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A review by apurpleyuan
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
4.0
Concept/Plot: Thought provoking. I loved the pseudo-mythology/computer science mix, and the vivid world-building of each enclave and the Metaverse. The idea of being able to "hack" into a person's brain through the neurolinguistic deep structures of the brain is always intriguing, and although the concept is a little strange. I felt like you couldn't look at any one concept too closely, or things would fall apart on a practical level; it would definitely benefit from a deeper understand of exactly how the Metavirus worked, and why Asherah was the only virus that also had a biological component (and how exactly the nam-shub of Enki would prevent transmission). That being said, the main premise and concepts of the book were definitely its strongest points.
Style: I enjoyed the back and forth chapters between YT's action chapters and Hiro's 'discovery' chapters, which were heavy on the exposition. However, the pacing was sometimes a little slow, and Stephenson often introduces topics without explaining why they are important. The book definitely builds, but when you're at the beginning and you're being introduced to small concepts it might seem a little slow.
I detracted 1 star because the book feels complete and incomplete at the same time, and both in not a good way. The ending felt a little rushed and perhaps a little sudden, especially since all the villains seem get be wrapped up neatly... perhaps too neatly. At the same time, there are a lot of concepts that are unexplained or not explored. Why is the US full of self-governed enclaves? What happened to Da5id, Hiro's friend? Rife is also disappointing as a villain; his motivation was just to control the world? Boring and practically 2-dimensional.
Style: I enjoyed the back and forth chapters between YT's action chapters and Hiro's 'discovery' chapters, which were heavy on the exposition. However, the pacing was sometimes a little slow, and Stephenson often introduces topics without explaining why they are important. The book definitely builds, but when you're at the beginning and you're being introduced to small concepts it might seem a little slow.
I detracted 1 star because the book feels complete and incomplete at the same time, and both in not a good way. The ending felt a little rushed and perhaps a little sudden, especially since all the villains seem get be wrapped up neatly... perhaps too neatly. At the same time, there are a lot of concepts that are unexplained or not explored. Why is the US full of self-governed enclaves? What happened to Da5id, Hiro's friend? Rife is also disappointing as a villain; his motivation was just to control the world? Boring and practically 2-dimensional.