Yeah, Neal Stephenson deciding to tell the fantasy story rather than living in the awesome and wild future he dreamed up was pretty depressing. The fantasy story was fine, but that future he dreamed up was so much more interesting.
I was completely blown away by Moab and the after effects. It’s a brilliant take on the “post truth” world. It’s a terrifyingly believable prediction for the world. It feels far too much like future history for my taste. Even more than that, Neal Stephenson even goes on to come up with interesting and fascinating solutions for surviving the post truth world. He sets up this amazing and terrifying world, with this amazing and terrifying technological and social dynamic going on that is all too horrifyingly believable… and then tells another (nearly) unrelated story in a (nearly) unrelated place.
I almost wish he had just made just made a novella about Moab and Ameristan, so at least it was a complete thought. It’s insanely frustrated how he went from following a fascinating line of thinking about a post truth society to telling a fine but forgettable fantasy tale.
My annoyance is praise. I’m upset to be denied access to the world in his head. I’d love to get Neal Stephenson relaxed, high on a little weed, and comfortable enough to ramble on about the ideas in his head for a few hours.
