Editing Neal Stephenson (section)

==Writing==
[[Image:Neal Stephenson Anathem Discussion at MIT crop.jpg|left|thumb|Discussing ''[[Anathem]]'' at [[MIT]] in 2008]]

Stephenson's first novel, ''[[The Big U]]'', published in 1984, is a satirical take on life at American Megaversity, a vast, bland, and alienating research university beset by chaotic riots.<ref name=sfhandbook/><ref name=hybridfictions/> His next novel, ''[[Zodiac (novel)|Zodiac]]'' (1988), is a thriller following a radical environmentalist in his struggle against corporate polluters.<ref name=sfhandbook/> Neither novel attracted much critical attention on first publication, but both showcased concerns that Stephenson developed in his later work.<ref name=sfhandbook/>

Stephenson's breakthrough came in 1992 with ''[[Snow Crash]]'', a [[cyberpunk]] or [[post-cyberpunk|postcyberpunk]] novel fusing [[memetics]], [[computer virus]]es, and other high-tech themes with [[Sumerian religion|Sumerian mythology]], along with a sociological extrapolation of extreme [[Laissez-faire|laissez-faire capitalism]] and [[Social organization#Collectivism and individualism|collectivism]].<ref name=hybridfictions/><ref>{{cite book | last = Westfahl | first = Gary | year = 2005 | title = The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders, Vol. 3 | publisher = Greenwood Publishing | page = 1235 | isbn = 0-313-32953-2 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=M_3kNDKhxIcC&pg=PA1235 | access-date = 2009-12-05}}</ref> [[Mike Godwin]] described Stephenson at this time as "a slight, unassuming grad-student type whose soft-spoken demeanor gave no obvious indication that he had written the manic apotheosis of cyberpunk science fiction."<ref name=pastpresentfuture/> In 1994, Stephenson and his uncle, [[J. Frederick George]], published a political thriller, ''[[Interface (novel)|Interface]]'', under the [[pen name]] "Stephen Bury";<ref name=cryptomancer/> they followed this in 1996 with ''[[The Cobweb (novel)|The Cobweb]]''.

Stephenson's next solo novel, published in 1995, was ''[[The Diamond Age|The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer]]''. The plot involves a weapon implanted in a character's skull, near-limitless replicators for everything from mattresses to foods, [[Electronic paper|smartpaper]], and air and blood-sanitizing nanobots. It is set in a world with a neo-Victorian social structure.

This was followed by ''[[Cryptonomicon]]'' in 1999, a novel including concepts ranging from [[Alan Turing]]'s research into [[Cryptanalysis|codebreaking]] and cryptography during [[World War II]], to a modern attempt to set up a [[data haven]]. ''Cryptonomicon'' won the [[Prometheus Hall of Fame Award]] in 2013.

''[[The Baroque Cycle]]'' is a series of [[historical fiction|historical novels]] set in the 17th and 18th centuries, and in some respects a [[prequel]] to ''Cryptonomicon''. It was originally published in three volumes of two or three books each—''[[Quicksilver (novel)|Quicksilver]]'' (2003), ''[[The Confusion]]'' (2004), and ''[[The System of the World (novel)|The System of the World]]'' (2004)—but was subsequently republished as eight separate books: ''Quicksilver'', ''King of the Vagabonds'', ''Odalisque'', ''Bonanza'', ''Juncto'', ''Solomon's Gold'', ''Currency'', and ''System of the World''. (The titles and exact breakdown vary in different markets.) ''[[The System of the World (novel)|The System of the World]]'' won the [[Prometheus Award]] in 2005.

Next, Stephenson wrote ''[[Anathem]]'' (2008), a long, detailed work of [[speculative fiction]]. It is set in an Earthlike world, deals with metaphysics, and refers heavily to [[Ancient Greek philosophy]]. ''Anathem'' won the [[Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel]] in 2009.

