The Great Geek Manual

Book: The Mongoliad: Book One
ISBN-13: 978-1612182360

Author: Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear
Series: The Foreworld Saga, Book 1
Publisher: 47North
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release: April 24, 2012
Length: 442 pages (Paperback)

Book Rating: B (85 / 100)

Verdict

If Michael Crichton’s Eaters of the Dead had been written by Guy Gavriel Kay, The Mongoliad would have been the final result.

Fans of historical fiction are certain to count The Mongoliad as a staple of the genre, and hardcore Neal Stephenson won’t be disappointed, either. However, The Mongoliad suffers from the same shortcomings as most books of the historical fiction genre. It is a bit dry, due to the historical tone of the narration, a bit overly cerebral, due to the necessity of explaining the details of medieval living, and a bit slow due to the sheer volume of exposition required by those explanations. The overall effect is the The Mongoliad is not a heavy piece of reading, but that much is obvious simply by virtue of Neal Stephenson’s name on the cover.

Pros: Highly authentic historical detail. Frequent, inventive battle scenes.

Cons: Unpronounceable character names. Little-to-no suspense. Slow start. Story pacing drags a bit. Sudden ending leaves the book feeling incomplete.

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There are currently two major revolutions occurring: the enlightenment of man and the awakening of computers.

What’s incredible is that they are intertwined in their quest for information and knowledge. The more powerful computers become, the easier it is for man to access information. The better information we have, the better computers we make, and so on. [...]

1) We have no way of knowing precisely what will happen with our brains. We may lose all feelings, or we might gain extra-human senses that allow for beauty to be not only recognized, but lived within. [...]

It’s looking ahead that allows us to create effective constructs for living. In a time where many things are uncertain, we must individually live with an openness to change in order to feel secure in our lives. Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

- “The Future Is No Place for Fear” by Zach Puchtel, May 7, 2012.

Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.

- Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray, 1848.

“We may not be sexy, but we have fresh uniforms nonetheless! We Trekkies and We Know It!”

Art

• Fans of The Princess Bride will appreciate this design concept.
• Portal Cake is not a lie!
• Someone needs to make this into a real stained glass window
• Terrible Yellow Eyes: A papercraft tribute to the late Maurice Sendak
• Versus/Hearts is a playful project that combines two characters that strongly dislike each other into heart-shaped images.

Comics

• Superman: Stuffy Boy Scout, or Charming Folk Hero?

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In many ways, Facebook’s story is the most modern example of the American dream gone right. Some would argue that those who have gotten rich from the company should pay some dues back into the system that enabled that success. As billionaire Mark Cuban has written on his blog, the ‘most patriotic thing you can do’ is ‘bust your ass and get rich. Make a boatload of money. Pay your taxes.

“Just In Time For A Facebook IPO Tax Break, Eduardo Saverin Renounces U.S. Citizenship” by Colleen Taylor, May 11, 2012. Quoting “The Most Patriotic Thing You Can Do” by Mark Cuban, September 19, 2012.

“Five children, scions of the frosty bite
Dire wolves that hunt in the dead of the night
House of Stark, Winterfell, now the winter’s come
King in the North, bow down, now a war is on”

In the future, not getting any imagery or story line or content is going to be the equivalent of silence because people are so filled up now with streaming video. Paying attention to anything will be the missing commodity in future life. You think you’ll miss nothing, but you’ll probably miss everything.

- Ed Schlossberg, as quoted in “Silence Is Golden” by Maureen Dowd, December 6, 2011.
Originally published by The New York Times.