Zodiac

Rating:
Summary: Yes, "Eco-Thriller"
Review: "Zodiac" is Neal Stephenson's second book, written between the unimpressive "The Big U" and the cyberpunk classic "Snow Crash." It was mildly successful and according to Stephenson, "on first coming out in 1988 it quickly developed a cult following among water-pollution-control engineers and was enjoyed, though rarely bought, by many radical environmentalists." Unlike Stephenson's more recent works, it involves only one linear plot line, and is also of a more reasonable size. This may make it his most accessible work, though it isn't his most entertaining.

The story is told in the first person, from the perspective of Sangamon "S.T." Taylor, a Boston chemist employed by the Group of Environmental Extremists (GEE), International - an organization probably inspired by Greenpeace. S.T. works as a professional headache for industrial polluters flaunting the law and endangering their communities. His job is to terrorize the companies into acting in what is really their own best interest (i.e., not destroying the earth for short-term savings). Of course, it should go without saying that S.T. does not actually use terrorism to terrorize these polluters. Rather, he works with a potent mix of trespassing, his classic tactic of plugging up the pipes dumping toxic waste into the water supply, and his ultimate weapon: Bad Publicity.

"Zodiac" starts of with some fun actions of this sort, but the story does not really begin until S.T. unexpectedly finds incredibly large amounts of incredibly toxic PCBs in Boston Harbor. Just as soon as he starts his investigation, however, the poisons disappear - which, if it had happened spontaneously, would be a mind-boggling 'violation' of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Since there's no known way for PCBs to be removed from the water by hand, the only explanation is that S.T. has committed the screw-up of a lifetime. No sooner has S.T. resigned himself to this fate than the PCBs reappear, in even greater quantities. That's when large numbers of people start trying to kill him. To say nothing of the Satanists. Framed as an ecoterrorist, S.T. is forced to flee Boston and join forces with the real environmental extremists in order to unravel the mystery of the PCBs, redeem himself, and, quite possibly, save the world.

So "Zodiac" really is an "Eco-Thriller," and I enjoyed it as much as (if not more than) the more famous "Snow Crash." At the very least, "Zodiac" has aged better. While some parts of "Snow Crash" read like the the wildest fantasies of the .com boom, "Zodiac" could easily be set anytime in the next (or past) twenty years. Many of the book's apparent flaws come from comparison to Stephenson's later work: "Zodiac" lacks both the intricate, awe-inspiring complexity of "Cryptonomicon" and "The Baroque Cycle" as well as much of the indescribable brand of humor that made "Snow Crash" and "Cryptonomicon" so memorable. Another gripe could be characters - except for a few main characters, they remain vague outlines for the most part. We know they're present, but don't really get a clear picture of them.

At any rate, if you're a Stephenson fan, "Zodiac" is well worth a read. Even compared to his later works, it shouldn't disappoint. On the other hand, if you're new to Stephenson, "Zodiac" is as good a place to start as any. Although it's not the experience that "Snow Crash" and "Cryptonomicon" are, it's also more accessible and not nearly as imposing as "Cryptonomicon" and "The Baroque Cycle." I recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Yes, "Eco-Thriller"
Review: "Zodiac" is Neal Stephenson's second book, written between the unimpressive "The Big U" and the cyberpunk classic "Snow Crash." It was mildly successful and according to Stephenson, "on first coming out in 1988 it quickly developed a cult following among water-pollution-control engineers and was enjoyed, though rarely bought, by many radical environmentalists." Unlike Stephenson's more recent works, it involves only one linear plot line, and is also of a more reasonable size. This may make it his most accessible work, though it isn't his most entertaining.

The story is told in the first person, from the perspective of Sangamon "S.T." Taylor, a Boston chemist employed by the Group of Environmental Extremists (GEE), International - an organization probably inspired by Greenpeace. S.T. works as a professional headache for industrial polluters flaunting the law and endangering their communities. His job is to terrorize the companies into acting in what is really their own best interest (i.e., not destroying the earth for short-term savings). Of course, it should go without saying that S.T. does not actually use terrorism to terrorize these polluters. Rather, he works with a potent mix of trespassing, his classic tactic of plugging up the pipes dumping toxic waste into the water supply, and his ultimate weapon: Bad Publicity.

"Zodiac" starts of with some fun actions of this sort, but the story does not really begin until S.T. unexpectedly finds incredibly large amounts of incredibly toxic PCBs in Boston Harbor. Just as soon as he starts his investigation, however, the poisons disappear - which, if it had happened spontaneously, would be a mind-boggling 'violation' of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Since there's no known way for PCBs to be removed from the water by hand, the only explanation is that S.T. has committed the screw-up of a lifetime. No sooner has S.T. resigned himself to this fate than the PCBs reappear, in even greater quantities. That's when large numbers of people start trying to kill him. To say nothing of the Satanists. Framed as an ecoterrorist, S.T. is forced to flee Boston and join forces with the real environmental extremists in order to unravel the mystery of the PCBs, redeem himself, and, quite possibly, save the world.

So "Zodiac" really is an "Eco-Thriller," and I enjoyed it as much as (if not more than) the more famous "Snow Crash." At the very least, "Zodiac" has aged better. While some parts of "Snow Crash" read like the the wildest fantasies of the .com boom, "Zodiac" could easily be set anytime in the next (or past) twenty years. Many of the book's apparent flaws come from comparison to Stephenson's later work: "Zodiac" lacks both the intricate, awe-inspiring complexity of "Cryptonomicon" and "The Baroque Cycle" as well as much of the indescribable brand of humor that made "Snow Crash" and "Cryptonomicon" so memorable. Another gripe could be characters - except for a few main characters, they remain vague outlines for the most part. We know they're present, but don't really get a clear picture of them.

