Editing Neal Stephenson

{{Short description|American speculative fiction writer (born 1959)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2012}}
{{Infobox writer
| name             = Neal Stephenson
| image            = Neal Stephenson in 2019 A 021.jpg
| caption          = Neal Stephenson in 2019
| pseudonym        = Stephen Bury<br />(with [[George Jewsbury|J. Frederick George]])
| birth_name       = Neal Town Stephenson
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1959|10|31}}
| birth_place      = [[Fort Meade, Maryland|Fort Meade]], [[Maryland]], U.S.
| occupation       = {{Flat list|
* Novelist
* short story writer
* essayist
}}
| education        = [[Boston University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| period           = 1984–present
| genre            = [[Science fiction]], [[speculative fiction]], [[historical fiction]], [[essays]]
| website          = {{URL|nealstephenson.com}}
| awards           = [[Hugo Award|Hugo]]<br>[[Prometheus Award|Prometheus]]<br>[[Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel|Locus]]<br>[[Arthur C. Clarke Award|Clarke]]
}}

'''Neal Town Stephenson''' (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of [[speculative fiction]]. His novels have been categorized as [[science fiction]], [[historical fiction]], [[cyberpunk]], and [[baroque]].

Stephenson's work explores [[mathematics]], [[cryptography]], [[linguistics]], [[philosophy]], [[currency]], and the [[history of science]]. He also writes nonfiction articles about technology in publications such as ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]''. He has written novels with his uncle, [[George Jewsbury]] ("J. Frederick George"), under the collective pseudonym Stephen Bury.

Stephenson has worked part-time as an advisor for [[Blue Origin]], a company (founded by [[Jeff Bezos]]) developing a spacecraft and a space launch system,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wenz |first=John |date=June 19, 2018 |title=How Neal Stephenson Got Book Ideas by Moonlighting at Blue Origin |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a21238129/seveneves-neal-stephenson-blue-origin/ |work=[[Popular Mechanics]] |access-date=4 August 2022}}</ref> and also co-founded the Subutai Corporation, whose first offering is the [[interactive fiction]] project ''[[The Mongoliad]]''. He was [[Magic Leap]]'s Chief Futurist from 2014 to 2020.<ref name="WSJ2020">{{cite news |last1=Alcorn |first1=Ted |date=10 July 2020 |title=Writer Neal Stephenson Thinks We've Gotten Dystopia All Wrong |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/writer-neal-stephenson-thinks-weve-gotten-dystopia-all-wrong-11594389600 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=26 June 2021}}</ref>

==Early life==
Born on October 31, 1959, in [[Fort Meade]], [[Maryland]],<ref name=orwellclass/> Stephenson came from a family of engineers and scientists; his father is a professor of [[electrical engineering]] and his paternal grandfather was a [[physics]] professor.  His mother worked in a [[biochemistry]] laboratory and her father was a [[biochemistry]] professor. Stephenson's family moved to [[Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area|Champaign-Urbana, Illinois]], in 1960, and to [[Ames, Iowa]], in 1966. He graduated from [[Ames High School]] in 1977.<ref name=mac/>

Stephenson studied at [[Boston University]],<ref name =mac/> first specializing in physics, then switching to geography after he found that it would allow him to spend more time on the university mainframe.<ref name=yamamato/> He graduated in 1981 with a [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in [[geography]] and a minor in physics.<ref name=mac/> 

Since 1984, Stephenson has lived mostly in the [[Pacific Northwest]] and as of 2012 lived in [[Seattle]] with his family.<ref name=mac/>

==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>

==Writing style==
Stephenson's books tend to have elaborate plots that draw on numerous technological and sociological ideas. The discursive nature of his writing together with significant plot and character complexity and an abundance of detail suggests a [[baroque]] writing style, which Stephenson brought fully to bear in his ''Baroque Cycle''.<ref name=systemcapsule/>

==Outside of writing==
[[Image:NealStephensonByPhilKonstantin.jpg|thumb|Stephenson at the Starship Century Symposium at UCSD in 2013]]

