I've tried to get into this book three times, and every time I've failed, despite enjoying some of Stephenson's other books. I think I've figured out what doesn't work for me: I don't CARE about any of the characters. If you're going to ask me to commit to giving up 50 hours of my life to read 1000 pages, I need to find the characters compelling - and I don't. The plotlines are interesting, but when I bailed (about 1/3 of the way through the book), none was so compelling that I felt I needed to stick it out to learn what happened. So after spending 15 hours with a book and feeling like it was just an acquaintance and not a friend, I decided to bail. There's a lot to like about Stephenson, but I think he'd benefit from a more heavy-handed editor.