Rating: 
Summary: RadiKally different book...
Review: In keeping with my personal philosophy of exposing myself to different literary genres, I picked up a copy of Snow Crash -- a cyber punk novel. It's a different experience when you start out. You're not sure whether you're missing some background information or a special dictionary to go through the book. It starts off at a fast pace and uses words like Burbclaves, Franchulates, Kouriers, pooning, loglo, etc. Our protagonist is called Hiro Protagonist, a pizza deliverer for the Mafia-controlled pizza chain Cosa Nostra, who also happens to be a hacker supreme in the Metaverse and greatest sword fighter in the world.Did you do a double take on what I just said? If you did, welcome to the world of cyber punk. If you didn't, welcome to the world of cyber punk. The author has to lay down the groundrules of his "future world" while at the same time using that as a foundation to tell a story. (Everyone's vision of the future is different.) This novel will be very different from the others you've read. It is erratically paced. The action scenes from riding a skateboard to sword fighting are exciting and fast. The scenes in Hiro's office figuring out the mystery of Snow Crash with the Librarian is slow and sometime downright boring, preachy and dull. The plot is really simple. Once the dynamic duo of Y.T. and Hiro determine what Snow Crash is, the rest of the plot is predictable. The seemingly self-contradicting characters in this novel alone make it worth reading. Y.T. has real spunk. Her attitude is that of a typical carefree 15 year old rebel. She delivers packages on her hi-tech skateboard while keeping it a secret from her mom (a government programmer). Her dialogue is true to her character. Hiro is at times a curt, savage and indifferent person, yet at other times a loquacious, compassionate and loyal friend. His dialogue and actions display both extremes. Raven is described as Asian, but in reality he's a giant thug. There are many other characters that complete the book. Two weeks ago, if you asked me whether I'd pick up another cyber punk novel again I would have answered no. But lo and behold, I'm finishing up The Diamond Age by the same author, and I thoroughly enjoy it so far. Look for my review to come. All in all, I did enjoy this novel. It was a great intro to the world of cyber punk. LEAP rating (each out of 5):
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L (Language) - 3.5 (Hiro wavers, Y.T.'s a blast)
E (Erotica) - 2 (one scene sticks out)
A (Action) - 4 (pooning, katana-wielding, Reason)
P (Plot) - 3 (simple, just complicated by cyber punk lingo and the "future")
Rating:
Summary: If You Haven't Read This Yet, It's Not Too Late...
Review: Ten years ago, Neal Stephenson wrote Snow Crash, a book that is still considered a definitive work in the field of Virtual Reality Multi-User Worlds. This is the book that has and will continue to shape developments in VR; it is unlikely that you will find anyone in the VR field that has not read and been influenced by this book. Unfortunately, this book is only available now in a larger print format in paperback at a substantially higher price than many people are willing to pay... you won't find a trade paperback for sale that is brand new because that version seems to be out of print. I know because I've looked.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read
Review: For anyone who is not familiar with the cyber punk genre, it's probably better to read William Gibson's Neuromancer before reading this book; the characters in both books live in a very strange world, and it will take a little time to get used to it. But once you start reading Snow Crash, you will not want to put it down. It has a very wild, but interesting plot. I do think that the book ended too abruptly. But overall, this is a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Blast.
Review: OK, the genre is passe. (yeah right) Fact is that some of the most exciting writers in the past 10 or 20 years have cut their teeth on it.Speed and pacing to rival Gibson and a wicked sense of humor, this book is a tour de force of the absurd logical conclusion! Like Gibson and Sterling? Gotta read this one.
Rating: 
Summary: greatest story ever told!
Review: the cover illustration is okay but could be better. i have not had the chance to read it yet so i'll just give 3 stars, plus or minus 2.....
Rating:
Summary: Utterly cool sci-fi...
Review: Cyberpunk sci-fi is usually good, but it sometimes has a sense of self-importance to it that can be off-putting. Not so with Stephenson. There is nothing self-important to his writing. Instead, he is wry and witty. The hero (named Hiro!) is cool, the setting is funky and the story churns along without a hiccup. SNOWCRASH is easily one of the most enjoyable sci-fi novels I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Above average page turner - good airplane reading
Review: Most of the premises of this book were familiar to me already from reading William Gibson, so I cannot say that it struck me as particularly original in any way. The Metaverse, privatization run amok, corporatization of organized crime, even the treatment of Sumerian myth (which was interesting, though it could have been presented in a more artful way than a 40 page discussion between the protagonist and a research librarian) is a conceit that Gibson had previously used (although in Gibson's case, of course, it was voodoo mythology). Stephenson's writing style is certainly enjoyable, and it was pleasant reading straight through. I read it in one sitting (a very long flight), and found that I was never bored. Still, one gets the impression that, especially at certain points later on in the book, Stephenson was virtually racing through prose in an effort to make plot elements come together, a task which he really did not accomplish. Stylistically he often makes up for the plot defects (which with a modicum of suspension of disbelief are really not that bad anyhow), but at points the writing becomes quite uneven and the level of detail and discussion very thin. This perhaps points to the author having bitten off more, plotwise, than he could chew. Still, I'd certainly recommend this as airplane reading. As a sort of cross between Neuromancer and Illuminatus, how bad could it be, after all? But if you put any more effort into it than that, or have higher expectations than just an enjoyable romp, you could come away disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Thought Provoking.
Review: Ever wonder what capitalism is doing to us? Ever wonder why so many languages are so similar? Ever think about what people say, how they say it, and what they really mean? If you answered yes, then you are in luck because so does Neil Stephenson. And he did a little research on the subject and came up with a wonderful tale. Not since Ayn Rand has there been an author that has woven a philosophical message so well with a piece of fiction. From page one you will want to keep up with Hiro Protagonist and his neo-skater friend. The Mafia will keep you guessing, and the government... well, I can't ruin everything for you. It is one of those books that you read through because you want to know what happens to the characters and when you are done, you have a whole new outlook on life that you didn't realize was being given to you. The outstanding writing and the wonderful characters all add to the readability. If you like to think or you just like a good read, this book will not let you down.
Rating:
Summary: Visionary and Adolescent
Review: This book is visionary, adolescent, misguided, overwritten, funny, thought provoking, eclectic, and absolutely, positively brilliant. Don't give up if you find the first 50-100 pages difficult or odd (almost everyone does) -- this is essential reading for anyone with even a passing interest in computing.
Rating:
Summary: Complicated mythology, but great ideas
Review: I must confess that this book was giving me some hard moments to digest. Although English is not my native tongue, I needed to concentrate pretty hard to understand some of the things in the book.
I still have trouble I guess with the Sumer mythology parts, but overall I found the book a very enjoyable read. Whoever is interested in modern cyberpunk science fiction should read it.
First of all because it is very picturesque and always have surpises until the end. Generically I expected the science fiction ideas to be introduced first and then used throughout the book, describing this new world, but Stephenson always kept on adding some extra ingredients as the story unfolded. Every page is crammed with thoughts to digest, it is not a book you can read during a weekend. The book was compared to Neuromancer (William Gibson), but I liked this one much better because of its fresh ideas about the society (franchises - e.g. Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong), technology (e.g - the Rat Thing) and perfect villain (Raven). Now I look forward to read some of his other books too. Go ahead and boggle your mind a bit with Snow Crash, it is great fun!
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