User Profile

The characters are unlikable, which I've heard is the point. The plot where it is exists seems to be intentionally incoherent, and I see some people say that's the point. This makes it extra frustrating when you see the author has undeniable talent in prose, poetry, vibe, scene building...

I feel like this was written on a dare or because they lost a bet.

It's crazy to me this has mostly positive reviews on the main purchasing venues.

Spooky and uncomfortable in ways you don't expect. I think more people should read this and become uncomfortable with themselves.

This feels like 2 or three books instead of one. The intro feels almost completely separate from the middle and end, but it does flow well and make sense. The result is a much more epic story than you realize from the first 2/3 of the book.

I wasn't bored at any point, which is impressive given how long this is.

There are a few tic's present that get repeated so often you're exhausted of them by the end, but still they didn't spoil the book for me.

Really enjoyed this. A healthy mix of action, suspense, intrigue, and found-family warmth. Looking forward to more stories in this universe.

Pretty incredible writing style, full of flourish and poetry while somehow not being saccharine or overbearing. It reads like the first fairytale you ever heard.

Well realized characters with depth.

You need the 850 pages to understand the plot of the actual story in the end. The story itself isn't worth it, but the concepts explored are pretty interesting and the characters are likable.

Neal Stephenson is the king of deeply exploring interesting concepts and then framing a story around them. I liked this world, and would love to see more stories in it, especially from the other side of the walled garden that is the Concent.

Written in 1949, this story portrays the collapse of civilization due to a pandemic.

Very believable exploration of the fall, and how communities re-form and rebuild. Not optimistic, but very grounded and not pessimistic either. One of the inspirations for "The Stand"

I enjoyed this book, but it didn't really go anywhere.

It presented a warm, sometimes interesting world that I wanted to spend more time in but left me wondering what the point was.

I suppose not everything needs a point. It made me want to draw or paint some of the settings.