Fall: or, Dodge in Hell
Neal Stephenson's Fall; or, Dodge in Hell is a dystopian exploration of digital consciousness. After billionaire Richard "Dodge" Forthrast is cryonically preserved and later digitized, a power struggle ensues in a medieval-like virtual realm. Meanwhile, the real world grapples with groundbreaking technologies. Stephenson, in his signature style, blends technology, philosophy, and religion, challenging perceptions of reality and the afterlife.
This copy is signed by Stephenson's on a specially bound-in page by the publisher.
Hardcover. First Edition, First Printing. Octavo, black cloth boards with gilt-stamped spine. New York: William Morrow, 2019. ISBN: 9780062964526. #11113.
Fine in fine dust jacket.
Neal Stephenson's Fall; or, Dodge in Hell is a thought-provoking dive into the fusion of the digital realm with human consciousness, presenting a dystopian vision of the implications of this melding. The narrative follows the billionaire Richard "Dodge" Forthrast who, after a medical tragedy, is preserved cryonically. Years later, his brain is scanned, producing a digital version of his consciousness, which subsequently becomes the foundation for a virtual world. As more minds are uploaded, this realm morphs into a medieval-like setting dominated by a power struggle between Egdod (a version of Dodge) and El, a manipulative billionaire. This digital space, heavily influenced by El, takes on religious undertones as its inhabitants are coerced into worshipping him. Parallelly, the real world wrestles with breakthrough technologies, such as augmented reality and quantum computing.
Amidst this backdrop, Stephenson delves deep into philosophy, drawing from thinkers like Immanuel Kant and classic works like John Milton's Paradise Lost. The resemblances between the digital and physical worlds spark debates about human perception and cognition's inherent nature. In Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, Stephenson presents a grandiose vision of the future, interweaving technology, philosophy, and religion into a narrative that challenges our perceptions of reality and what lies beyond, bound to resonate with fans of Stephenson's other works.