# Anathem, by Neil Stephenson **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anathem-by-neil-stephenson/463703 "2008-09-15T14:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anathem-by-neil-stephenson/463703/61 "2010-10-17T07:47:29Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > I didn’t get this at all. Saecular society isn’t nearly as smart is the avout, especially theoretically, but they weren’t dumb really all that dumb. I see the avout as ivory tower college types, but Saecular society society struck me as pretty average. Some smart stuff going on, a lot of stupid stuff. But not “dumber than owlshit”. Agreed. Avout are the top of the bell curve, but saecular are the entire bellcurve. Actually, the Avout are more like Amish nerds. They aren’t legally allowed to advance technologically past a certain level, but they can advance intellectually as far as they want. Actually, beyond technological levels, the Avout were constrained in other ways too, which led to them not having Sports junkies. Avout are all superego, and Saecular are id. There’s no ego. > [@Yookeroo](#): > > I think it’s easy to feel lost in many parts of this opus, but keep going, OK Assuming I’ve already read Anathem (I have) what should I read next? OK, I assume Snowcrash, since I have that actually in my possession and that’s fairly early in the lexicon…but otherwise… What order should I read SN works in? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anathem-by-neil-stephenson/463703/62 "2010-10-17T18:57:17Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > What order should I read SN works in? I really don’t think it matters, other than reading the Baroque Cycle in order. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anathem-by-neil-stephenson/463703/63 "2010-10-17T19:02:06Z")
If you are going to read Snow Crash next, follow it up with The Diamond Age (sort of a sequel in spirit), then you can go to the Baroque Cycle books and then Cryptonomicon. Crypto obviously was written first, but it might be more rewarding to read it after the Baroque Cycle. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anathem-by-neil-stephenson/463703/64 "2010-10-17T19:13:42Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > …then you can go to the Baroque Cycle books and then Cryptonomicon. Crypto obviously was written first, but it might be more rewarding to read it after the Baroque Cycle… I disagree. I think certain, mm, _discoveries_ in the Baroque Cycle are more fun when informed by the developments in Cryptonomicon. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anathem-by-neil-stephenson/463703/65 "2010-10-18T08:34:25Z")
[ul] [li]_Snow Crash[/li][li]Diamond Age[/li][li]Cryptonomicon[/li][li]Baroque Cycyle[/li][li]Cryptonomicon_[/li][/ul] It would have been hard to get through one part of the Baroque Cycle if I had not first read the _Cryptonomicon_ and knew that it was going to be quite worth it. There was at least one part of the _Cryptonomicon_ that was so dependent on events in the Baroque Cycle that critics routinely listed it as a glaring error of epic proportion before the Baroque Cycle came along. Both had parts that I found laugh out loud funny after having read the other first, and both had Ah Ha! moments that came from having read the other before. Do read _Zodiac_ as well, any time in that sequence. I found it excellent. It cast a whole new light on the recent oil spill in the gulf and was both entertaining and informative. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anathem-by-neil-stephenson/463703/66 "2010-10-18T08:40:54Z")
What? No love for _The Big U_? Not only have I read it, I own a signed first edition 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anathem-by-neil-stephenson/463703/67 "2010-10-18T10:23:32Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > What? No love for _The Big U_? > > Not only have I read it, I own a signed first edition 🙂 I can’t say I have a lot of love for it, it practically shrieks “I am the authors first novel” when you start reading it and continues up until the end. It’s definitely NS, but not his finest. There’s also clearly no love for _Interface_, which I thought was a great book, or _Cobweb_, which admittedly he co-authored. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anathem-by-neil-stephenson/463703/68 "2010-10-18T10:42:06Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > I can’t say I have a lot of love for it, it practically shrieks “I am the authors first novel” when you start reading it and continues up until the end. It’s definitely NS, but not his finest. I agree with you completely sir - It’s definitely recognizable as an NS book, but before he really found his pace and his style. It’s interesting in parts (particularly if you want to see how some of his ideas germinated, especially for Cryptonomicon re D&D players/theory). He is one of my favorite authors and I recommend his books to everyone. However, I thought Snow Crash was too comical, although it was a page-turner with some great lines (“Jack the speed limit, bring the noise”). It wasn’t until Diamond Age that he really made me stand back in awe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anathem-by-neil-stephenson/463703.md?page=3)