Anathem
Neal Stephenson
83 people recommended it in 32 threads, 2009–2025.
3 commenters pushed back on it — worth reading the threads.
What people on Hacker News said
Anathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.
Anathem required a couple listens, and a third listen was just for comfort food.
What I liked about Neal Stephenson’s Anathem was the “this too shall pass” perspective on human societies and civilizations outside the wall of the maths.
The message I got out of it is to question my assumptions about the flow of history, most specifically about things that "everyone knows are true".
The richness of the world and the pacing of the plot (past page 300 or so) as the mystery is revealed is gripping.
It's a mystery, with things left for the reader to figure out. These things include where and when it's set, and what genre it's written in.
Whether he's writing for Wired about expats in South East Asia (which dove tails nicely with Cryptonomicon) or extra dimensional aliens in Anathem, he makes the world come alive and the technology and methodologies clear.
Anathem by Neal Stephenson is superb and I recommend you carve out some time to really let it soak in.
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