Reviews

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

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cecile87's review against another edition

5.0

One of my all time favorites. I read it when it came out and, though it took me on a rollercoaster ride where I didn't always follow it, I hung on and enjoyed the intelligence, the terrain created and the equality of the genders. Very important.

I've finished two of his books: This one and Cryptonomicon. Had to put Diamond Age down for some reason, can't recall now.

Would read it again!

megawhoppingcosmicbookwyrm's review against another edition

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challenging funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This was…interesting, to a point. Probably my favorite parts were the interesting twist on linguistics and Sumerian history/mythology. I’m a sucker for anything pertaining to ancient Mesopotamia. Probably the only reason I finished. The characters aren’t likable, they’re a Mary Sue and Gary Stu. 🙄 I really thought Stephenson was going to do more. The ending was so lackluster and felt very slapped together. Really hoped for more oomph…

bubzbuzz's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Writing was dense but I enjoyed the way each character had their own voice through out the story.There were times where the book felt like it was going a little slow or was giving a lot of information and not a lot of action, but I was still enjoying it. There were several times where I questioned if I truly understood the story and the plot, but there are 2 chapters at the end which confirm how the virus works and I was happy to find out I understood it. The world building was really good,both the physical and the metaverse. I think that if you focus too much on the little details early on, like the structure of the United States, the highways etc. Then the book will be overwhelming and you won't want to continue, but once you get used to the style of writing, I feel like it is much easier to understand.however, the initial Introduction can be a little overwhelming. I really enjoyed the action scenes throughout the story and while the book did take me a while to finish, i'm very happy I did. I really enjoyed the the characters and the diversity in the book. I was surprised how much I really grew to enjoy raven. Fido is the literal best!

mitskacir's review against another edition

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2.0

This book was very slow and wearisome for me. Obviously the author had a lot of fun writing it, but it wasn't a lot of fun to read. There were some truly impressive parts of it, like the fact that this was written pre-internet and the interpretation of Sumerian lore, but mainly it was silly and confusing. There were a lot of racial stereotypes that detracted more than added to the world building. The pace picked up near the end, but was dominated by action/fight sequences which I don't enjoy, especially in text format.

lhirl's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

_rg's review against another edition

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4.0

Reading early days' Stephenson was enjoyable experience. This book was not as good as Cryptonomicon, at least to me. But it was good scifi with an elaborate, good story. And great world-building. Was amazed by it.

Loved the Sumerian background, too.