Rating: 
Summary: The Big Ewwwwww
Review: I've now read all of Stephenson except his Stephen Bury books and Quicksilver. He is undeniably a brilliant author and great storyteller. However, this early work displays all of Stephenson's faults in full bloom while merely hinting at his strengths. As always, Stephenson writes a bang-up beginning. Those are always his strengths, he then is typically weak with endings and holding the plot together. Unfortunately in his first novel here the threads of the plot escape his reins quickly and run out of control. There are some funny bits in this alleged satire, such as the M.A. and philosophy Ph.D. cement-truck drivers. However the satire quickly escalates into sheer lunacy, and becomes so ludicrous that it loses effect. One other problem is the jarring change from 3rd person to 1st person that occurs from time to time in the book. The narrator of the book is a participant, albeit a very passive and seldom seen participant. The change of perspective from straight 3rd person to a sentence beginning with "I" really takes the reader out of the story. Add to these problems the apparent Boston University in-jokes and the good things in this novel are vastly overshadowed. There may be a good Stephenson story in here, but it needed much tighter editing. Luckily for us all, Stephenson got much much better. If you must see his genesis as a writer, read this, if you aren't interested in his development as a writer give it a big pass.
Rating:
Summary: Good thing he's improved...
Review: The first novel written by Stephenson, and it's a satire on college dorm life. Pointless, rambling, and bizarre. It's a good thing he's improved his writing over the years, as this one stunk.
Rating:
Summary: You've Gotta Start Somewhere
Review: Stephenson has admitted that this first novel of his is a bit rough. For fans of the author, however, this is still an interesting read as it provides glimpses into the foundations upon which his career was later built. Like his later work, this novel contains several interesting tangents, and lovable, geeky characters with whom many of us can identify. The story lacks a uniform flow, however, and leaves the reader annoyed by missing links in many places.
Rating: 
Summary: Dante's University
Review: The title should have been Dante's U, as the world Stephenson describes seems to fall deeper into the hell we knew as college. Quite frankly, the only reason this book is of interest is because of Stephenson's later works. I don't know how anyone can take this book seriously or say it has much to do with college in the eigthies. There is so much material from the eighties college experience and this book barely scratches the surface. It starts as a slightly over the top skewering life on the big campus, but to stick to the book's themes, the story turns into one huge (and not so funny) acid trip. The second half of the book is so over the top, nuclear waste, giant rats, and submachine gun toting heroes that it lost all sense of 'fun' or satire. One can see a little genesis of his later writings, especially 'Zodiac', but anyone who is not a fan of Stephenson's is going to be rolling their eyeballs and wondering how he made the huge leap from this to outstanding 'Snow Crash'.
Rating: 
Summary: Fool on the Hill With a Rocket Launcher
Review: After a long hiatus, Neal Stephenson's first novel is back, and, having read it, I see not good reason why it was out of print for so long. It's certainly amusing enough and should be a big hit among geeks, and the weaknesses the book has are not all that much worse than what Stephenson's other books prior to _Cryptonomicon_ suffered from. Somewhat reminiscent of Matt Ruff's _Fool on the Hill_, _The Big U_ is set around dueling subcultures in an university setting. Characteristic for Stephenson, we get technological implausibilities instead of Ruff's magical realism, the characters have plenty of attitude and a good deal of senseless violence, and the geek subculture is lovingly portrayed. Like many of Stephenson's novels, the end of _The Bug U_ is not quite as brilliant as the beginning. Also, the first person narrator is not one of the strong points of the book. Still, this is overall a highly amusing book and strongly recommended if you liked any other Stephenson novel.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good start for an otherwise great author.
Review: I picked up this book at the library after reading Snow Crash and Diamond Age. Even the Neal Stephenson completist should consider not buying this book. It's poorly written and was left out-of-print for so long for a good reason. I highly reccommend anything else by this author, though.
Rating:
Summary: Stephenson doesn't pull it off
Review: I would've read The Big U even if it had been universally panned. Ever since I read Snow Crash -- one of the most influential science fiction novels of the last 20 years -- Stephenson has been my favorite author. I love audacious satire, and the fact that Stephenson and I are of similar age and share many interests doesn't hurt.
Although there are some funny moments, and although I know a fair amount about circa-1980 campus life at B.U. (because my wife went there), I didn't care for this book. Most of the characters were one-dimensional, the satire wasn't particularly deft, and the plot wasn't nearly as compelling as Stephenson's later novels.
The best moments in The Big U have to do with recognizing B.U.-inspired material. If you don't know about John Silber or the Citgo sign or the flaming couch, or if you aren't a true Stephenson devotee, I doubt you'll enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Ought to be required reading
Review: Every kid who thinks that college is all about partying (as well as every financial aid office, registrar, and administrator) should have to read this book. If you're looking for Snow Crash II or Snow Crash the Prequel, forget it. This is much closer to the present. If you've ever been screwed around with at college, or torn at your hair because frat pledges pulled the fire alarm again, or felt like a number, then read this book and read it now. Chances are, your experience wasn't quite as bad as the characters' in this book.
Rating:
Summary: avoid this book
Review: This is a pretty much uninteresting and entirely straight forward story by an author who is a genius of cyberpunk. I bought it on his reputation. Don't you do the same.
Rating: 
Summary: A Thoroughly Entertaining Trip to College
Review: Although there was one facet of the book that I didn't like (the fact that you enter a Live Action Role-Playing game without warning and you feel like you have somehow become lost in another world, and desperately look for a way back to where you came from -- Don't worry, it clears itself up), this was an extremely entertaining postmodern romp through a college of dubious worth. The Big U is a college that is entirely self-contained within six square blocks, and houses some of the most believable anarchy and chaos since Greg Rucka's Batman - No Man's Land. Plus, you cannot beat the humor value of a prominent professor and the president of the college walking around a corner to the cafeteria, carrying guns, no less, only to run into a small, but heavily armored tank, that has been built by the local Geek Club. I highly recommend this book, as it is entertaining, thought-provoking, and a schizophrenic romp through your own college days. Harkius
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