Reamde was a very fast 1000+ page read. Stephenson is a competent writer, there was some catchy stuff, the characters were mostly relatable, and it was one action-packed moment after another. The technology was pretty accurate and timely. If you are an artillery and / or gun afficianado, this book will satisfy your very soul. 
 This is not what I expected from the author of Snow Crash, but then, I haven't read Snow Crash (tho' it's been on the top of a stack for some time now), so what was I expecting? I have no information about, nor am I interested in, artillery or guns as a subject, so a lot of that just became skim. The technology and the economy of the game playing did interest me for a while but, like gaming itself, there's nothing really new under the sun. 
 I intend to read Snow Crash, maybe sooner than later since I still have Stephenson on the back of my tongue, but now I know not to get my expectations all out of whack. Just because a book is 1000 pages doesn't mean it's a masterpiece or a classic. It would make a great action movie. I give it three stars.