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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
That was... a bit of a mess.
It felt like this book didn't really know what kind of book it wanted to be. It started off as a cool, futuristic story about a high-stakes, mafia-controlled pizza delivery company in a world ruled by corporations and fast vehicles. Then it turned into a virtual reality thing, where everyone jacks into this metaverse where they have virtual avatars and can do cool things (which is a pretty neat concept, given when this book was written). You find out about this virus that only affects hackers because their brains are hardwired to understand binary information at a subconscious level. Pretty cool. But then it turned into a history lesson about ancient civilizations (for a really long time...), and then it turned into a nautical war novel where people are getting shot/maimed/killed left and right. And then it ended.
Hiro Protagonist's name felt really out of place. It makes you think that this book maybe won't take itself seriously, where it actually does the opposite--it takes itself way too seriously. One of the characters was literally a library, and he wouldn't shut up about Sumerian culture. And for some reason, Hiro kept goading him on and asking more questions. It took hours. And then, at the end, Hiro essentially takes over that character's function and describes everything to the mafia people. And that also takes forever.
YT was cool and fun to read. Her whole thing with Raven was a bit inconsistent and I think I missed something. Was she only into him because someone was messing with her head...?
Also, she didn't even care that the dog died. That was heartless. Her skateboarding was cool though and she did some pretty awesome things. Hiro's swordfights were also pretty awesome. And he talked about kendo. Though I do find it hard to believe that some 20/30yr old hacker guy is the best swordsman in the world...in real life and in the metaverse, apparently.
I liked the premise of this book (the crazy world where you can murder your pizza delivery guy if he's late, and also the "hacking people's brains" bit), but the execution was too longwinded.
It felt like this book didn't really know what kind of book it wanted to be. It started off as a cool, futuristic story about a high-stakes, mafia-controlled pizza delivery company in a world ruled by corporations and fast vehicles. Then it turned into a virtual reality thing, where everyone jacks into this metaverse where they have virtual avatars and can do cool things (which is a pretty neat concept, given when this book was written). You find out about this virus that only affects hackers because their brains are hardwired to understand binary information at a subconscious level. Pretty cool. But then it turned into a history lesson about ancient civilizations (for a really long time...), and then it turned into a nautical war novel where people are getting shot/maimed/killed left and right. And then it ended.
Hiro Protagonist's name felt really out of place. It makes you think that this book maybe won't take itself seriously, where it actually does the opposite--it takes itself way too seriously. One of the characters was literally a library, and he wouldn't shut up about Sumerian culture. And for some reason, Hiro kept goading him on and asking more questions. It took hours. And then, at the end, Hiro essentially takes over that character's function and describes everything to the mafia people. And that also takes forever.
YT was cool and fun to read. Her whole thing with Raven was a bit inconsistent and I think I missed something. Was she only into him because someone was messing with her head...?
Also, she didn't even care that the dog died. That was heartless. Her skateboarding was cool though and she did some pretty awesome things. Hiro's swordfights were also pretty awesome. And he talked about kendo. Though I do find it hard to believe that some 20/30yr old hacker guy is the best swordsman in the world...in real life and in the metaverse, apparently.
I liked the premise of this book (the crazy world where you can murder your pizza delivery guy if he's late, and also the "hacking people's brains" bit), but the execution was too longwinded.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An almost prophetic must-read to understand our world today, and the minds and twisted aspirations of the likes of Musk and Zuckerberg.
Although "Snow Crash" is widely regarded as a seminal work in the science fiction genre, some readers may find it to be an overwhelming and confusing read. The plot is convoluted, and the pacing is uneven, which makes it difficult to follow and engage with the story.
Additionally, some may find the writing style to be unnecessarily dense and overly descriptive, bogging down the plot and character development. The extensive use of jargon and complex terminology may also make the book inaccessible to some readers.
Furthermore, the portrayal of female characters in the book has been criticized for being sexist and stereotypical. The female characters are often reduced to one-dimensional objects of desire or plot devices, which detracts from the overall narrative.
The character Y.T. in Snow Crash has been criticized by some readers for being inappropriate due to her sexualization and objectification in the story.
Throughout the book, Y.T. is often described in a sexual manner, with a focus on her physical attributes rather than her character and abilities. Her character is also reduced to that of a stereotypical "tough girl" archetype who uses her sexuality to manipulate and control men.
Additionally, Y.T.'s age has been a point of controversy, as she is portrayed as being underage and engaging in sexual activities with adult men. This has been viewed as inappropriate by some readers and has been a subject of criticism for the book.
Finally, the book may not be for everyone as it is heavily steeped in science fiction and cyberpunk elements, which may not appeal to readers who are not interested in those genres.
Overall, while "Snow Crash" is considered a classic in the science fiction genre, its convoluted plot, dense writing style, the sexist portrayal of female characters, and heavy reliance on science fiction and cyberpunk elements may make it a challenging and unenjoyable read for some readers.
I will say for me as a reader that this work felt like it is showing its age. I have read in a recent interview that Stephenson wrote this book as a semi-ironic take on cyberpunk. I can at least confirm that I didn't fully get the joke.
Additionally, some may find the writing style to be unnecessarily dense and overly descriptive, bogging down the plot and character development. The extensive use of jargon and complex terminology may also make the book inaccessible to some readers.
Furthermore, the portrayal of female characters in the book has been criticized for being sexist and stereotypical. The female characters are often reduced to one-dimensional objects of desire or plot devices, which detracts from the overall narrative.
The character Y.T. in Snow Crash has been criticized by some readers for being inappropriate due to her sexualization and objectification in the story.
Throughout the book, Y.T. is often described in a sexual manner, with a focus on her physical attributes rather than her character and abilities. Her character is also reduced to that of a stereotypical "tough girl" archetype who uses her sexuality to manipulate and control men.
Additionally, Y.T.'s age has been a point of controversy, as she is portrayed as being underage and engaging in sexual activities with adult men. This has been viewed as inappropriate by some readers and has been a subject of criticism for the book.
Finally, the book may not be for everyone as it is heavily steeped in science fiction and cyberpunk elements, which may not appeal to readers who are not interested in those genres.
Overall, while "Snow Crash" is considered a classic in the science fiction genre, its convoluted plot, dense writing style, the sexist portrayal of female characters, and heavy reliance on science fiction and cyberpunk elements may make it a challenging and unenjoyable read for some readers.
I will say for me as a reader that this work felt like it is showing its age. I have read in a recent interview that Stephenson wrote this book as a semi-ironic take on cyberpunk. I can at least confirm that I didn't fully get the joke.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I thought it was clever and liked the world Stephenson created for me, but the story wasn't very compelling and the characters weren't very memorable. I'll probably forget I read this book.
As expected by anything from Neal...that was one dense-cyberpunky read!
It takes a lot for me to give a four-star rating for a book but man was this a great read. Perhaps it's the nerd in me that loves all the technology that Neal wrote about in 1992 that would've been novel ideas then but are mostly true now. The level of historicity and linguistic research is shockingly deep and translating that into a technology virus is absolutely brilliant. Finally, there's something to be said about an author who can spend so much time developing a story, wrap it fairly quickly, all the while leaving you feeling satisfied and not wanting _more_ words to finish it. Especially with this ending; I feel like I know the secret sauce that the Sopranos writers used to write the ending of that series. This is so abrupt but perfect I actually said, "Awesome. THAT'S AWESOME!" out loud after finishing it.