Anathem [Paperback]

A #1New York TimesBestseller,Anathem, a stunning work of philosophical science fiction, is perhaps the most brilliant literary invention to date from the incomparable Neal Stephenson, who rocked the world withSnow Crash, Cryptonomicon,andThe Baroque Cycle. Now he imagines an alternate universe where scientists, philosophers, and mathematicians live in seclusion behind ancient monastery walls until they are called back into the world to deal with a crisis of astronomical proportions in an unforgettable epic science fiction saga.

Anathemwon the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and the reviews forAnathemhave been dazzling: Brilliant (South Florida Sun-Sentinel), Daring (Boston Globe), Immensely entertaining (New York Times Book Review), A tour de force (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), whileTimemagazine proclaims, The great novel of ideas&has morphed into science fiction, and Neal Stephenson is its foremost practitioner.

For ten years Fraa Erasmas,a young avout, has lived ina cloistered sanctuary formathematicians, scientists,and philosophers, protected from thecorrupting influences of the outsideworld. But before the week is out,both the existence he abandonedand the one he embraced will standpoised on the brink of cataclysmicchange—and Erasmas will becomea major player in a drama that willdetermine the future of his world,as he follows his destiny to the mostinhospitable corners of the planet . . .and beyond.

Stephensons expansive storytelling echoes Walter Millers classic A Canticle for Leibowitz, the space operas of Larry Niven and the cultural meditations of Douglas Hofstadter  a heady mix of antecedents that makes for long stretches of dazzling entertainment. -Publishers Weekly on ANATHEM

Neal Stephenson occupies a unique place in the pantheon of speculative fiction-writing demigods, because he posseslÃ0