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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
funny
Good, seminal, but some things feel dated and it hasn't held up as well as some other cult classics.
Well, the ending was abrupt and there were some characterizations that were too subtle/out of the blue, I think, but it felt like it was just part of Stephenson's writing style. I bought in to the setting hard, and that was ultimately what sold me. I'm a character reader but I enjoyed the setting more than the characters in this one. Only other complaint was the two straight chapters of exposition about things that were NOT too subtle to have already picked up in their entirety.
Man, this is definitely one of the books of all time.
Snow Crash was recommended to me by a friend as “essential for Gibson heads”, and while I can see the similarities in the worlds both Gibson and Stephenson have depicted, the writing styles they employ are almost polar opposites, or perhaps two sides of the same coin. While Gibson’s writing is gritty and realistic, Stephenson’s writing is plain cartoonish. It’s hard to describe if you haven’t read it, but there are many passages in this book that read just like the front page of a 90s text book; a radical skateboarder doing a melon grab over a pool of geometrical vaporwave shapes with the words “WOW!” and “SCIENCE!” blasted over head in a jagged sound bubble. That’s pretty much the gist of this book. One thing I kind of prefer about Stephenson is his sense of coherence. The plot of Snow Crash is far more outrageous and unbelievable than anything in the Sprawl Trilogy, but I never felt like I was lost or confused. It’s impressive considering the amount of shifting between characters and real world vs metaverse happenings.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the bold writing style and the imaginative world building, but the pacing and character development left a lot to be desired. Hiro went from being a slacker hacker pizza delivery guy living in a storage unit to being a Jason Bourne level action hero in the span of a few chapters, and by the end of the book it felt like he simply became a vessel for the author to carry out his will. Apparently (after discussing the book with friends) this was intentional, as it was supposed to be a “parody” of cyberpunk literature, but it really didn’t read that way to me, and that context doesn’t change the way I feel about it at all. I actually much preferred Y.T.’s character. In fact, my favourite parts of this book in general were the parts that fully gave in to the futuristic skateboard fantasy of Y.T. surfing traffic by harpooning vehicles as if they were wild animals.
Where this book really took me by surprise was how deep it went into language and religious philosophy. While the curious side of my brain actually enjoyed these chapters where Hiro was essentially just getting history lessons, they felt a little shoehorned in and unnecessary. The story would have been just as good if the Snow Crash virus was just a regular ass computer virus. Having to go back in time and get a college degree to explain the origin of the virus did not actually make the plot any more interesting. Alas, the way the book switched back and forth between these very grounded history lessons and then back to pure techno fantasy was amusing to say the least. So, despite the choppy character development, semi poor pacing and a plot that was just all over the map, this was still a highly entertaining read that was well worth the time.
Snow Crash was recommended to me by a friend as “essential for Gibson heads”, and while I can see the similarities in the worlds both Gibson and Stephenson have depicted, the writing styles they employ are almost polar opposites, or perhaps two sides of the same coin. While Gibson’s writing is gritty and realistic, Stephenson’s writing is plain cartoonish. It’s hard to describe if you haven’t read it, but there are many passages in this book that read just like the front page of a 90s text book; a radical skateboarder doing a melon grab over a pool of geometrical vaporwave shapes with the words “WOW!” and “SCIENCE!” blasted over head in a jagged sound bubble. That’s pretty much the gist of this book. One thing I kind of prefer about Stephenson is his sense of coherence. The plot of Snow Crash is far more outrageous and unbelievable than anything in the Sprawl Trilogy, but I never felt like I was lost or confused. It’s impressive considering the amount of shifting between characters and real world vs metaverse happenings.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the bold writing style and the imaginative world building, but the pacing and character development left a lot to be desired. Hiro went from being a slacker hacker pizza delivery guy living in a storage unit to being a Jason Bourne level action hero in the span of a few chapters, and by the end of the book it felt like he simply became a vessel for the author to carry out his will. Apparently (after discussing the book with friends) this was intentional, as it was supposed to be a “parody” of cyberpunk literature, but it really didn’t read that way to me, and that context doesn’t change the way I feel about it at all. I actually much preferred Y.T.’s character. In fact, my favourite parts of this book in general were the parts that fully gave in to the futuristic skateboard fantasy of Y.T. surfing traffic by harpooning vehicles as if they were wild animals.
Where this book really took me by surprise was how deep it went into language and religious philosophy. While the curious side of my brain actually enjoyed these chapters where Hiro was essentially just getting history lessons, they felt a little shoehorned in and unnecessary. The story would have been just as good if the Snow Crash virus was just a regular ass computer virus. Having to go back in time and get a college degree to explain the origin of the virus did not actually make the plot any more interesting. Alas, the way the book switched back and forth between these very grounded history lessons and then back to pure techno fantasy was amusing to say the least. So, despite the choppy character development, semi poor pacing and a plot that was just all over the map, this was still a highly entertaining read that was well worth the time.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Absolutely amazing. Breathtaking, and yet frightening all at the same time.
And still, amazing.
And still, amazing.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ahead of its time adventure. YT a standout. Hilarious dialogue and situations gearing toward a surprising end. Lengthy As You Know, Bob moments should be removed, easy to skip over.
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No