Huh, I kind of think the opposite. I haven’t read everything he’s written, but it seems to me that he kinda sucks at endings.
I loved Anathem, and when you realize what’s going on it’s so cool, but then it doesn’t explore that idea as much as I want, it just ends without looking around the next corner. Cryptonomicon is a fun, interesting read and gets you worked up about what a monumental shift is going to happen… And then ends right as it’s coming to fruition. Even Seveneves had a 5000 year jump and spends hundreds of pages on the consequences of humanity’s brush with death… And then tosses in another population with five pages left. I want to keep going!
Maybe I just don’t like being tantalized in the last few pages of a book, but I feel like I’m left hanging and unsatisfied, like there’s a missing sequel. His pulpier, early novels were much better in terms of wrapping up the story.
Agreed. It’s one thing if it’s climate change or something where we at least need to put a plan out there even if there’s zero chance of it happening, but for basic common sense stuff like this don’t bother. If we ever get back to trying to make average American lives better with the government, this is low hanging fruit.