Neal Stephenson FAQ

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Table of Contents

Will The Big U ever be reprinted?
How can I contact Neal Stepenson or his agents?
Who is Stephen Bury?
Whatever happened to the Snow Crash game, and the Daymare CDROM?
Bibliography
     5.1  Published Novels
     5.2  Short Fiction
     5.3  Non-fiction


1   Q: Will The Big U ever be reprinted?
A: Although the author was reported as saying The Big U would be reprinted "over my dead body." [source], he appears to have relented, as the book was reprinted in 2001 and is now widely available.
by avere at 2004-10-05 12:48:46
2   Q: How can I contact Neal Stepenson or his agents?
A: His email address is neal@well.com - but please read "Why I am a Bad Correspondent" and think twice before contacting him.

His literary agency is:

Darhansoff, Verrill, Feldman Literary Agents
236 W. 26th St.
New York, NY 10001
phone: 917 305 1300
fax:917 305 1400
email: kristin@dvagency.com
by avere at 2004-10-05 12:51:05
3   Q: Who is Stephen Bury?
A: Stephen Bury is a pseudonym used for books co-written by Neal Stephenson with his uncle Dr George F. Jewsbury, a Professor of History at Oklahoma State University (some sources mistakenly give his name as J. Frederick George)
by gwire at 1999-07-11 16:51:46
4   Q: Whatever happened to the Snow Crash game, and the Daymare CDROM?
A: Unfortunately neither game was released.

Snow Crash was a 3D game developed by Viacom New Media for Virgin Interactive. The game gave you the option of attempting to stop the Snow Crash virus from infecting the Metaverse - or propagating it yourself. It was due for release in September 1996, but was later cancelled. There were some production screenshots on the Viacom site, but that's now been removed - the only screenshot I can find is at gamecenter.com.

Neal Stephenson and Tony Sheeder wrote the script for Daymare, an interactive psychological thriller set in Seattle. Produced by ShadowCatcher for AnyRiver Entertainment, it was due to be released in 1997. However in June 1997 AnyRiver ceased to exist (merged with TEN?) and the game is now "in turnaround". Some of the production artwork by Mark Wagner can be seen here and here.

(Note: this information was derived from web searches. If you have any more information please let me know.)

by gwire at 1999-06-19 07:14:14
5   Bibliography
5.1   Published Novels
The Big U [1984]
According to Stephenson: "The Big U is essentially sophomoric campus humour - it has a few worthy moments, a few bright spots, but it's probably not worth seeking out."

Zodiac: The Eco-Thriller [1988]
Eco-warrior Sangamon Taylor tries to avoid the FBI, the Mafia and being sacrificed by drug-crazed heavy metal satanists, while attempting to stop an unhinged genetic engineer capable of destroying all ocean life.

Snow Crash [1992]
The katana-wielding Hiro Protagonist flips between his mafia-pizza delivery dayjob and the virtual world of the Metaverse. He teams up with the hip, skateboard courier YT, to fight an ancient Sumerian virus that can infect the human mind.
FR: Le samouraï virtuel
NL: Het Babel virus

Interface [1994, co-written as Stephen Bury]
In the near-future, a shadowy conspiracy attempts to take control of a US presidential candidate by implanting a computer bio-chip in his brain.

The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer [1995]
In a Neo-Victorian future society, a nano-tech engineer steals an interactive primer designed to encourage girls to think for themselves - but the book ends up in the hands of the underprivileged Nell and changes her life forever.
FR: L'age de diamant
NL: De Alchemist

The Cobweb [1996, co-written as Stephen Bury]
When the corpse of a foreign exchange student is found floating around, small-town deputy sheriff Clyde Banks investigates. What he uncovers is a terrorist plot involving chemical warfare and an international web of deceit that leads all the way back to Washington.

Cryptonomicon [1999]
The tale of a World War II cryptoanalyst combines with his grandson's modern-day quest to establish an Asian data-haven.

Quicksilver [2003]
The story of Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and conflicted Puritan, pursuing knowledge in the company of the greatest minds of Baroque-era Europe, and Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent a contentious continent through the newborn power of finance.

The Confusion [2004]
Continues the story begun in Quicksilver.

The System of the World [2004]
The conclusion of the the story begun in Quicksilver and continued in The Confusion.
5.2   Short Fiction
Spew [Wired magazine 2.10, October 1994]
Are you on the trail of the next unexploited market niche - or just on a nookie hunt?

The Great Simoleon Caper [Time magazine special, Spring 1995]
When a recent graduate uses the Metaverse to calculate the answers to a electronic-cash promotional contest, he comes into contact with a group of crypto-anarchists who have other plans...

Excerpt from the Third and Last Volume of Tribes of the Pacific Coast [Full Spectrum 5, 1995]
In a future world, civilized societies who abide by a code to regulate technology must always guard against renegade tribes who use technology for their own selfish purposes.

Jipi's Day at the Office [Forbes magazine, 7 July 1997]
Jipi has an unusual knack for soothing the irritable, a quality she applies to making her employer's resort particularly pleasant. On this day, however, she must persuade a paranoid, artificially intelligent car bomb not to blow.

Crunch [Disco 2000, 1998]
The art of breakfast cereal consumption. (note: extract from Cryptonomicon)
5.3   Non-fiction
In the Beginning was the Command Line [1999]
Essay on operating systems.

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