The Big U
by Neal Stephenson · first published 1984
48% recommend48% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Stephenson's first novel, a satire of university bureaucracy at a fictional college near Boston; fans call it entertaining, cheesy sci-fi full of interesting concepts that he later developed.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The New York Times Book Review called Neal Stephenson's most recent novel "electrifying" and "hilarious"...but if you want to know Stephenson was doing twenty years before he wrote the epic Cryptonomicon, it's back-to-school time. Back to The Big U, that is, a hilarious send-up of American college life starring after years our of print, The Big U is required reading for anyone interested in the early work of this singular writer.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2011–2024Interface
Bury, Stephen
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 76 recommend · 7 mention6 recommend · 76 recommend
2009–2026Zodiac
Neal Stephenson
Recommended by 17 · mentioned by 4417 recommend · 44 mention17 recommend · 4417 recommend
2012–2025Against the Day
Thomas Pynchon
Recommended by 14 · mentioned by 1714 recommend · 17 mention14 recommend · 1714 recommend
2010–2022Distraction
Bruce Sterling
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 136 recommend · 13 mention6 recommend · 136 recommend
2008–2025Heavy weather
Bruce Sterling, Gary Tiedemann
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 168 recommend · 16 mention8 recommend · 168 recommend
Baroque Cycle
Neal Stephenson
Recommended by 115 · mentioned by 226115 recommend · 226 mention115 recommend · 226115 recommend
2011–2026Reamde
Neal Stephenson
Recommended by 56 · mentioned by 14656 recommend · 146 mention56 recommend · 14656 recommend
2016–2026The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.
Neal Stephenson, Nicole Galland
Recommended by 13 · mentioned by 3113 recommend · 31 mention13 recommend · 3113 recommend
tl;dr. Ok ok, sorry. I love Neal Stephenson (I believe I've read everything he's written, including Zodiac, Big U, etc, except for his newest one), but he is one verbose guy and seems to be getting worse with age. I hope to read this sometime in the future though.
on “Mother Earth Mother Board - Neal Stephenson” ↗Stephenson's first novel (<i>The Big U</i>) also makes use of the "Bicameral Mind" theory. It was out of print for a long time, but I thought it was a good read.
on “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind” ↗Don't forget to tell Neal how much you love "The Big U" http://www.amazon.com/Big-U-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0380816032
on “Neal Stephenson Joins Magic Leap” ↗I even liked _The Big U_. Pre Cryptonomicon Stephenson was weird and full of wacky ideas barely held together with a thin veneer of a story. I think he's a much better storyteller now, but the books aren't quite as dense with…
on “Domino's Pizza unveils U.S. infrastructure project filling potholes” ↗If you enjoy Stephenson (specifically Snowcrash or The Big U) you should read this book. It is formative of many of the ideas in both books.
on “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (1976)” ↗Most Stephenson fans think I'm nuts when I say The Big U is my favorite. What can I say? I like my sci-fi cheesy with lots of interesting concepts.
on “We are all nerds: The literary works of Neal Stephenson” ↗People complaining about university bureaucracies is as old as the whole notion of universities. Neal Stephenson's first novel, the Big-U, is essentially about that. Not his finest work but entertaining. It's set at a fictional college near Boston. But it seems interchangeable with just about any university. Money, power, corruption, bureaucracy,…
on “Who Is Running Stanford?” ↗…transitional. I read Cryptonomicon once with no plans to complete it. I didn't finish Anathem nor Quicksilver. Diamond Age was peak Stephenson for me, and I enjoyed all of his previous books (including The Big U). [edit] I didn't read anything Stephenson wrote post Quicksilver since everybody assured me that they were more of the "new" Stephenson than old. However, I see enough people in the comment threads…
on “Neal Stephenson was prescient about our AI age” ↗…about Pebble in the Sky? > Boucher and McComas were disappointed by the novel, saying that despite Asimov's good ideas, "his heavy treatment and routine plot are disappointing. Try to find a copy of The Big U by Neal Stephenson. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_U ("When Stephenson's Snow Crash was published in 1992, the book that became a best-seller and vaulted him to fame, The Big U was out of print…
on “2026 Hugo Awards” ↗And an even bigger influence in Stephenson's first book, The Big U.
on “Notes from Tired Egyptian Whose Job Is Explaining That Humans Built the Pyramids” ↗…Seveneves (I love the science and hate the pacing and all of the third act) Rise and Fall of DODO (this felt like a slog to me and by the end I was forcing myself to read just to get through it). The Big U (I don't think this is as bad as Stephenson himself does but it's nothing amazing) Mongoliad (not my thing) I pre-ordered a signed copy of Termination Shock, read the first few chapters, got distracted,…
on “We are all nerds: The literary works of Neal Stephenson” ↗I believe I've read all of Stephenson's books (yes, even The Big U) Seveneves is in the top 5, but only just -- the Baroque Cycle (though not sci-fi) takes up three of the first five spots. In terms of can't-put-down-once-started, Reamde tops the list, but, again,…
on “The Day the Moon Blew Up” ↗…other libraries in-state, occasionally we would get books coming from half-way across the country, and I think once from Puerto Rico. Now, an anecdote: I used it to get a copy of Neal Stephenson 'The Big U'. He had refused to reprint it and copies were on ebay for over $100. But raggedy copies through ILL were free.
on “How Copyright Made Mid-Century Books Vanish” ↗Also, used as the premise to Neal Stephenson's early novel "The Big U" and part of the plot for "Snow Crash."
on “Consciousness Began When the Gods Stopped Speaking” ↗When I read Neil Stephenson, I decided to go chronologically. The Big U is quite a bad book, but I enjoyed reading it, and appreciate the perspective I gained by seeing Stephenson grow as an author. Steinbeck fans will probably eat it up, even if it's objectively awful
on “John Steinbeck’s estate urged to let the world read his shunned werewolf novel” ↗