Gladwell is one of my favorite authors and I enjoy reading everything he writes. Having that said, I fell this is his weakest book to date. Usually when I'm done with a Gladwell book I feel like I learned something new or gained some new insight. That isn't the case with David and Goliath. It feels a bit too formulaic and the conclusions are pretty obvious.
Neal Stephenson is one of my favorite authors. This is far from his best work. This book was so boring and haphazard it was hard to finish. If you like character driven stories this is not for you because it changes characters too often. If you like plot this is not for you because the plot meanders, jumps, and is ultimately inconsequential. If you like setting the first 1/3 is good; you may even like the latter 2/3 if you care about the obtuse and vague “good” versus “evil” story. As for theme, I am sure there is something there but the main theme I got from it was boring.
This is the most negative review I've ever written. That is not to say this is the worse book I've ever read but considering how much I love books like Snow Crash, Diamond Age, and Anthem, this book was a massive disappointment.
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