It's been over 10 years since I read it, but it was very influential at the time - got me hooked on 17th century history. I'm sympathetic to people who say it's too long or "needs an editor", but I actually liked how the book was packed with random digressions geeking out about episodes from the history of science or economics or alchemy or 17th-century political machinations. It's probably the ultimate example of Stephenson's "maximalist" style and, if you look at Baroque or Rococo art, that style kind of matches the spirit of the age.

He needed an editor. Those books had a lot of fat which should have been cut.