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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
If you set out to find the ‘must-reads’ of sci-fi, there are certain books that are going to come up people’s lists over and over again. Neuromancer, Ender, Foundation, Dune, Ringworld (I could keep going on, but you’re probably sick of this already) and, since the mid-90s, Snow Crash.
Just the fact that the main character is named Hiro Protagonist was enough to make me want to read this book. Warning: The rest of it is not as tongue-in-cheek as our MC’s name.
WARNING: Very mild spoilers ahead (barely more than the synopsis)
Essentially, Snow Crash is about a computer virus. There’s a guy who wants the virus to infect everyone. There’s a few people that want to virus stopped. And then there’s a dude who doesn’t really care and he’s just going to do whatever he’s paid for. The plot is not an overly complicated one, but what makes Snow Crash special is the world that all of this takes place in.
It’s the future, though how far into the future is hard to tell. The world is strange and foreign, but somehow also quite familiar at the same time.
For example: pizza delivery is such serious business that there’s a university to go to and the guarantees for on-time delivery have gone way beyond a free pizza. Strange and foreign. But the delivery is still made using a car. Familiar.
The internet is still the biggest thing on the planet, though it’s called the Metaverse. It’s closer to virtual reality, with all the fixings and information available on the internet as we know it.
Snow Crash refers to a computer virus that is delivered via the meta verse, but affects the user’s brain in the real world. We’re talking full out coma and potential death. From a computer. Somewhere a smugly smiling parent who always said sitting in front of a computer all day would rot your brain. Settle down. This is still fiction.
Stephenson goes on to give some background to this virus and how it could affect a person’s brain. There was reference to an ancient language and it’s similarities to programming language for the brain stem.
It’s an interesting concept, and it drew several interesting similarities. However, this stemmed my only real problem with this book. He went on and on and on and on and on and on and on about ancient languages and how they were like programming languages. For chapters. As in more than one.
Hiro was talking to an A.I. about the whole topic. And it was slow. Then the chapter ended and we followed another character around for a few pages. Then we went back to Hiro and he was still talking ancient languages with this A.I. Zzzzzzzzzzz…
It was interesting for a page or two. It gets to be way too much. Just when you think they’ve finally moved on, a few chapters later Hiro logs onto the metaverse, boots up his A.I. buddy and says, “So, where were we with that ancient language convo?”
You weren’t at the end? Geez. Can’t we skip this? You’re only talking to an A.I. He won’t care if you fast-forward. Just because you can’t find a human being who’s willing to have the most boring discussion in the universe doesn’t mean you have to put this poor A.I. through the entire thing.
I’m making a big deal out of it, but I assure you, it’s not a big thing.
For anyone who likes sci-fi, I agree that this is a must-read. Even if you only read it to experience the world Stephenson built and all it’s little idiosyncrasies, it’s well worth the time.
Just the fact that the main character is named Hiro Protagonist was enough to make me want to read this book. Warning: The rest of it is not as tongue-in-cheek as our MC’s name.
WARNING: Very mild spoilers ahead (barely more than the synopsis)
Essentially, Snow Crash is about a computer virus. There’s a guy who wants the virus to infect everyone. There’s a few people that want to virus stopped. And then there’s a dude who doesn’t really care and he’s just going to do whatever he’s paid for. The plot is not an overly complicated one, but what makes Snow Crash special is the world that all of this takes place in.
It’s the future, though how far into the future is hard to tell. The world is strange and foreign, but somehow also quite familiar at the same time.
For example: pizza delivery is such serious business that there’s a university to go to and the guarantees for on-time delivery have gone way beyond a free pizza. Strange and foreign. But the delivery is still made using a car. Familiar.
The internet is still the biggest thing on the planet, though it’s called the Metaverse. It’s closer to virtual reality, with all the fixings and information available on the internet as we know it.
Snow Crash refers to a computer virus that is delivered via the meta verse, but affects the user’s brain in the real world. We’re talking full out coma and potential death. From a computer. Somewhere a smugly smiling parent who always said sitting in front of a computer all day would rot your brain. Settle down. This is still fiction.
Stephenson goes on to give some background to this virus and how it could affect a person’s brain. There was reference to an ancient language and it’s similarities to programming language for the brain stem.
It’s an interesting concept, and it drew several interesting similarities. However, this stemmed my only real problem with this book. He went on and on and on and on and on and on and on about ancient languages and how they were like programming languages. For chapters. As in more than one.
Hiro was talking to an A.I. about the whole topic. And it was slow. Then the chapter ended and we followed another character around for a few pages. Then we went back to Hiro and he was still talking ancient languages with this A.I. Zzzzzzzzzzz…
It was interesting for a page or two. It gets to be way too much. Just when you think they’ve finally moved on, a few chapters later Hiro logs onto the metaverse, boots up his A.I. buddy and says, “So, where were we with that ancient language convo?”
