Great book, I can see why it's a staple of the cyber-punk / hacker genre. Stephenson does an amazing job weaving together sci-fi/hacker culture with mythology.
This book should be a must read for anyone considering voting for Obama this November. It provides insights into his political beliefs and you get a very good idea of his justifications for his stances. It is also a very accurate reflection of the ideals of the progressive liberal movement.
I enjoyed the book, but the way the story takes such a dramatic shift after part 2 was a little jolting at first. In the end, the way I feel about Stranger is similar to my feelings on Starship Troopers. The overall message of the book contains some excellent points about religion, faith and morality, but I can't say I buy into the entire message.
Amazing book! One of the best fantasy stories I've read in a long time.
The main characters are well though out and show quite a bit of depth. Sanderson gives them just enough weaknesses in their character flaws and abilities to keep you on edge and always wondering just how they will make it out the next predicament they find themselves in.
The pacing of the book was also excellent. The action in the book generally takes a slow, gradual pace until it reaches something of a boiling point. Then many things can happen in quick succession. After it's all done, you're left feeling a little out of breath, usually at the end of one of the book's major parts. Then Sanderson picks right back up, slowly building pressure and suspense in the same roller coaster fashion. It kept me hooked into the book right through the end and I'll definitely be looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.
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