-
Interface
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 25 hrs and 15 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Cobweb
- By: Neal Stephenson, J. Frederick George
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a foreign exchange student is found murdered at an Iowa University, Deputy Sheriff Clyde Banks finds that his investigation extends far beyond the small college townall the way to the Middle East. Shady events at the school reveal that a powerful department is using federal grant money for highly dubious research. And what its producing is a very nasty bug.
-
-
It's not quite as bad as you'd expect.
- By J. Billings on 05-28-19
By: Neal Stephenson, and others
-
Fall; or, Dodge in Hell
- A Novel
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 31 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his youth, Richard “Dodge” Forthrast founded Corporation 9592, a gaming company that made him a multibillionaire. Now in his middle years, Dodge appreciates his comfortable, unencumbered life, managing his myriad business interests, and spending time with his beloved niece Zula and her young daughter, Sophia. One beautiful autumn day, while he undergoes a routine medical procedure, something goes irrevocably wrong.
-
-
This is TERRIBLE
- By Ron on 06-20-19
By: Neal Stephenson
-
The Big U
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The New York Times Book Review called Neal Stephenson's most recent novel "electrifying" and "hilarious". But if you want to know Stephenson was doing 20 years before he wrote the epic Cryptonomicon, it's back-to-school time. Back to The Big U, that is, a hilarious send-up of American college life starring 30-year-old junior Casimir Radon.
-
-
Interesting, very strange
- By david on 01-06-15
By: Neal Stephenson
-
Zodiac
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Ax Norman
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sangamon Taylor's a New Age Sam Spade who sports a wet suit instead of a trench coat and prefers Jolt from the can to Scotch on the rocks. He knows about chemical sludge the way he knows about evil - all too intimately. And the toxic trail he follows leads to some high and foul places. Before long, Taylor's house is bombed, his every move followed, he's adopted by reservation Indians, moves onto the FBI's most wanted list, makes up with his girlfriend, and plays a starring role in the near-assassination of a presidential candidate.
-
-
kinda meh
- By L P SCHUTT JR on 05-14-20
By: Neal Stephenson
-
The Diamond Age
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Jennifer Wiltsie
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Neal Stephenson, "the hottest science fiction writer in America", takes science fiction to dazzling new levels. The Diamond Age is a stunning tale; set in 21st-century Shanghai, it is the story of what happens what 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.
-
-
The rock could use a bit more polishing
- By Tango on 05-19-13
By: Neal Stephenson
-
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.
- A Novel
- By: Neal Stephenson, Nicole Galland
- Narrated by: Laurence Bouvard, Shelley Atkinson, Laural Merlington, and others
- Length: 24 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From best-selling author Neal Stephenson and critically acclaimed historical and contemporary commercial novelist Nicole Galland comes a captivating and complex near-future thriller combining history, science, magic, mystery, intrigue, and adventure that questions the very foundations of the modern world.
-
-
Exceptional voice cast, unconventional format
- By Amazon Customer on 07-03-17
By: Neal Stephenson, and others
-
The Cobweb
- By: Neal Stephenson, J. Frederick George
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a foreign exchange student is found murdered at an Iowa University, Deputy Sheriff Clyde Banks finds that his investigation extends far beyond the small college townall the way to the Middle East. Shady events at the school reveal that a powerful department is using federal grant money for highly dubious research. And what its producing is a very nasty bug.
-
-
It's not quite as bad as you'd expect.
- By J. Billings on 05-28-19
By: Neal Stephenson, and others
-
Fall; or, Dodge in Hell
- A Novel
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 31 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his youth, Richard “Dodge” Forthrast founded Corporation 9592, a gaming company that made him a multibillionaire. Now in his middle years, Dodge appreciates his comfortable, unencumbered life, managing his myriad business interests, and spending time with his beloved niece Zula and her young daughter, Sophia. One beautiful autumn day, while he undergoes a routine medical procedure, something goes irrevocably wrong.
