Rating: 
Summary: Fast-paced, Jam-packed, and Well-Researched
Review: All I can say is that if you are not "The Matrix" sort of person, then you won't like this book. Bits and pieces from theology, archeology, anthropology, computer science, and linguistics rolled into one. Interesting theory about the connection of the demise of the Sumerian culture and the Bible's Tower of Babel. Cultural nuances depicted in the novel is so accurate. Definitely a different twist into the realm of science fiction... most probably because he started to do research for a computer game and not a novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Welcome to Exposition- Population One
Review: After reading "Cryptonomicon" and "The Big U" I'm convinced that Neal Stephenson is one of the greatest satirists in print today. Picture a Michael Crichton with interesting characters and a smart-a** sense of humor. "Snow Crash" opens with the same kind of hilarious thrill that those other novels contained. We're given a world turned around, mixed up, inside out... Suburbs are armed nation-states. Pizza delivery is the most ambitious career in the United States. It is a joy. So, what happened? In his notes, Shephenson states that he intended "Snow Crash" to be a one-of-a-kind computer-generated graphic novel, but the techonology fell through and he went back to writing a regular novel. This makes sense because "Snow Crash" feels pristine on the outside, hollow within. Stephenson creates such a weird and incredible world that he has to spend too much time explaining it to us while the plot stalls. And there isn't much plot to begin with. Hiro Protagonist is out to stop a psycho who about to infect the world with an "information" virus. The plot moves in spurts, but Stephenson resorts too often to a tired technique that he is far above- using character dialogue to roll out expository info. In one fragmented sequence, Hiro learns about the origins of the virus from a virtual reality guide. Problem? As good as Stephenson's research into Ancient Sumaria is, 100 pages of exposition is a sloppy mistake. "Snow Crash" is never boring, but it is a fascinating failure.
Rating:
Summary: In a word- Whoa
Review: Perhaps the best Cyber Punk novel of all time. The setting is a near future world where Pizza Delivory is a life or death thing, the government is made up of independent corporations and teritorys,ther are no laws, and you can get killed on the internet. The plot is as vivid as the setting, with a good deal of violence but not without thought. The charicters include Hiro Protagonist- a sword wielding hacker/pizza deliverer/all around badass, Y.T- a sexy kourier who skates boards at 100mph, and Raven- An 8foot mutant with a Hydrogen bomb. The book also has alot to offer if you like learning something when you read, inclueding research on religion, mythology and computers. It also has several funny/discusting/awsome parts involving swords and guns but I wont spoil anything. If you like Sci-fi/cyberpunk read this book. If you don't-read it anyway! Have fun!
Rating: 
Summary: Boy's Own Adventure Fails to Impress Smart Chick
Review: I don't know why people everywhere - and I don't mean to be sexist but particularly men - are going crazy for this book. Except that it has all the attributes of a supermodel. No, really. It has great bones, Sumerian bones to be precise and Neal Stephenson comes up with a lovely social structure, fabulous underpinnings and rationalisations that make cyberheads pant with desire to live with. But when it opens its mouth puleeeeasse. Particularly painful is its treatment of women: sexy but too young. Unattractive but brainy. A woman who is a genius, but whose Metaverse wielding friends consign her to designing faces - this is one lady who hit the glass ceiling with a huge smack. Not to forget frumpy old mum, who doesn't mind sadistic humiliation at the hands of a Government agency, just for the chance to type until her eyes fall out. [...] Try "Vurt" or "Pollen" by Jeff Noon if you want some really elegant futuristic writing. Nobody takes a supermodel to dinner to listen to her speak.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books ever!
Review: It changed my life! No it didn't. But it was still an incredible book. With a wonderfully funny, refreshing, and yet awfully frightening depiction of the near future, this book is hard to put down. It also has a healthy dose of Sumerian mythology (any book that doesn't should be burned), enough theology to make the Pope's head spin (which might be kinda cool, I mean with that big hat and all, if you dipped it in ink, you could make some cool spirographs) and plenty of techno-jargon for the techies out there who are lookin' to buy some jargon (and can't get any through the traditional jargon barns). And let's talk characters. I love 'em all, except that Raven guy, who's a real jerk. You care what happens to these people (except for Raven), and man, I wish I had a nuclear powered pooch like Ng does. Okay people, bottom line is this: Informative cyberpunk with a sense of humor and a little theological pondering is what you get, and you should buy it (only from Amazon, I should add, cuz Amazon's the best!)................ The person who wrote the rather distasteful review below urges you to read William Gibson instead. Don't!! I have and it's the one thing I regret more than what I did yesterday. Thank you for reading this review.
