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A review by micksland
Zodiac by Neal Stephenson
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
2.5
Going back to read an older book by a beloved author is like playing literary Russian roulette, and unfortunately I lost this round. Neal Stephenson is a brilliant author with a mind for exploring important scientific ideas and their impact on the modern world. Charitably, this novel (written in the 1980s) really shows that he has gotten much better about this in the intervening decades.
“Zodiac” isn’t exactly bad, but it’s not as polished or interesting as the author’s later books. The plot has too many red herrings and simultaneously the ending is too easy to guess. The protagonist is great but the side characters are flat. The trademark dark humor is still excellent, but doesn’t make up for the lackluster story. Overall, skip this one and read “Seveneves”, “Termination Shock”, “The Diamond Age”, or really anything else in his catalog.
Going back to read an older book by a beloved author is like playing literary Russian roulette, and unfortunately I lost this round. Neal Stephenson is a brilliant author with a mind for exploring important scientific ideas and their impact on the modern world. Charitably, this novel (written in the 1980s) really shows that he has gotten much better about this in the intervening decades.
“Zodiac” isn’t exactly bad, but it’s not as polished or interesting as the author’s later books. The plot has too many red herrings and simultaneously the ending is too easy to guess. The protagonist is great but the side characters are flat. The trademark dark humor is still excellent, but doesn’t make up for the lackluster story. Overall, skip this one and read “Seveneves”, “Termination Shock”, “The Diamond Age”, or really anything else in his catalog.