From Thomas Pynchon, a novel of the dot-com era and the end of history
slate.com
slate.com
I recommend starting with "The Crying of Lot 49", then "V." Both are amazing and both were written when he was quite young (20s). "V." in particular is a stupendous debut novel. I've read it twice and both times I felt a sort of buzz that lasted for a few days, a sure sign I've read something meaningful in some sense (to me, anyway).
Plus some absolutely brilliant passages. Here's an apropos one:
"If patterns of ones and zeros were 'like' patterns of human lives and deaths, if everything about an individual could be represented in a computer record by a long string of ones and zeros, then what kind of creature would be represented by a long string of lives and deaths? It would have to be up one level at least -- an angel, a minor god, something in a UFO. It would take eight human lives and deaths just to form one character in this being's name -- its complete dossier might take up a considerable piece of the history of the world. We are digits in God's computer, she not so much thought as hummed to herself to a sort of standard gospel tune, And the only thing we're good for, to be dead or to be living, is the only thing He sees. What we cry, what we contend for, in our world of toil and blood, it all lies beneath the notice of the hacker we call God."
He also writes smaller stories that generally focus on a single primary plot with a clear main character driving the story. These are The Crying of Lot 49, Vineland, Inherent Vice, and from the sound of the review, Bleeding Edge. These don't capture his insane manic complexity except in tiny flashes, but they are far easier to acclimate yourself to Pynchon.
I do think of his "simpler" novels, The Crying of Lot 49 gives the best taste of Pynchon's common obsessions. I enjoyed Inherent Vice and Vineland, but Lot 49 is much more finely polished.
His collection of short stories, Slow Learner, has some gems in it. I really liked the second story, Low-lands, the last time I read it.
Around 20 years ago, when I was in college, I collected as much of his non-book stuff as I could and put it on a web page. Oddly, it seems it has survived: http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/uncollected/index.html
My favorite piece there is the article for Aerospace Safety, from when Pynchon worked at Boeing: http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/uncollected/together.html
The 8th paragraph in there is an excerpt from the new book, you'll notice it is 3 sentences, and the 3rd sentence begins about 10-15% of the way in and the 2nd sentence is a mere 8 words. This is typical and there are times where you will stop and take 5+ minutes to review and unpack and digest a single sentence of his when he's really digging his heels in. The payoff however can be absolutely immense.
Sometimes sentences span pages. Each chapter is a single paragraph.
The movie adaptations are fantastic too.
"...like a black pearl from an oyster unfathomable by any other diver into our eternal souls."
What?
The same is true for me when people try to copy Faulkner, or James Joyce, or Hunter Thompson, or, from another angle, Hemingway.
Edit: Obviously, reading literature is an entirely optional activity. I don't mean to suggest that you are obligated to do so. Only that to be familiar with the subjects that one makes claims about isn't such a horrible idea.
Black pearls are rare with a somewhat subjective beauty, "unfathomable" can be interpreted literally in the analogy but also holds its normal meaning, and "any other diver" refers to any author but Pynchon.
Near as I can tell without reading the article, this sentence uses "unfathomable" with all of its meanings. Which I find nifty.
Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.