Invested in Neal Stephenson's "Quicksilver" the other day. The first in a trilogy named "The Baroque Cycle" - and apparently a prequel-ish follow-up (!) to his awesome novel "Cryptonomicon". One of my favorite books ever, I guess.
I recommend him very much. He's what I would deem a holistic sci-fi writer, meaning that his books have more to do with the circumstances of change than with the actual technological settings of future societies. Not that he doesn't stuff his work with creative gadgets and weird inventions. They are just very well integrated and never take up too much space. He's easy to compare to Gibson, but I find Gibson much more abstract and poetic - a style that both attracts and confuses, I think. Stephenson hits right in the middle of my educational background, Information Sciences. A wider approach to technology, business, society, and intellectual genesis as a whole.
Anyway, looking forward to letting myself submerge in his world of wonders. Compared to his earlier works, this is definitly heavier reading - stuffed with subtle metaphors and eloquent phrasings, but it's good to be challenged once in a while. And you actually feel that everything you read is relevant on some deeper level. Especially if you think yourself a techno-savvy young adult wanting to justify geekish interests.
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