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14th out of 1,966 books
—
9,061 voters
Snow Crash
Only once in a great while does a writer come along who defies comparison -- a writer so original he redefines the way we look at the world. Neal Stephenson is such a writer and Snow Crash is such a novel, weaving virtual reality, Sumerian myth, and just about everything in between with a cool, hip cyber-sensibility to bring us the gigantic thriller of the informat...more
Paperback, Bantam spectra book, 468 pages
Published
August 26th 2003
by Bantam Books
(first published January 1st 1992)
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Cyberpunk’s next generation pretty much began here. Written by someone who -unlike William Gibson- actually knows computers, this anime in novel form is one of those rare SF books that is read by many non-SF readers.
On a personal note, this is probably the only book I’ll ever read whose main character is half black and half Japanese, just like me! When I first read it, I was working at a pizza place, just like the protagonist, and I actually got fired around the same time I got t...more
On a personal note, this is probably the only book I’ll ever read whose main character is half black and half Japanese, just like me! When I first read it, I was working at a pizza place, just like the protagonist, and I actually got fired around the same time I got t...more
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When I first read Snow Crash, I thought to myself: "This thing is paced like a comic." Funny then to later discover that the novel was written after a comic book attempt at the same story fell apart.
Snow Crash is the paradigmatic Stephenson novel. Grabs you quickly, thrusts you head long into world that's so preposterous that he can't possibly be making it up, and the drags you along kicking and screaming until you're left startled and somewhat confused at a precipitous e...more
Snow Crash is the paradigmatic Stephenson novel. Grabs you quickly, thrusts you head long into world that's so preposterous that he can't possibly be making it up, and the drags you along kicking and screaming until you're left startled and somewhat confused at a precipitous e...more
Here's what I think: This is not just a book about computers, although the shiny veneer of the Metaverse, and computer avatars, and Hiro Protagonist's (yes, that’s the name of the protagonist in the story) career as a hacker might make you think it is. But there’s a lot more going on here, beneath that flashy action-adventure SF stuff. This is a complicated, messy book, and not that easy to follow. But, it's fascinating and I WANTED to understand everything, so as soon as I got to the last page,...more
Written in the present tense, which is awkward and unengaging, a non-stop brimfull of technological deus ex machina that removes all tension from an already slow plot-line. The characters are interesting, hence the two stars, but even they felt lacking and emotionally disengaged from their own story, which had the futile makings of something original.
The ending is atrocious, preceded by whole wastelands of chapter-length explanation, and a fairy-tale misinterpretation of Neurolinguis...more
The ending is atrocious, preceded by whole wastelands of chapter-length explanation, and a fairy-tale misinterpretation of Neurolinguis...more
This book felt like a really good idea. One of those really good ideas that you know will make a good novel (or whatever it is you think about making), and you have all these other really good details so you add them to your good idea. And you come up with some more characters and they are really good and some awesome organizations and maybe have another good idea or two and you just keep adding them on, like paint in some Clement Greenberg adored jizz-fest of painting, layer upon layer and mo...more
Meg
rated it
Recommends it for:
every human male (and the coolest of the females)
Recommended to Meg by:
Erich Guzmann
I have a little SAT analogy to help you understand how awesome this book is: Snow Crash is to Books as The Matrix is to movies (with only the absolute BEST parts of Tron and Da Vinci Code thrown in). I'm not talking about all the commercialized Matrix-saga and the weird hype... I'm talking about the first time you sat in the movie theater and saw that chick in the Matrix spin around in suspended animation and kick the crap out of a bunch of cops and thought, "What the #@*%??? COOL!"...more
I read “Snow Crash” when it first came out in paperback nearly 15 years ago. Then, I had a really hard time getting through it. But, I kept thinking about different concepts in it over and over again. I never forgot the bimbo boxes—slang for minivans driven by suburban housewives. Talk about a book telling the future!
