Quentin Tarantino and Neal Stephenson are birds of a feather.

Both are passionate about their work and conduct extensive research on the subject matter. The artists' latest efforts have been criticized for being overloaded with details -- some might say trivia -- that demonstrate their mastery of the literature. Their works are laced with references within references, including many so obscure that few in the audience are likely even to detect all of them, let alone trace them back to the source.

Each of these works is so large, so grand, so packed with detail, that the marketplace is unable to accommodate it all at one time. And so a story is broken into pieces, with the releases spaced apart in time, that the audience might take advantage of the intermission to savor the tasty bits of the first course while waiting in eager anticipation of the next.

Channeling Propellerheads on Kill Bill and Quicksilver