-
-
This is TERRIBLE
- By Ron on 06-20-19
By: Neal Stephenson
-
The Big U
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The New York Times Book Review called Neal Stephenson's most recent novel "electrifying" and "hilarious". But if you want to know Stephenson was doing 20 years before he wrote the epic Cryptonomicon, it's back-to-school time. Back to The Big U, that is, a hilarious send-up of American college life starring 30-year-old junior Casimir Radon.
-
-
Interesting, very strange
- By david on 01-06-15
By: Neal Stephenson
-
Zodiac
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Ax Norman
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sangamon Taylor's a New Age Sam Spade who sports a wet suit instead of a trench coat and prefers Jolt from the can to Scotch on the rocks. He knows about chemical sludge the way he knows about evil - all too intimately. And the toxic trail he follows leads to some high and foul places. Before long, Taylor's house is bombed, his every move followed, he's adopted by reservation Indians, moves onto the FBI's most wanted list, makes up with his girlfriend, and plays a starring role in the near-assassination of a presidential candidate.
-
-
kinda meh
- By L P SCHUTT JR on 05-14-20
By: Neal Stephenson
-
The Diamond Age
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Jennifer Wiltsie
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Neal Stephenson, "the hottest science fiction writer in America", takes science fiction to dazzling new levels. The Diamond Age is a stunning tale; set in 21st-century Shanghai, it is the story of what happens what 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.
-
-
The rock could use a bit more polishing
- By Tango on 05-19-13
By: Neal Stephenson
-
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.
- A Novel
- By: Neal Stephenson, Nicole Galland
- Narrated by: Laurence Bouvard, Shelley Atkinson, Laural Merlington, and others
- Length: 24 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From best-selling author Neal Stephenson and critically acclaimed historical and contemporary commercial novelist Nicole Galland comes a captivating and complex near-future thriller combining history, science, magic, mystery, intrigue, and adventure that questions the very foundations of the modern world.
-
-
Exceptional voice cast, unconventional format
- By Amazon Customer on 07-03-17
By: Neal Stephenson, and others
-
Quicksilver
- Book One of The Baroque Cycle
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Neal Stephenson (introduction), Kevin Pariseau, Simon Prebble
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In which Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and courageous Puritan, pursues knowledge in the company of the greatest minds of Baroque-era Europe -- in a chaotic world where reason wars with the bloody ambitions of the mighty, and where catastrophe, natural or otherwise, can alter the political landscape overnight.
-
-
Be aware of what you're getting into
- By David on 12-16-11
By: Neal Stephenson
-
Solomon’s Gold
- Book Six of The Baroque Cycle
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble, Kevin Pariseau, Neal Stephenson (introduction)
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1714. Daniel Waterhouse has returned to England, where he joins forces with his friend Isaac Newton to hunt down a criminal gang attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers with "Infernal Devices," or time bombs. Unbeknownst to Daniel, however, Newton has an ulterior motive: to wrest the Solomonic Gold from the control of his arch-enemy, the master counterfeiter Jack the Coiner, a.k.a Jack Shaftoe, King of the Vagabonds.
-
-
Imp of the Perverse Embodied in Brilliant Fiction
- By Doug D. Eigsti on 10-28-14
By: Neal Stephenson
-
Reamde
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 38 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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).
-
-
Terrorists meet geeks..OL & in RL
- By PlantCrone on 04-12-12
By: Neal Stephenson
-
Currency
- Book Seven of The Baroque Cycle
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble, Neal Stephenson (introduction), Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daniel Waterhouse finds himself embroiled in a dark conflict that has been raging in the shadows for decades. It is a secret war between the brilliant, enigmatic Master of the Mint (and closet alchemist) Isaac Newton and his archnemesis, the insidious counterfeiter Jack the Coiner, a.k.a. Jack Shaftoe, King of the Vagabonds.
