Best Geek Novel Ever?

I've just finished reading Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, a rollicking 900 page novel that knits together multiple plot lines that take place during World War II and the present time. The book is as impressive as it is massive, and may well lay claim to the title of best geek book ever. Now, that may be a little off-putting, especially if you're not of the geekish variety, but this is one of those books where the talent of the author shines on nearly every page. The breadth and scope of his characters, the intricacy of the plot, the humor in his writing, and his mastery of language make this one of the best books I've ever read, period.

This isn't an easy book to characterize in terms of its genre. Stephenson is generally thought of as a science fiction writer, mostly due to previous books that he's written. As he says in an interview at Reason Online:

Labels such as science fiction are most useful when employed for marketing purposes, i.e., to help readers find books that they are likely to enjoy reading. With that in mind, I’d say that people who know and love science fiction will recognize these books as coming out of that tradition. So the science fiction label is useful for them as a marketing term. However, non-S.F. readers are also reading and enjoying these books, and I seem to have a new crop of readers who aren’t even aware that I am known as an S.F. writer. So it would be an error to be too strict or literal-minded about application of the science fiction label.

I use a fairly simple method when choosing new books by authors I'm not familiar with. Head to the local bookstore and look for books that are released in hard cover editions. That's a good indicator of an author's popularity since the publisher has to recoup their investment and isn't likely to do so with marginal authors. Straight to paperback is the functional equivalent of straight to video movie releases. In the case of Stephenson, he has a well-deserved following that I was unaware of when I decided to pick this book up.

Clearly, Stephenson is a master, and I look forward to reading The Baroque Cycle and enjoying more literature from this incredibly talented writer.

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