Finished it last week.
Wow. I would recommend this highly to anyone; however I'm kind of surprised that it's a New York Times bestseller simply because the thing is massive, and I'd think it would intimidate many. Wonderful writing, though. Stephenson is such a thorough author; some of the reviews on amazon.com comment on his tendency to use several hundred words when just a few might do. But the words don't feel excessive, necessarily; the word-images he conjures are all beautifully realized. He's a damn good writer and a damn good historian and the two come together to marvelous effect in this book.
No point in my trying to summarize it - go to amazon for that, or read it yourself. Suffice it to say that he touches on history and technology and progress and human nature, love and hatred, principles and the lack thereof, the ways in which wars are fought, revolutions are forged, communication and technology advance... The book covers such bases while always being in touch with the human scale and the endeavors of individuals.
I will be reading the second and third volumes, but will have a break to read some other stuff.
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