Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Short Summary
Neal Stephenson looks like he’ll never tire from painting portraits of the future, something he’s being doing quite successfully for a while, though I think some would argue one of his best efforts in that regard was all the way back in 1995 when he wrote The Diamond Age. Taking us decades into the future, it tells the story of a young girl whose life was nothing but hopeless ruin, until she finds “The Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer” perhaps the most consequential and advanced piece of nanotechnology in her time. In one fell swoop, the little girl’s fate changed forever.
Table of contents
Neal Stephenson Creates a Nanotechnology-Driven World
In a certain sense, we are living in the most interesting time in human history, and I’m trying to stay objective as possible on this one. The amount of new scientific discoveries, technological innovations and mind-blowing creations is simply off-the-charts, and the rate at which we’re developing has never been so rapid. As we’ve come to learn in the past decades though, not all innovations lead to a better tomorrow, and the light of progress can easily give rise to the flame of oblivion. Nanotechnology is one such innovation, with the potential of being pushed boundlessly in either direction; with this in mind, in his 1995 novel The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson imagines a future, our future, as it might one day be, with the gap between man and machine becoming less and less noticeable.
The novel takes place several decades in the future, a future which is becoming dominated by nanotechnology and all of its marvellous powers. There are seemingly no limits to what can be achieved with it, and consequently, no limits to how far some people will go to get what they want, or the measures they’ll take to keep their secrets.
Enter John Percival Hackworth, a nanotechnologist who has committed one of the greatest moral code violations possible, at least in his world, located right near the city of Shanghai. His tribe, the neo-Victorians, are just about ready to cast him out for it: he made an illegal copy of an interactive device known as “A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer”.
Though its name is innocent enough, it is the latest innovation in nanotechnology, being a sort of interactive book designed to provide little girls with the best education they could possibly receive. Banished and exiled from the neo-Victorians, John gets waylaid by a street gang, among whose members is young Nell, a little girl who manages to get her hands on the coveted primer.
While Nell sees her life changed for the best with endless possibilities opening up in front of her, John gets up from the ashes of his own wreck and embarks on an underworld odyssey in search of a mysterious figure known only as the Alchemist. Hunted by both the government and a Mandarin crime lord, John has no choice but to dive deeper and deeper, until he makes the acquaintance of a woman who may just hold the power to re-program not just a person, but the entire human species.
A Child’s Fate in The Diamond Age
As is generally the case with Neal Stephenson‘s books, this one covers quite a few themes and topics from start to finish, all while offering one of many possible visions of what our collective future might one day be like. Needless to say, the scenario he offers us in The Diamond Age is a little on the grim side, but it does have some rays of shining light… namely, young Nell.
Although John Percival’s search for the Alchemist and his evasive maneuvers from all those trying to kill him do take up a lot of our time (more on that aspect of the story later), I found that Nell was always at the forefront of the story, serving to explore a theme. Perhaps the exact nature of this theme might change from one person to the next, but to me it seemed like it was all about how a little bit of chance can irrevocably improve a person’s life.
Stephenson doesn’t pull any punches when describing Nell’s existence, or perhaps more accurately, her nonexistence in this world, destined to being forgotten until, very likely, meeting a premature end like so many of those around her. As such, when this street urchin comes across a device which can grant her the best education and a shot at life, the impact of the moment certainly isn’t lost on us.
Through her, we get to see the good side of technological progress, the aspect of it which can and truly does improve our lives, how it can be used for the betterment of mankind, with the primer granting Nell enlightenment. Though science-fiction authors generally tend to pull towards grim and cautionary depictions of what our future technological advancements might hold, I am glad that Stephenson explores both sides of the coin.
Additionally, the artifact in question, the primer, is a rather interesting invention in and of itself, making use of nanotechnology to educate a person. Naturally, the existence of such a device brings about many questions which need to be answered, some of a philosophical nature. Namely, how human can we really stay if we begin to fuse with metal and electronics? Can humanity be trusted to conduct such a transition sensibly, should the time come? There’s definitely some food for thought to be found in here.
Re-programming Mankind
As interesting as Nell might be, she isn’t the only character populating the novel, with John Percival being right there with his own massive adventure to talk about. When we’re following him, it feels as if we’re reading something a little more classic in its tone and structure, something a little more akin to a science-fiction thriller rather than a profound work with insightful meditations.
While there are some people who might be a little less enthusiastic about this approach to writing, I thought it wasn’t only welcome, but also necessary to prevent this novel from devolving into stretched-out sentimentalism and philosophical overload. All is good within reasonable limits, and that also holds true for meditations on the future of mankind.
As a matter of fact, I’d say John’s portion of the story is quite exciting in its own right, plunging him into an underworld which is just as foreign to him as it is to the reader, allowing us to experience the perilous descent right alongside him. Though Stephenson does go a little heavy when it comes to describing some of the darker aspects in this world, overall it feels like most of it has its place in the story, or at least serves some sort of purpose.
Speaking of the world and Neal Stephenson‘s depiction of the future in The Diamond Age, there is something very particular about this novel which makes it stand out against many of the other cyberpunk books of its time: the depiction of the future in it actually still stands the test of time. Unfortunately, it’s more than can be said for many other cyberpunk novels, especially those written decades ago.
This is due to a simple fact: stories in this genre take place in a near future, and the ones written decades ago dream of technological advancements which might have already been reached or even improved upon today. However, The Diamond Age is set far enough into the future to be dreaming of technologies we’ve not yet achieved, sparing it from the atmosphere of naivety plaguing many science-fiction stories from older times.
| PAGES | PUBLISHER | PUB. DATE | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 499 | Spectra | May 2 2000 | 978-0553380965 |
The Final Verdict
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson is a quality cyberpunk science-fiction novel which stands the test of time, offering an exciting and thrilling story coupled with some rather thought-provoking glimpses of mankind’s future and the heights nanotechnology could potentially achieve, without losing sight of the human element at the centre of it all.
If you’re a fan of Neal Stephenson‘s works and are looking for his best stuff, or simply in search of a slightly older cyberpunk story with a lot of depth and character to it, I believe you’ll love everything this novel has to offer.
