To Afghanistan and Back --==-- The Diamond Age
Hoorah. Finally, an absorbing book after a long drought. Ted details his trip to Afghanistan as a "War Correspondent" for the Village Voice. Half of this book is the published articles and half is the same story told through his cartoons (the 'graphic' in this novel).
It's a lively book and the cartoons are outstanding. It's rather short at 112 pages, but well written. Glad that I picked this one up on a whim.
Wherein the author learns some new words; Exceeding expectations; The book falls down and goes splat.
The Diamond Age had me hooked from the first page. Stephenson really outdoes himself in the first half of this book. The growth of Nell from girl in trouble to a young woman was enthralling. After a third of the book, I was ready to call it better than Snow Crash, which is a very high honor.
Once Hackworth joins the drummers, however, things come unglued. It nothing but a author-induced acid trip from there on out and following it becomes exceedingly difficult. I can honestly say that I didn't understand the last quarter of the book in any way, shape, or form. Shame, really. I was hooked.