Reamde

By: Neal Stephenson

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

Length: 38 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

“Stephenson has a once-in-a-generation gift: he makes complex ideas clear, and he makes them funny, heartbreaking, and thrilling.” - Time

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anathem, Neal Stephenson is continually rocking the literary world with his brazen and brilliant fictional creations - whether he’s reimagining the past (The Baroque Cycle), inventing the future (Snow Crash), or both (Cryptonomicon). With Reamde, this visionary author whose mind-stretching fiction has been enthusiastically compared to the work of Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, Kurt Vonnegut, and David Foster Wallace - not to mention William Gibson and Michael Crichton - once again blazes new ground with a high-stakes thriller that will enthrall his loyal audience, science and science fiction, and espionage fiction fans equally. The breathtaking tale of a wealthy tech entrepreneur caught in the very real crossfire of his own online fantasy war game, Reamde is a new high - and a new world - for the remarkable Neal Stephenson.

©2011 by Neal Stephenson. (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Stephenson...delivers a sprawling thriller that shows him in complete control of his story.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“Noir futurist Stephenson returns to cyberia with this fast-moving though sprawling techno-thriller...Who’ll prevail? We don’t know till the very end, thanks to Stephenson’s knife-sharp skills as a storyteller. An intriguing yarn—most geeky, and full of satisfying mayhem.” ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

“Sometimes when you’re reading Neal Stephenson, he doesn’t just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the only one.” (Lev Grossman, Time)

High Tech Global Thriller with story depth

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to my more technical friends, but I do not think it would be as exciting for those who are less technical or do not enjoy technical things (computers, games, decentralized currency, etc.) but the story alone may keep people's interests. It has spies and other items that people may enjoy.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Reamde?

The introduction of a new character who was spying on another party which all became a tangled mess when all people collide in one big story event.

Which character – as performed by Malcolm Hillgartner – was your favorite?

I thought the russian members were done very well by the narrator of the story. Great job overall.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Most of the characters were very well developed and I enjoyed some of the romance and relationships the author developed, so at times when things went bad in these events were moving to me.

Neal is BETTER than Orson Scott Card!!

What did you love best about Reamde?

Neal again did an incredible job interweaving a variety of story lines and characters into the overall plot. Wow! Is all I can say. Neal, love your writing, thanks!!!!

What other book might you compare Reamde to and why?

Neal's other books. I haven't read an author who can weave such an intricate, complex and detailed tale!

Which scene was your favorite?

When the Russians broke into the wrong apartment where the terrorists were. This set the whole book/plot moving forward!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Just a wonderful "Wow!" And a smile...

Any additional comments?

Seriously, Neal has passed Orson Scott Card as a science fiction writer. His three novels Remde, Seveneves, and Anagation (sp?) are so different yet so cool of stories. Just a freakin excellent author!

Not his best work. But a fun yarn.

Stephenson sets the bar so high that this great book is one of his worst. But it's still better than most things i've read this year.

Top notch performance

A long story, superb characters.
Couldn't stop listening. Will listen to this speaker again

One of my favourites

This is one of my favourite Neal Stephenson books and there’s plenty of competition: Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, Cryponomicon just to name a few. The story was engaging right to the end and the eclectic cast of characters was one of my favourite aspects of the book, gave it something special. Great reading too by Malcolm Hillgartner, will definitely look out for more of his readings.

my favourite book next to cryptonomicon!

a must for all neal stephenson fans out there. a wonderfully intricate and intertwining story.

Reminds me of Cryptonomican

The weaving plot lines…just great old Stephenson. Maybe a bit long, but couldn’t put it down.

Wildly entertaining.

Stephenson is widely lauded as a sci-if visionary. What that leaves out is his ability to create fully imagined characters and a wicked sense of humor.

A whirlwind adventure!

While this isn't quite the normal Neil Stephenson subject matter, it definitely has all the excitement you'd expect from him. I read Reamde a few years back and really wanted to give the audiobook a try too. The second time experiencing the story was just as fun as the first and the narrator performed very well.

Another fantastic story from this guy!

I absolutely enjoyed Reamde, five stars, as much as I enjoyed Diamond age and seven eves! I hope all of these three have their movie rights picked up soon! I couldn't get into Snow crash, and anthem was awful, but the good books are so good so very good that I'm going to keep reading his and keep my hopes up for them!