-
-
Bringing it all together...
- By Darwin8u on 11-27-18
By: Neal Stephenson
-
King of the Vagabonds
- Book Two of The Baroque Cycle
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Neal Stephenson (introduction), Simon Prebble, Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A chronicle of the breathtaking exploits of "Half-Cocked Jack" Shaftoe - London street urchin-turned-legendary swashbuckling adventurer - risking life and limb for fortune and love while slowly maddening from the pox...and Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent a contentious continent through the newborn power of finance.
-
-
Less Math Fiction, More Action
- By Dale Hurtt on 08-28-10
By: Neal Stephenson
-
The System of the World
- Book Eight of The Baroque Cycle
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Neal Stephenson (introduction), Kevin Pariseau, Simon Prebble
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this concluding volume of Neal Stephenson’s epic work, “Half-Cocked Jack” Shaftoe must escape the noose of Jack Ketch; the rivalry between Newton and Leibniz comes to a head; and Daniel Waterhouse pursues his dream to build the Logic Mill
-
-
We are all up to something.
- By Darwin8u on 11-27-18
By: Neal Stephenson
-
The Confusion
- Books Four & Five of The Baroque Cycle
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble, Katherine Kellgren, Kevin Pariseau, and others
- Length: 34 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the year 1689, a cabal of Barbary galley slaves, including one “Half-Cocked Jack” Shaftoe, devises a daring plan to win freedom and fortune. A great adventure ensues that will place the intrepid band at odds with the mighty and the mad, with alchemists, Jesuits, great navies, pirate queens, and vengeful despots across vast oceans and around the globe.
-
-
The Confusion
- By Mr on 11-07-10
By: Neal Stephenson
-
Odalisque
- Book Three of The Baroque Cycle
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble, Katherine Kellgren, Kevin Pariseau, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The trials of Dr. Daniel Waterhouse and the Natural Philosophers increase one-hundred fold in an England plagued by the impending war and royal insecurities - as the beautiful and ambitious Eliza plays a most dangerous game as double agent and confidante of enemy kings.
-
-
Imp of the Perverse Embodied in Brilliant Fiction
- By Doug D. Eigsti on 10-28-14
By: Neal Stephenson
-
The Mongoliad: The Foreworld Saga, Book 1
- By: Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, and others
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the late nineteenth century a mysterious group of English martial arts aficionados provided Sir Richard F. Burton, well-known expert on exotic languages and historical swordsmanship, a collection of long-lost manuscripts to translate. Burton’s work was subsequently misplaced, only to be discovered by a team of amateur archaeologists in the ruins of a mansion in Treiste. From Burton's translations and the original source material, the epic tale of The Mongoliad was recreated.
-
-
Good story - but
- By Daniel on 10-01-12
By: Neal Stephenson, and others
-
Some Remarks
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most talented and creative authors working today, Neal Stephenson is renowned for his exceptional novels - works colossal in vision and mind-boggling in complexity. Exploring and blending a diversity of topics, including technology, economics, history, science, pop culture, and philosophy, his books are the products of a keen and adventurous intellect. Stephenson ponders a wealth of subjects, from movies and politics to David Foster Wallace and the Midwestern American College Town; and more.
-
-
Worth a revisit
- By Duncan on 08-09-12
By: Neal Stephenson
-
Anathem
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman, Tavia Gilbert, William Dufris, and others
- Length: 32 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fraa Erasmus is a young avout living in the Concent of Saunt Edhar, a sanctuary for mathematicians, scientists, and philosophers, protected from the corrupting influences of the "Saecular" world by ancient stone, honored traditions, and complex rituals. Over the centuries, cities, and governments have risen and fallen beyond the concent's walls. Three times during history's darkest epochs, bloody violence born of superstition and ignorance has invaded and devastated the cloistered mathic community.
-
-
I love Neal, but Good lord... ugh!
