Neal Stephenson's novels can be counted upon to offer two things: a lot of information and a lot of pages.
"Reamde," checking in at 1,042 pages and rich in knowledge that will delight anyone who likes to learn how things work, will please Stephenson's fans even though it is a departure from many of his previous novels.
All of Stephenson's fiction has thrilling moments (and as his novels tend to be big, those moments can go on for many, many pages), but this is the first of his books that is nothing but a thriller, one that will sit comfortably on shelves weighed down by, say, the complete works of Robert Ludlum.