Stephenson worked at [[Blue Origin]], [[Jeff Bezos]]'s spaceflight company, for seven years in the early 2000s while its focus was on "novel alternate approaches to [[outer space|space]], [[Spacecraft propulsion#Speculative methods|alternate propulsion systems]], and business models." He left after Blue became a more standard aerospace company.<ref name=tsr20180319>{{cite news |last=Foust|first=Jeff |url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3455/1 |title=A changing shade of Blue |work=The Space Review |date=2018-03-19 |access-date=2018-05-31 |quote='For the first seven years or so, I worked there when it was in more of an exploratory stage of trying to figure out what the landscape looked like and what are some possibly novel alternate approaches to space, alternate propulsion systems and business models and so on,' [Stephenson] recalled. That lasted, he said, until the company became more focused on specific technologies (which feature propulsion systems not very alternate from what’s been, and is being, done elsewhere.) 'Once it became a more kind of directed aerospace engineering entity, that's when I amicably peeled off,' he said. }}</ref>

{{Anchor|Clang}}In 2012, Stephenson launched a [[Kickstarter]] campaign for ''Clang'', a realistic sword-fighting fantasy game. The concept was to use motion control to provide an immersive experience. The campaign's funding goal of $500,000 was reached by the target date of July 9, 2012, but funding options remained open and the project continued to accept contributions on its official site.<ref>[https://twitter.com/subutaicorp/status/222900255828611072 Twitter / subutaicorp: @LordBronco We're still taking] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061239/https://twitter.com/subutaicorp/status/222900255828611072 |date=September 21, 2013 }}. Twitter.com. Retrieved on 2014-01-14.</ref> The project ran out of money in September 2013.<ref>[http://kotaku.com/famous-kickstarter-campaign-turns-into-complete-disaste-1352054852@stephentotilo Famous Kickstarter Turns Into Complete Disaster] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921102017/http://kotaku.com/famous-kickstarter-campaign-turns-into-complete-disaste-1352054852@stephentotilo |date=September 21, 2013 }}. Kotaku.com. Retrieved on 2014-01-14.</ref> This, and the circumstances around it, angered some backers,<ref>[http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/09/20/thud-development-of-neal-stephensons-clang-halted/ THUD: Development Of Neal Stephenson’s CLANG Halted] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925191633/http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/09/20/thud-development-of-neal-stephensons-clang-halted/ |date=September 25, 2013 }}. Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved on 2014-01-14.</ref> and some threatened a [[class action]] lawsuit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/09/neal-stephenson-says-his-dream-of-making-a-video-game-isnt-dead/ |title=Neal Stephenson Says His Dream Of Making A Video Game Isn't Dead |website=Kotaku |first=Evan |last=Narcisse |date=September 28, 2013 |quote=A vocal contingent of Clang backers have seethed with anger after the Pause Button update, with some demanding their money back and others making threats of legal action. When I spoke with him earlier this week, he told me he understands where they're coming from, but wants everyone to know that the journey to making Clang a reality isn't over. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929211712/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/09/neal-stephenson-says-his-dream-of-making-a-video-game-isnt-dead/ |archive-date=September 29, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The ''Clang'' project ended in September 2014 without being completed. Stephenson took some responsibility for the project's failure, saying, "I probably focused too much on historical accuracy and not enough on making it sufficiently fun to attract additional investment".<ref name="CLANG Final Update">{{cite web|last1=Stephenson|first1=Neal|title=Final Update|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/260688528/clang/posts/989911|website=CLANG by Subutai Corporation|publisher=Kickstarter|access-date=18 October 2014|date=19 September 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018002443/https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/260688528/clang/posts/989911|archive-date=October 18, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In 2014, the Florida-based [[augmented reality]] company [[Magic Leap]] hired Stephenson as Chief Futurist.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2014/12/neal-stephenson-magic-leap/ |title=Sci-Fi Author Neal Stephenson Joins Mystery Startup Magic Leap as 'Chief Futurist' |magazine=Wired |date=December 16, 2014 |author=Davey Alba |author-link=Davey Alba|access-date=May 20, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518083936/http://www.wired.com/2014/12/neal-stephenson-magic-leap |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> He left the company in 2020 as part of a layoff.<ref name="WSJ2020" /> In 2021, Stephenson and colleagues [[Sean Stewart]] and [[Austin Grossman]] released ''New Found Land: The Long Haul'', an [[Audible (service)|Audible]] audio drama based on the intellectual property they developed at Magic Leap.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-10|title=Neal Stephenson & Co. turn failed Magic Leap AR project into an Audible drama|url=https://venturebeat.com/2021/06/10/neal-stephenson-co-turn-failed-magic-leap-ar-project-into-an-audible-drama/|access-date=2021-11-23|website=VentureBeat|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2022, Stephenson launched [[Lamina1]] to build an [[open source]] [[metaverse]] that will use [[smart contract]]s<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/06/30/snow-crash-neal-stephenson-metaverse/|title=A novel predicted the metaverse (and hyperinflation) 30 years ago|author=Zenou, Theo|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2022-06-30|accessdate=2022-12-02}}</ref> on a [[blockchain]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-neal-stephenson-named-the-metaverse-now-hes-building-it/|title=Neal Stephenson Named the Metaverse. Now, He's Building It|date=2022-09-16|accessdate=2022-12-02|author=Levy, Stephen|publisher=Wired}}</ref>

