tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4611740075272352987.post5668388066563264770..comments2022-03-29T18:42:05.325-07:00Comments on Pegasus Books: William Gibson and Neal Stephenson.Duncan McGearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857388833850939721noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4611740075272352987.post-71260974761170886472008-07-11T12:29:00.000-07:002008-07-11T12:29:00.000-07:00I should have included The Difference Engine. To ...I should have included The Difference Engine. To me, that book was a little more straight forward in style, and the characters had more warmth.<BR/><BR/>I think maybe Gibson's style just isn't jibing with me right now.<BR/><BR/>But I do think Stephenson has more depth, too.<BR/><BR/>Technically, Diamond Age was steampunk, but it had the flavor full blast.<BR/><BR/>I think The Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick may be my favorite Steampunk. Elves as corporate raiders...too cool.Duncan McGearyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02857388833850939721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4611740075272352987.post-27969776716856939792008-07-11T10:58:00.000-07:002008-07-11T10:58:00.000-07:00I like them both more or less equally, but keeping...I like them both more or less equally, but keeping in mind they're different flavors.<BR/><BR/>I think <I>Pattern Recognition</I> might be Gibson's best book, even--yes--supplanting <I>Neuromancer</I>. <I>Spook Country</I> is nearly as good. I think what I like about these two "near future" (or whatever to call them) books is the excessively weird stuff they examine that <B>is</B> essentially extracted from our real world.<BR/><BR/>Plus, they're just tightly well-done books.<BR/><BR/>I like his earlier stuff too; <I>Neuromancer</I> and <I>Idoru</I> were my favorites of those.<BR/><BR/>Stephenson is fantastic, if... long. I think his pre-Baroque Cycle books hallmarked his big weakness: his endings. The endings to many of his books seemed... rushed, abrupt, not-thought-out, anti-climactic, something. <I>Cryptonomicon</I>--which I really loved--seemed especially frustrating in this regard; we go through a 1000 pages of buildup for... yeah.<BR/><BR/>The Baroque Cycle was perfectly satisfying, on the other hand. So yeah, he's definitely matured as a writer by these books.<BR/><BR/>Have you read <I>The Difference Engine</I> by Gibson and Bruce Sterling? There's the quintessential steampunk book...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com