A 4th New Review by CarlH

Neal Stephenson’s “The Baroque Cycle” was three large hardback books
and got split up into eight paperback books so veterans of
Stephenson’s work may not be daunted by the nearly thousand pages of
his new book “Anathem“. However, people interested in a common
science-fiction plot turned slightly on its ear may find the book a
worthwhile investment in time. The story unfolds on a world called
Arbre which is very similar to our own in many ways up to a point. But
Arbre has a history of long periods of time where scholars are
cloistered away from the rest of the population with only limited and
regulated contact with the “saecular” world. Special events transpire
to suspend this usual relationship and build to a climax that is
challenging to understand, but thought-provoking and rewarding. The
explorations of the nature of consciousness alone may make the book of
interest to readers with a philosophical bent.