==Influence==
Stephenson's writing is influential in technology circles. [[Bill Gates]], [[Sergey Brin]], [[John Carmack]], and [[Peter Thiel]] are all fans of his work.<ref name="Wired">{{cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/story/sci-fi-icon-neal-stephenson-global-warming/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029012331/https://www.wired.com/story/sci-fi-icon-neal-stephenson-global-warming/|archivedate=29 October 2021|accessdate=21 November 2021|date=26 October 2021|last=Rogers|first=Adam|newspaper=Wired|title=Sci-Fi Icon Neal Stephenson Finally Takes on Global Warming}}</ref> In ''Snow Crash'', Stephenson coined the term [[Metaverse]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Grimshaw|first=Mark|title=The Oxford Handbook of Virtuality|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|isbn=9780199826162|location=New York|page=702}}</ref> and popularized the term [[Avatar (computing)|avatar]] in a computing context.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Gerhard|first1=Michael|last2=Moore|first2=David|last3=Hobbs|first3=Dave|date=2004|title=Embodiment and copresence in collaborative interfaces|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071581904000126|journal=International Journal of Human-Computer Studies|language=en|volume=61|issue=4|pages=453–480|doi=10.1016/j.ijhcs.2003.12.014|issn=1071-5819|quote=It was first used in the context of virtual worlds in the pioneering Habitat system of the mid 1980s (Morningstar and Farmer, 1991) and popularized by Stephenson's (1992) science-fiction novel Snow Crash.}}</ref> The Metaverse inspired the inventors of [[Google Earth]],<ref name="Wired"/> and ''Snow Crash'' was required reading on the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] development team under Microsoft executive [[J Allard]].<ref name="BBC"/> According to academic Paul Youngquist, ''Snow Crash'' also dealt the [[cyberpunk]] genre a "killer blow".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Youngquist|first=Paul|date=2012|title=Cyberpunk, War, and Money: Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/483327|journal=Contemporary Literature|volume=53|issue=2|page=319|doi=10.1353/cli.2012.0011|s2cid=163021465 |issn=1548-9949}}</ref> According to ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'', ''Cryptonomicon'' is "often credited with sketching the basis for [[cryptocurrency]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/87390-neal-stephenson-s-shock-doctrine.html|title=Neal Stephenson's 'Shock' Doctrine
|newspaper=Publishers Weekly|last=Ages|first=Alyssa|date=17 September 2021|accessdate=20 November 2021}}</ref>

==Publications==
[[File:Neal Stephenson 2008 crop.jpg|thumb|Stephenson in 2008]]