- By SpiderGrrl on 10-08-19
By: Neal Stephenson
-
Snow Crash
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Neal Stephenson is a blazing new force on the sci-fi scene. With the groundbreaking cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, he has "vaulted onto the literary stage." It weaves virtual reality, Sumerian myth, and just about everything in between with a cool, hip cybersensibility - in short, it is the gigathriller of the information age.
-
-
Classic Stephenson
- By A. Tuck on 10-16-08
By: Neal Stephenson
Publisher's Summary
Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)
From his triumphant debut with Snow Crash to the stunning success of his latest novel, Quicksilver, Neal Stephenson has quickly become the voice of a generation.
In this now-classic thriller, he and fellow author J. Frederick George tell a shocking tale with an all-too plausible premise. There's no way William A. Cozzano can lose the upcoming presidential election. He's a likable midwestern governor with one insidious advantage - an advantage provided by a shadowy group of backers. A biochip implanted in his head hardwires him to a computerized polling system. The mood of the electorate is channeled directly into his brain. Forget issues. Forget policy. Cozzano is more than the perfect candidate. He's a special effect.
Critic Reviews
- Audie Award Nominee - Best Thriller/Suspense Audiobook, 2011
More from the same
What listeners say about Interface
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Dianne
- 08-14-10
Interface
I confess I am biased, because I do like long and detailed books and I am happy to say that I think I have just found a new author to add to my list of favourites, this being my first Stephenson read. I found this book an absolutely ripper read, a good rollicking conspiracy yarn cleverly punctuated with wry humour, unpretentious but not inelegant use of vernacular in amusing asides to the reader. Some lovely quirky characters and even the baddies are amusing, the goodies not too sickly sweet! Now, which Stephenson to read next...? Oh, and an important addition, the narrator was excellent, none of the voices jarred, his timing,pacing and savouring of the language of the book perfect!
44 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Reena
- 06-27-10
Interface
An excellent read. Incredibly detailed which would usually be boring for me. These authors are masters at painting pictures. All the details were relevant and added depth to characters or scenes. A great test for any read is the chapter change. If you don't want to move on to another chapter purely because you just want to know (right now!) whats going to happen next in the current scene, well: it's a really good sign that you've been drawn right in. Stephenson and George manage to make the bizarre and incredible, well - credible and feasible. Sure, I had a couple of moments where I thought 'Come on, guys - too far!' But then they'd just keep going and justify the entire premise. A very long piece of work that I didn't want to end. Great sense of comedic timing and irony. Unusual for a thriller/drama. Thanks guys. I'll be listening to Cobweb next.
29 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Snoodely
- 10-14-11
Best narrator ever
Even if "Interface" didn't provide such a good story, Oliver Wyman's narration would justify the purchase. I don't think that any other actor has such a wide range of voices -- from soft feminine to gravely gruff -- and such a wide range of accents -- from west Texas to East Indian. He gives such a good narration of this book that I am considering buying other novels that he has performed, site-unseen, so-to-speak. The story itself satisfies, as well. Even though it was published 'way back in 1994, it does not feel too dated ... which says a lot for the plot concept. I am just discovering Neal Stephenson -- thanks to Audible -- and now I'm wondering how I missed him all these years. He writes intelligent thrillers -- kind of like Michael Crichton used to do -- and seems to know a lot about a plethora of topics and places, interweaving them all together into an exhilarating fabric. "Interface" postulates a somewhat scary hypothesis about manipulating politicians through electronic brain implants. The technology involved to do so certainly exists now, making the reader wonder if this kind of conspiracy may actually be happening .... I don't think that any thriller-lover would regret purchasing this audiobook.
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- A. Massey
- 01-06-12
Political intrigue from Neal Stephenson
Neal Stephenson does not disappoint. Even thought is is one of his first books the plot and character development are very well done. This is a very long book and I think the editing could have been a bit tighter. It could have been trimmed by a few hundred pages and been an even better book.
