I had previously read a portion of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson and was interested, but not hooked. However, after reading a blog listing what one person believed to be the 100 best science fiction and fantasy novels of all time, the synopsis of this novel caught my attention.
In essence, this novel is a classic bildungsroman - a coming of age story. In detail, this novel is intense, beautiful and innovative. The novel begins with a common thug attacking a couple and being tried in court. He is sentenced to death, with very minimal emphasis put on the fact that he had generated two children: Nellodee and Harv.
The novel shifts and the reader discovers that nations as such don't exist anymore. Rather, humanity has formed global tribes that are based on shared interest, ethnicity or proximity. Tribes of interest: the Han (Han Chinese), New Victorians (mostly caucasian, but accepting anyone who identifies with the lifestyle) and Nippon (Japanese). Lest mention of tribes make anyone believe that humanity has regressed technologically, knowledge of the fact that nanotechnology is commonplace; it is actually ubiquitous enough that it is considered a nuisance and health hazard similar to pollution today.
A major character is John Percival Hackworth, who is a New Victorian and an upper-level engineer at a company called Bespoke. He is tasked with creating a Primer for Lord Finkle-McGraw's (one of the originators of New Victorianism) granddaughter due to a lack the Lord saw in both his offspring and in the offspring of other New Victorians. The New Victorian movement was generated by people who were looking for something strictly regimented and very civil. Most originators of the tribe came to that way of thinking due to life experiences, but their children would not have the experiences that drove them to become New Victorians. To this end, Hackworth was to create a Primer that would interact with and teach Lord Finkle-McGraw's granddaughter to be an individual who would strive to perpetuate the New Victorian tribe through conviction rather than indoctrination.
Hackworth creates the Primer, but keeps one back for his daughter, which is subsequently stolen and given to a thete- that is a child with no tribal affiliation. This child is Nell, and she becomes the focus of the novel. This is a coming of age novel for Nell, but it contains so much more than the story of one life.
The social effect of nanotechnology, is, perhaps the foremost theme of this novel: it is ubiquitous, as I stated earlier. Using this technology, even the poorest individuals can use a machine called a matter compiler to generate food and goods. Nanotech is used in warfare, medicine, personal upgrades, and generation of a "hive-mind" tribe called the Drummers. Other themes, education and the effect of education on the abilities of individuals. There is also an interesting dichotomy between Confucian values espoused by the Han, seen in the effect of educating millions of girls (using a different version of the Primer) discarded by a single-child policy and male-centric Han culture, as well as the New Victorian values, seen in the effect of educating two girls and Nell. Through stories told by the Primer, you contemplate the nature of computers and technology in everyday life and the nature of artificial intelligence. Through Nell and Hackworth, the nature of family, of even the terms "mother," "father" and "brother" are questioned.
So much happens in this novel, but never was I overwhelmed with information or needlessly intricate plots. The central story of Nell and her experiences with the Primer draw along the narrative in such a way that you become more engrossed and more invested in the story. This character driven novel was a joy to read, and when it ended, I flipped through the last blank pages in the book, hoping for more.
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