Perdido Street Station = mind candy, substance-free. Neverwhere = brilliant fairy tale. I actually liked Pattern Recognition -- but then, I'm a fan of Gibson, read everything he's ever written (even suffered through Keanu's wooden mugging as Johnny Mnemonic). A little different from his previous works in mood and tone (and I'm not referring to the contemporary setting), but it was a story told very gracefully. Cryptonomicon, I agree with you. Neal Stephenson proved himself with Snow Crash, and indulged himself with that monstrosity. Anyone reading The Baroque Cycle...?