Kathy

Perhaps his best book? Better than [b:Snow Crash 40651883 Snow Crash Neal Stephenson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530057753l/40651883.SX50.jpg 493634]? Maybe. I love the way he uses [a:Philip K. Dick 4764 Philip K. Dick https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1264613853p2/4764.jpg] like future slang in this book. The stories from the illustrated primer are great. Nell is an absolutely absorbing character in a coming of age tale. Molecular nanotechnology is omnipresent in the novel's world, with Stephenson extrapolating nanotechnology use and implementation in a variety of astounding ways including the integration of nanotechnology with artificial intelligence. The book deals with issues of social class, ethnicity, the effect of stories and education on the development of human personality, and the nature of artificial intelligence. Many of the technological advances are speculative but many are reasonable extrapolations of existing technology such as smart paper.If you are a little confused by all the nanotech in this novel then a good introduction to nanotechnology can be found in the book [b:Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology 83596 Engines of Creation The Coming Era of Nanotechnology K. Eric Drexler https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320504490l/83596.SY75.jpg 80705] by [a:K. Eric Drexler 599584 K. Eric Drexler https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1365796028p2/599584.jpg].The ending is a bit rushed. Thanks Neal!

Is Flannery O'Connor the greatest short story writer of our time ? Perhaps. Anyway, I love her. What a great read this collection is, including her letters. How does she manage to be so dark and so funn ? Love her stories about her peacocks. I wonder what the Mark Twain re-writers will do when they discover O'Connor's use of the N-word ?