Reamde - a new Neal Stephenson novel

My first completed book of the year so far and it may stay at the top of my list of favorites of the year for a while. It's the latest novel from Neal Stephenson and it was a real page turner that I couldn't leave alone for very long. This is my fifth novel of his that I've read and the first of his thrillers. I haven't read any of his previous books from the 80s and 90s which were mostly sci-fi cyberpunk and thriller novels.  That seems a little odd to myself because I've read tons of sci-fi and especially cyberpunk so how did I miss this guy back then. Don't know. I'm going to pick up a couple of them this year.

The first book of his that I read was Cryptonomicon which came out in 1999 but I read in back in October of 2004. It was an awesome novel and totally hooked me on Stephenson's style. I then immediately started wading through the Baroque Cycle of three massive novels published in 2003 and 2004.  I read them one after another in 2004 and 2005. They were huge books in every sense of the word that were technologically dense and a remarkable 3,000 page plus series. In 2008 he came out with Anathem which was a return to science fiction but  actually was more speculative fiction in some alternative world.

This new book is a return to the thriller genre and I found myself looking forward to every opportunity for reading it. This book included his usual interest in computers and technology but added to a fast paced story of terrorism. Stephenson is a fantastic writer and it is amazing to see him turn his talents to a genre thriller. Yes, there are some B grade moments and some strange coincidences that move the plot forward but after reading so many of his truly thought-provoking and serious literary masterpieces it was fun to fly through this book. Highly recommended.