The Big U

By: Neal Stephenson

Narrated by: Fred Berman

The New York Times Book Review called Neal Stephenson's most recent novel "electrifying" and "hilarious". But if you want to know what Stephenson was doing 20 years before he wrote the epic Cryptonomicon, it's back-to-school time. Back to The Big U, that is, an hilarious send-up of American college life, starring 30-year-old junior Casimir Radon. Now reissued after years out of print, The Big U is required listening for anyone interested in the early work of this singular writer.

©2001 Neal Stephenson (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"An entertaining and sometimes murderous satire on campus life." (New York Times Book Review)

"Satire is Stephenson's major." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

Madness.Delusion.Brilliance.Weirdness. Confusion.

A strange road down the rabbit hole. It begins as an easy to follow college story and ends in a confusing, yet entertaining clash of pure insanity.

one of Stephenson earliest books and his style was not as well developed. Uses a somewhat contrived situation near the end to draw in many of the plot points.

Not your usual Stephenson's epic

This got more fantastical and darker than many of his previous stories. I contemplated aborting and returning several times.

Interesting, very strange

I think I am going to have to read it again. The story is one of escalating insanity and fantasy. I love his other books but I am not sure about this book.
he sets up the world to be a place of vivid reallity,that exaggerated uni life. Well written and well preformed, but I'm not sure
It may resonate better with people that went to Uni in the states.

Fred Berman Deserves Death

What made the experience of listening to The Big U the most enjoyable?

The story I guess; the performance is horrible and aggravating.

What did you like best about this story?

There's too much to list; like all Stephenson's work, the writing ranges from the silly to the sublime. Many people think this is a very 'juvenile' work, and certainly I can appreciate that Stephenson's style has matured, but it's also just fun-as-hell to read, which I can't say for some of his other work (system of the world).

What didn’t you like about Fred Berman’s performance?

I love this book. I've loved it since it came out, and I've looked for an audiobook at least every year since then. Imagine my delight then, when I learned it was available.

And imagine my frustration when one of the main characters, Ephraim, has his (biblical) name slaughtered by the reader every time (he pronounces it e-FRY-eem). Fred Berman also says "flat lux" when faced with "fiat lux" - a reasonable mistake, you might say, but it's shockingly unprofessional to my ears. You're being _paid_ to read aloud; you might want to pay a little attention to context, and ask someone when you're not sure know how to pronounce something.

Who was the most memorable character of The Big U and why?

One of the joys of this book is that it's full of memorable and fun-to-read characters. I guess I'd pick Fred Fine.

Precient of today yet written a while ago.

if you attended a larger university, it's a what you imagined might be happening when sitting with your friends, drinking beer, and wondering how anything ever got done.

So many mistakes

Many university details were messed up. Associate professor title cannot be given to a fresh PHD. Emeritus professor is the retired professor, not the active one. Did not expect such sloppiness

It’s the bones of what Stephenson would become.

He’s my favorite author and it’s all here. There are themes he’ll revisit many times in future books. But it’s not quite up to that standard yet. Lots of characters who I never quite fell for, and maybe a bit too much of his florid descriptions. But enjoyable enough for a fan of Stephenson’s work.

Good for context, but not great in itself

The only reason I would recommend this book is because it serves as a map of the seed ideas Stephenson used for other, better books. There's very little plot, and he seems to proceed with the narrative in terms of what is the most shocking. I'm glad this isn't my first encounter with his work.

Bad first novel by great writer

Stephenson himself does not like this novel, and I wish I had known that before starting it (see the Wikipedia entry for The Big U.) it’s incredibly hard to follow. I’ve lived every Stephenson book I’ve read until now, but Eve if you love his work, I encourage you to skip this one.