<story><title>We are all nerds: The literary works of Neal Stephenson</title><url>https://bastian.rieck.me/blog/posts/2022/neal_stephenson/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>bradleyjg</author><text>Anathem is also my favorite, fairly easily.&lt;p&gt;I’m not surprised there are Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, Diamond Age, or Baroque Cycle favorite-rs but I am when I come across someone that thought Seveneves or Dodge was his best.</text></item><item><author>The_Colonel</author><text>My favorite Stephenson&amp;#x27;s novel is Anathem with superb world building (as usual) but also a pretty good story and ending.&lt;p&gt;But it&amp;#x27;s also a book whose world (specifically the avout society) attracts me. I&amp;#x27;ve grown up in a Catholic setting, but &amp;quot;converted&amp;quot; to atheism&amp;#x2F;agnosticism pretty early. But even with its many failings, there are certain aspects of religions which seem worth preserving - the focus on community, the rituals, a particular rule framework, meditation (prayers) and introspection.&lt;p&gt;The book presents a (on a certain level) pretty attractive model of society which combines the practical religious patterns with a full rationalism.&lt;p&gt;I kind of understand why such &amp;quot;atheist religion&amp;quot; is unlikely to get off in the real world, but it&amp;#x27;s still something I would wish for.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>noSyncCloud</author><text>I absolutely loved Seveneves; easily my second favorite. The first part was too long and the second too short, however, and it&amp;#x27;s obviously not as good as Anathem  ;)</text></comment>
<story><title>We are all nerds: The literary works of Neal Stephenson</title><url>https://bastian.rieck.me/blog/posts/2022/neal_stephenson/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>bradleyjg</author><text>Anathem is also my favorite, fairly easily.&lt;p&gt;I’m not surprised there are Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, Diamond Age, or Baroque Cycle favorite-rs but I am when I come across someone that thought Seveneves or Dodge was his best.</text></item><item><author>The_Colonel</author><text>My favorite Stephenson&amp;#x27;s novel is Anathem with superb world building (as usual) but also a pretty good story and ending.&lt;p&gt;But it&amp;#x27;s also a book whose world (specifically the avout society) attracts me. I&amp;#x27;ve grown up in a Catholic setting, but &amp;quot;converted&amp;quot; to atheism&amp;#x2F;agnosticism pretty early. But even with its many failings, there are certain aspects of religions which seem worth preserving - the focus on community, the rituals, a particular rule framework, meditation (prayers) and introspection.&lt;p&gt;The book presents a (on a certain level) pretty attractive model of society which combines the practical religious patterns with a full rationalism.&lt;p&gt;I kind of understand why such &amp;quot;atheist religion&amp;quot; is unlikely to get off in the real world, but it&amp;#x27;s still something I would wish for.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>stuven</author><text>I&amp;#x27;ve only read Seveneves to the end and was blown away (and simultaneously a bit disappointed if that makes sense?). I&amp;#x27;ve started Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash but they didn&amp;#x27;t interest me as much.</text></comment>