Lucky you…
Seven eves
It’s a palindrome. I’ve read everything else he’s ever released so I won’t stop now. Although Reamde did give me pause, and I will have lowered expectations.
Zodiac is good fun although I’ve not read it for years and it’s probably a bit dated, but The Big U gets a bit tedious.
I’ll be reading Seveneves when it comes out but, unlike his PR release (don’t remember quite where I read it), I think the opening line is pretty dire, not immediately gripping. The premise has been given in the OP, so I’ll just quote it in open:
Gets straight into the story I suppose, but it sounds like the start of some 1930s sf potboiler to me.
Yup. That’s exactly the point. “Chinglish,” if that’s not too much of a spoiler.
The blurb I saw said it was seven distinct species, hence “seven eves”. Maybe I misread.
For myself, I’d rate Cryptonomicon and the Baroque Cycle as his best. As others have noted, they are major time committments to read, but I think well worth it. In particular, the Baroque Cycle offers a very compelling ‘take’ on how European civilization pulled ahead of the rest - in the form of a rollicking historical adventure.
Following that Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, and Anathem. I’m considering re-reading Anathem because of how highly others rate it here - on first read, I didn’t find it as gripping, but I may reconsider.
Reamde is a long way below the rest.
Haven’t read Zodiac or the Big U.
Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash are 1-2. Way ahead of the others. I’m a serious Computer Science person, so these really resonate. I’ve read them quite a few times. There was Math in Anathem???
Then a fairly big drop off. I guess Diamond Age next. Then ?? Zodiac ??.
The Baroque Cycle was barely tolerable. Just a rambling sequence of words.
Then the crap: Anathem, Reamde and the Stephen Bury books.
My personal ranking would probably go:
- Snow Crash
- Cryptonomicon
- Anathem
Fair Drop - Diamond Age
Bigger Drop - REAMDE
- Baroque Cycle
- Zodiac
I hope this was a whoosh. There was enough math and orbital mechanics in Anathem to warrant appendices to explain some of it.
I actually liked that part. But translating the naming scheme he uses for his alternate reality’s math to ours was sometimes tedious, though perhaps unnecessary for basic comprehension of the story.
I thought Reamde was excellent for exactly what it was – a techno-thriller from Neal Stephenson rather than some other jackass. I’d re-read it a lot sooner than I’d re-read Diamond Age, which I found gratuitously surreal in its attempt to convey its equivalent of the Grid or Matrix, or whatever you want to call it.
I don’t think I could hope to rank the books by quality. My recommendations would depend on what I wanted to call attention to:
Snow Crash - Said to be foundational in the cyberpunk genre, I read it well after the fad had passed and I found it read like a parody of cyberpunk, of the best kind of parody – one which itself is an excellent example of the genre it lampoons.
Cryptonomicon - You’re a geek and you haven’t read this already? Get out, and don’t come back until you’ve redeemed yourself.
Anathem - Think of it as a young adult novel for budding scientists and philosophers. Follow it up with an introduction to the real world’s philosophical and scientific history.
Baroque Cycle - A massive swashbuckling adventure across the globe steeped in the intellectual tradition that gave rise to the enlightenment.
REAMDE - A nerd-heavy techno thriller from a guy who not only understands tech, but really understands nerds.
Diamond Age - It’s steampunk with a nanotech twist, seemingly written for the gratification of people who like to tell other people they just didn’t get it.
Cobweb - Interesting good guys save America from a terrorist attack, struggling not against the bad guys so much as against the disfunction caused by deeply ingrained institutional chickenshit.
If we’re doing ranking lists, mine would be something like
Anathem
Cryptonomicon
Snow Crash
Baroque Cycle
Reamde
Interface
Cobweb
Diamond Age
Zodiac
Looking at them written out like this, I guess I pretty much always enjoy his writing, and when I also like the subject matter or structure then I find the books to be excellent. Things like Reamde or the Bury books I found enjoyable but didn’t leave a lasting impression afterwards.
in case you were looking for a sig line, I think you’ve found it.
I’ll get round to Seven eves one day, I still haven’t read Reamde, all your meh responses have put me off.
Having read the preview I am looking forward to reading Seveneves. I haven’t read most of the rest of Stephenson’s oeuvre but there’s something really appealing to me about this book’s set up.
I loved the Baroque Cycle twice, I loved it so much I read it twice. Dayum! *Cryptonomicon *was of course also great, and Snow Crash. I’ve read Big U but I don’t even remember what it was about. I did not like The Diamond Age, it was the first NS I didn’t enjoy.
Then I bought *Anathem *when it came out and still have yet to get 100 pages in. STILL. I have *Reamde *on my Kindle, haven’t cracked it.
If I ever get around to the last two, I’m sure I’ll check out Seveneves. I’ve got like 30 years left on this life, at least. It has to happen at some point.
Well, don’t just leave it until you’ve got only six eves left.
My copy arrives tomorrow. 
I expect I’ll read it as soon as I finish my current book, Europe in Autumn by Dave Hutchinson.
Just picked up my copy. I have company coming over tomorrow so I’ll not have much reading time in the evening. It may be a late night.
Hoping I can get it in Dublin on Thursday.
Saw this on Gizmodo:
Relieved to see that I’m not the only one who has “Reamde” sitting there, unfinished. Still, I do get excited by almost every new Stephenson book.
My list of top books would be:
Snow Crash (for the sheer pleasure of discovering him. It may not be his best, but it rocks, and I remember that I couldn’t help browbeating everyone I knew into reading it). For this reason, it’s still my number 1.
Anathem
Cryptonomicon
Baroque Cycle
Interface
Cobweb
Diamond Age
Zodiac
The Big U
Reamde might not be at the bottom of this list, I should get around to finish it one of these days, when I have nothing else to read. I read the Big U, but have barely any memory of it. Your (Dopers’) impressions on “Seveneves” will help me determine whether I want to buy it or not.