The Sword and Laser

For Tom and everyone else, I really want to recommend the Audible version of Anathem. I am an avid audiobook fan, and Anathem is one of the best I've heard. Tom, I think you would really enjoy it for your second reading. Besides the excellent voice acting, you get to actually hear the chanting... even the Anathem itself.

Just thought I'd include the link to the wiki that you mentioned, because it is fascinating! Thanks for that!
http://anathem.wikia.com/wiki/Anathem_Wiki

Thanks Sh1, but I did include a link above (in the first graph)!

Doh!

Fraa Jad was able to "be" in multiple world tracks at the same time (a thousader's talent?) and at the end of the book he was dragging Erasmus along with him - looking for a beneficial outcome. Does that make sense? : )

I thought Jad was just "messing" with Raz, and that he actually ended the story with the Avout-like people in Pod 1.

Also, the ITA were the "IT guys". Anti-social, unclean, geeks? Who get exasperated when trying to discuss tech with "normal" people? Yeah... that's my IT friends.

[...] Get the episode at Sword and Laser.com [...]

I just finished Anathem about half an hour ago and I was waiting to hear this to see what you guys thought of it. I enjoyed the book for the most part, but I feel like it was probably 200 or 300 pages too long. A lot of it, most notably the arctic adventure, seemed like filler that ended up not being all that necessary. The physics and metaphysical theories and such were pounded at so relentlessly... I felt that could have been handled better and been more concise. These avout who were supposedly super-intelligent didn't seem to "get" the polycosm nearly as quickly as I was able to.

The real pleasure of reading the book comes now after I realize that Stephenson is using the very novel itself as an argument of the theories they discuss in the book regarding multiple world tracks and the flowing of information among cosmi, showing a possible alternate cosmos where there are many similar things due to the underlying fundamental truths of the universe. *brain explodes*

Lastly, another thing I noticed along the lines of the "movie stars" thing is that even though most of the time, truck-like vehicles are referred to as fetches and drummonds, one time he slips and actually calls them "trucks."

Tom & Veronica -

While listening to the podcast on Anathem it occured to me that listening to the Audible version and reading the book are very different experiences. More so than most audio/printed books.

I'm about a third of the way through the audiobook. This is a serial experience. There is no jumping around to clarify terminology. That has not been a problem. It was also interesting to hear how you pronounced some words.

So far this Audible book is an excellent production and has been very enjoyable. Also the 32 hour length has not been a problem. Normally, I listen to audiobooks on the commute after work. The story-telling is a bit more engaging that most and I find myself listening for quite a while after I arrive home.

CrankyGreek

I would like to point out that Jad was with them up to the point when they entered the ship. Remember Raz and his friends tried to cover up that fact after they were "rescued" and were eating. Does any one remember that?

Warning - Plot points discussed below. Don't read if you haven't finished the book yet.

Help! I just finished the book. Loved it from the point of view that it truly took me away from everything and made me live on Arbre for a week while reading the book for hours at a time. But I'm not sure I get the ending.

Mutliple Cosmos gets us multiple endings. But we only get detail about the happy ending. What are we to make of the other, earlier, less happy endings? In some of the early unhappy endings Jad doesn't survive the launch or the Nuke isn't captured so the mission fails so....what happens - inter-cosmos warfare leading to..., and in a later unhappy ending Jad is shot and Raz' guts explode so.... what happens - inter-cosmos warfare leading to... again, And where is Jad in the "happy ending"? Is he lurking about looking for a way to take out the bad guys in Pod 1 leading to... inter-cosmos warfare? There is a lot of unfinished story lines here. Anyone have a clue about how to complete these story arcs in my head?

I managed to finish the book, and the stuff with the monks in space was pretty cool. But it sure took a long time to get there. I'm not sure I could recommend this to somebody, unless they really want to read a lot of philosophical dialogs and descriptions of every little rock and twig along the way. A good editor would have chopped this book in half.

