I understand the sentiment... but completely disagree. _Rainbows End_ is less fun than his other novels, but it deals directly with near-future issues in a way

I understand the sentiment... but completely disagree. _Rainbows End_ is less fun than his other novels, but it deals directly with near-future issues in a way that only a few other SF authors are doing well (Stross, Stephenson, recent Gibson, and who else?). It changed how I think---much more than did, eg, _A Deepness in the Sky_. In terms of relevance to the times, I'd rank it next to _True Names_.