Reviews

Fall; Or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson

otds's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

Another book I'm honestly not sure if I liked or not. It had some really interesting ideas, but they were also intermixed with very specific insufferable "liberal guy who came of age alongside the early tech industry"-isms. Those did kind of fade to the background, though, and so the back two thirds or so of the book were really interesting about how we perceive reality. It's very classic sci fi in that it's much more interested in its ideas than its characters, but once it shifted more fully into that mode, it worked a lot better for me. Kind of wish it went into more detail about the internet and the people left on earth, though. Very very strongly wish the author had come up with any word other than Ameristan, as well ..

teal_owl's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

algorithminflux's review against another edition

4.0

Honestly, it was long, but it was entertaining. I loved the virtual world, and the imagination that was put into how it worked for those inside of it. It definitely played with my imagination, and as I get older, that's always a welcome feeling.

vomcent's review against another edition

2.25

 Hugely frustrating because of how great the concept and story seems to be, but doesn't stand up to any digging. Also, the last quarter of the book is just bad. 

timinbc's review against another edition

2.0

OK, that was my last Stephenson. I don't know why I keep hitting myself in the head and hoping THIS one will be better.

This follows the NS formula of a promising opening, exploring a modern challenge, building a framework of people-in-a-situation.

Then, as always, we get the Giant InfoDump mixed with philosophy. Even that was OK for a while.

Then Dodge/Egdod finds the leaf, and after a bit of tribute to Proust we go down. Dodge is apparently going "down" to a version of Hell, and the plot is going down the toilet.

Other reviews suggest that after the point where I quit, we get a cyberspace reworking of well-known Bible stories. No, thanks.

I also agree with the other reviewers who noted the billionaire-fantasy aspects of it. It felt like Heinlein with Scrooge McDuck. Stephenson's future society seems to consist of the super-rich and their Very Smart Friends, plus millions of forelock-tuggers who serve them.

testaroscia's review against another edition

3.0

I was really looking forward to this. So much so I re-read [b:Reamde|10552338|Reamde|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1305993115i/10552338._SY75_.jpg|15458989] (and enjoyed it almost more than the first read) I had also seen enough to know not to expect a true sequel and it truly wasn't. Like [b:Seveneves|22816087|Seveneves|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449142000i/22816087._SY75_.jpg|42299347] it is a book of three parts and i loved parts 1 and 2 with the discussion of the concepts, ethics, practical implications of a "digital afterlife." Other books I have read recently like [b:Head On|35018901|Head On (Lock In, #2)|John Scalzi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1497994548i/35018901._SY75_.jpg|45415409], or [b:We Are Legion|32109569|We Are Legion (Bobiverse, #1)|Dennis E. Taylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474344826i/32109569._SY75_.jpg|52752877], take the concept post facto, and run with it, but Stephenson, to his credit, sweats the details. I would have loved to be thrown a bone to know what Marlon was up to of if Yuxia and Seamus were still together, but that's OK. However when Enoch Root pops up I got excited. He was the perfect timeless character to enter this time shifting world, and as we were progressing through part 2 I thought Neal was going to join this world with [b:Snow Crash|40651883|Snow Crash|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530057753i/40651883._SX50_.jpg|493634] world of the Metaverse. I would have sqeeeed with delight. But No. The third part was a rather mundane "Fantasy Quest" that fell flat. Now Stephenson knows how to write a certain kind of Fantasy - [b:Anathem|2845024|Anathem|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488349209i/2845024._SX50_.jpg|6163095] is such a rich tapestry, but the "merry band on a quest" seemed thin, especially as we did not really have the time (except for Prim) to get to know the band. Maybe my main frustration is the fact that of all the books that are dying for a sequel (Seveneves and Anathem first among others) Reamde was not the one.

jennkei's review against another edition

4.0

The first Neal Stephenson book I finished! Not even sure whether it's part of a series rofl! But while it went into sorta crazy bits (still not quite sure about that ending), it had big, big ideas. Like Upload but fully-fleshed out.

spilliams's review against another edition

1.0

None of the characters don't know exactly what they're doing. Everyone is technically-minded. A quarter of the way in and no sense of overarching conflict or plot.

leflambeur's review against another edition

3.0

Had a hard time getting through this book. There are glints of visionary genius as a future of the US is presented. But mostly there is a lot that could have been streamlined and edited. The finale never really delivers on the big wind-up of the plot and it all falls a little flat in the end.

codergrl's review against another edition

2.0

It pains me to give a Neal Stephenson book 2 stars but holy crap this book was a pointless rambling. I could not for the life of me keep up with the million characters that were spun up and promptly destroyed just to be referenced 200 pages later.