Rating:
Summary: Control Alt Delete Restart
Review: To the extent that a book can be described as original, "Snow Crash", by Neal Stephenson is deserving of the moniker. About the only common ground that his work shares with others is that ink is applied to paper using the same letters, and then pages are bound to create a book. Much beyond that and you are in the midst of this Author's view of a given world he has modified and created. He is not only incredibly unique; his wit passes the cutting edge to the bleeding edge of razor sharp sarcasm, and irony. And when he uses words he assembles them in arrangements you have never listened to before. An important aspect that sets his work apart in this genre is that while delivering enormous amounts of information, he keeps the reader informed, he does not lose you, he ensures you stay with his wickedly fast pace by keeping you educated. Other Authors of Science Fiction are weak on this point, and it weakens their books. One date to remember when reading this work is that it was first released in June of 1992 after three years in the making. This is critical, as so much of what was absolute fiction then, may now be found within the pages of Wired Magazine. There are even words he originated that are common to most people who use a computer, especially if you have ever tried what he calls the Metaverse, touring it as an Avatar. One of the reasons his work is so authentic and exceptionally good is that he knows his material. If he talks about code he's qualified, as he has written it. When he is speaking of Sumerian Mythology an Author who spent years researching his material is again relating it. And when he just lets go with dialogue or descriptive prose it is mind binding for being clever, unique, and hilarious. He also has raised sardonic prose to an art form. If he were any less a craftsman, a main character named Hiro Protagonist that at one point delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo's Cosa Nostra Pizzeria, would be moronic. Technology, a version of what today's society might look like one day, viruses that share traits whether attacking a human or a silicon life form, the origins of language based on Biblical text, it just never stops. He is an extraordinary artist who chooses to express his art through words. It is a unique ride if you have yet to take it, and one that you will never forget.
Rating:
Summary: Context
Review: This book obviously has its faults and strong points. It is helpful however, to consider the context the book was written in. I am not sure I even had my first 486sx with 2MB of RAM when this book came out. The Internet was virtually unheard of, and BBSs were all the rage. Anyone remember 2400 baud modems? The book is a grand experimentation, and how each of you judge its results depends on when you read the book and your cultural background. For a 7th grader, this book was amazing. At the time, I had nothing to compare it with. It had action, it had technology, and it had Sumerian myths (whose debatable validity others mentioned). I eventually ended up going to my local research library in 8th grade to dig up a copy of one of the translations that Stephenson mentioned. It exists, and it is a fascinating read on a subject few probably know about. It is impossible to go back in time and read Snow Crash in the context it was originally published. The best one can do is to give Stephenson the benefit of the doubt, but also judge the book objectively on its merits in comparison to its lineage and peers. The stars speak for themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Excellent book. I finished it in less than a day, unable to put it down. While the writing and storyline are simply amazing, I did not care much about the language. The same effect could have been accomplished without the foul language. I recommend it to anyone interesting in quality sci-fi
Rating:
Summary: Awesome! Quite an exciting ride!
Review: The cyberpunk book I am reading (Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, the first novel by the guy who wrote Cryptonomicon, about which I raved so much) has a character making the conjecture that the deutoronomists came up with the codification of the law into scripture in order to make the Hebrew people immune from the virus of Asherah worship. The point being that Asherah worship is a virus that is not good for people, like a disease, but that the Hebrew religion (as codified by the Deuteronomists), being the first rational religion, brings immunity from the pre-rational religions (and the pre-rational religions work by actually re-wiring people's brains). Cool concept, isn't it? This all comes about because in the book is a bad guy who created a weird Christian religion mixing Jesus and Elvis, but which, apparently, actually is a virus that spreads easily from one person to another, and which includes the speaking of tongues, but quite possibly the tongue they are speaking is Sumerian, leading back to the Asherah worship thing, and our protagonist must work to stop the virus from spreading. Fascinating modes of thinking this Neal Stephenson has, and brilliant writing. Not just some great philosophy, but he has a wonderful way of describing scenes, and can be hilariously funny at times. This is a must read book, for fans of any genre, but it is simply too good not to read.
Rating:
Summary: Simply intriguing...
Review: I picked up this book beacause I saw an interview of Neal on ZDTV. They were talking about his "crypto.." book and they mentioned Snow Crash. I read reviews and bough the book. I don't read a lot, but I couldn't put this one down. I read it in one week on vacation. Being in the computer industry made this even better because the technology Neal writes about does seem like it could happen any day, and makes sense. I read Diamond Age after this. It was ok, but not another Snow Crash. I'm waiting for the next Stephenson masterpiece!
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