Review of Zodiac by Neal Stephenson [IHC Book Club]

Title: Zodiac - The Eco-Thriller
Author: Neal Stephenson
Publisher: Grove Press / Publishers Group Canada

“…We were each allowed one phone call. I used mine to order pizza…”

Yes, yes. You were right I did enjoy Zodiac more than Snow Crash. Not only is it a lot less predictable, but it has the same vibe the Cryptonomicon has.

Zodiac is a smart, smart book and in comparison Snow Crash just looks like a cash in on the early 90’s cyberpunk movement. I’m so happy Stephenson went on to Cryptonomicon and that I had discovered (well, had thrust upon me) Zodiac.

So what happens when a media-smart science geek goes to work for an environmental outfit? Well, you get a guy who pisses off people by having evidence and showing off that evidence in some of the most amusing media spectacle ways possible. This makes for a good backdrop to the story of Zodiac, but like with other Stephenson novels there is usually a twist waiting in the wings to create an even more interesting story.

I gotta say. I like S.T., he’s my type of shit disturber. Just enough savvy to manipulate the vast majority of people he could encounter and has enough brains with a solid enough of a background to know what he’s talking about.

This guy is a hacker, just not in the sense that one would typically associate the word with.

What’s the story about then?

A hacker who pokes corporations with sticks until they get the message to clean up their act or have their act cleaned up for them.

Pretty exciting stuff, huh? Yes there are pretty explosions, household experiments to make the Holly Homemaker proud… Oh, and enough references to enemas to make you feel clean for a day. Of course, the sanitary precautions being used should be stored in your memory, just incase.

I don’t normally do this, but here’s another quote.

“…but if it’s not violent, there’s no terror involved…”

8/10

Read the review at Kawphy Reviews