Stephenson's writing puts me into a trance. Extended passages of vividly detailed action and exposition, mental tours of Paris, Versailles, Algiers, Ireland, London. Historical figures as supporting characters, historical events made to feel like contemporary news. A riot of storylines that criss-cross and double back on each other. A 4-page description of a battle, from the point of view of one participant, unspooling like an extended steadycam shot. Realizing that I've been holding my breath.

It's a lot. In the best way.