Another ambitious novel from Neal Stephenson. The first part is a very realistic scenario in which the Earth is hit by a seriously large chunk of rock, and the efforts made for Man to survive. The second part is less convincing, but nevertheless full of fascinating detail as the survivors build a kind of modus vivendi. The book ends with some dangling plot elements. I think it might have been a good deal longer. Neal Stephenson writes absolutely huge books, and this is one of them.
Am I glad I read it? Absolutely. Elegant detail. Wonderful action sequences. Imaginative plot. Lovable and hateable characters. Ambitiously large.
Will I read it again, as I read Snow Crash and Diamond Age? I doubt it. Much of the pleasure of reading it was the ‘What happens next?’ effect. Once you’ve read it, you know.
Mythaxis 