<story><title>An Interview with Neal Stephenson</title><url>http://electricliterature.com/the-people-who-survive-an-interview-with-neal-stephenson-author-of-seveneves/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>aaronbrethorst</author><text>&lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;    SP: Two-thirds of the way into your novel,
    Seveneves – in fact, on page 569 – you do
    something kind of crazy. The story suddenly
    skips ahead 5,000 years. What’s the idea here?
&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;
It took me maybe a week to read the first 2&amp;#x2F;3&amp;#x27;s of the book, and about three weeks to read the last 1&amp;#x2F;3. In many ways, these two parts feel like completely different books, one of which is significantly better than the other.&lt;p&gt;Also, I was occasionally distracted at the beginning when snippets of dialog from &lt;i&gt;Anathem&lt;/i&gt; were reused in the form of exposition in &lt;i&gt;Seveneves&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;p&gt;But, that said, I think the book is worth reading, especially the first 2&amp;#x2F;3&amp;#x27;s.&lt;p&gt;My personal, quick, rough ranking of Stephenson&amp;#x27;s bibliography:&lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;    * Anathem
    * Snow Crash
    * The Diamond Age
    * Seveneves
    * Cryptonomicon
    * The Baroque Cycle
    * Zodiac
    * Reamde
    * The Interface
    * The Big U

&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;
Haven&amp;#x27;t Read&lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;    * The Cobweb
    * The Mongoliad&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;</text></comment>
<story><title>An Interview with Neal Stephenson</title><url>http://electricliterature.com/the-people-who-survive-an-interview-with-neal-stephenson-author-of-seveneves/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>beambot</author><text>I still can&amp;#x27;t believe he willingly worked at Intellectual Ventures -- largely considered the most egregious (successful?) patent troll. I still purchase, read, and enjoy each of his books... but I feel a small pang of guilt knowing that some of his ideas may have originated from a shady organization.&lt;p&gt;Neal, if you&amp;#x27;re reading... perhaps you could shed some light and assuage our misgivings?</text></comment>