[thisrod]

Anathem gets my vote.

It's a mystery, with things left for the reader to figure out. These things include where and when it's set, and what genre it's written in. A brilliantly apt form for a novel about science, which makes it hard to describe without spoiling it.

The author has his usual fun. Historical inspriation: monasteries in the dark ages. Martial artists: far too cool for their own good. Tensor calculations performed as interpretive dance: it had to be done. The plight of hackers and scientists in a violent, greedy world strikes as true as ever.

Stephenson's neologisms are a bonus. The principle "'X would be nice' does not imply X" needs a name, though I don't expect "Diax's rake" to stick. Also useful is "Lorite", for a scholar who specialises in refuting claims of novelty.

[arethuza]

Anathem was one of the rare novels that when I read enough to get into it I was utterly delighted that there was so much of the book still to read.

I've even bought some of the music tracks by David Stutz:

http://synthesist.net/music/anathem/

Profits from this go to the Long Now Foundation - which is very appropriate given then themes in the book.