In 2010, the Subutai Corporation, of which Stephenson was named chairman, announced the production of an experimental multimedia fiction project, ''[[The Mongoliad]]'', which centered on a narrative by Stephenson and other speculative fiction authors.<ref name=fastcompany/><ref name=subutaicorp/>

Stephenson's novel ''[[Reamde]]'' was released in 2011.<ref name=reamde/> The title is a play on the common filename [[README]]. A thriller set in the present, it centers around a group of [[MMORPG]] developers caught in the middle of Chinese cyber-criminals, Islamic terrorists, and Russian mafia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nealstephenson.com/reamde/index.htm|title=reamdeDescription|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805144343/http://www.nealstephenson.com/reamde/index.htm|archive-date=August 5, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In 2012, Stephenson released a collection of essays and other previously published fiction, ''Some Remarks: Essays and Other Writing''.<ref>{{cite web |author=Upcoming4.me |url=http://upcoming4.me/media-news/book-news/item/10139-new-neal-stephenson-book-some-remarks-announced |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629230455/http://upcoming4.me/media-news/book-news/item/10139-new-neal-stephenson-book-some-remarks-announced |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 29, 2012 |title=New Neal Stephenson book Some Remarks announced! |publisher=Upcoming4.me |access-date=June 26, 2012 }}</ref> It also includes a new essay and a short story written specifically for this volume.

In 2013, Stephenson said he was working on a multi-volume work of historical novels that would "have a lot to do with scientific and technological themes and how those interact with the characters and civilisation during a particular span of history". He expected the first two volumes to be released in 2014.<ref name="BBC">Kelion, Leo. (2013-09-17) [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24116925 BBC News - Neal Stephenson on tall towers and NSA cyber-spies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140126184656/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24116925 |date=January 26, 2014 }}. Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2014-01-14.</ref> But at about the same time, he shifted his attention to a science fiction novel, ''[[Seveneves]]'', which was completed about a year later and published in May 2015.<ref name=NS_Seveneves>{{cite web |url=http://www.nealstephenson.com/seveneves.html |title=Seveneves |website=Nealstephenson.com |author=Neal Stephenson |access-date=April 5, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134755/http://www.nealstephenson.com/seveneves.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> On June 8, 2016, plans were announced to adapt ''Seveneves'' for the screen.<ref name="Seveneves film">{{cite web|last1=Fleming|first1=Mike|title=Skydance Reunites 'Apollo 13' Team For Neal Stephenson Sci-Fi Novel 'Seveneves'|url=https://deadline.com/2016/06/seveneves-movie-ron-howard-brian-grazer-bill-broyles-apollo-13-skydance-1201769130/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=June 8, 2016|access-date=10 June 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610030721/http://deadline.com/2016/06/seveneves-movie-ron-howard-brian-grazer-bill-broyles-apollo-13-skydance-1201769130/|archive-date=June 10, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In May 2016, during a video discussion with [[Bill Gates]], Stephenson said he had just submitted the manuscript for a new historical novel—"a time travel book"—co-written with [[Nicole Galland]], one of his ''Mongoliad'' coauthors.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gates|first1=Bill| authorlink= Bill Gates |title=The Day the Moon Blew Up|url=https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Seveneves|publisher=gatesnotes|at=Starting at 1:19|access-date=10 June 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519120802/https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Seveneves|archive-date=May 19, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref> This book, ''[[The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.]]'', was released in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. - Neal Stephenson, Nicole Galland - Hardcover |url=https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062409164/the-rise-and-fall-of-d-o-d-o |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624160917/https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062409164/the-rise-and-fall-of-d-o-d-o |archive-date=24 June 2017 |url-status=dead |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |access-date=27 October 2020}}</ref>

In 2019, his novel ''[[Fall; or, Dodge in Hell]]'' was published. It is a near-future novel that explores [[mind uploading]] into the cloud, and contains characters from ''[[Reamde]]'', ''[[Cryptonomicon]]'', and other books.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/06/04/726709657/sometimes-fascinating-sometimes-excruciating-fall-hums-with-energy|title=Sometimes Fascinating, Sometimes Excruciating, 'Fall' Hums With Energy|newspaper=NPR |date=June 4, 2019|access-date=July 28, 2019|last1=Sheehan|first1=Jason}}</ref>

''[[Termination Shock (novel)|Termination Shock]]'', published in 2021, is a [[climate fiction]] novel about [[solar geoengineering]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/16/books/review/neal-stephenson-termination-shock.html|newspaper=The New York Times|last=El Akkad|first=Omar|date=16 November 2021|accessdate=18 November 2021|title=Neal Stephenson's Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World}}</ref>