At any rate, if you're a Stephenson fan, "Zodiac" is well worth a read. Even compared to his later works, it shouldn't disappoint. On the other hand, if you're new to Stephenson, "Zodiac" is as good a place to start as any. Although it's not the experience that "Snow Crash" and "Cryptonomicon" are, it's also more accessible and not nearly as imposing as "Cryptonomicon" and "The Baroque Cycle." I recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: More approachable than most of Stephenson's other books . .
Review: . . . because Zodiac's characters are not trying hard to exude 'coolness.' Sangamon Taylor, the main character, is a jerk that most of us can identify with on a basic human level, in spite of (or perhaps because of) his bad behavior. The influence of Joseph Campbell myths is less pronounced here than in Mr. Stephenson's other works.

Zodiac is well paced throughout and has a solid ending. It is the perfect book to stuff in a back pocket or backpack and while away a cold afternoon with.

Rating:
Summary: Not only for computer dorks.
Review:

I went to visit Boston about a month prior to reading this book and I must admit, the book is very accurate in its description of how lousy that city really is. The science students squirming all over the place with their giant textbooks, ideals, and giant egos. And then there's the dorky main character who bathes regularly, although not often, who uses computers, but not for hacking, and who likes hardcore science - the simple, inorganic chemistry.

Obviously, since this is a Neal Stephenson novel, the reader is kept in suspence as an improbable plot of conspiracy develops to almost kill the main character on many occasion while he tries, in his chaotic-good manner, to save the world from itself and corporate America. We get the typical Neal Stephenson sarcasm, overblown ego of the main character, super-dorky references, and giant explanations of chemical processes (although some may not be accurate, e.g. not all chemical processes are reversible, really - but it's fiction, so what the heck, no?).

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves hardcore science - not just computer science. It's perfect for people who do any form of research in chemistry, physics, etc. while utilizing minimal use of computers in their work.

Zodiac is great for the early Stephenson novel that it is. Gold-hearted geeks of all worlds, unite!

Rating:
Summary: Fast, Furious, Fun
Review: A quick read, and an enjoyable one at that. NS's second book, after The Big U, is a great introduction into NS's quick, sarcastic, and humorious way of writing science fiction. His knowledge is also encyclopedic, and you might know more about Boston than you cared to know. All that and a happy ending, too. The only problem with the book is that it shows its age. Just as one can tell Clarke's fiction was written during the 1960s, one can tell that Zodiac takes place in the late 1980s. The two references to 386 computers and Dodge Omni forever mark it as 1989.

Rating:
Summary: Tale of Drug Abusing Eco-warrior Makes Torturous Reading
Review: After reading N. Stephenson's _Snow_Crash_, I very excitedly bought and started reading this book. The enthuiasm was short-lived. This book quickly turns into an environmentalist's sermon. At points it is about as interesting as an Al Gore speech.

The main character is a drug abusing eco-warrior. Forget the techno-savvy and future thinking found in Stephenson's other novels. Our hero breathes nitrous-oxide gas and likes it.

I never really cared enough about our hero to get into the story. Maybe Stephenson breathed too much nitro when writing this snoozer.

Rating:
Summary: A good starter book for Stephenson fans
Review: Although not as intellectually stimulating as either Snowcrash or the Diamond Age, Zodiac is still a good read. It required no past knowledge of computer systems, jargon, or even genre-slang. This is just a story, an easy read, an enjoyable tale of a toxic-spillage avenger doing his job in present day Boston. The most interesting thing about this book is the overwhelming feeling that our main character, Sagamon, is maybe from a completely different life-perspective from the people he encounters during the tale. His interactions with metal heads, business men, and slack jawed local jokels are brilliantly entertaining. If you're looking for something a little more academic and dense, go for The Diamond Age, if you're fascinated by technology and the future of the computer world, read Snowcrash.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Amazing!

I found this book to be better than Snow Crash, and a LOT better than The Diamond Age.

Very entertaining, with a lot of amusing sequences about the chemical industry.

At points I found myself laughing so hard I started a coughing fit.

'nuff said.

Rating:
Summary: Save the world, skip this book
Review: Buy the very, very cool DA. Some of Neal's funky web-available stories (i.e., Simoleons). Even the jumbled but visionary SC. But spare yourself this drivel. *** Let me count the reasons: (1) The characters are complete cardboard. (2) The tone of the book is the tone of this review - arrogant and supercilious. (3) Neal's good at envisioning nanofuture and infofuture, but his biofuture sucks. ** Please, please, don't let Neal support himself by writing junk - we need his gems

Rating:
Summary: Toxic Avenger
Review: Considering that this novel was a precursor to Stephenson's excellent Snow Crash and Diamond Age, I was full braced for disappointment. This was most certainly not the case.

Zodiac is a fast, funny, thrilling and scary look into the endeavours of a real-life 'toxic avenger', whose reason for living is to force the chemco's into cleaning up the contents of their outfall pipes - by any means necessary.

Stephenson does an excellent job of explaining the science of toxic waste in lay-terms without coming across as patronising, and manages to keep the pace going from beginning to end.

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