Rating: 
Summary: Devastatingly dull...
Review: I really liked the idea of this book, but I couldn't get into it. There're far better books out there and I can't believe the average reviewer has given it 4stars.
The first 50 pages were so dull that I started going to bed later and later, to avoid the book. After several frustrating attempts to enjoy it, I realised that I was only persevering to see if anything ever happened. And if you're not enjoying it, what's the point? So I stopped torturing myself and gave the book to a second-hand store.
Rating: 
Summary: Dissappointing when compared to Snow Crash
Review: Having read Stephenson's "Snow Crash" I was really hoping for more of the same hip, very fast paced, and imaginitive writing. This book, unfortunately, turned out to be much slower paced, and with lots of hits and misses.The story, although in the future, very closely mirrors the High-Colonial period in the early 1900's with the British Empire (now called the Neo-Victorians) once again ruling Coastal China. The are so many parallels to the old British Empire and this one, that anyone who has studied Chinese history will figure out the ending by page 50. And the ending itself is very confusing. The book never really explains who the Drummers were, and the whole point of the Mouse Army. After reading what felt like very long detailed descriptions, and lots of mystery, I could not help but feel dissappointed when the ending just happened, or rather didn't happen. On the other hand, true to Stephenson's style, there was a lot of witty humor in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing about Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Chinese culture. Stephenson's humor is as sharp as ever in this book, so even while dissappointing, it is still very entertaining at times. I also found this book very compelling at times as the mystery surrounding the Drummers unfolded throughout the book, and also Doctor X. With such interesting characters, I wish Stephenson had spent more time developing them. After having read Snow Crash, I had to give this book 3 starts because it had plenty of Stephenson humor, creativity and wit, but was slow-paced and the plot was more confusing and incomplete. This book is one that should go on any Stephenson fan's shelf, but perhaps not the topmost place.
Rating: 
Summary: Does this guy ever finish a book....
Review: Nano-plot is a pretty apt description. And it is executed flawlessly in this sloppily written slice of futurama. The setup is great.
The setting is imaginative and well crafted. The problem is that there is not much of a story here. Consequently the author must not really feel compelled to conclude it. For example: Stephenson spends the first 40 pages developing a bit character that is abruptly killed off, but he has no qualms about concluding the whole book in about 5 pages...in the middle of some battle no less. Read the first few chapters - you'll get all of the good techie stuff without the time commitment necessary for the big let- down, er ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow
Review: This book starts with complex descriptions and techno babble, but don't get frustrated. It is key to the story that you somewhat understand how it works. The story is very compelling and you find yourself cheering on the characters. My one and only complaint is that the book does not end, it just stops. You are reading along and the end of the action takes place and so does the book. There is no wrap up or were are they now summaries. It is a very good book regardless and highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Science Fiction Classic, with a POINT!!!!
Review: Many people complain about Neal Stephenson's lack of a "good ending." Personally, I think he ends his books exactly where they SHOULD end...not every question needs to be answered...it's those left UNanswered that keep us awake at night...
The story of "The Diamond Age" follows Nell, a young girl in Shanghai who has come upon an electronic "book." It is more like a laptop computer, but through it's pictures and words, Nell begins to learn about the world around her...eventually, the book drives her to leave the poverty in which she lives, and so she flees with her brother...
After reading "Snow Crash," I felt I deserved to give this book a try...I was blown away. Stephenson makes us actually feel for his characters (particularly Nell) through so-called "little victories," which is hard to find these days in sci-fi. This format has been used to great success in many popular movies (for instance, the Shawshank Redemption...lots of "little victories" made us feel for the guy, and so we cheered even harder when he achieves ultimate victory...), and it works equally well in this novel.
Many people also complain about how Stephenson gets bogged down with technical details about programming, etc,. in this book. I don't think so. These details serve to prove a POINT! As complex as Nell's quests become (in her electronic primer), each of them is no match for Nell's mind (well, some may challenge her more than others, but still...)...JUST LIKE THE BOOK. As complex as the machine may be, it is still not a valid substitute for a living breathing person acting as a parent and mentor. Slowly, even Nell begins to realize this, and so sets on a quest to find a "mother." This also makes sense in one of the subplots, involving a child-smuggling operation...Several thousand children have been smuggled out of poverty, and they too are raised with a book like Nell's...but chaos ensues...
I think Stephenson does an effective job of tying up the loose ends...I will admit the jump in the middle of the book to the "Drummers" is an unnecessary plot element (that whole chapter is extremely dark and gothic), but the rest of the plot elements I agree with. Those left open or unanswered didn't leave me flustered, but thinking...what if?
Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorite Novels
Review: This is an amazing novel. I've read it three times. I think it may be the only novel I have ever read that many times. The protagonist is female. The author creates a complete world that it is easy to lose yourself in. Think of the the film "Blade Runner" and the book "Alice's Adventures's in Wonderland" - only smarter and strangely empowering. You HAVE to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, but a little underdeveloped
Review: Generally, this book was pretty good, but with its drawbacks. In the fashion of good science fiction, Stephenson hit on the major implications of the technology of his "age" on society. This was the part I really enjoyed. He seemed to relish in leaping into issues of importance without pulling up for a breather. This gave the book great depth and allowed for further thought, outside of the scope of the book. Also, the book had a well-craft array of plots that all met up satisfactorily. This is what made the book difficult to put down -- each of the several plot lines was immersive and held significance (and, therefore, my attention). However, It seemed that Stephenson might have outdone himself in building his plots, as the ending didn't quite finish the story. As the book is titled "The Diamond Age", I was certainly expecting there to be some resolution as to the diamond age, justifying its choice as title, but there was not. Also, while Stephenson's tongue-in-cheeck style of writing earned a few laughs, it earned about as many sighs. It became "snippy" or unjustifiably angry, not unlike the militant socialists who frequent my campus. This wasn't horrible, but it certainly pulled me out of the story and left me feeling as if I had been disturbed by someone else in the room -- not something an author should do, in my opinion. Lastly for my complaints, I found Stephenson to be a bit disrespectful about some of the situations in the book, in a kind of disturbing way. I would not want to meet this author in person. Altogether, I would recommend this book to those with some free time and who are willing to overlook its shortcomings as a book by a person with some developing to do.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Sci-Fi Book.
Review: Definitely an excellent book. Very insignful, imaginative, and thought-provoking.
Rating:
Summary: Stephenson is the best
Review: I'm used to being blown away by the staggering brilliance of Neal Stephenson's imagination and this book was no disappointment. Buy it now!
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly enjoyable
Review: Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash was one of the best science fiction books written in 199_--satiric, witty, thought-provoking, fun, and full of action. Had its ending lived up to the promise of the other 400 pages of the novel, and had Stan Robinson waited a while longer before writing his Mars epic, it is quite possible that Stephenson would have garnered a pair of awards for it. As it was, a lot of people had a hard time believing that Snow Crash was Stephenson's first novel--of course, that's because it wasn't. But not many science fiction readers (this one included) had read his farcical view of campus life, The Big U, or his ecological thriller, Zodiac. Stephenson's name was new to the fans and he was literally the new kid on the block who everyone had to know and talk about. Most of the discussion ended with the question, "What next?" What next was actually Interface, a near-future political thriller written in collaboration with his uncle and published under the pseudonym of Stephen Bury. This was not what fans wre expecting from Stephenson after the pyrotechnic Snow Crash, and it was probably a wise move for his publisher to print it under another name. For all their love of imagination and innovation, science fiction fans can rarely take too much of it from one author (which may end up being unfortunate for Stephenson, who is showing some amazing chameleon-like properties). The Diamond Age is, however, the true child of Snow Crash, both the logical "second novel" for this "new" science fiction author, and the book that contains the freshness of the first with the wisdom of experience gained in the intervening time. While not as satiric as Snow Crash, this new novel more than makes up for it in the structured intensity of its plot and the internal consistency of character and place. The subtitle of the book is "A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer," after the integral plot and science fictional element--a truly inter- active teaching tool designed by an innovative nanotech engineer named John Percival Hackworth to help innoculate the granddaughter of Equity Lord Finkle-McGraw with the idea of "taking chances" that seems to have been lost in the traditional teaching methods. Hackworth, in his own act of rebellion, makes a copy for his own daughter, Fiona, then loses the copy which falls into the hands of a waif named Nell. In some ways this is a traditional science fiction novel--set in a strange new world with problems similar to our own (education, the fragmentation of society, and an inadequate division of wealth), numerous complications, a couple of action sequences, and a resolution. Stephenson retains some of his native humor, seen in Hackworth's name (i.e., in relation to his position as the Hacker of the novel), as well as in the fractured fairy tale told in the Primer. In this novel, he seems to have more of a feeling for character--I especially felt an affinity towards Hackworth--although he still has the flashy language and technology that so endeared Snow Crash to fans. The ending is still a disappointment. Not having read any of Stephenson's other work besides Snow Crash and this novel, I don't know if this is indicative of his work, but it is unfortunate. Once again, the promise of 400 pages is unrealized in the last 40 as The Diamond Age just seems to lose steam and fade off into the sunset. Characters last seen a hundred pages before are left unmentioned, a climatic "rescue" is missing its denounment, and everything seems unfinished. It is as if an entire chapter is missing. It's not even as if he was setting it up for a sequel, although such is always a possibility these days. Even with the null ending, I enjoyed The Diamond Age more than any other science fiction book in recent memory, and I look forward to Neal Stephenson's next with even more anticipation than I did for this one.
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