Rating: 
Summary: Really, really good by an amazing author
Review: Zodiac shows Stephenson's development as a writer. Right now I am looking for a copy of the Big U. If anyone has a copy out there, I'm willing to pay up to $20 for it
Rating:
Summary: Larval Stephenson -- a fascinating look at his early style.
Review: I read this book after having read both Snow Crash and The Diamond Age -- in retrospect, I wish I had read it earlier. Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent novel, but don't expect another Snow Crash. I thought the best
feature of this novel was the chance to see how Stephenson's
earlier style has become more refined with his later works.
This novel has the larval features of his trademark style,
and is worth the purchase for that reason alone, not to
mention the rollicking, environmentally friendly message. Is
there any wonder why he's wearing rubber boots and a slicker
on the cover of the Wired 4.12?
Rating: 
Summary: Enthralling book with a disturbing subtext.
Review: _Zodiac_ challenges the imagination while sticking primarily
to the facts. In typical Neal Stephenson style, the plot is intricate, frenzied, and scattered but weaves itself insidiously into an undenaible reality that questions our perceptions of the world... unlike _Snow_Crash_ and _Diamond_Age_, however, _Zodiac_ doesn't need to be set in the future. To get a real feel for the facts that drive this book and a healthy mistrust of public water supplies, try reading Rachel Carson's _Silent_Spring_ along with _Zodiac_.
My only qulam about the craftsmanship of the novel is that it might have been more effective as a series of short stories so that the "lesser" of Sangamon Taylor's exploits could have been better elaborated
Rating:
Summary: More fun than a barrel-full of kittens!
Review: Okay, so the plot's always THIS close to unravelling
completely, and okay, there's a few spurious elements here
and there - but this book is great fun, especially if you've
spent a lot of time in Boston and can follow S.T.'s bicycle
and Zodiac expeditions around the city. Get it, read it,
enjoy it. Get, read, and enjoy everything Stephenson has
written! So far I've had to replace my copies of his books
2-3 times because I lend them out and NEVER get them back!
Rating:
Summary: The book was excellent if not spectacular.
Review: This book was excellent taken by itself without comparison to SN and DA. I found the drug references interesting and I hope their might be more books in this genre (Sam Spade fights polluters). In reference to the question by Michael in a previous review, The BIG U was superb. Animal House on acid. NS was very creative in the "everything that could go wrong does go wrong. And he was quiet prescient about the rail gun and SERBOBALTOCROATION terrorists. I had to get my copy via interlibrary loan from Dallas PL. Comparing these books are like comparing Beethoven symphonies. The early works are not as polished but are still better than whatever else was competing. They are entertaining and great. What potential NS has!!! I can't believe Hollywood doesn't jump on the bandwagon. Johnny Mnemonic was a poor attempt at SC
Rating:
Summary: fun light mystery with detailed boston setting
Review: The perfect book for a greanpeace voyage. An ecological mystery set in and around boston, with some not insignificant drug use. I like this book & read it again every few years, It's a lite & easy to read with some very funny parts.
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: Both a fun novel and a guidebook for direct-action activists
Review: Zodiac, while not without flaws, is a fast, compelling read and if at the end of it you are not inspired to follow Sangamon Taylor's example and join a crusade against reckless pollution and environmental destruction, then you need to check both your pulse and political affiliation.
Though penned in 1988, this self-proclaimed "eco-thriller" is still timely and aside from a few anachronisms giving away its eighties origins, it could easily have been written five years ago instead of over fifteen. Stephenson's signature graphic-novelesque style fits the material well, though at times it seems forced. Certain elements, such as the omnipresent drug use, don't seem to add anything to the narrative but are rather just inserted to add color and "atmosphere." Others, such as the random and disjoined brief appearance of a cobra helicopter gunship taking potshots at our hero, seem like they would be more at home in a bad action movie, and are apparently only included to underscore the author's evident grudge against the US Government.
Nevertheless, the book's message about environmental activism is relentlessly driven home and right on target. It is obviously well-researched and Stephenson does a very good job of explaining abstruse scientific/medical concepts to the layman, while not bogging down the narrative with excessive exposition. In the hands of a talented scriptwriter, a skilled filmmaker and a bold producer, this book could be adapted into a very good movie.
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: Adventures of a granola James Bond
Review: ZODIAC chronicles the adventures of the ecological crusader Sangamon Taylor as he uses his chemical knowledge to topple the seemingly invincible corporations that pollute our environment. Nonviolently but effectively embarrassing these companies into submission, he's naturally made some enemies in high places. S.T.'s latest intended conquest, in an effort to cover up some egregious mistakes, has released something dangerous and untested into Boston's waters. They know S.T. is close to uncovering their secret, and they don't intend to get caught out. I liked the main character, who was highly motivated in his work but not sentimental about it. He's not a bleeding heart, but someone who is concerned about the big picture. There is no preaching here, only science. While there is a lot of technical information, the conversational, humorous tone keeps it from turning into dull lectures. S.T. would have made a good teacher. Assuming the science is sound, I actually learned a lot in my reading. The book is fascinating and funny mystery up until the last third or so, when it jumps the contaminated shark, so to speak. A close ally becomes a betrayer without explanation (and later returns as a friend, no questions asked.) A man who has shown no previous signs of erratic behavior goes mad, not without reason, but it seems too sudden. I thought I had somehow missed a large section while reading. The story never quite recovers from this radical shift. Still, it is a very enjoyable and educational book for the most part, and one which should appeal to technothriller fans as well as science fiction readers.
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