When material scarcity vanishes, new economic and cultural factors emerge to create other types of scarcity. ‘The Diamond Age’ expertly reveals the consequences of future technologies. Therefore, the novel can also be described as containing nanopunk elements. Cities also employ tiny nanotech machines for defensive purposes. Nanotechnology is prominently featured in the novel, and nearly any material can be manufactured cheaply in large quantities using a matter compiler, including diamond, which allows for groundbreaking architectural designs and construction results. A biopunk element exists with the “Drummers,” a colony of people who use distributed intelligence.

There is a cyberpunk element, with the Primer acting like one of Case’s “matrix” decks in ‘Neuromancer,’ showing a virtual reality populated by intense characters and backgrounds. It is part steampunk, containing a phyle called Neo-Victorian that shares some behaviors and fashions with classic Victorians. This novel could be the best “multi-punk” science fiction novel of all time. When his illegal behavior is noticed by the authorities, he is forced to act as a spy for the Neo-Victorians against the Asian territory known as the Celestial Kingdom. He makes an illegal copy of the Primer for his daughter Fiona, who is the same age as Nell. He is a Neo-Victorian high-level engineer. John Percival Hackworth is the second major character. At the age of four, Nell obtains a stolen copy of the ‘Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer.’ This is a technically advanced interactive book that is meant for the upper classes, and it has the capability to teach her valuable knowledge even though she is quite young when she begins to use the Primer. It is a coming-of-age novel that focuses on a girl named Nell who is born without a phyle (cultural group), which makes her a member of the lowest class. ‘The Diamond Age’ was written by Neal Stephenson and first published in 1995.

The diamond age by neal stephenson