Ha, RPO isn't a great book but it's lots of fun. Good tension and a solid arc. Plus I liked all the Arthurian stuff.
When I finished Snowcrash, everybody told me I had to pick up
Cryptonomicon, and of course, you guys were right. Awesome book and a whole lot of fun to read. I don't think the plot was all that it might've been, but all of the nutso descriptions made the book:
Quote:
...that nuts are the genitalia of trees is never more obvious than when you are looking at a cluster of swelling young coconuts nestled in the hairy dark groin of a palm tree. It's surprising the Spanish missionaries didn't have the whole species eradicated.
Quote:
The virus of irony is as widespread in California as herpes, and once you're infected with it, it lives in your brain forever.
One thing Stephenson does so well is to throw in random little details that he couldn't possibly know unless he had first hand (or supremely excellent second hand) knowledge of his subject. Really makes his work stand out.
Quote:
Pursuing an explanation for every strange thing you see in the Philippines is like trying to get every last bit of rainwater out of a discarded tire.
Best of the Stephenson books I've read, for sure. Way over the top, and probably better for it.