I agree with moe29. I believe that Jad was pulling Raz along through the multiple quantum states looking for the best outcome. Jad ended up with the Pod 1 people where Raz ended up in a narrative where all his friends were alive which is what he wanted. As he said as much to Jad after coming out of the suit.

I did the audio version and it was overall good. I got into it right away during my first run. The length was a problem since it took so long to finish it and when I would start again it would take a second to get back into it. I would recommend it too someone who has time but if you only get small amounts of time I would pick up something shorted.

While listening to the Podcast discussion and your description of the Ita, I got the feeling that you missed the last section of the book. That's OK... I listened to the Audible version and I dozed off several times, so I got totally lost after Erasmus regained consciousness in the ship's infirmary...

As Erasmus was describing the real purpose of the three sacks, he said that each time the praxis of the consents got to big and dangerous, they were sacked and reduced to a bare minimum of technology. Each time they were allowed to keep SOME praxis.. the clocks in one, new matter in another, and what about the present one? That was a truly scary proposition. The thousanders had no praxis but their minds...

Anyways, I was under the impression that the Ita were not so much lowly and scorned as they were untouchable because of the forbidden praxis they carry with them... like the speelycaptor in the library in the first chapter... the one that could be powerful enough to detect objects in space... Oooo... it would be really dangerous if a Mathic got his hands on one of THOSE!

I also got the clear impression of the message at the end of the book... The message that nothing is written in stone. As soon as we think we can prove one thing, it will be turned on it's ear. That all theories are possible but none can be proven as a fact. Erasmus' new consent has walls but no doors. People are free to join and leave at will including the incantors... as long as they don't insist that their belief in god is accurate and true.

This book has me curious about Erasmus' namesake, the Monk Erasmus of the Reformation. To that end I found and bought a book about Erasmus at a used book store. There might be some interesting parallels there...

(sorry for misspellings, if any... I haven't seen the book)

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I just finished reading Anathem and listened to your podcast on the book and wanted to chime in with some insights I had on the whole Ita topic. First, I think the a was tacked onto the IT to allude to a parallel to eta which were the "unclean" in japanese culture, usually the ones that handled dead things such as animal skins or corpses. As for why there was a separation of the avout and the ita, I think it would be similar to not allowing contact between theoretical scientists and engineers in our world. The technology that the two groups were able to create when working together was so far advanced from what the common "sline" was able to understand that it was frightening.

I just finished Anathem Sunday, April 12th. So much for speed reading. I listened to the Podcast this morning on the elliptical trainer.

I though it was a fantastic book and my first experience with Neal. As for the quotations that struck me funny, the one where Raz says he does not want to be a knee-hugger made me laugh.

I am going to send the book to my mother and let her read it as she had to try to get it from the Library. And the Library where she is at only allows her to have it for 2 weeks at a time; which we all know is not nearly enough time to finish even 1/2 of the thing.

Right now, I cannot say that I will be reading Neal's stuff anytime soon, for this one took me so long to complete. I haven't even read "Memoirs" yet and have not bought "The Eye" book by Jordan (?). Lot's of catching up to do.

I started the book a few weeks ago and I still haven't finished yet. I'm listening to the audio book and i think i have about 5 hours to go. I just reached the point when they entered space.

I found myself re-listening to parts i din't fully understand a few times. As someone else commented, I do think that in this case listening to the book is not better. I would have liked the additional reference material.

Ididn't listen to the podcast when it came out because i didn't have time to read the book and didn't want it spoiled. But i finally listened to it today. Its good but i really just want the book to end :(

I do agree with Verinica that it takes some time to really get into the storuy. There are to many new words and concepts and it takes quite awhile to get your head arrond it. And I do find myself "translating" the made up words to real words so i could keep it stright in my mind.

I'll post again when (if ) i ever finish :)

I'm getting the auido book of A Game of Thrones now.