===Novels===
* ''[[The Big U]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Zodiac (novel)|Zodiac]]'' (1988)
* ''[[Snow Crash]]'' (1992) – [[British Science Fiction Association Award]] nominee, 1993; [[Arthur C. Clarke Award|Clarke Award]] nominee, 1994<ref name=locusindex/>
* ''[[Interface (novel)|Interface]]'' (1994) with [[J. Frederick George]], as "Stephen Bury"
* ''[[The Diamond Age|The Diamond Age: or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer]]'' (1995) – [[Hugo Award|Hugo]] and [[Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel|Locus SF]] Awards winner, 1996; [[Nebula Award|Nebula]], Campbell and Clarke Awards nominee, 1996<ref name=locusindex/>
* ''[[The Cobweb (novel)|The Cobweb]]'' (1996) with J. Frederick George, as "Stephen Bury"
* ''[[Cryptonomicon]]'' (1999) – [[Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel|Locus SF Award]] winner, 2000;<ref name=locusindex/> Hugo and Clarke Awards nominee, 2000;<ref name=locusindex/> 2013 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award
* ''[[Quicksilver (novel)|Quicksilver]]'' (2003), volume I of ''[[The Baroque Cycle]]'' – [[Arthur C. Clarke Award|Clarke Award]] winner, 2004;<ref name=locusindex/> [[Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel|Locus SF Award]] nominee, 2004<ref name=locusindex/>
* ''[[The Confusion]]'' (2004), volume II of ''The Baroque Cycle'' – [[Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel|Locus SF Award]] winner, 2005
* ''[[The System of the World (novel)|The System of the World]]'' (2004), volume III of ''The Baroque Cycle'' – [[Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel|Locus SF Award]] winner, 2005; [[Prometheus Award]] winner, 2005; Clarke Award nominee, 2005<ref name=locusindex/>
* ''[[Anathem]]'' (2008) – [[Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel|Locus SF Award]] winner, 2009; [[BSFA Award|British Science Fiction Association Award]] nominee, 2008; Hugo and Clarke Awards nominee, 2009<ref name=locusindex/>
* ''[[The Mongoliad]]'' (2010–2012)
* ''[[Reamde]]'' (2011)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062191496/reamde/|title=Reamde|website=[[HarperCollins]]|access-date=2018-12-24}}</ref> 
* ''[[Seveneves]]'' (2015)<ref name=NS_Seveneves/> [[Hugo Award for Best Novel]] nominee
* ''[[The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.]]'' (2017) with [[Nicole Galland]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062409164/the-rise-and-fall-of-d-o-d-o|title=The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.|website=HarperCollins|access-date=2018-12-24}}</ref>
* ''[[Fall; or, Dodge in Hell]]'' (2019)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062458711/fall-or-dodge-in-hell/|title=Fall; or, Dodge in Hell|website=HarperCollins|access-date=2018-12-24}}</ref>
* ''New Found Land: The Long Haul'' (2021) with [[Austin Grossman]] and [[Sean Stewart]]. Audible Original audiobook.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.audible.com/pd/New-Found-Land-The-Long-Haul-Audiobook/B096BMCLT3|title=New Found Land: The Long Haul|via=Audible|access-date=2021-06-11}}</ref>
* ''[[Termination Shock (novel)|Termination Shock]]'' (2021)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.harpercollins.com/products/termination-shock-neal-stephenson?variant=33106518966306|title=Termination Shock|website=HarperCollins|access-date=2021-03-31}}</ref>
* ''[[Polostan]]'' (2024), volume one of the planned ''[[Bomb Light]]'' series<ref name="NYT-review">{{Cite news |last=Fesperman |first=Dan |date=October 15, 2024 |title=Neal Stephenson's New Novel Traces the Making of a Spy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/15/books/review/neal-stephenson-polostan.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241015134001/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/15/books/review/neal-stephenson-polostan.html#selection-4664.0-4664.1 |archive-date=October 15, 2024 |access-date=October 20, 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref name="WAPO-review">{{Cite news |last=Di Filippo |first=Paul |date=October 15, 2024 |title=With ''Polostan'', Neal Stephenson Tries Something New |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/10/15/polostan-neal-stephenson-review/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241015221742/https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/10/15/polostan-neal-stephenson-review/#selection-518.0-518.1 |archive-date=October 15, 2024 |access-date=October 20, 2024 |work=[[Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref name="Kirkus-review">{{Cite magazine |date=September 15, 2024 |orig-date=published online August 17, 2024 |title=''Polostan'' |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/neal-stephenson/polostan/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241020211446/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/neal-stephenson/polostan/ |archive-date=October 20, 2024 |access-date=October 20, 2024 |department=Fiction |magazine=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |page=24 |volume=92 |issue=18}}</ref>

