Rating: 
Summary: Good but not brilliant
Review: Many people told me this was a revolutionary book but I don't think so. I liked the book - although the "virtual" space it describes is kind of nonsense (at my technical point of view) and can even look old-fashioned nowadays (it's simply the same thing that ActiveWorld offered, and that I think the next "The Sims" will offer - virtual 3d cities and stuff) - and though it was good as entertainment, but sometimes the story stops getting good where it could be marvelous. Some parts of the book seem to be influenced by "Musashi" or the "Shogun" books, but they don't have the same depth as the originals.
Rating: 
Summary: A Rare Accomplishment In the Genre
Review: NOTE: I wrote a review of this novel a couple of months ago, but it was never posted. I won't speculate on the reason or reasons why (although I have my suspicions), but I promise to be a good little Phrodoe this time out. Onward: Snow Crash is an astonishing, clever, funny, suspenseful work of the imagination. I've read a couple of Neal Stephenson's books (Cryptonomicon and The Diamoind Age, both of which I highly reccommend), and I still think this is his best novel. In Snow Crash, a part-time hacker, information-scrounge, and delivery boy for Uncle Enzo's Cosa Nostra Pizzerias, and full-time Metaverse (virtual reality) samurai named Hiro Protagonist (one of the best names since Billy Pilgrim!), is slowly drawn into a mystery involving a virus program called Snow Crash, which is claiming not only the computers but the minds on hackers the world over, including Hiro's best friend. Who is behind all this, and what it has to do with Sumerian mythology and the hard-wiring of the human language centers is what Hiro must find out, while at the same time he attempts to prevent the further spread of the Snow Crash virus. Along the way he falls in with a skateboard punk named Y.T., who is more instrumental to the story than might first be suggested, and who is the novel's most intriguing character, if only because her investigations are almost more revealing than Hiro's are -- in fact, Hiro comes off as a bit of a cypher compared to her. But I digress. All of these events take place in Stephenson's richly- imagined near-future, where the American government has become a tight-sphinctered, half-failed corporation, while corporations have become governments, and a multimedia mogul has cobbled together a vast fleet of refugee boats from various countries, in the most questionable act of philanthropy since Ted Turner tried to buy the UN. There are also gated communities that are not just gated but practically self-contained universes. And then there is the Metaverse...Stephenson's delightful extrapolation of the Internet, where you can be anyone you want to be, whether that person is yourself or someone else, within reasonable limits of course. The Metaverse is also as overloaded with advertising as the 'net is, and it was Stephenson's clever description of M.V. ads that really hooked me on this book for good (not that I needed much more persuasion at that point). The Metaverse, and the weird, wired world which surrounds it, are both so enthrallingly, memorably...I was going to say realistically, but perhaps a better term would be surrealistically, rendered, that reading about it is one of the novel's high points. Every moment of Snow Crash, practically, is full of mystery, intrigue, brightly-drawn (for the most part) characters, and humor. Oh, didn't I mention that Stephenson is a bloody riot to read? The man is a futurist-humorist-satirist of the first caliber...I would say worthy of Vonnegut, but that's pretty lofty company, and probably not entirely accurate. yet Stephenson comes darned close, and he, along with Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain, and Douglas Adams, is one of the few authors who can make me laugh right out loud, so mordantly witty is his stuff. But Stephenson is also more than a wit, as the clever premise behind Snow Crash suggests. His concept, that human consciousness and language concepts are as programmable as any computer, is as intelligently-reasoned as any science-fiction concept I've ever come across, and one which would later be revisited, reexplored, and expanded upon by Greg Bear in Darwin's Radio (see my review, he said in a shameless plug), although Bear added some wrinkles even Stephenson didn't think of. And in linking his concept back to both the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel, and to the Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish, Stephenson creates a tapestry of invention that few writers in my experience have been able to equal, all told elegantly in Stephenson's supple, muscular prose. And if none of what I've written here convinces you to pick up Snow Crash, maybe this will: There is a tendency in science-fiction for writers to create improbable post-apocalypse dystopias (i.e., The Matrix, Mad Max, or any one of a hundred bad stories written by good writers -- even the great Harlan Ellison has written his share), and in my opinion such stories are not only ill-conceived but also a cheat. It's easy to imagine a post-apocalyptic world (where there seems to be all the gasoline, computer time, and electric energy available, no matter how wretched the rest of the world has become) -- in fact, it's too easy, which is part of the problem. Show me instead a far more difficult feat...instead of a blue-sky approximation of the post-apocalypse, show me how the world is GOING to end. That is what Vonnegut has done time and again (cf. "Harrison Bergeron" and the novel Slaughterhouse Five), and that is pretty much what Stephenson is doing with Snow Crash. He isn't worried about the post-apocalypse...but rather, about the aptly-named Infocalypse which may be happening all around us even now, right under our noses. And that, above all else, is why I love Snow Crash so much. It is rare, unique, and a thrill to read, and I would reccommend it without reservation to anybody.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun at first, but plot fizzles
Review: This is my first experience with Stephenson, and the first 50 pages had me grinning like a mental patient. The images come to life, the scenes are deftly described, and the Metaverse unfolds spectacularly before your eyes. But for all the flash and promise at the start, the plot is oddly and disappointingly weak. Utterly predictable and hopelessly cliched, the characters never develop, never show any motivation as to why they are doing what they do. Relationships are not explored past the superficial. The relationship between Hiro and Juanita and the reason he risks his life to go get her is explained off with a Sumerian myth. Ridiculous. This novel is a fun diversion, and entertaining for the first 100 pages. After that, you are on your own.
