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!
Rating:  Summary: A fantastic ride Review: Reading the opening chapter of this novel is like reading an adrenaline rush. I didn't know such a thing was possible; now I am convinced that it is. The entire book is a fantastic trip - humorous and excellently constructed. Stephenson's language is captivating. Overall, a wonderful read - I highly recommend it (and I'm not normally a sci-fi or future type reader, either).
Rating:  Summary: Neal Stephenson at His Best Review: Hiro Protagonist, the book's main character, is what every young man wants to be. He's a high speed pizza deliveryman, hacker, and expert samurai swordsman. Unexpectedly steeped in a deadly mess of drugs, gangs, mythology, and religious fanaticism, he has to make sense of it all before his foes bring about the second "Infocalypse." Snow Crash is thought provoking in its use of mythology and vision of the commercialistic future, but still careful not to get bogged down by its own complexity. It never loses its pace for an instant.
Rating:  Summary: Don't read this review--read the book!!!!! Review: If you are a sci-fi fan, Neal Stephenson should already be one of your favorite authors. If you are, and he isn't, "Snow Crash" should be the next book on your reading list. The story takes place in a strange but not too distant future. Governments function in a completely different way. Virtual reality has reached the point where people can go clubbing and engage in sword fights on-line. Information is the most valuable currency. The Mafia runs the pizza-delivery business. The characters are some of the best I've come across in a while. Hiro Protagonist (terrible name, great character) is an Arfican American Samurai and computer geek. He crosses swords with a gangster/warlord named Dmitri Ravenoff--called Raven--who has weapons that leave people baffled for most of the book. Stephenson's development of all of his characters is incredible--besides these two, there are at least 3 others that you'll be in love with before the story's done. The story has everything you'd want--freaky plot, interesting historical anecdotes (where did the story of the Tower of Babel come from?), awesome characters, high-octane fight and chase scenes, and cool technology. If you don't read this....just don't read.
Rating:  Summary: At least as good as Gibson and better than Sterling Review: I first read this when it first came out, but after getting through Gibson's newest one, and since I found I didn't remember many of the details of _Snow Crash,_ it seemed time for a re-read. There are some interesting parallels between the world-setting and even the characters: Gibson and Stephenson both posit semi-anarchic worlds (Stephenson more so), both have teenage main characters who are couriers/messengers (Chevette on a bike, Y.T. on a skateboard), both have adult main characters who are out of the ordinary even in their native societies (Rydell is a rent-a-cop, Hiro is a freelance everything). But where Gibson has a quiet sort of delivery, almost like background music, Stephenson is often no-brakes, over the top. Neal brings in a lot of other very interesting narrative threads, too -- especially Sumerian mythology and neurolinguistic theory. And not to forget the notion of franchised mini-nations and the Mafia as a force for (relatively speaking) good. Hafta to make a note to re-read this one again in ten years. . . .
Rating:  Summary: Lightning fast, intriguing and hilarious Review: Stephenson combines fascinating vision with action and comedy beautifully. This book is awesome.
Rating:  Summary: A Bible for Cyberpunks Review: My favorite book of all time. This is reminiscent of all that I dreamed of when I watched TRON over and over again in 4th grade... And Stephenson put it on to paper. This metaverse will exist--he is a visionary! That aside, the book is an exceptionally easy read. I enjoy it enough that I have purchased 6 copies of the book...I recommend it so highly that I give my copy away and buy a new one, just so that other people will get into it....
Rating:  Summary: Another great Stephenson book Review: Great story. It jumps right in to the action, successfully intermingling the intro-type details into an action scene. Hiro Protagonist's Sumerian studies got a bit long in the tooth, but the cross-fades to Y.T.'s side of the story every now and then kept things rolling. I couldn't help but feel that the book was written with the intention of being easily converted into a movie -- unlike "Cryptonomicon" or "Diamond Age". This book is typical Stephenson: techno slant, good humor, lively characters, very granular descriptions of most everything. Unfortunately it also contains Stephenson's biggest flaw: the ending is way to short and very abrupt compaired to the flow of the rest of the book. He leaves issues unresolved and characters dangling. This must be deliberate, since he did the same thing with "Cryptonomicon", but it still gets to me a little bit.
Rating:  Summary: Adventurous Review: Hiro and Y.T. stop an attempt to take over the world and destroy all the hackers. I found Stephenson's "Snow crash" quite interesting and compelling, but somewhat haphazard. The parts about linguistics and some of the other asides are fascinating and insightful, but don't always seem to be woven into the story in the best fashion. Still, it's a great read overall.
Rating:  Summary: One of my all time top 30 Sci Fi Review: Stephenson is sometimes a tough read, but the strange style and interwoven shotgun plots draw you in. This book and Diamond Age are two of my favorites. If you want an easy read, save this for a different day, but it is worth the effort!! Enjoy. ..I also like Niven, Steele, Sawyer, Brin, ..... So you know if your tastes are similar.
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