Written 25 years ago, this political thriller also predicted some of the future pretty well. Locations are beautifully described, and ideas are usually introduced with characters (though perhaps one too many). For me, it is a book which was tough to put down, and as fun to read as it was in the 90s.

The book is a collaboration between Neal Stephenson and his uncle, which wasn't well known when first published. Having read a lot of the former, I think I can identify some passages, but overall it flows in a smooth narrative. On this reread, it is also fun to look at some of those future predictions. GODS is quite similar to Amazon, for instance. It is also interesting to read between the lines, interpreting what the candidate says and connecting to the source - and from there back to the author (pro or con). The Strong character quite resembles our current president.

I could have done without the last character introduced (on page 526). His purpose is to show the aspect of negative campaigns, and a score of pages later he is mostly out of the story - which would have been fine without him. The appearance of all the other characters is perfect, making this anomaly that much more glaring. For me, this costs the novel half a star, but it is still highly recommended. 4½ out of 5 stars.

"All that Democrat/Republican stuff is bullshit," he said. "And as far as liberal versus conservative, well, people are very promiscuous in the way the use those words. They don't really mean anything. Within those two camps there are very wide divisions. And between those two camps, there is a lot more overlap than you think. None of that bullshit really matters. The only thing that matters is values."

It's extremely unlikely I don't finish a book, but this is one of the rarities. I read 150 pages, not enjoying it very much and it not getting anywhere - so I decided to stop.

I did enjoy 'Snow Crash' but will not be trying another Nel Stephenson for a while.

Took a while to get drawn into the story. Some sections are clearly directly from Stephenson. The political parts were frequently reductive simplifications of reality, plus some gross misogyny (weird how nobody writes about their male characters' underwear...), so overall not stellar but still fun. If you're not also on a Stephenson completionist quest, feel free to skip this one?

Crichton-esque in its subject matter and in many ways oddly prescient - I kept thinking this might have been written in the oughts rather than the early 1990s. But there's something missing from it that keeps it from being truly compelling, and certainly some dated language that hasn't aged particularly well.

To say this was an unexpected experience would be an understatement. Stephenson and his colleague put together a story far ahead of its time (1995) filled with extraordinary characters, concepts and plot twists. Given the current dynamic of today's presidential craziness, it raises the question: Is it possible Trump has an implant? Of course not, but the concept of being electronically controlled by groups financed by the billionaire boys club isn't far reaching. The last few chapters get the heart rate up and move at lighting pace similar to a Baldacci or Brown book. I can't recommend this book enough, especially with the current political climate!

Wittily written, a real page-turner with an interesting plot and memorable characters. The way all the stories converge and intertwine is done very well as well. My biggest issue however, is how the story ends. If the previous part is believable (sometimes hardly, but still) and even shows some plausible mechanisms of mass-media and politics, the ending is going way off into political fantasy realm.

4.0 Stars
Even a watered down Stephenson book would still be considered a career best by other authors.

It's probably 200 pages too long and the there's arguably too many characters but the excellent writing and a really nutso climax really make up for the slower pace of the middle section.

For the most part, I have liked Stephenson's books. My only problem with this one is the wide spread conspiracy that is kept completely secret. In this novel, both the good guys and the bad guys are able to keep their plans, including large numbers of people, secret. That would be my only criticism, otherwise an enjoyable story.

Gave it a 4 star, maybe felt like a 3 star, decided it was 3 1/2 and rounded up. Really though the characters were great and enjoyed the political intrigue. However, this could have easily been 100 pages shorter and an amazing short story. Maybe this is the problem with an author team, so many great ideas take a while to develop and bring all the strings together. In the end, I was rather exhausted.

Hooboy, was this a lot of fun. Particularly since you really end up rooting for everyone, even the bad guys. I love Stephenson and was interested to see how this collaboration was different from other books. I thought it was a blast. I have "Cobweb" waiting on the shelf - that should be equal fun.

5.5 stars out of 10

Not bad, your typical Neal Stephenson. Very interesting story line and characters. Cool science interspersed with some humor. It went on just a touch too long for my taste, could have made a great novella.

This is a somewhat pedestrian sci-fi thriller, a little clunky and sprawling. But, like all of Stephenson's work, there are delightful little nuggets of ideas that startle you with their insight, originality, and wit, which you'll reflect on for years.