Some Remarks: Essays and Other Writing

#1 New York Times bestselling author Neal Stephenson is, quite simply, one of the best and most respected writers alive. He’s taken sf to places it’s never been (Snow Crash, Anathem). He’s reinvented the historical novel (The Baroque Cycle), the international thriller (Reamde), and both at the same time (Cryptonomicon).

Now he treats his legion of fans to Some Remarks, an enthralling collection of essays and journalism—Stephenson’s first nonfiction work since his long essay on technology, In the Beginning…Was the Command Line, more than a decade ago—as well as new and previously published short writings both fiction and non.

Some Remarks is a magnificent showcase of a brilliantly inventive mind and talent, as he discourses on everything from the history of science with Sir Isaac Newton to the geek culture of Star Wars.

This essential nonfiction collection delivers a master class in the connections between history, technology, and society:

• Science and Technology: A mind-bending exploration of the metaphysics of Newton and Leibniz, and a deep dive into the epic, globe-spanning construction of the world’s longest fiber-optic cable.
• The Hacker Mindset: Stephenson’s signature analysis of geekdom, from the cultural impact of Star Wars to a classic interview where he explains the divide between literary and “Beowulf” writers.
• Innovation and Its Enemies: A bracing look at why our society suffers from “Innovation Starvation,” and a surprisingly compelling argument for why your office chair might be the most dangerous thing you own.
• Classic Short Fiction: Includes two seminal cyberpunk stories, “Spew” and “The Great Simoleon Caper,” showcasing the imaginative power that cemented Stephenson as a giant of the genre.

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. Not surprisingly, Stephenson is regularly asked to contribute articles, lectures, and essays to numerous outlets, from major newspapers and cutting-edge magazines to college symposia. This remarkable collection brings together previously published short writings, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as a new essay (and an extremely short story) created specifically for this volume.

Stephenson ponders a wealth of subjects, from movies and politics to David Foster Wallace and the Midwestern College Town; video games to classics-based sci-fi; how geekdom has become cool and how science fiction has become mainstream; the future of publishing and the origins of his novels.

By turns amusing and profound, critical and celebratory, yet always entertaining, Some Remarks offers a fascinating look into the prismatic mind of this extraordinary writer.

“Stephenson makes reading so much fun it feels like a deadly sin.” - International Herald Tribune

“He deserves to be classified as a major national and international resource.” - Wall Street Journal

“Neal Stephenson has made a name for himself as a writer whose imagination knows no limits.” - Salon

“Stephenson is a maddeningly talented writer who orchestrates the tropes of great thrillers with precision. . . . He continues to be one of the most consistently entertaining and challenging genre novelists.” - Virginia Pilot/Ledger Star

“Good writing is a reader’s first desire, and the result here is an obsessive read. . . . Those familiar with the online gaming world will find themselves in familiar territory. That Stephenson can make that world not just vital but important to non-gamers, to realistically and successfully shed a light on both the social and economic impacts of that world, is a feat worthy of admiration. And of being read.” - Denver Post

“Nobody else writes like Stephenson.” - Press Association (England)