Best of the 00s: Best Science Fiction Novel

Anathem is a history of Western thought in the guise of a science-fiction novel. It features an alien world in which scientists live like cloistered monks, laughing behind their hands at the ephemeral worries that occupy the ignorant masses on the outside as they go about their glacially slow research projects and dorm-room philosophical arguments. Eventually, outside events disturb this stable equilibrium, forcing scientists to rethink their relation to the rest of society.

At a time when Western civilization seems to be on the wane, and in which respect for science seems to be hitting a nadir in the West, a book like Anathem is especially relevant. We need to remember what made us great. What gave Western countries leadership of the world for 500 years was not the bravery of our warriors, nor the depth of our religious convictions, nor our "Protestant work ethic." It was science; the unprecedented idea and the method of systematically observing, testing, and explaining the natural world. This is a fact many of us have forgotten.

But Anathem is more than a metaphor, it's a brilliant, intricate, absorbing sci-fi epic. The characters (a bunch of awkward physics grad students) are standard Stephenson - i.e. funny, original, people we don't quite love but would love to have a beer with. On the sci-fi side we get the best handling of many-worlds quantum ontology in any novel to date, plus some ultra-realistic space travel. And yes, Stephenson finally nails the ending of a novel. Gearheads, history buffs, and people looking for an absorbing good read will all be pleased.