An absolutely fantastic book. Offers a politically incisive overview of the 84-85 miners strike with loads of personal anecdotes and recollections of the strike, alongside propaganda, artwork and poetry produced by miners and their supporters.

Good book, a nice ending to the series. Has some great, well-written passages.

What an absolutely amazing book. It examines the immiseration and degradation and alienation experienced by workers and the poor under capitalism. It exposes the bare greed and hatefulness of capitalists and pro-capitalist politicians. But something which I think a lot of people miss, it also exposes the subconscious elitism of the rich who hand out charity to the poor. Elliot Rosewater is not the hero of this story. It's no coincidence that the alternate title of this book is "pearls before swine", because that is how he views his efforts. While he may genuinely feel love and care for the poor, (far more genuine than many of the politicians who turn up to rural areas during elections to heap platitudes on these "real Americans"), he still sees them as grotesque, pitiful, worthless, useless freaks. And whilst his efforts may have made the lives of some of these townsfolk more bearable, I think the message of the story is clear: the problem isn't that there are some people who are mean like Senator Rosewater, and the solution isn't that we should be more caring and giving like Elliot; the problem is that we live in a system where there are some people who own all the saw factories and broom factories and other people who have to find work in those saw factories and broom factories, and the solution is to get rid of that system.

I’m glad I read it and the style is very interesting, but the musical is better. And why are male authors always so obsessed with breasts?

Just as important today as the day it was published.

Wow. Definitely up there with the best books I’ve read. And one of the best uses of non-chronological storytelling, where it really adds to the themes of the text rather than being used to cover up a weak plot. One passage in particular stood out to me: whereas most post-apocalyptic stories treat the sudden non-existence of electricity and fuel and clothes etc as something that simply happens, this book has a character think about all the workers who used to work alongside each other over the whole world to produce everything, and are now dead. It is a beautiful and haunting passage.

Best. Book. Ever.
Stephenson's masterful use of language and his breezy, conversational tone combine to make this a delightful read.
The way he has constructed this multi-generational epic, weaving clues between the plots in WWII and the present day keep the reader riveted and completely unable to put the book down.
It is staggering to think of the amount of research Stephenson must have had to conduct to produce this work, but it never feels like you are being bogged down in facts and figures, but more that you are enchanted that he has shared such beautiful gems of information with you.
The novel also deals with heavier topics, especially in the WWII sections, and through the horrific and harrowing tales it relates, Stephenson's anti war message is clear.
I would recommend this book to anyone.