Snow Crash

Rating:
Summary: Most unusual. . . Excellent.
Review: This book is great. The Sumerian mythoogy does bog down the plot a bit, but it's interesting none the less. Definately a personal favorite.

Rating:
Summary: Very believable future!
Review: A super-believable future, not too far off, is what Stephenson has created... Really, really interesting extrapolations of today's technologies, not least the Web. Also extremely funny in places. A very exciting story, well written, good plot. A Must Read!! And watch out for the dentata...

Rating:
Summary: A different and interesting view of the future
Review: This book starts fast and hooks you right away. Could this be our future? Also recommend a couple of other books about the present and future: THE ROCK and AREA 51 by Robert Doherty.

Rating:
Summary: 'S Good Stuff
Review: A funny, fascinating world with rich characters and interesting situations combine to make this one of the true classics of science fiction. While many folks seem to be turned off by the long historical interludes, these were one of the best parts of the book IMHO. They pointed out an odd area of history that I (and most other readers, I'm betting) had certainly never seen or heard of. True, the book did drag a bit between the middle and the end, but its overall greatness easily earn it the full 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic! Weak ending, though...
Review: Excellent work from maestro Stephenson. An fine step beyond the jejune "eyeball kicks" early cyberpunk literature. The rich pieces of history and mythology were handled perfectly, although this obviously went over a lot of readers heads. Now if Stephenson could only lick his Heinlienien "bad ending" syndrome...

Rating:
Summary: Very strange, but very very good.
Review: Neal Stephenson has one of the most interesting imaginations I've come across; half the book sounds like what comes out of your head, very very late at night, when someone turns the creativity switch "on" and then forgets to turn it off. His style of writing, if the present tense doesn't put you off, is very original and VERY amusing. The middle section of the book, I will admit, fails utterly as a novel, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. Stephenson relates religion and language to viruses by way of Sumerian mythology-- calling the god Enki the "first neurolinguistic hacker" was an interesting touch. This bizarre theory is presented in a series of very long discussions, however, which sort of stop the plot dead while you try to figure out what is happening. If you enjoy language, mythology, modern religion, and/or blends of all of the above raised on a diet of hallucinogenic chemicals and then filtered through Stephenson's completely whacked style, it is fascinating. If such ideas put you to sleep, you'll probably hate it. I belong to the former group, and have read this book three times, and STILL don't quite understand all of it; that is what makes it so much fun.

Rating:
Summary: A satirical romp through a possable yesterday
Review: Please excuse my bad spelling. This was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in the past three years. From the getgo it takes a diffarent look at the inside of society and what we might be if we were not carefull, but without becoming self righteous, pompous, or bogging down the story. It is a fun adventure that makes you think. A worthy read.

Rating:
Summary: Uneven, and overall a little disappointing.
Review: The opening chapters of this book really raised my expectations! They have a giddy, zany, breakneck quality about them that is wonderfully refreshing. The characters, Y.T. and Hiro, are introduced well, and the early action is completely hilarious. However, the book goes into a slow decline after that. The long passages with Hiro and the Librarian are not only unnecessary, but incredibly tedious. Totally snooze-inspiring. A book that is basically techno-adventure should not delve so deeply into linguistic and biophysical theory. And the ending is extremely unsatisfying. It's as if the author got tired of the story, so he just stopped writing, not giving the reader the courtesy of even a cursory conclusion, leaving the reader slightly confused and very annoyed. However, Stephenson's vision of the future is a darkly funny and captivating one, with the Mafia and the Metaverse being especially well-drawn and well thought out. The chartacterization is strong thro! ughout, and the action sequences are written very well. The one unqualified thumbs-up? The Kouriers. What a fantastic idea! But they can't overcome the uneven pacing and the erratic story line. The book was enjoyable, but it could have been so much better! I give it three stars.

Rating:
Summary: comes and goes
Review: This book is interesting at first. Or perhaps, due to my virginity in the cyberfiction/thriller genre, I was more impressed than I otherwise would have been. At any rate, I was entertained through the first half, but my interest waned through the last half. I am willing to try other Stephenson books and more in this genre (which until now has seemed a little too teenage, nerd-type for me).

Rating:
Summary: A wonderfully unique interpretation of the near future
Review: Neal Stephenson pieces together an exciting story of Snow Crash's main character, Hiro Protagonist. Hiro, a former Deliverator and the World's Greatest Sword Fighter lives in a world where the government is no longer a central entity but rather is a series of seperatel owned and operated franchises, and America has fallen out of power to other countries like Nippon and Hong Kong. He is a freelance hacker who was once one of the first pioneers of the Metaverse, an elaborate internet style world a la William Gibson. Information is anyones enterprise, but soon the web of secrets becomes too much to handle, and strange worlds start to unravel before Hiro. An excellent read, I highly recommend it!