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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
The first third was incredible! Such stunningly detailed worldbuilding. Stephenson really pulled out all the stops in his reimagining of a future Shanghai. Everything he could have developed, was developed, a fact that I was truly appreciative of, in light of the dearth of well-developed YA dystopian lit being published lately to feed what appears to be simply the latest "hot trend" in YA publishing. How sad.
Unfortunately, like many other adult books I have had problems with, I felt like worldbuilding was great at the expense of other, equally important factors of a story, like characters and plot. I didn't connect to the characters, and furthermore, there was such a lack of engaging plot that it unfortunately made it all too easy for me to put the book down halfway through, just as the pace was (finally) starting to pick up, because the emergence of an actual plot felt so *weird* halfway through the book that I was extremely discomfited. Why aren't there more books that don't have fantastic worldbuilding / characters / plot at the expense of worldbuilding / characters / plot? Is it too much to ask for literature that doesn't scrimp on any of these essential literary elements?
Unfortunately, like many other adult books I have had problems with, I felt like worldbuilding was great at the expense of other, equally important factors of a story, like characters and plot. I didn't connect to the characters, and furthermore, there was such a lack of engaging plot that it unfortunately made it all too easy for me to put the book down halfway through, just as the pace was (finally) starting to pick up, because the emergence of an actual plot felt so *weird* halfway through the book that I was extremely discomfited. Why aren't there more books that don't have fantastic worldbuilding / characters / plot at the expense of worldbuilding / characters / plot? Is it too much to ask for literature that doesn't scrimp on any of these essential literary elements?
I've got to be honest I was expecting more Snow Crash but from what I gather, Snow Crash’s pace and more linear focus is the exception among Stephenson’s stories.
World building is the name of the game here which is fine except every character through which we view this world seems to be boring. Or a prick. Or a boring prick. That might just be my experience but somehow this Incredible Technology that everyone is scrapping over just seems to be lost in the weeds of old dickheads appreciating each other’s vibe. Like OKAY I guess but is dull men gladhanding each other still going to be a thing in Crazy Nanotech Future because if so I gotta go.
Ultimately I got tired of the story flipping between multiple plots and characters that were failing to cement themselves in my heart or mind.
Stephenson creates worlds I want to live in (or at least visit) - his attention to detail is a joy to absorb. The story itself meanders and gets lost in the scaffolding of all the world building, though.
I also wasn't a fan of the weird sex cult aspect of the end game. Not sure why it had to go there.
But, overall, a good read.
I also wasn't a fan of the weird sex cult aspect of the end game. Not sure why it had to go there.
But, overall, a good read.
If this book had been half its length and twice as emotional, I would have loved it. As is, it's a really fun read, and definitely has intense complexity that I could only dream of mimicking. Nell is a wonderful heroine (coincidence that the author's name is just one letter off?), and the concept of the Primer is fantastic. That said, I could have done with more dialogue, more actual emotion from the young protagonist, and less bulk.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
I loved a lot of the ideas of this book. The futuristic versions of 3d printing, the internet, interactive storytelling, and new media devices are all the more impressive for a book from 1995. I had picked this book up because I was intrigued by the idea of an artificial intelligence raising a child, but even though the story has an AI device that's essential to the plot, the nature of that device as AI (vs. maybe a person doing the same thing) isn't critical to the story.
The last tenth of the book or so really came out of nowhere, and while I'm not sure what would have been a better conclusion to the story of the first part of the book, I have the nagging feeling that this ending wasn't quite it.
Still, overall enjoyable and the late-stage shift wasn't a disaster. I'd recommend this if you're looking for some smart sci-fi that questions the nature of society with a dose of futuristic sex and bloodshed thrown in for good measure.
The last tenth of the book or so really came out of nowhere, and while I'm not sure what would have been a better conclusion to the story of the first part of the book, I have the nagging feeling that this ending wasn't quite it.
Still, overall enjoyable and the late-stage shift wasn't a disaster. I'd recommend this if you're looking for some smart sci-fi that questions the nature of society with a dose of futuristic sex and bloodshed thrown in for good measure.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Rather fascinating. There were times when I felt it was rather over my head, but I think I had similar feelings with Snowcrash. I'm most interested in the world created and how it seems an opposite of steampunk.