That's not what made me roll my eyes, though. It's sort of like all his loose threads unspun whilst attempting to tie together, as did the writing.

It was problematic.

Btw, I'm sending you my Kubrick figure Robin..

Oooh, Synners. I need to reread that.

I'm afraid I just like Neal Stephenson, uncritically, although Quicksilver has been staring at me accusingly since Christmas. I'm afraid my wrists will give out before I finish reading it. I should probably reread Cryptomicon too, because I first read it when I had a fever and it's all jumbled with these long nightmares about having to solve codes.

For SF Spider Robinson is one of my faves, his Callahan series especially. Who doesn't love a good story about barflies who encounter time travellers, killer robots from outer space, aliens, talking dogs, vampires, the internet manifested as a sentient being... (I could go on), oh yeah, and end up saving the world every once in a while. The mixture of the sublime and the ridiculous is one reason why I always go back.

I'm afraid I just like Neal Stephenson, uncritically, although Quicksilver has been staring at me accusingly since Christmas.

Me too, except I haven't even bought Quicksilver yet. (My "hardback vs paperback" rule for authors is entirely dependent on which format I first bought them in, so that they fit nicely together on the bookshelf.* And unfortunately for Neal, I first read Snow Crash in mass market paperback, so QS's just gonna have to wait.)

*Yes, this rule does ignore the fact that I've been out of bookshelf space and stacking things on the floor for over a year now, unemployed and therefore unable to buy new shelves even as I continue to buy books. But at least the floor-stacks look nice.

I saw Steven Brust's latest in the bookstore the other day and was intrigued. From the back cover, it looked a bit like a cross between Firefly and Hitchhiker's Guide. I've never read any Brust, though, and am too poor to buy it at the moment anyway. A definite library request item.

Also, my father loaned me Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, which I'm really looking forward to. Didn't someone else here read it recently?

My problem with buying Quicksilver in paperback is the size of the thing. The paperback of Cryptonomicon was roughly the dimensions of a brick.

I loved Cryptonomicon, despite the fact that Stephenson couldn't write a solid ending if his life depended on it. It was just too much fun, and I'm so looking forward to Quicksilver. I found O Jerusalem to be the straw that broke my camel's back, and won't be reading Laurie King anymore.

Anyone else board read William Gibson's Pattern Recognition? Despite the technical inaccuracies (he seems to think you can easily email vid files!), I thought he really nailed the social dynamics of an international posting board full of obsessed focussed, occasionally anonymous, individuals. It ended badly, but I enjoyed a lot of it, and read it quickly.

Next up is probably a reread of Lirael, since I finally picked up Abhorsen in paperback.

Just out of curiosity, Consuela, why didn't you like O Jerusalem?

I read Pattern Recognition last year, but don't remember much. The only impression that remains is "Better than Idoru, but otherwise more of the same."

I think Gibson peaked with the Burning Chrome short stories and Mona Lisa Overdrive.

Virtual Light is my Gibson of choice. It is one of those books I have a real absolute love for. He created a world that I understood how it came to be. Might be time for a reread.

and seconding Davids' recomendation of Synners.

I have not yet read Cryptonomicon or Quicksilver . DH keeps wearing out our copies of the first. Unfortunately I seem to have a fear of big books right now. Too Mnay books are takeing me oo long to read. Which means they really aren't that good ( Fairy Godmother ) but just interesting and easy enough to read that I keep going. big books that I am expecting to enjoy I Keep putting off. I recently realized that I though it was me - not reading like I used to . Actually , it is just too many bad books. and an inability to tell if it is me or the book.