The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer is a science fiction novel by Neal Stephenson. It was first published in 1995 and, in 1996, won both the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and the Hugo Award for Best Novel.
According to Stephenson's website, "the idea came to [him] when [he] saw a mobile designed to hang above a crib, with cards that could be swapped out for more complex designs as the baby's visual system developed. [He] thought, why not create an educational book that would tell the same stories with increasing complexity as the child grew up? The genesis of this book was as simple as that. A little girl finds a magic book that changes her life."
The Diamond Age is hailed as both a science fiction classic and as a prime example of the Nanopunk and Postcyberpunk subgenres. Nanopunk is a subgenre which features nanorobots and other nanotechnologies as widespread and majorly influential in society. It explores the social and other societal implications of the integration of such technologies. Postcyberpunk, a derivative of the cyberpunk subgenre, keeps many key elements of cyberpunk--specifically the juxtaposition of futuristic technological advancements with everyday life--but offers a more realistic, less pessimistic vision of technology and of post-industrial society in general.
This volume also contains much of Stephenson's signature "baroque" writing style, as evidenced in the complexity of his characters and plots as well as what critic John Giuffo refers to as "impossibly long passages filled with baroque . . . descriptions of manners, fashion, and architecture." In addition, the novel features many "Neo-Victorian" characters, whose social position, lifestyle, and values are intended to mimic those of the actual Victorians, what with their concern for etiquette and propriety.
