Thanks: I'm sure I would have gone a long ways before discovering anything more about the context of that statement. However, I note that Stephenson does seem to have described this as a loose translation. Is the German word used as an adjective, or is that also an issue of translation?

Süchtig is an adjective, yes, and 'seeky' is actually a sensible literal translation. But just like the word addicted, it carries the connotation of a destructive obsession, not just a tendency-to-seek-out, and it is just as obliterating a word as its English equivalent.