One of Neal Stephenson's early novels, re-issued after years out of print. The back cover describes it as "hilarious send-up of American college life starring thirty-year-old junior Casimir Radon. To be read and released.

RELEASE NOTES: I haven't read it but I am unlikely to get to it any time soon so I want to set it free. Taking to the BookCrossing meetup tonight.

Picked this up at the Stamford Arms (Left Anita Desai's The Village by the Sea, quite a contrast!). What a surprise, I thought Zodiac was Stephenson's first published novel, well, you live and learn! I loved Snowcrash, devoured the Cryptonomicon and the Baroque cycle currently threatens to unbalance my TBR pile. I can't wait to read this early work, great or cringe-worthy - was it worth republishing this or should it have been allowed to sink quietly? Thanks Fire-Dragon for releasing this!
Ed 08SEP2006: Hmmmmmm. Well, tellingly the author Neal Stephenson himself regards this opus as "juvenilia" and doesn't list it in his official bibliography... Nevertheless it does contain occasional flashes of genius and affords a glimpse into the young anarchic mind of the author. Didn't like the ending much, it felt a bit rushed, but still a fun book in a very geeky way.
Reserved for scatter-monkey, who might or might not get to read it before it gets released on the unsuspecting public ;-)

'juvenilia', well given his recent novels you can see where he is coming from with that comment. It IS a fun and quite anarchic read. Personally I preferred his excellent 'Snow Crash', but I really enjoyed this view of early stephenson.

RELEASE NOTES:

Left on the bookshelf in the common room. - This WAS caught (I saw him with the book elsewhere!).