I've read quite a number of Neal Stephenson's books now and I continue to be puzzled. The first books of his that I read QuickSilver, Cyrptnonicom (sp?), and The System of the World were in my eyes masterpieces of literature. I mostly loved his imperfect characters. His other books including this one are fine books, but they all lack interesting characters. This book is full of stereotypical heros and heroines, which I find a bit dull considering what an interesting view point the author can bring to so many different subjects.