About the book:
A political thriller co-written under the pseudonym Stephen Bury, following a stroke-surviving presidential candidate fitted with a microchip that allows him to respond in real time to polling data.
Stephenson's satirical instincts applied to American electoral politics prescient about media manipulation and the gap between political performance and belief.
Underread compared to his solo work.
Condtiion:
Reasonable secondhand condition.
Some damage to back cover as pictured.
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About the author:
Neal Stephenson (1959 to present)
Born in Fort Meade, Maryland, in 1959, Neal Stephenson grew up in various locations due to his fathers work as an electrical engineer. He studied geography and physics at Boston University before turning to writing. His early exposure to technology, science, and historycombined with a love of adventure narrativesshaped his distinctive approach to speculative fiction that is both rigorously researched and wildly imaginative.
His breakthrough arrived with Snow Crash (1992), a groundbreaking cyberpunk novel that blended Sumerian mythology, computer science, linguistics, and anarcho-capitalist satire into a propulsive, idea-dense story. Stephenson developed a style characterized by massive scope, intricate world-building, dense technical and historical detail, philosophical digressions, and a dry, witty prose that makes complex concepts accessible and thrilling. His books often function as both entertainment and intellectual playgrounds.
Deeply influenced by cyberpunk pioneers like William Gibson, the hard-SF tradition of authors such as Robert A. Heinlein and Vernor Vinge, historical fiction, and the legacy of encyclopedic novelists like Thomas Pynchon, Stephenson in turn became a central figure in late-20th- and 21st-century speculative fiction. He has profoundly influenced writers working in cyberpunk, post-cyberpunk, and big idea science fiction, including Cory Doctorow, Charles Stross, and many authors exploring technology, history, and systems thinking in fiction.
Recurring preoccupations include the intersection of technology and culture, the long arcs of history and civilization, cryptography, economics, linguistics, nanotechnology, climate change, and the nature of consciousness and power. Landmark works include the Baroque Cycle (a sprawling historical trilogy), Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age, Anathem, and the Dodecahedron series (beginning with Fall; or, Dodge in Hell).
Stephenson has also written with collaborators and worked in various media, including screenplays and projects involving virtual reality and gaming. He remains one of the most ambitious and intellectually rigorous voices in contemporary fiction.
Neal Stephensons influence on literature and culture is substantial: he elevated cyberpunk and idea-driven fiction to new levels of sophistication and popularity, showing how speculative narratives could grapple with the biggest questions of science, history, and society while remaining utterly unique in his blend of epic scope, technical precision, and irreverent humor.
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