Fall; or, Dodge in Hell
Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Technological
3.7
(134)
Neal Stephenson
New York Times BestsellerA New York Times Notable BookThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of Seveneves, Anathem, Reamde, and Cryptonomicon returns with a wildly inventive and entertaining science fiction thriller—Paradise Lost by way of Philip K. Dick—that unfolds in the near future, in parallel worlds.In his youth, Richard “Dodge” Forthrast founded Corporation 9592, a gaming company that made him a multibillionaire. Now in his middle years, Dodge appreciates his comfortable, unencumbered life, managing his myriad business interests, and spending time with his beloved niece Zula and her young daughter, Sophia.One beautiful autumn day, while he undergoes a routine medical procedure, something goes irrevocably wrong. Dodge is pronounced brain dead and put on life support, leaving his stunned family and close friends with difficult decisions. Long ago, when a much younger Dodge drew up his will, he directed that his body be given to a cryonics company now owned by enigmatic tech entrepreneur Elmo Shepherd. Legally bound to follow the directive despite their misgivings, Dodge’s family has his brain scanned and its data structures uploaded and stored in the cloud, until it can eventually be revived.In the coming years, technology allows Dodge’s brain to be turned back on. It is an achievement that is nothing less than the disruption of death itself. An eternal afterlife—the Bitworld—is created, in which humans continue to exist as digital souls.But this brave new immortal world is not the Utopia it might first seem . . .Fall, or Dodge in Hell is pure, unadulterated fun: a grand drama of analog and digital, man and machine, angels and demons, gods and followers, the finite and the eternal. In this exhilarating epic, Neal Stephenson raises profound existential questions and touches on the revolutionary breakthroughs that are transforming our future. Combining the technological, philosophical, and spiritual in one grand myth, he delivers a mind-blowing speculative literary saga for the modern age.
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More Details:
Author
Neal Stephenson
Pages
896
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published Date
2019-06-04
ISBN
0062458736 9780062458735
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"Absolutely loved Neal’s new book. Fun, provocative way to use tech to explore questions about life, religion and human nature. "
Michael Dix
"When I first saw that Neal Stephenson was doing a techno-utopian version of Paradise Lost, my first thought was, "Oh crap! That's the foundation of my great American novel and freaking Neal Stephenson beat me too it!" Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for old Neal, his "Fall: Or Dodge in Hell" is far more "Bleak House" than "Paradise Lost." It seems like Stephenson's editors are afraid to stand up to him anymore - allowing him to spew out hundreds of pages of minutiae on legal technicalities and masturbatory world-building. This one started out ok and then swiftly ran out of steam as it spiraled into tedium. (Second half of Seveneves, anyone?)<br/><br/>I love Stephenson's earlier stuff, especially Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash. Sort of feel like he's starting to run out of juice with his more recent stuff...<br/><br/>Review cross-posted from <a href="https://books.max-nova.com/fall-dodge">https://books.max-nova.com/fall-dodge</a>"
Max Nova
"Read Reamde first, as it introduces some of the principal characters. But yes, it's a great read. "
Dana Clemmons
"Similar in style to Stephenson's "Seveneves". An interesting subject that he thoroughly explores. The books both get into slow moving portions that I think go beyond what is needed. Personally like his "Reamde" more, but sure will continue to read his books as they come out."
R B
Russell Barger