44 sats \ 1 reply \ @StillStackinAfterAllTheseYears 16 Mar \ parent \ on: Weekend Book Recommendations BooksAndArticles
Yeah, Stephenson's a lot more weird and occasionally goofy than folks sometimes expect at first. The thing in SevenEves where he had thinly disguised versions of Elon Musk, Malala, and Neil deGrasse Tyson as major characters was another thing that I've seen stop some folks when engaging with his works.
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83 sats \ 0 replies \ @anon 17 Mar
I got many chuckles from Stephenson's Diamond Age and its KFC-venerating Confucian jurists:
The House of the Venerable and Inscrutable Colonel was what they called it when they were speaking Chinese. “Venerable” because of his goatee, white as the dogwood blossom, a badge of unimpeachable credibility in Confucian eyes. “Inscrutable” because he had gone to his grave without divulging the Secret of the Eleven Herbs and Spices.
Judge Fang switched back to English. “Your case is very serious,” he said to the boy. “We will go and consult the ancient authorities. You will wait here until we return.”
“The hour of noon has passed,” said Judge Fang. “Let us go and get some Kentucky Fried Chicken.”
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