Anathem

Was that a novel I read (listened to), or an essay?

This guy lives in a monastery dedicated to science. We learn a lot about the place, and about the sort of philosophy they learn about. Then he leaves the monastery, and we learn more about the world. Then after an event, we learn even more about philosophy.

Really, we learn a lot about philosophy. For a while, I thought this book was a travelogue, but if it is, it's a travel through philosophy and scientific ideas. With HUGE slabs of exposition. Seriously, there is far too much exposition. Oh, and there might be a plot, but I wouldn't count on it taking up page count.

Still, some spoilers about something that annoyed me: The aliens couldn't eat the local food, because their bodies didn't react to it... but they were capable of processing the air. And no mention is made of water, but that's just air in another form. So why would food be that hard to eventually process? Does that mean the dead bodies were inviolate and didn't succumb to decay? (At least, no more than their own inherent bacteria?) It's an interesting idea, but I feel it doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

Overall... just too damn long.

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