9) The Confusion, by Neal Stephenson

A short review for a very long book (whose very size evoked consternation from my colleagues in the South Caucasus). If you liked Cryptonomicon and Quicksilver, and I did, you’ll like this as well. Qualifies as sf only on the Damon Knight principle. Set in Europe between 1689 and 1704 with most of it concentrated towards the first three years of that period. I thought actually better than Quicksilver, with more imaginative use of settings including Mediterranean, India, and Spanish America. Good stuff.