I might be the only person who didn't know this when they picked up the book, but a Zodiac is one of those small rubber boats that you see Navy Seals using in television shows or in the movies. It is fast and highly maneuverable. The things we learn.

This was perhaps one of the quickest and easiest Neal Stephenson books I've read. It had some scientific babble, most of which focused on toxins, but was otherwise pretty straightforward. The plot was easy to follow and not overly convoluted. Our hero is an environmentalist who is always on the lookout for corporate America's furtive efforts to pollute our planet. When he finds things have gone weirdly awry in the Boston Harbor, he is determined to find the cause and culprit. This decision sets off a chain reaction of events that frame him as the bad guy instead of the White Knight he sees himself to be.

I should mention that if you're concerned with how powerful companies are concerned only with their profit margins or if you're worried that future generations are going to find the Earth too damaged to salvage, this book will likely elicit a visceral reaction. While you know you're reading a fictional tale, you can't escape the knowledge that our lands and oceans are being poisoned. It's disheartening and outrageous.

Before I get on a political tangent, I should probably sign off...