===Short fiction===
* "[[Hackers (short stories)#"Spew"|Spew]]" (1994), in [[Hackers (anthology)|Hackers]] (1996)
* "[[The Great Simoleon Caper]]" (1995), ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''
* "Excerpt from the Third and Last Volume of ''Tribes of the Pacific Coast''" in ''Full Spectrum 5'' (1995)
* "[[Jipi and the Paranoid Chip]]" (1997), ''[[Forbes]]''
* "Crunch" (1997), in ''[[Disco 2000 (anthology)|Disco 2000]]'' (edited by [[Sarah Champion (journalist)|Sarah Champion]], 1998) ("Crunch" is a chapter from ''Cryptonomicon'')
* "Atmosphæra Incognita" (2013), in ''Starship Century: Toward the Grandest Horizon'' (edited by [[Gregory Benford]] and [[James Benford]])

===Other fiction projects===
* [[Project Hieroglyph]], founded in 2011, administered by Arizona State University's Center for Science and the Imagination since 2012. ''Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future'', ed. Ed Finn and [[Kathryn Cramer]], which includes contributions by Stephenson (preface and chapter "Atmosphæra Incognita"), was published by William Morrow in September, 2014.

===Non-fiction===
* "[https://newrepublic.com/article/122787/smileys-people/ Smiley's People]". 1993.
* "[https://www.wired.com/1994/02/mao-bell/ In the Kingdom of Mao Bell]". ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]''. 1994. "A billion Chinese are using new technology to create the fastest growing economy on the planet. But while the information wants to be free, do they?"
* "[https://www.wired.com/1996/12/ffglass/ Mother Earth Mother Board]". ''Wired''. 1996. "In which the Hacker Tourist ventures forth across three continents, telling the story of the business and technology of undersea fiber-optic cables, as well as an account of the laying of the [[Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe|longest wire on Earth]]."
* "[[Global Neighborhood Watch]]". ''Wired''. 1998. Stopping street crime in the global village.
* ''[[In the Beginning... Was the Command Line]]''. [[Harper Perennial]]. 1999. {{ISBN|0-380-81593-1}}.
* "[http://www.wholeearth.com/issue/2105/article/108/communication.prosthetics.threat.or.menace Communication Prosthetics: Threat, or Menace?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821020012/http://www.wholeearth.com/issue/2105/article/108/communication.prosthetics.threat.or.menace |date=August 21, 2011 }}" ''[[Whole Earth Review]]'', Summer 2001.
* "[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/17/opinion/17stephenson.html Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out]". Op-ed piece on ''[[Star Wars]]'', in ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 17, 2005.
* "[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/opinion/18stephenson.html It's All Geek To Me]". Op-ed piece on the film ''[[300 (film)|300]]'' and geek culture, ''The New York Times'', March 18, 2007.
* "Atoms of Cognition: [[Metaphysics]] in the Royal Society 1715–2010", chapter in ''Seeing Further: The Story of Science and the [[Royal Society]]'', edited by [[Bill Bryson]]. Stephenson discusses the legacy of the rivalry between [[Sir Isaac Newton]] and [[Gottfried Leibniz]], November 2, 2010.
* "[https://slate.com/technology/2011/02/space-stasis-what-the-strange-persistence-of-rockets-can-teach-us-about-innovation.html Space Stasis]". ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]''. February 2, 2011.  "What the strange persistence of rockets can teach us about innovation."
* "[http://www.worldpolicy.org/journal/fall2011/innovation-starvation Innovation Starvation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120410060017/http://www.worldpolicy.org/journal/fall2011/innovation-starvation |date=April 10, 2012 }}". ''[[World Policy Journal]]'', 2011.
* ''[[Some Remarks: Essays and Other Writing]]''. William Morrow. 2012. {{ISBN|0062024434}}.