The story is about a fictional 1996 presidential election. Mysterious forces referred to as the Network have decided that leaving the selection of the president to the whims of the American public and the existing political parties is no longer a viable method of choosing the president. The network needs a method of ensuring they can elect whomever they want and then have complete control over the president (and government).
What I enjoyed most about the book was seeing how the technology that Stephenson saw as science fiction in 1995 is now almost common place and is certainly available, although not being used in the manner he imagined.
This was the first book I have heard narrated by Oliver Wyman. He did a great job! This book has a huge cast of characters and Mr Wyman was able to give each one a unique voice (even the women) and consistent emotional tone. I will look for other books he has narrated.
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chad
- 06-04-11
A Great Read
I am ever a Neil Stephenson fan and this book didn't fail me. It is fast-paced, high-energy and mind-bending in its scope and complexity. There is the quentisential Stephenson mix of humor, science, and excitement tied together by an amazing focus on characters. The only things holding this book back from a fifth star are the minor quibbles about the voices (the attempts at mid-west/southern, old man voices just don't quite hit home) and less scientific explanation than Stephenson usually adds to his stories (you can decide if that is good or bad in your own preferences. I felt left wanting more depth in the explanations, but overall it is most certainly worth the listen!
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ian C Robertson
- 06-04-13
Back to what we love
The last Stephenson I listened to was disappointing, but this was not. A relatively early novel, it shows all the promise that the author has since delivered in titles such as the Baroque Cycle and Cryptomnicon. True it is co-written with Stephenson's uncle (a historian and teacher of history, albeit under a pseudonym), but the detail and the thought that is apparent in the narrative and the plot is pure Stephenson, as we now know him.
The plot is complex and clever. Having just returned from India, I found the Institute's trials particularly ominous, conscious as I am of how easily this could occur (if it has not already). Similarly the main plot line - how easily might this occur? Having just read Chris Mooney's, "Republican Brain", the GOP - Democratic nuance was entertaining, too.
Most of all I loved the characterisation. With a book this long there is no excuse for bad character development and you will not find this one wanting. William A Cozzano is a terrific character (he appeared in my mind's eye as a benevolent incarnation of the Commodore from Boardwalk Empire), as is Ffloyd Wayne Vishniak. Despite his status (as a Jedi of the Dark Force), I like Cy Ogle, too.
As to the performance, Oliver Wyman is an inspired choice. Besides the incidental double meaning his name brings to a well know management consulting house (not without significance in the context of Ogle's operations), his voices were spot on; entertaining, comic or sinister, as the need dictated.
I thoroughly enjoyed the returned to this genre. If you are a Stephenson fan, I think you will too. If you haven't read him, this is a good place to start.
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Steven Wells
- 12-27-17
This is a great read
Fans of Neal Stephenson will be enthralled by this roving story that takes a hard look at many important topics in today's world.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Fernando O.
- 10-15-17
Meh.
hardly up to the standards of a Neal Stephenson novel. Stevenson is one of my favorite authors and this has to be Far and Away the weakest book I have read by him. Not terrible but very far away from the high standards his books usually achieve as far as interesting story and twists. I felt like most of the events in this book were pretty predictable and the sentiments seem to be on a very superficial level which is very atypical for Mister Stevenson.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joe
- 02-02-12
Should have been much shorter
Would you try another book from Neal Stephenson and J. Frederick George and/or Oliver Wyman?
I like much of Stephenson's work. His style tends to be long and overly bogged down in details at times. The imaginative plot often makes up for it, but this was too much. There was an interesting story buried in a seemingly endless sea of tedium. I would try other Stephenson titles based on my previous reads (Anathem, Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon were great). I'm not familiar with Frederick George... i would possibly consider giving another of his works a shot.Wyman's narration was good. Good voice acting for different characters even if his regular reading voice is not the most inviting.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
The underlaying story about technology and a deep conspiracy were great. There was just sooooooo much detail given in the most trivial passages that it was torture to get through at times. An Abridged version might be great. I was also disappointed with the ending but others may disagree.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
I think this title could make a decent movie.... it wouldn't get me out to the theatre (few movies do) but i would definitely watch it on bluray.
