Thanks. I'll put that one on my reading list. Haven't read but one of his before.

Anathem is, I think, Stephenson's best book. Definitely worth checking out.

'The Diamond Age' is my favorite, but perhaps because it's one of the rare Stephenson's that sticks the landing. Anathem is amazing, and worth reading just for the parable of the fly-worm-bat...

The Diamond Age is my next-favorite after Anathem. Both are excellent books.

read the two, had not connected the dots. Thanks!

I also recommend the non-fiction physics book “The End of Time” by Julian Barbour. It explains these ideas directly, and inspired Stephenson to write Anathem.

Weirdly, I happened to be reading all 3 of these around the same time, not initially realizing they were connected.