===Critical studies, reviews and biography===
*{{Cite book|editor-last=Lewis|editor-first=Jon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fqwLBwAAQBAJ|title=Tomorrow through the Past: Neal Stephenson and the Project of Global Modernization|date=2008|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=978-1-4438-0270-3|language=en}}
;''In the beginning''
* {{cite magazine |author=De Lint, Charles |date=June 2000 |title=Review of ''In the Beginning ... Was the Command Line'' |url=https://www.sfsite.com/fsf/2000/cdl0006.htm |department=Books to Look For (column) |magazine=[[The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction|F&SF]] |volume=98 |issue=6 |pages=39–40 |access-date=2016-02-17}}
;''Snow crash''
* {{cite magazine |author=Handrahan, Matthew |date=2015 |title=Essential Read: ''Snow Crash'' |url=https://archive.org/details/SciFi_Now_Issue_No._104/page/n83/mode/2up |department=Book Club (column) |magazine=[[SciFiNow]] |volume=104 |pages=84–87 |access-date=27 October 2020}}
;''Termination shock''
* {{cite magazine |author=Rogers, Adam |date=November 2021 |title=Apocalypses now |magazine=Wired |volume=29 |issue=11 |pages=78–87}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|refs=
<ref name=orwellclass>
{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/17/business/sound-bytes-orwell-class-of-1994.html |title=SOUND BYTES; Orwell – Class of 1994 |date=April 17, 1994 |first=Lawrence M. |last=Fisher |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 13, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206202414/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/17/business/sound-bytes-orwell-class-of-1994.html |archive-date=December 6, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
<ref name=cryptomancer>
{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.locusmag.com/1999/Issues/08/Stephenson.html
 |title       = Neal Stephenson: Cryptomancer
 |work        = [[Locus Online]]
 |date        = August 1, 1999
 |access-date  = August 7, 2010
 |quote       = ...a thriller written in collaboration with his uncle, George Jewsbury, under pseudonym ''Stephen Bury''...
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110816141652/http://www.locusmag.com/1999/Issues/08/Stephenson.html
 |archive-date = August 16, 2011
 |df          = mdy-all
}}</ref>
<ref name=subutaicorp>
{{cite web
 |url         = http://subutai.mn/team.html
 |title       = Subutai Corporation – Team
 |publisher   = subutai.mn (Subutai Corporation)
 |quote       = Neal Stephenson, Chairman
 |access-date  = August 7, 2010
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20101007153236/http://subutai.mn/team.html
 |archive-date = October 7, 2010
 |df          = mdy-all
}}</ref>
<ref name=mac>
{{cite web
  | url = http://web.mac.com/nealstephenson/Neal_Stephensons_Site/Biography.html
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120628084540/http://web.mac.com/nealstephenson/Neal_Stephensons_Site/Biography.html
  | archive-date = June 28, 2012
  | title = Biography
  | publisher = Neal Stephenson's Site ([[MobileMe]])
  | first = Neal
  | last = Stephenson
  | access-date = August 7, 2010
}}</ref>
<ref name=yamamato>
{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.electricinca.com/56/stephenson/bio.htm
 |title       = Neal Stephenson – Biography
 |work        = ElectricInca.com
 |access-date  = August 7, 2010
 |quote       = He began his higher education as a physics major, then switched to geography when it appeared that this would enable him to scam more free time on his university's mainframe computer.
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100220182322/http://www.electricinca.com/56/stephenson/bio.htm
 |archive-date = February 20, 2010
 |df          = mdy-all
}}</ref>
<ref name=reamde>
{{cite web
 |url         = http://io9.com/5314665/neal-stephenson-gets-half-a-million-dollars-but-did-he-have-to-switch-genres-to-get-it
 |title       = Neal Stephenson Gets Half A Million Dollars, But Did He Have To Switch Genres To Get It?
 |work        = [[io9]]
 |publisher   = Gawker Media
 |first       = Charlie Jane
 |last        = Anders
 |date        = July 14, 2009
 |access-date  = August 7, 2010
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100329151603/http://io9.com/5314665/neal-stephenson-gets-half-a-million-dollars-but-did-he-have-to-switch-genres-to-get-it
 |archive-date = March 29, 2010
 |df          = mdy-all
}}</ref>

