Rating: 
Summary: excellent thriller
Review: In some ways, this book is wholly unlike the rest of Stephenson's work. It is not a cyberpunk novel, unlike the seminal "Snow Crash" and "The Diamond Age". But, in may respects, it is exactly like the rest of his work: well-written and superbly detailed. "Zodiac" is an eco-thriller set in Boston. Through the eyes of ST, an environmentalist who is more than a little bit of a jerk, a mystery unravels as ST tracks down who is responsible for a particular pollution of Boston Harbor. I have to admit that I was a bit concerned about reading an eco-thriller, since some in the genre are quite heavy-handed with their pro-environmental message. I shouldn't have been worried: Stephenson is a deft writer, and the novel never feels overbearing or preachy. If you have already read some of Stephenson's other work, you need to be aware that this is not a cyberpunk novel. It is good in its own right, but there isn't a hacker to be found. Hackers may appreciate ST's anti-establishment attitudes, though.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: I was a little hesitant to read this book, afraid I'd have ecological evangelism pushed down my throat, but it wasn't like that at all. Stephenson merely uses environmentalists to convey the story, and you don't feel like he's preaching to you at all. The hard science keeps the story refreshing too. You learn a little while reading.
I have one complaint - there were a ton of typos - the kind Word's grammar or spell checkers wouldn't pick up, but any human editor would.
Rating:
Summary: Another Neal Stephenson winner
Review: I am a big Stephenson fan after having read Diamond Age, Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon, but I was a bit hesitant to pick up Zodiac after I heard some mediocre reviews by other readers. However, I found Zodiac to be of the same quality reading as the other Stephenson books and a must read for any fan. As with his other books, Stephenson has done his homework as he creates the world of the environmental activist living near the chemical soup called Boston Harbor. The story takes some twists and turns as we follow our hero S.T. as he tries to make the life of big time polluters a bit more difficult. However, overall the book is really enjoyable as Stephenson mixes toxins and science to create a plausible story. At the very least, it will make you a bit more wary of swimming near an outflow any time soon.
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