As i was finishing cryptonomicon, i had two chance conversations with old friends. May 31, 2015 stephenson does eventually get around to some of those ideas, especially in later sections of the book. Meet sangamon taylor, a new age sam spade who sports a wet suit instead of a trench coat and prefers jolt from the can to scotch on the rocks. Neal stephenson 1959 is an american author, futurist and game designer most well known for his works of speculative fiction. A treatment, for those not familiar with film argot, is a short novelistic summary of a screenplay. Stephenson, who is a quinquagenarian, was born on october 1959 and his place of birth is fort meade upon maryland, in the us.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of cryptonomicon by neal stephenson. Zodiac by neal stephenson is an environmental thriller. Neal town stephenson born october 31, 1959 is an american author and game designer also known for his works of speculative fiction. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of seveneves by neal stephenson. Neal stephenson is an american author primarily of speculative fiction, but also of other subgenres of science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk and several other genres.
Stephenson snow crash, 1992 imagines a 21st century in which molecular machines nanotechnology can create any desired object or structure. Cruising boston harbor with lab tests and scuba gear, the main character charges in with the ecosystem cavalry on his 40horsepower zodiac raft. He is often referred to by people who are greatly influenced with popculture fictions because most of his stories can be classified as stories that can go along with the latest fictional popculture stories like. Narrator sangamon taylor, who works for a greenpeacelike organization. Reminded me of early stephenson, and features a zodiac at one point. Neal stephenson is the author of the bestselling baroque cycle quicksilver, the confusion, and the system of the world as well as the novels cryptonomicon. The story tells of the desperate efforts to preserve homo sapiens in the wake of apocalyptic events on earth following the unexplained disintegration of the moon, and the remaking of human society as a spacebased civilization after a severe genetic bottleneck. Seveneves is a hard science fiction novel by neal stephenson published in 2015. Zodiac, the brilliant second novel from the new york times bestselling author of the the baroque cycle and snow crash, is now available from grove press. Stephenson studied at boston university, first specializing in physics, then switching to geography after he found that it would allow him to spend more time on the university. Believe it or not, some readers find zodiac even more fun than neal stephenson s defining 1990s cyberpunk novel, snow crash. But for the first 600 pages or so, what he mainly seems interested in are the most literal. He studied at boston university, first specializing in physics, then switching to geography after he found that it would allow him to spend more time on the university mainframe. You can find the book here and this being stephenson, you can find a quick summary here.
Instead of handwringing ecohippies shoving data down peoples throats till they puke, s. He was first published in 1984, but it was not until the publication of his third book snow crash that he became widely known. This page is managed by his publisher, william morrow. Cmplex story of first contact with a light comedic tone covering some serious science and with strong, smart characters. Is it worth buying a copy of zodiac by neal stephenson. Neal stephenson 2012 by the geeks guide to the galaxy. Neal stephenson is the new york times bestselling author of reamde, anathem, cryptonomicon, and other novels. Since ive advocated for the use of treadmill desks in some remarks and evangelized it to people i know, i thought it behooved me to publish some data and some reflections on it, born of experience. The focus of zodiac is on action and investigation, chases, fights, and the enjoyably obnoxious protagonist. Neal stephenson primary author only author division. Stephenson definitely becomes more refined and polished in terms of his writing style, in terms of what i have read edit. His second novel, it tells the story of an environmentalist, sangamon taylor. I have been using a treadmill desk for a few years, but in midjanuary of 2014 i began keeping track of my daily. Neal stephenson is an american penman who doubles up as a game designer.
Author neal stephenson bio and signed books vj books. Also includes sites with a short overview, synopsis, book report, or summary of neal stephenson s zodiac. Neal stephenson s seveneves is a hard science fiction novel published in 2015. Please see the supplementary resources provided below for other helpful content related to this book. For your reference, we provided these zodiac quotes with page numbers using the following version of the book. Seveneves ebook epubpdfprcmobiazw3 by neal stephenson. His second novel, it tells the story of an environmentalist, sangamon taylor, uncovering a conspiracy involving industrialist polluters in boston harbor. That being said, stephenson s tone is the same here as it is in his betterknown later work, and zodiac displays a delight in knowing how things work, figuring science out, and using science to solve problems that will appeal to science. Since 2011, neal stephenson has been associated with arizona state universitys center for science and the imagination, whose mission is to inspire endeavors on the level of the apollo moon.
And now the news 2008 by neal stephenson out of a writers imagination came an interactive world 2011 by john schwartz feature interview. For a westerner to trash western culture is like criticizing our nitrogenoxygen atmosphere on the grounds that it sometimes gets windy, and besides, jupiters is much prettier. Sangamon taylor works for an environmental activist group gee and investigates toxic waste being dumped into boston harbour. Neal stephensons science fiction thriller, depicts the end of the earth through the destruction of the moon by an unknown agent and the attempts to preserve humanity through a multimillennial gap between times when the surface of the planet will be inhabitable. Cryptonomicon is a 1999 science fiction novel by neal stephenson. Neal stephenson is currently considered a single author. Narrator sangamon taylor, who works for a greenpeacelike organization, gee, in boston, goes about saving the world, mainly by exposing and stopping, by any means possible the illegal dumping of chemicals by industry. The birth name of the man of letters is neal town stephenson. American writer neal stephenson was born october 31, 1959 in maryland.
If you absolutely love snow crash, and really arent that fond of the rest of stephenson s books, then its entirely possible that zodiac will be your second favorite stephenson book. Zodiac summary and analysis like sparknotes free book notes. Sangamon taylors a new age sam spade who sports a wet suit instead of a tr. The second novel from the hottest science fiction writer in america and new york timesbestselling author of snow crash and cryptonomicon details. Zodiac is set in boston, and hero sangamon taylor s. Stephenson does eventually get around to some of those ideas, especially in later sections of the book. After his novel about academia, the big u, he wrote the ecothriller zodiac and then began writing true science fiction, with which he has had great success. Grove press 1988 this is one of stephensons early speculative thrillers, though its not until a fair way through the book that the. An ecothriller 1988 is a novel by american writer neal stephenson. Written in a fresh, funny style, zodiac is an often enjoyable little ecological thriller. Sometimes you want a night of tequila shots snow crash, sometimes a quiet evening with a fine bourbon anathem, or maybe something in between all the others, each great in their own respects. His novels involve subjects such as mathematics, philosophy and science. Freebooknotes found 10 important quotes from 6 key chapters of zodiac by neal stephenson.
Denver sf and fantasy book club selection, summary, cover art, ratings, commentary, bibliography, links. Neal stephenson notes on 416 days of treadmill desk usage. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of snow crash by neal stephenson. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author.
But for the first 600 pages or so, what he mainly seems interested in. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Zodiac summary and analysis like sparknotes free book. Eddington, wheeler, and the limits of knowledge at trinity college, cambridge, march 2014. In my least generous mood i would call this novel the dryrun har har because it all takes place in water and on boats a kind of dryrun for both cryptonomicon and a lot of snow crash. One other thing is that the majority of digital cameras arrive equipped with a. Snow crash is a 1992 science fiction novel by neal stephenson. The science fiction approach doesnt mean its always about the future.