A new book by Neal Stephenson? Of course I was going to read it!

As usual with Stephenson, you take a technical concept and follow the society deriving from it. Fall’s focus is on brain digitization and reactivation in a video-game after death and what would happen to the society as it becomes more and more common. Life beyond death, in a MMORPG.

Add to this an interesting discussion in the first third of the book on the divergence between reality and internet-based-reality (aka The Miasma). I would guess this is an epidermic reaction to what happened in 2016 in the USA when internet reality collided with reality (remember that pizzeria?). Imagine this event at a city level scale, with truth-based-reality and internet-based-reality diverging permanently and you have an idea.

How is it?

Spanning some 80 or so years à la Seveneves, there are also some aspects of the book which reminded me Snow Crash. Both in terms of the two stories unfolding, in the Meatspace and the Bitworld, but also how the virtual world can have ripple effects on reality.

But as the stories unfold, you go from biblical myths (including Adam and Eve), to very Tolkien-ish story-telling aspects or even simply in the names given to the protagonists. Oh, among whom, one is a crow. Still not buying it? Have I had know this, I would have bought 2 of this book.

The final aspect to me was this je-ne-sais-quoi of Asimov’s Aurora, a concept I just love and whose effect I keep an eye on everyday. As digitization and upload gets more and more accepted then expected, humans get to lose the will to procreate, knowing they’ll get an other life after death in which they can start anew. And rely more and more on robots. And tele-presence. And focus on intellectual work and not manual work. There, you have it, Earth becomes Stephenson’s Aurora. Minus R Daneel Olivaw. Or is Enoch Root R Daneel? Hmm, Not impossible actually.

A brain disgression

There are two interesting aspects in the discussion on brain digitization. At first the technology only allows brain connection scans then evolves to full body scans. This in a way reflects the incorporated-brain vs omnipotent brain discussion currently happening in scientific circles. Would love to know what Lana Sina would say about that.

Once the technology progresses enough, full-body digitization becomes the norm. At the same time, El takes control and impose a standard form in the bit-world. A way for him to go beyond the limitation of his own body in the meatspace. But what happens with people would don’t fit this standard shape? If you can’t own your shape beyond death (even though you paid for it), can you control the outcome while you are alive? Can you get your legs back in the after life if you live as if they were still there? But then, why limit yourself to legs then? Well, for Stephenson, it is possible. Hence Corvus and Mab. But beyond the characters, it’s a very interesting discussion.

A word about the physical book

Yes, a physical book. In 2019.

Quite an investment when you live in Japan and the edition you want is shipped from the US or Great Britain. But it’s worth it. Check it.

Too bad my edition was, let’s say, poorly handled (aka badly bumped in a few place) during the transport.

But get it.

The usual critiques

Fall’s clearly not for everyone. The usual critique of Stephenson’s book is that he leaves open loops in his stories and characters. Which I understand (I would have loved 200 more pages in Seveneves or Anathem) but I also completely understand that Stephenson finishes his book when he has finished the topic he wanted to present.

Sevenes was about power play, isolation. How human is social but not gregarious (Asimov again). How technology can be used to face envrionmental crisis. About gene editing. Not about space colonisation, even though it is the McGuffin used all along the book and driving the different factions.

In that aspect, Fall is way better. I guess some would love to know what happens next in the bit-world but the story is complete. I went full circle in a way but stories and loops are closed.

Except the usual one: Who the Fuck is Enoch Root ?!

Final word

Would I recommend it? Yes. But I would recommend all Stephenson’s book. Even those I don’t really like.

If you are OK with the above critique and have no problem against chapters reading like the Sylmarillon in between light sci-fy ones, you should be OK.

I don’t think this book will have the same impact as Snow Crash. It’s way to anchored in current reality. The Miasma is already a reality. And the HK protests show that APEs already exist. Japan is already going full Aurora. What about brain digitization? I’d say we currently are in the same state as the science describe in the book. So there are opportunity in the next 80 yearrs. Though I’m not sure I’d like to live in this kind of world (both).

Go get it.