is even capable of evolution.

Nell has been born into the poorest sub-sector of this society - thetes - who belong to no phyle but service the needs of the various phyles either inside or outside the law. When Nell's brother gives her an illicitly obtained interactive ('ractive') book, Nell's world is expanded beyond her previously limited horizons. The book first teaches her the skills she needs to survive in her hostile environment and then moves on to its real purpose. ( )