<ref name=systemcapsule>
{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2004/10/01/system-world/|title=Book Capsule Review: The System of the World|last=Giuffo|first=John|date=October 1, 2004|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=Time Warner|access-date=September 22, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010154358/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,701408,00.html|archive-date=October 10, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
<ref name=locusindex>
{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit129.html#4972|title=The ''Locus'' Index to SF Awards: Index of Literary Nominees|access-date=January 18, 2011|last=Kelly|first=Mark R.|publisher=[[Locusmag.com]] (Locus Publications)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220141826/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit129.html#4972|archive-date=December 20, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
<ref name=pastpresentfuture>
{{cite journal |url=http://reason.com/archives/2005/02/01/neal-stephensons-pastpresent-a/singlepage |title=Neal Stephenson's Past, Present, and Future |first=Mike |last=Godwin |author-link=Mike Godwin |date=February 2005 |journal=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |publisher=Reason Foundation |access-date=December 13, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503031450/http://reason.com/archives/2005/02/01/neal-stephensons-pastpresent-a/singlepage |archive-date=May 3, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
<ref name=fastcompany>{{cite web |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/1652609/mongoliad-neal-stephenson-bear-galland-novel-app-social-media-writer-writing |title=The Mongoliad App: Neal Stephenson's Novel of the Future? |first=Kit |last=Eaton |date=May 26, 2010 |access-date=July 4, 2010 |work=[[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611223747/http://www.fastcompany.com/1652609/mongoliad-neal-stephenson-bear-galland-novel-app-social-media-writer-writing |archive-date=June 11, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
<ref name=sfhandbook>{{cite book | editor1-first=M Keith |editor1-last=Booker |editor2-last = Thomas | editor2-first = Anne-Marie | title = The Science Fiction Handbook | publisher = Wiley-Blackwell | location = Chichester, UK; Malden, MA | year = 2009 | isbn = 978-1-4051-6205-0
|oclc=263498124 |chapter=Neal Stephenson (1959–) |page=173}}</ref>
<ref name=hybridfictions>{{cite book | last = Grassian | first = Daniel | title = Hybrid fictions: American fiction and Generation X | publisher = McFarland & Co | location = Jefferson | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-0-7864-1632-5 | oclc = 52565833 | chapter = From modernists to Gen Xers | pages = [https://archive.org/details/hybridfictionsam00gras/page/29 29–30] | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/hybridfictionsam00gras | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/hybridfictionsam00gras/page/29 }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Neal Stephenson}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{ISFDB name|429}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190817192932/http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/stephenson_neal Neal Stephenson] at ''[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]]''
* {{OL author}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120802040413/http://fora.tv/2008/05/08/Neal_Stephenson_Science_Fiction_as_a_Literary_Genre "Science Fiction as a Literary Genre"]}} – lecture by Stephenson at [[Gresham College]], London in May 2008
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnq-2BJwatE Neal Stephenson] at authors@Google, September 12, 2008.
* {{LCAuth|name=Neal Stephenson|id=n96004067}}
* [http://lccn.loc.gov/n96004067 Stephen Bury] at LC Authorities, two records

{{NealStephensonBooks}}{{Locus Award Best SF Novel}}{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Neal}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
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