The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson, Nicole Galland

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. (The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O., #1)

by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland

You think you know how the world works? Think again.

21st Century America

Magic has faded from the minds of mankind, until an encounter between Melisande Stokes, linguistics expert at Harvard, and Tristan Lyons, shadowy agent of government, leads to the uncovering of a distant past.

After translating a series of ancient texts, Melisande and Tristan discover the connection between science, magic and time travel and so the Department of Diachronic Operations – D.O.D.O. – is hastily brought into existence. Its mission: to develop a device that will send their agents back to the past, where they can stop magic from disappearing and alter the course of history.

But when you interfere with the past, there’s no telling what you might find in your future…

Written with genius and complexity, this vividly realised novel will make you believe the impossible, and question the very foundations of the modern world.

Reviewed by Beth C. on

2 of 5 stars

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It pains me to give a 700-page novel that I finished and gave me carpal tunnel in thumb a 2-star rating. And when I say "pains", I mean it in the literal (the thumb) and the figurative (700 PAGES) senses. I wanted to love this book. I walked by it in the bookstore over the period of a few days, glancing at it, reading the page jacket, looking over my shoulder at it as I left the store wondering if I should have purchased it. Finally, I did. And I feel like I have been reading it for months.

The characters fell flat for me - there didn't really seem to be a whole lot of connection. And that goes for the connection between them in the book, and the connection to the reader. The story had an interesting premise, but it got bogged down in places where there was just *too much*. Of everything. Storylines, characters, places, acronyms...you name it, it was probably too much.

I got the impression at the end that this may not be the only DODO book to be created. I can say with some certainty that I will not be reading any follow-ups. My thumb and I deserve better.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 3 August, 2017: Finished reading
  • 3 August, 2017: Reviewed