Books #14 Anathem

While it’s not Neal Stephenson’s best read, Anathem might be his most creative work. Set in a world of his own devising (albeit one closely related to our own) and featuring some heady intellectual content central to the plot, Anathem is an excellent, challenging book. Exploring matters of sociology, philosophy and science in a traditional sci-fi framework, Stepehenson manages to keep the story moving while still challenging the reader in a big, varied way.

Set on a planet called Arbre, Anathem tells the story of one Fraa Erasmus, a member of a secluded, structured intellectual group. Driven by outside pressure and self-preservation to sequester themselves from the Saecular world the Avout, as they are known, are scientists and philosophers who have dedicated their lives to intellectual pursuits. They normally seclude themselves for periods of 1, 10, 100 and 1000 years. The book turns when Erasmus and his friends are suddenly thrust into contact with the world outside their sanctuary gates. The Avout are called into action by the Saecular government when potentially catastrophic event demands the world’s attention.

My only complaint, such as it is, is that falls somewhat short of the page-turning frenzy induced by Cryptonomicon and the Baroque Cycle. It’s still a great achievement, but it lacks some of the energy of his previous two (four? eight? how does one slice up the The Baroque Cycle?) works. The Baroque Cycle, especially, had a madcap, adventurous streak that was like crack to me. That’s missing here. Maybe it’s purely down to the dire lack of Shaftoes and Waterhouses in the book…

That aside, Anathem is definitely worth checking out.