You weren’t at the end? Geez. Can’t we skip this? You’re only talking to an A.I. He won’t care if you fast-forward. Just because you can’t find a human being who’s willing to have the most boring discussion in the universe doesn’t mean you have to put this poor A.I. through the entire thing.
I’m making a big deal out of it, but I assure you, it’s not a big thing.
For anyone who likes sci-fi, I agree that this is a must-read. Even if you only read it to experience the world Stephenson built and all it’s little idiosyncrasies, it’s well worth the time.
WOW.
Where do I even begin?
Snow Crash is definitely up in my list of novels I will likely revisit for years to come. There are so, so many things about this novel that make it a must read. Let me recount the ways:
Hiro Proagonist is a 30 year old nerd with a super cool name. He’s what I imagine every engineer or tech nerd imagines in their superhero fantasy. He wields a Katana. He has a great work ethic. He’s just badass.
Y.T is is just as cool (actually she’s way cooler). She’s a Thrasher. She skateboards on a high-tech plank and does it well. She’s intelligent and hilarious.
The plot of this novel is bonkers. First of all, it touches on religion in a way that I’ve never seen done before. It’s equated to a virus, subject to revision and easily exploited. Stephenson did his research. Starting with Mesopotamia and Sumerians. He worked his way up through history from there. He referenced real-world events and offering new and fresh take to religion that frankly takes guts to do and it’s done well. My hat is off to this author and they’ve earned my standing ovation.
Can I also talk about the setting? Holy hell. It’s a dystopian version of LA after the USA has fallen apart. Corporations have taken over. There is barely any law and order. The entire city is divided into corporate owned quasi national countries. It’s absolutely nuts. The streets are constant glowing with neon signs. People live in storage units. I could go on and on.
There is so much to unpack and I don’t want to give it all away. All I can say is that you will laugh, cringe, and turn pages until the very end. You need to pick up this book!
Where do I even begin?
Snow Crash is definitely up in my list of novels I will likely revisit for years to come. There are so, so many things about this novel that make it a must read. Let me recount the ways:
Hiro Proagonist is a 30 year old nerd with a super cool name. He’s what I imagine every engineer or tech nerd imagines in their superhero fantasy. He wields a Katana. He has a great work ethic. He’s just badass.
Y.T is is just as cool (actually she’s way cooler). She’s a Thrasher. She skateboards on a high-tech plank and does it well. She’s intelligent and hilarious.
The plot of this novel is bonkers. First of all, it touches on religion in a way that I’ve never seen done before. It’s equated to a virus, subject to revision and easily exploited. Stephenson did his research. Starting with Mesopotamia and Sumerians. He worked his way up through history from there. He referenced real-world events and offering new and fresh take to religion that frankly takes guts to do and it’s done well. My hat is off to this author and they’ve earned my standing ovation.
Can I also talk about the setting? Holy hell. It’s a dystopian version of LA after the USA has fallen apart. Corporations have taken over. There is barely any law and order. The entire city is divided into corporate owned quasi national countries. It’s absolutely nuts. The streets are constant glowing with neon signs. People live in storage units. I could go on and on.
There is so much to unpack and I don’t want to give it all away. All I can say is that you will laugh, cringe, and turn pages until the very end. You need to pick up this book!
I don't get the hype, the world of this book is confusing as hell. The author seems to think he's very clever and funny, but it doesn't work. And it's not because I don't get the '90s interpretation of what future tech could look like. I usually love this stuff.
The MC is an incel's fantasy, which throws me out of the whole thing. His name is Hiro Protagonist... he's a literal tech genius, runs around with samurai swords in and out of the VR world, drives a super fast car, his ex is the CEO of the whole VR thing who of course is extremely beautiful, competant, intelligent and loves him, but he's just too good for all of that.
The evil virus thing going around seems pretty interesting, but there's just too much pointless filler to stay attached to the story.
The MC is an incel's fantasy, which throws me out of the whole thing. His name is Hiro Protagonist... he's a literal tech genius, runs around with samurai swords in and out of the VR world, drives a super fast car, his ex is the CEO of the whole VR thing who of course is extremely beautiful, competant, intelligent and loves him, but he's just too good for all of that.
The evil virus thing going around seems pretty interesting, but there's just too much pointless filler to stay attached to the story.
Not terrible, not amazing. Read it on the recommendation by a friend who was trying to convince me to read more sci-fi. I'm not convinced.
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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:
Complicated
In my top books of all time. Parts have definitely not aged well. But it’s kind of like if Douglas Adams had written The Da Vinci Code, and it were actually good.
Okay this was my second read of the book. I first read it in 1993 or 1994 and I remembered some of it but it is a very expansive story and Mr. Stephenson has done a lot of research into early Sumerian mythology and it shows.
Also, if you have ever heard of SecondLife this is the book that inspired the entire concept of SecondLife and the Metaverse. You will notice a lot of what SL is about is in this book. Good and bad.
Also, if you have ever heard of SecondLife this is the book that inspired the entire concept of SecondLife and the Metaverse. You will notice a lot of what SL is about is in this book. Good and bad.
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No