Decades into our future, a stone's throw from the ancient city of Shanghai, a brilliant nanotechnologist named John Percival Hackworth has just broken the
rigorous moral code of his tribe, the powerful neoVictorians.  He's made an illicit copy of a state-of-the-art interactive device called A Young Ladys Illustrated Primer  Commissioned by an eccentric duke for his grandchild, stolen for Hackworth's own daughter, the Primer's purpose is to educate and raise a girl capable of thinking for herself.  It performs its function superbly.  Unfortunately for Hackworth, his smuggled copy has fallen into the wrong hands.

Young Nell and her brother Harv are thetes--members of the poor, tribeless class.  Neglected by their mother, Harv looks after Nell.  When he and his gang waylay a certain neo-Victorian--John Percival Hackworth--  in the seamy streets of their neighborhood, Harv brings Nell something special: the Primer.

Following the discovery of his crime, Hackworth begins an odyssey of his own.  Expelled from the neo-Victorian paradise, squeezed by agents of Protocol
Enforcement on one side and a Mandarin underworld crime lord on the other, he searches for an elusive figure known as the Alchemist.  His quest and Nell's
will ultimately lead them to another seeker whose fate is bound up with the Primer-- a woman who holds the key to a vast, subversive information
network that is destined to decode and reprogram the future of humanity.

Vividly imagined, stunningly prophetic, and epic in scope, The Diamond Age is a major novel from one of the most visionary writers of our time

From the Paperback edition.

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Length: 512 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
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Product details

File Size: 2216 KB
Print Length: 512 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0553380966
Publisher: Spectra; Reprint edition (August 26, 2003)
Publication Date: August 26, 2003
Language: English
ASIN: B000FBJCKI
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray:

Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,587 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Crazy88Line Cook

Insightful

December 23, 2015

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In light of the subsequent development of an "A.I." Barbie doll that is purported to be about to hit the consumer market; this book is actually
prophetic. Some reviews have said it was a difficult read but it is actually a highly nuanced read. Stephenson is writing on many levels about the complexity of global economics, technologies and cultures and the impact of the "haves" on the "have-nots".
The book is part steampunk, part Dickensian and part fairy tale but they are all interwoven very well. Since there is no glossary provided it would seem the writer did not want the reader to get bogged down wondering what certain things were but to infer what they might be via context. Important "unknowns" are eventually defined or described in detail although not always when first introduced into the storyline so a "leap of faith" is sometimes required.
This is a book for readers who like subtlety and who appreciate an author who has an imagination to flex and ideas to explore and develop, it is not a point A to point B plot at all. Invest the time-it is definitely worth it.

18 people found this helpful

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Andy Satterthwaite

Challenging writing; amazing story

June 1, 2016

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This is my favourite book, despite many many flaws.
I've read it five times now, and Nell's journey from abused child to [spoilers] is something that never ceases to enthrall
The characters that drive and interweave with her story are intricate, bizarre and original.

The problem with the book (and the reason why it's really not for everyone) is that some of the writing is close to impenetrable: Neal Stephenson has a habit of using the most arcane words to describe mundane items, and of going off on utterly bizarre tangents that generally distract from, rather than enhance the story.

All that said, if I had a few spare million in the bank, I'd kick down every door I could to buy the TV rights to this. The book itself is in two parts, which would transition perfectly in to series 1 & 2 of a Netflix style production; with a series 3 begging to be extrapolated from "what happens next".

If you don't mind a challenging read then this story is amazing.

16 people found this helpful

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Michael Glaviano

An Excellent Book

May 17, 2015

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Bronze Age, Iron Age, Diamond Age... Say what? Yes: the Diamond Age, the age of nanotechnology, where windows made from perfect, crystalline carbon are cheaper than those of glass. That's what this book is about: the tech and the social implications thereof. As we've come to expect from Stephenson, the tech in this book, no matter how advanced and extravagant, is well thought out and coherent. The writing is crisp, lucid, and, at times, beautiful. Rarely, if ever, do we encounter an awkward choice of words or a badly turned phrase. I pretty much enjoyed the book from the first word to the last.

I have two quibbles:

1. The story arc, its length and complexity, led me to expect a bigger and more explosive climax. The end seemed slightly abrupt to me.
2. Some character development seemed weakly linked to character importance in the story. Some characters, whose contribution to the story seemed secondary, got quite a bit of space. Other characters, who played a role in the story's climax and resolution, were introduced later and more casually.

Those critiques aside, this is an excellent book. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to my friends.

17 people found this helpful

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DaJamMaster

With Writing This Good, You Don't Need the Best Story Ever

May 9, 2017

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This is not my first Neal Stephenson book. As a matter of fact, it's my third. I wasn't planning on reading another one, but a friend who is also an avid reader recommended it. I must say that I preferred the other two books (Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon). Since this isn't a review of those books, I won't delve into why I liked those better. Rather, I will try to define why I didn't like this one as much.

First, this is not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination. It starts with three separate plot lines that are not strong enough to stand alone, so you just know they are going to come together. To his credit, Stephenson maintains the suspense of how they will come together quite well. The character development is mixed. Some of the characters are well formed with flaws and all the aspects of a real human personality. Others tend to get more caricature treatment, even though they are not bit players in the plotline.

Mostly, the characters and imagery is solid. This is what I like about Stephenson's writing. He uses a broad pallet in his writing that shows deep skill as a writer along with artistic flourishes that send me regularly to the dictionary to learn about some arcane word that I've never seen before. Some would find this annoying. Why use an obscure word when an average, everyday one will do? Because, it adds color and flair and that's what makes good writing.

The Diamond Age feels at once historical and futuristic. That's not an easy thing to do, but Stephenson does it beautifully. Maybe that's why I keep coming back. If you're reading this review, the plotline probably already got your attention. Go ahead, jump in, the water is fine!

6 people found this helpful

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Jeffrey R. Myers

A little girl as a great stoic hero!

July 18, 2017

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Along with Pride and Prejudice, this is my favorite novel of all time. It is a vision of a near-future world in which conventional governments have been replaced by "phyles" that recruit members according to various criteria that correspond to the values they promote. If one does not belong to a phyle, one is in great jeopardy in this world. One of the most powerful sects (and central to the plot) is the Neo-Victorian Atlantis phyle, which believes in Victorian values, including the value of engineering. One Vicki engineer creates an interactive book, the young lady illustrative primer of the title, which falls into the hands of a very young girl who is a thete, a person not belonging to any phyle and thus the lowest class socially. The rest of the novel is a bildungsroman or novel of education, as Nell uses the primer to educate herself. The resulting journey is delightful as Nell becomes the most wonderful stoic hero one could ever hope to meet. If you decide to read this novel, and I hope you do, you will not regret accompanying her on her journey.

5 people found this helpful

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