Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not his best
Review: I love the way Stephenson writes... but this book is my least favorite of all of his books.
His idea of a Neo-Victorian age is an interesting one, but considering the idea of the first Victorian age makes me cringe and lose all interest in anything being discussed about it... moving that into the future and mimicing it, but with a dystopic and dirtied mechanical/electronic version of it doesn't exactly excite me either.
There were a bunch of interesting parts in this book, and overall it is enjoyable. But I personally had a hard time getting past all the Neo-Victorian sludge.
I personally enjoy Stephenson and will always read everything he publishes, but with this type of book, he always seems to come off as "Gibson Lite" to me.
Rating: 
Summary: Stephenson's Thought Experiment On What an EBook Could Be
Review: Okay, maybe that is not where Stephenson was planning to go with this book, but when my computer was reading aloud to me the part where Nell's book is reading aloud to her (I read this in the ebook edition), I just knew I had arrived. Forget the fact that the main characters and the plot are based on the Dickensian, unless you can concieve of Dickens living in VR and buzzing on Jolt and sleep dep. I know, I know, I'm in the minority, and all my housemates loved Snowcrash better, too, and maybe I just over-identified with the geeky orphan girl, Nell, but I consider The Diamond Age to be one of the best science fiction books I have read in a long time, and I think it should also be read as an exploration of the potential of what an ebook could be and what the importance of such a medium might prove to be for people who are likely to become victims of the digital divide.
Rating:
Summary: Science Fiction as Literature
Review: Although I was an avid SciFi reader, I've slacked off in the past decade or so in favor of other types of fiction. I am extremely happy to find a SciFi author that can blend a very high level of technical savy with a well developed sense of language! I am captivated, and am moving on to other Stephenson works, with equal satisfaction. This is one terrific read. The only drawback was the sleep deprivation I suffered as I was compelled to finish.
Rating:
Summary: I've have the book right here...
Review: This is the second time that I have read THE DIAMOND AGE and cannot help thinking: "What the heck just happened?". Maybe my understanding of the book is no deep enough, but I cannot help feeling disappointed (and confused) about the ending. I am not a casual reader (ie. I've read most "good" works of classical and contemporary SF/Fantasy), but Neal Stephenson strikes me as one of the most original modern SF writers (I know that that sounds rather ambiguous, but this is a book review not an analysis). The ending of the story (in fact, the last couple of chapters), does not seem to fit with the rest of the novel (to me it does not even vaugely make sense). This is the only thing that prevents me from giving this book a heartfelt 5 stars...Please excuse any spelling/grammar errors. I usually hurry through reviews and thus do not pay attention thses details.
Rating:
Summary: Paints an incredible picture.. an all time MUST
Review: If you are into future scenarios this one is one that I think just begins to go far enough in describing a world we might be building. Incredible, fascinating - integrates nano into a deep well connected story. Technology is not the center, but the backdrop on a story that transform you as you read. There are really so many levels to this one.. and after reading Ray Kurzweil.. it all seems entirely credible. One of the few reads in the last few year that I closed the cover after that final page and said.. " Damn that was good."
Rating:
Summary: confusing but credible...
Review: There are two schools of thought on how to construct a science fiction story: The short, dense novel, and the longer but more slowly-paced epic. Stephenson is a master of a rare third class - terrifying books that are both long /and/ dense, and yet still manage to be humorous and dark in the same sentence. Few other authors can create a future that is so complex and deep that it's very unbelievability makes it seem inevitable.
Rating:
Summary: Nanotechnology before it was popular
Review: This is a great book that will stick with you for years to come. Mr. Stephenson was writing about nanotechnology and its potential influence on the world years before anyone had really heard about 'nanotechnology'. Few authors have the ability to integrate science, technology and the future into a compelling storyline as does Mr. Stephenson. Regardless of your interest in science and/or technology, this book is well worth a read.
