His list of book recommendations alone makes it worth checking (so I’m quoting that here):
Neal:
Fiction I have lately read and enjoyed:
Set this House in Order by Matt Ruff
Ilium by Dan Simmons
Iron Council by China Mieville
Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart
The I Love Bees alternate reality game
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke
The Fool’s Tale by Nicole Galland (in galleys; soon to be published)
Short story collections by Etgar Keret: The Bus Driver who Wanted to be God, and The Nimrod Flip-out. Last time I checked, The Nimrod Flip-out was only available from an Australian publisher named Picador, but this should pose only the most minor of challenges to Slashdot readers. Keret is a young Israeli writer who has also done some work in film and graphic novels.
Nonfiction:
Skeletons on the Zahara by Dean King
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates and Lincoln’s Cooper Union address
Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell sounded really cool. :) That sounded like something I’d like to read.
Yeah, J. Strange and Mr. Norrell sounded good to me too. I have it on hold at the library; there’s a queue of a couple hundred people, at least, waiting for it!