The Diamond Age

By: Neal Stephenson

Narrated by: Jennifer Wiltsie

Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

In Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson took science fiction to dazzling new levels. Now, in The Diamond Age, he delivers another stunning tale. Set in 21st-century Shanghai, it is the story of what happens when a state-of-the-art interactive device falls into the hands of a street urchin named Nell. Her life, and the entire future of humanity, is about to be decoded and reprogrammed.

©1995 Neal Stephenson (P)2001 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award Winner, Best Novel, 1996

• Locus Award Winner, Best Novel, 1996

"The Quentin Tarantino of postcyberpunk science fiction." (The Village Voice)
"[He] is the hottest science fiction writer in America." (Details)

Superb narration of a fun book

I'm very fussy about narrators in general and female narrators in particular. Jennifer Wiltsie is one of the best narrators I've come across. This is a really challenging book to narrate, with dozens of different characters of all ages and nationalities (oh, and some of them are machines). She does a superb job.

The book is a lot of fun, very smart, covering a wide range of topics in a futuristic setting.

My one complaint about the book is that it introduces lots of characters only to drop them - you never find out what happened with them after a certain point.

Better than reading it

I read this book about 7 years ago and 5 times, i loved it then, Now hearing Jennifer Wiltsie read it it was exactly as i remember creating it in my head, but it has even more impact. love it. highly recommend it to anyone who loves being involved in the story.

Bravo

The Boer said, "Good, you have Zulus" That quote was worth all the awards the Sci-Fi Gods can give.

I loved this book so much I won't even try and review it. A must read.

Who recorded this?

The story seems alright, but it sounds like the recording was done over a telephone or a webcam. It’s not clean and clear at all, and it’s really distracting when you’re trying to focus on the story.

An engaging listen --- better than Snow Crash

I really enjoyed this book, especially that the lead character is a young girl growing up in a very complex world. I love Neal Stephenson's creativity, and how he explores the world with his inventions. As compared with Snow Crash, this book holds together much better. Definitely recommended.

Engaging Ideas

I really was enjoying this book, but I'm a bit of a prude, so when about 2/3 of the way in, the author seemed to want to throw as many f-bombs as possible into the dialogue, I stopped reading it. Pity, because the book largely is about children, and I think my kids would have really enjoyed it. I turned it off despite the very fascinating story and delightfully original ideas about the future and the use of nano-technology.

Rated 'R' for language.

A well realized world full of Ideas I never had

This is a terrific book. It got my undivided attention as soon as that fellow had a gun installed in his head. I love a book that let's the reader connect the dots without stating the relationship of said dots. The author does that incredibly well. Some of the best moments of this book are between the lines. I treasure those moments. This book went lots of places I never expected. I am really glad I read it.

A true original

This is one of the few books that made me go "wow"! The story and narration are great, but there are some real ideas here that you will think about for a long time after its over.

What does a society do when nanotechnology can provide all basic needs?
How do people get a "tribal" sense of belonging when there are no nations left?
Can you formulate a learning process customized to each individual child?

While these may sound like totally different topics, this and more are developed by this book. In some cases the ideas overshadowed the story: the ideas were fully formed, but there were some loose ends in the story. I would like a sequel just to know what happened to some of the characters.

Highly recommended.

Fantastic in every way

What did you love best about The Diamond Age?

The Diamond Age takes readers to a place so revolutionary that the world in which it takes place springs to life in your mind like a whole new part of your brain. It's mind expanding.

What did you like best about this story?

The ending is pure genius.

What about Jennifer Wiltsie’s performance did you like?

Ms Wiltsie spoke from the heart of the story and it's clear she was born to read this epic work.

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

This book took my breath away for its genius.

Any additional comments?

I do not have any additional comments because I have run out of superlatives. The author is absolutely on in every uncanny stroke of this masterpiece.

Not sure what the fuss was about

The book was ok. At times confusing and the way it ended was like we are writing book 2. Ok read not great.