Back in 2008 I discovered a book called Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It blew my mind - a cyberpunk thriller starring a samurai-sword-wielding pizza deliverer named Hiro Protagonist set in a dystopian near-future where governments and corporations had both been distilled into fractured franchise operations. Whew. Written in 1991, the book astonishingly predicted many ways in which we would come to interact online through the rise of social media and popularized the use of the word "avatar" to denote our online persona. Stephenson's only major mistake was giving the online world a virtual-reality setting; but hey, everybody was doing that in the early '90s. It's only now that the technology has advanced to make such VR aspirations more than a pipe dream, and its common use is still probably a ways off.
Snow Crash left such an impression on me that I set out to read Stephenson's other works. He's become quite a prolific author, always injecting his books with healthy doses of science, history, and philosophy - stuff usually right up my alley. I've always enjoyed what I've read, but none hit me quite as strongly as Snow Crash. At last, however, I've found a Stephenson book that I enjoy about as much as his seminal work of cyberpunk - and that is Anathem.
Make no mistake - Anathem is a very different book than Snow Crash. First in scope - whereas you could burn through Snow Crash in a couple days if properly motivated, Anathem is a 900 page epic. There are also stark differences in tone and pacing; whereas Snow Crash is brisk, energetic, and often funny, Anathem takes its time in building a truly interesting world. It's far from ponderous, however, and there is plenty of action in the right spots, not to mention chuckle-worthy wit.
Let's pause for a minute - you surely noticed I'm kicking around some unfamiliar terms. Yes, Anathem is a book with a glossary in the back. However, this isn't A Clockwork Orange - you aren't learning a new language as you go, but rather familiarizing yourself with important concepts of the mathic world. They are all accessible and introduced well in-context, and many of them closely resemble English words, emblematic of Arbre's reflection of Earth. For example, a theor who is remembered for his great contributions to mathic pursuits is called a "saunt," much like "saint." Additionally, there are a few amusing terms for "extramuros" devices that we have on Earth - such as a "jeejah," which we know as a smartphone. It's all certainly not as complicated as the dozens of characters and political entanglements of Game of Thrones.
The avout have been cloistered for thousands of years, living simple lives that a Franciscan monk might envy - though don't mistake them for a celibate religious community. Interestingly, the greatest minds on Arbre live almost completely devoid of technology - a partly voluntary sacrifice resulting from the great destruction and social upheaval that the rapid advancement of technology unleashed in Arbre's past. Meanwhile, the world extramuros enjoys the fruits of modern technology, but many residents lack any understanding of how it works or how it came to be. This stark contrast between the almost medieval lives of the avout and modern existence of the "extras" is jarring, and makes a strong impression on both the reader and the avout who venture beyond the mathic world's walls.
Arbre's history is rich and outlined well in Anathem - and armchair historians will easily find parallels to such earthly events as the Golden Age of Greece, the fall of the Roman Empire, the Renaissance, and the world wars. To give some perspective, Anathem takes place 3,700 years after a cataclysm that we might call World War III or IV, after which the world was organized into the dual structure of secluded maths and the "saecular" power which rules everything else. Stephenson does a great job of world-building in Anathem, and never stops leaking - at just the right rate to keep you wanting more - new pieces of information about Arbre, whether about its political structure, geography, or various religions.
The protagonist and first-person narrator of Anathem is a young fraa (male avout) called Erasmas, whose name obviously draws inspiration from the Dutch Renaissance humanist philosopher Erasmus. Erasmas is coming of age at the Concent (cloister) of Saunt Edhar, and is about to briefly visit the extramuros world for the first time in ten years, as his order is allowed to do. Unsurprisingly, this only marks the beginning of the momentous events that take place in Anathem, which will cause Erasmas and many of his colleagues to be Evoked - go on a special mission outside the mathic world for the benefit of all. Here is where I don't want to spoil much, but suffice to say that the journey is epic and world-spanning (and beyond), with some truly crazy and imaginative events that only a mind like Stephenson can dream up.
In between the action, however, Erasmas and company delve into some truly deep thoughts. This makes perfect sense in-context - after all, these are people who spend most of their free time having philosophical arguments with each other. If you took philosophy and/or western civilization in college and remember the basics of Platonic thought, it will pay off in spades here. If philosophy's not your thing, this may not be the book for you; however, the ideas are explained very clearly - the most difficult part is translating the terms from Arbran into their earthly equivalents (the glossary helps with this). Moreover, the discussions are all pertinent to what's happening in the story. Stephenson starts with the basic idea of Plato's Forms - the concept that there exists, in some other world, perfect forms of everything from triangles to desk chairs, and everything like that which exists in our world is just a pale reflection of such (see the famous Allegory of the Cave). From that building block, Stephenson's characters posit and argue for the existence of the multiverse or polycosm - the idea that there are infinite worlds or dimensions, all having influence on each other in various ways. Readers then witness the direct results of such theories reflected in the plot. Many works of science fiction have tackled the multiverse before, but I think few have given it such a sound philosophical backing as Anathem. Quite coincidentally, I read Anathem just after playing through the much-lauded video game BioShock: Infinite, which also explores the possibilities of the polycosm - it was a great one-two punch.
To sum up, Anathem has just about everything I like in a book - a detailed world with a rich history to learn about, interesting ideas presented accessibly, and exciting adventures in inventive settings. The characters could probably be deeper, though I think Erasmas is imminently relatable as we experience momentous events through his eyes and voice. Some of the philosophical discussions go on almost too long, but in most cases Stephenson knows just when to cut them off and pick up the pace. I'll admit the heavy dose of philosophy renders it not a book for everyone. It requires patience and the willingness to learn about a new world and terminology. If you're down with that, though, Anathem succeeds as both a sci-fi thrill ride and an academic work that will leave you pondering. What is the limit to our understanding of the world? What would incredible new knowledge about the structure of the universe do to our social fabric? Is such knowledge too dangerous to be revealed? If such questions interest you, go on a journey with Erasmas to find out.
"They knew many things but had no idea why. And strangely this made them more, rather than less, certain that they were right." - Fraa Erasmas
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