Rating:
Summary: Completely Engrossing, This is Best of the Best Sci-Fi
Review: I started reading Snow Crash towards the tail end of a long flight, although I was sitting towards the front of the plane I was the last one off, as I simply couldn't put it down. This book has everything, great characters, ancient legends, sword fights, fantastic and realistic weapons, incredibly cutting edge technologies, romance, a super-internet where one can walk and talk, inter-family blood feuds, bullet bikes, skate-boarding couriers, the Mafia, hackers, first rate super villains, a floating city and nano-technology. One could fill this review with cursory mention of all of the incredible things that the author has managed to work into this book. The treatment of these topics is not light either, but there is real thought behind it. The author did his homework, talking with many authoritites before introducing cutting edge topics, and it pays off. It really is one of the best pieces of science fiction I have ever read. This book is not just a great piece of Sci-Fi, but it is good literature too. The story is written around solid characters and a very interesting plot, it just so happens that it takes place in the future. There are many interesting characters, although the book does focus around the actions of Hiro Protagnoist and Y.T. Those other characters are all incredibly interesting , with their own motivation and purpose in the story. They interact with each other in many ways, but always consistently, keeping the pace lively. Mr. Stephenson's characters are deep- even when he writes in the first person as a super-bioengineered dog his characters are consistent and interesting. The plot is top-notch, with the focus being Hiro, a hacker and swordfighter (yes, this is believably explained), and his sidekick, YT, a futuristic skate-boarding courier, are forced to unravel a mind-controlling virus that threatens the planet. This requires him to move through the Metaverse (the super internet of previous mention), and California of the near future, including adventures on a floating raft, gun boats, romance, sword fights and more. The action is non-stop, and it is done in a rich and colorful universe that is believable and engrossing. I can't recommend this book enough. It is fantastically entertaining and thoroughly thought provoking.
Rating:
Summary: See below
Review: This is a great book. Buy it, it is good.
Rating:
Summary: Great sci-fi book for anyone!
Review: This is an awesome, sci-fi, thriller which is more about today than the future. The hero (his name is Hiro) is a lively character as is everyone else in this book. I don't usually enjoy science fiction but this book was a big exception and came highly recommended to me by many friends. I am sure this will be made into a major movie.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing...
Review: This book is an incredible journey into the future of the Internet and corporate America. Join Hiro Protaganist on his quest to make the 'Net safe for hackers everywhere! You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: Stephenson is at once realistic, sarcastic, and strangely humorous. Snow Crash is my favorite of his books and allows much of his wit to shine through. Set in a nearer future than Diamond Age, Snow Crash is primarily about the use of virtual reality. It is a fascinating, intricate book, and is slightly more focused than Diamond Age. This book might be the easiest introduction to Stephenson's work as it is less complicated than either Cryptonomicon or Diamond Age and a quicker read than Zodiac. The ending, as is often true of Stephenson, is a little abrupt and not altogether coherent, but as is also usually true with his work, this does not detract too much from the overall experience. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: Attention to Detail
Review: Stephenson loves details, and this book is full of 'em. Every single thing in this book, from the pizza deliveries to the metaverse to the orign of a deadly virus, everything in this book is detailed to perfection. Stephenson's description of his post-modern world is truly quite amazing. The characters are also quite great, but perhaps not as detailed as the environments themselves. The relationship between Hiro Protagonist (the coolest character name ever, btw) and Y.T. is never really explained, and you sometimes wonder why they even help each other out. Their whole relationship seems to be not based on of loyalty or much less friendship, but one of being there at the same time. They're never aware what the other one is up to until they run into each other. But it actually makes for a few laughs and unpredictability. You can't go wrong with Snow Crash. It's an easy read, entertaining and even informative. You'll be wanting to read it again right after you finish it.
Rating:
Summary: Where's the Metaverse Movie?!?
Review: I'm an ex PC 3D Graphics Product Manager weasel and I used to muse about a 3D internet as THE application that would someday consume the 3D rendering power on the product roadmaps of graphics companies. I'd argue that the most intuitive human interface is three dimensional, so it will just be a matter of time before it is so on the net. I had 3D web dreams, but those paled in comparison to the Metaverse in "Snow Crash." It is astonishing that this book was written back in '88-'91. What a vision! There are equally compelling futures for the Library of Congress ("...people are not entirely clear what the word "congress" means..."), skateboard wheels, pizza delivery and the interstate highway system. Wow. Where is the "Snow Crash" movie? It would be a mosh of "Black Rain", "Blade Runner", "The Matrix", "Star Gate", "Total Recall", "Brazil", and "The Sopranos". Yes, the book gets a little deep in Sumerian languages and pre-monotheistic religions, but if you find those topics interesting too (I do), this book has the potential to sweep you off your feet. Overlook the little errors or annoyances and see the big picture. One of the three best books I've read this year.
|