Rating: 
Summary: Beginning is OK - downhill from there
Review: It is interesting to see the author's take on a future with nanotechnology, and the plot appears to have promise at the beginning. But, it becomes too convoluted and forced. What started off as an interesting premise ends in the poor execution of a storyline that starts to push the limits of my ability to suspend disbelief (particulary the story surrounding the "Drummers," where the main character is taken prisoner for years and becomes part of some kind of collective-consciousness supercomputer) and becomes quite boring as the author tries to be didactic (a large amount of space is spent in a seeming effort to educate the reader on the basic concepts of programming and that different systems can be logically equivlent, even though implemented on different hardware and with a different language -- so much time is spent on this that it is almost bizarre -- like what he really wants you to get out of this book is an understanding of a Turing Machine). The plot ends up feels very jumbled and contrived, and the ending is a disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: Starts with a Bang, Ends with a Whimper
Review: I picked up "The Diamond Age" with a glee so intense that it borders on embarassing. Like most of the other reviewers, I loved "Snow Crash." I assumed... no, I HOPED that I'd love "The Diamond Age" as much, but unfortunately that didn't happen. It started off promising, with an interesting concept, likable characters, and that unparalleled Stephenson sense of style. But those qualities didn't gel into a cohesive story for me, and I have to admit that it was disappointing. The story itself is intriguing. The main focus is on Nell, a little girl in possession of an interactive Primer that not only teaches her but also nurtures her in the absence of parents or loved ones. But really, it's an ensemble tale (it's no accident that a reviewer compares Stephenson to Quentin Tarantino, who creates incredibly complex ensemble films). It's also about Miranda, who provides the nurturing quality in the Primer. It's about Elizabeth, who has a Primer of her own. It's about Harv, Nell's brother. It's about the society they live in. Ultimately, this is where the book falls short of the high standards set in "Snow Crash." After all, "Snow Crash" has a similar format, a number of subplots all converging in the end to reach a final, stunning (perhaps too stunning) conclusion. What's the difference between them? I cared about all of the subplots in "Snow Crash" and all of the characters in them. I was as wrapped up in them as I was in Hiro Protagonist, the focal point of the book. I didn't feel the same way with "Diamond Age." I cared about Nell, yes, but the other characters were secondary to her. I really didn't care about what happened to them. Unfortunately, we spend a lot of time learning about them; they're central to the plot. They end up acting as plot devices to get the story where it needs to be rather than fully developed characters that we can sink our teeth into. Do I recommend that you read this book? I can't say that I hated it. I was interested enough to get to the end, but I finished the last page with a feeling of disappointment. The best thing it did for me is made me understand why "Snow Crash" is so terrific. If you're a Stephenson fan, I'd say go for it. If you've never read him before, start with "Snow Crash."
Rating:
Summary: Similar to, but not as good as, "Snow Crash"
Review: More of the same from Neal Stephenson, this book can almost be considered Snow Crash part 2 (indeed, one of the characters reveals herself to be none other than Y.T., much aged, from Snow Crash). For some reason, however, Diamond Age didn't quite click with me, and thus it never reached the stay-up-late-at-night-and-finish-at-all-costs status that Snow Crash had. The concept is intriguing: A world in which the most fundamental elements (hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, etc.) are available like any other utility in "feed" lines that connect to "matter compilers". You need only execute a program in a sufficiently large M.C., and whatever you desire will be constructed atom by atom before your eyes. If you are like most people, you can only run other people's programs, but, as in Stephenson's other books, hackers rule supreme in this world and can make whatever they want. This is a world where intellectual property is jealously guarded and zealously pursued by thieves (sounds a lot like current day society, eh?). One of the hackers is contracted by a high-ranking noble to to build an intelligent book, the "Primer", to educate his daughter. The hacker decides to to steal a copy of the primer to ensure the brightest possible future for his daughter as well. Things get interesting when the book is stolen and used by yet a third young girl; the story that unfolds tracks the destiny of these three girls and their three books through the infinitesmal nanotechnology of their world. What keeps this from being a great book is lack of cohesiveness in the plot; each plot spur is invariably linked back to the main story, but the connections are often tenous. The book also lacks any denouement whatsoever, resulting in a bit more ambiguity than I'm comfortable with at the end of novels.
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