Snow Crash

Rating:
Summary: superbly imagined and entertaining
Review: It's difficult to say anything about this brilliant book that hasn't already been mentioned in the other reviews. Suffice to say, this is a brilliant cyberpunk novel. Descended from William Gibson's genre-making "Neuromancer", "Snow Crash" is an entertaining, wild-eyed look at the near future, but is not as bleak, either in writing style or imagination. The three strongest points to make about the book are its plot, characters, and pure imagination. The first half of the book is an introduction of the characters and the discovery of a technological and biological virus named Snow Crash, which a person can get through blood, exposure, or by looking at diseased data in the Metaverse, a kind of populated, mall-like cyberspace. The last half is a mad, action-filled rush to the conclusion. It has enough action to keep a thriller fan happy but requires plenty of brains to follow the origination of Snow Crash, which moves from Sumerian myth to populist religion in modern times. The idea is completely hair-brained, but somehow Stephenson makes you want to believe in the possibility of what he writes, which belies his talent. Secondly, his bizarre assortment of characters like the attitudinal skater Y.T., the cool but psychotic Raven, and the familial mobster Uncle Enzo populate a world strange enough to belong to the Twilight Zone, but frighteningly familiar. There's not much substance behind the characters, including the aptly-named Hiro Protagonist, but they make up for it with style. Stephenson's imagination links his plot into the environment of an imploded USA, most of which is pure fiction that couldn't happen in the next twenty years, if not longer. Still, what they lack in reality is made up for in hilarity. His look at the possibility of Mafia-run pizza delivery and what's left of the government are hilarious! Add that to an image of cyberspace VR intertwined with the mall-going culture, and you have a wild ride through a nearly-insane world. All in all, this is a fabulous book, and even if the characters and plot aren't so deep, the sheer power of Stephenson's imagination and humor shoots it into the atmosphere.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: More than a dozen people recommended this science-fiction novel to me as a work of fiction dealing with memes, so I finally read it. I .have to say it's one of the best SF novels I have ever read. Stephenson really seems to grok viruses of the mind, and paints a future in which cultural viruses such as franchising, religious cults, pizza delivery, and the Mafia have spread wildly at the expense of today's laws and governments. Meanwhile, is someone trying to come up with the perfect designer virus that will allow them to take over the world? This fast-paced, literate story is a must-read.

--Richard Brodie, author, Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and easy read - a vivid and imaginative ride
Review: In the time since I read this, I have since read Gibson's Neuromancer and find it better in that he thought of it first. That said, Snow Crash was infinitely easier to read and understand, and it has had the advantage of having Neuronmancer to spawn ideas from. It is an exciting book and goes by very quickly, enjoyable - but as just about all other reviewers have said, the ending leaves most wanting.

Rating:
Summary: Whatever
Review: Sure, you can say how "brilliant" and "exuberant" this novel is, but I disagree. It started off good, then tumbled. It starts out full of suspense, as Hiro Protaganist is on a timed pizza delivery, then his vehicle wrecks and a rebellious teenager named YT has to help him. Hiro spends most of his time in the Metaverse, a virtual cyber world. Here he comes across a virus called "snow crash" which threatens to activate a "bablyonian infocalpyse"...this is where it gets weird. Who wants to read aoout linguisitc theories based off of the Sumerian culture and how it relates to the Net and the alleged "Infocaplypse"? I mean really...Stephenson just tries to be too damned unique. Also, the book has a poor and shabby excuse for character development. There is only the most minute description for each character, and even less for co-characters. The antagonists are weakly constructed, and the world is not fully releazied. Now, I'm not into the hacker/cyberculture subculture, but that doesn't mean there was still a possibility to enjoy it. Of course as shown, it was a rather terrible read. But foremost of this book, is the annoying fact that it was written in PRESENT TENSE. It just gets all your nerves. An example: Hiro say, "How do you know that?" YT replies, "I've just heard it before." Hiro then walks to the nearest door. It drives you completely out of your mind. END

Rating:
Summary: a sprawling mess of inspired brilliance
Review: While this novel suffers from all of the faults of a young writer whose ambition reaches beyond his craft, this is one example where this works in his favor. The imaginative scope, the sumerian mythology, and the wry tone pull the way through terrain that would leave any other author mired in cliche. Somehow the sheer energy of the book kept me engrossed - even though the inertia of it made it difficult to fully resolve itself. But knowing when to take itself seriously and when to just enjoy the fictional odyssey is the author's primary strength.

not a perfect book, but a great one that pushes the boundaries.

Rating:
Summary: Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk manifesto!
Review: Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash" is an in your face, stay up late and read cyberpunk manifesto. While reading one might notice themself scratching their head and thinking,"What the! Where the hell does this guy come up with this, huh". The best part about it is that it all manages to work together; magnificently. This book is so filled with far out ideas that it's almost hard to keep up with, but somehow manages to gel at the macro level. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that it kind of just ends with out much of an ending. Don't let this deter you, if you like Sci Fi and/or cyberpunk, you will love "Snow Crash".

Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: Usually I read 4-5 books at a time because neither can hold my attention long enough. This is not the case with Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, which pulls the reader into the eerie world that we can relate to as we discover the wonders and fears of virtual reality. Mafia, computer dorks, greatly developed characters, and fast plot surrounded by new fresh philosophies about cyberspace and cold war are what makes this novel a must read. You will enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: Worth reading... but was a little anti-climatic
Review: Snow crash wasn't bad... but it wasn't one of the best books I've ever read. It offers an interesting philosophy, and was imaginative... but the ending (which is also mentioned in several other reviews) is chopped. It's almost as if the author had a dead-line and just ended it to make it. It builds up very well, the writing style itself (once you can get into it) is original/ addictive and the book had so much potential... Then a few mistakes were made...

What happened with Y.T. and Raven was one.

After a huge build-up, the ending just kind of stopped. I even checked the last page over to make sure there wasn't a little more somewhere I missed.

The "last battle" reminded me of "Tron" (the motorcycle chase thing). It was okay, but it was kind of bland.

Other than that, the book is worth reading, I did read the entire thing in one sitting (which I usually don't do with fiction books) and as long as you don't try to compare it to other cyberpunk style books, it's pretty good.

Rating:
Summary: Best Book I've Read All Year!
Review: This goes beyond creative imagination, but takes the mind into a type of universe you would expect out of "Heavy Metal" magazines. There is a lot of humor and seriousness. The history behind the Sumerian part of this book rates top notch and the computer information is superb!

When you can successfully mix a martial artist in the virtual world that totes pizzas for a living and make the whole thing work, it is a sign of pure madness or genius! If there is any book you must read this year, IT IS THIS BOOK! I highly recommend it for those who love history, computer technology, cyber punk, or any science fiction! This book has almost anything you can imagine and then some. Jam packed full of all the action you could possible expect, and all the warped humor and excitement that you need.

This book I could not put down until I was finished with it. I haven't seen this kind of creative genius around in a long time amongst the writing community. A MUST READ!

Rating:
Summary: Bad enough to give you a headache
Review: Bad, silly, superficial and really, really boring. And, of course, it is not a novel, only a lot of words and too many childish simils without any meaning.