Any additional comments?
This was one of the least satisfying Stephenson titles i've listened to... second only to Diamond Age and perhaps some parts of the Baroque Cycle. If you enjoy tech and sci-fi, his better offerings include (as listed above) : Anathem, Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon. Don't know anything about J. Frederick George
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- rena
- 11-22-11
be prepared for political intrigue
This reveiw will be biased as I am not a fan of Neal Stephenson. I know he writes well and has done his reaearch most thoroughly but I do find his books very long and take ages to actually get to the point. I tried to see if listening to it would be better and I am afraid that it still takes a long time to get anywhere. However, its a roller coaster ride and the characters are interesting and the humour very tongue-in-cheek and it is delivered expertly by the narrator, Oliver Wyman. If you like Stephensons books then you will certainly like this. He does write good adventureous stories even when based on political shenannigans. He also always has a point and it makes you think about it long after the book is finished. Which really is the point.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- David K.
- 01-24-18
Not Stephenson's best & poor choice of narrator.
First, the book itself:
I’m a big fan of Stephenson’s work; he might not have a clue how to tie up and conclude a story properly but the characters, love of obscure detail and continuing fascination with themes such as cryptography make him hugely pleasing for any reader or listener who takes to his idiosyncrasies. With a few notable exceptions, his plots are not hugely complex and that’s perfectly OK most of the time; his books are big old romps which are pleasingly bad influences when it comes to choosing between a new chapter and doing the laundry. Hence the pleasure of a well-read audiobook to keep you company while you get on with some tedious real-world task. The problem with Interface is that it’s neither particularly well-written nor narrated.
Sooner or later any book which hasn’t somehow achieved Timelessness will either come to be seen as of its time or just dated. Sadly, Interface is the latter, though not necessarily through any fault of its own. Published in 1994 in a pre-internet age, it is frozen by much of the tech it describes (though not, of course, The Interface itself) in a very particular era, which lends the story the same feeling one gets watching an old re-run on Netflix. Lines like, “the kind of thirty-nine-inch Trinitron that rich people would own” come across as almost quaint today. As to the plot, another reviewer here summarised it perfectly: “Meh.”
Now to the narration:
For the first few paragraphs, I heard Oliver Wyman’s voice and thought, “this is going to be really great.” However, by the end of the chapter, it was more like, “this really grates.” More than once I found myself muttering, “just get on with it, would you?” I’m sure he might be ideal for some material but his cadence was almost always too slow for the material, even during action sequences, killing the pacing and reducing some parts to a bit of a chore to be got through before something better came along. I got the distinct impression that the narrator had not actually read the book or done any basic research before sitting down in front of the microphone; place names and proper nouns were inconsistently mispronounced and the occasional hint that he is capable of deviating from his medium-paced drawl only coming long after a sequence of the plot demanded it. I’m going to try to be generous and consider this a simple case of bad choice of narrator and hope I just caught him off-form. It will, though, be the only piece read by Wyman I’ll ever purchase.
For an example of how to do it brilliantly, I’d advise listeners to avoid Interface and choose Quicksilver - the first book of Stephenson’s “Baroque Cycle”. The narration by Simon Prebble is a masterpiece. As an avid reader who had hugely enjoyed Quicksilver on paper, I honestly think it works better in audio form and, in grand contrast to Interface, it’s about as good as an audiobook can be.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 02-26-19
amazing
One of his best works, brilliant, and fantastic narration. My favourite so far, a must have
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Russell
- 06-20-17
Week plot.
I am enjoyed the narrative, but the plot is full of gaping holes and unanswered questions.