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)

Just love it

Not sure how many times I’ve listened to this one but, I love the 1940’s sounding recording. Completely don’t understand why, generally I can’t stand that sound for most things but... this is just amazing.

Typical Neal Stephenson ending

I listened to this from the library and thought it was missing the ending so I bought it. Nope, typical Neal Stephenson ending just pisses me off.
Love the world and themes but hate lack of closure.

Another Masterpiece by Neal Stephenson

It is a coming of age story of sorts, a symposium on the transcendent power of intelligence in a deeply flawed world. YT makes a cameo, too!

great start that trickles into a mediocre end

the recording is poorly produced, but the story is captivating with the interesting tech that creates strong tensions, but poorly finished with little resolution

Philosophical nano-techno-sci-fi masterpiece.

Interesting concept. The technology and culture is more creative and diverse than most other sci-fi. The book is deeply philosophical. This is what I love and have come to expect from Neil Stephenson.

weird but good

it sure was weird. good narrator. interesting science fiction notions..its a bit hard to stay interested for more than 2 hours at a time...usually i listen to audiobooks for 7 hours straight. not for everyone, but good

Left me hoping very much that it might be expanded

from the very beginning I was totally enthralled by this epic Tale. Neal Stephenson amaze me first with snow crash which almost everyone feels is it classic but sci-fi. the writing style is perfect the descriptions also, and the story is totally engaging from start to finish. I just wish there were more of this world to hear of an explorer.

Great audio production

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

One of the best audio productions of a book with transition music and great reading style

Forced me to finish it

I began listening to this one while commuting, and it might be one of the only audiobooks I felt was compelling me to finish it. Stephenson did a wonderful job creating a future world, drawing together interesting characters and ideas which made me want to continue listening. Unpredictable, with just the right edge of "yes, that might be the direction our world goes in the future," this story held me captive. Some elements were not quite to my taste (occasional level of violence, sexuality), but these things served to drive the story, and so were not a major hinderance.

I was also impressed with the narrator's presentation of the story. Good pacing, pleasant diction, and a decent range of tone made her very easy to listen to. With the quality of writing, and the strong narration, it is easy to see why this audiobook is a popular choice.

So far my fave Stephenson book!

This one, while perhaps less feasible than some of his others, strikes a better balance between expostulation and action, and has a lot of insight on the human condition. Not so many dry, imaginary historical/technical digressions, though he does still do it a little.