Upon re-reading the book, I now understand why it was so difficult. First, there’s that tricky slang problem. Stephenson invented a lot of slang for the book and...more
Upon re-reading the book, I now understand why it was so difficult. First, there’s that tricky slang problem. Stephenson invented a lot of slang for the book and...more
Kristjan
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Cyber Punks
Recommended to Kristjan by:
GR Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Club
Narrated by Jonathan Davis
I really enjoyed the quality of the narration; Mr. Davis does an excellent job rendering the voices of the various characters within the story.
This was a fun read for the most part ... although the heavy exploitation of various stereo-types might be offensive to some, it really is the key to most of the humor in the story; at least Mr. Stephenson is an equal opportunity satirist in creating his dystopian society. The story pokes fun at corporate...more
I really enjoyed the quality of the narration; Mr. Davis does an excellent job rendering the voices of the various characters within the story.
This was a fun read for the most part ... although the heavy exploitation of various stereo-types might be offensive to some, it really is the key to most of the humor in the story; at least Mr. Stephenson is an equal opportunity satirist in creating his dystopian society. The story pokes fun at corporate...more
Nick
rated it
Recommends it for:
People who like details and I don't mean the magazine.
Recommended to Nick by:
Ginny Seaman
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is one I had been meaning to read for years, and from all the raving reviews I had set myself up to expect something exceptional. I'm not going to say I was disappointed. I guess from the nature of all
the raves I shouldn't have expected anything other than what it was: rollicking, techy, punky, lots of action. If these are your ingredients for a must-read, then by all means get off your butt and read this now!
Stephenson's cyberpunk vision, the Metaverse, is bang-on to what you w...more
the raves I shouldn't have expected anything other than what it was: rollicking, techy, punky, lots of action. If these are your ingredients for a must-read, then by all means get off your butt and read this now!
Stephenson's cyberpunk vision, the Metaverse, is bang-on to what you w...more
A friend just gave me back my ages-old copy of this book, three years after I had forgotten that I had lent it to him. I am overjoyed to have this back in my possession. So much so that I feel compelled to immediately reread it. That is just how good this book is.
***Post reread***
The problem with reading Neal Stephenson is that you can not help coming to the realization that, no matter how hard you try, how dedicated to the craft you become, you will never write anything as ...more
***Post reread***
The problem with reading Neal Stephenson is that you can not help coming to the realization that, no matter how hard you try, how dedicated to the craft you become, you will never write anything as ...more
This book is an all-around good time. Breezy, fast-paced, well-written, badass science fiction. Stephenson's vision of the near future has held up remarkably well in the fifteen years since this was written; it's a ridiculously over-the-top cyberdystopia that somehow still manages to be believable. The linguistics geek in me adored the Sumerian language subplot (an ancient mystery! about words! ooooh!). I don't remember a whole lot of the main plot, except that there were lots of chases and s...more
Erich Franz Guzmann
rated it
me lu lu mu al nu um me en ki me en me lu lu mu me al nu um me al nu um me me mu lu e al nu um me dug ga mu me mu lu e al nu um me...
I entered the Metaverse ignorant of the fact that Snow Crash was first published in 1992 (i.e., pre-Internet). Hence, it took some time for the book to endear itself to me, because my reaction to the Metaverse, a virtual reality, was filtered through my experiences with the Internet. As such, I first found Neal Stephenson's depiction of virtual reality as camp, reminding me much of Net Force and its ilk. In other words, Snow Crash presents a dated version of cyberpunk. I had to compensate fo...more
Lisa Vegan
rated it
I don’t feel like rehashing the plot. For the curious, it, or parts of it, can be found in the book’s description field, at Wikipedia, in other Goodreads members’ reviews.
This was my first cyberpunk novel, and while I liked much of it, I don’t think this subgenre is my favorite.
Unusually for me, I’ll start with the negatives.
I didn’t feel satisfied by the ending. There was such a build up to it, but I thought it fizzled a bit, and I ended up being disappointe...more
This was my first cyberpunk novel, and while I liked much of it, I don’t think this subgenre is my favorite.
Unusually for me, I’ll start with the negatives.
I didn’t feel satisfied by the ending. There was such a build up to it, but I thought it fizzled a bit, and I ended up being disappointe...more
Snow Crash is definitely unlike anything I've ever read. The novel is fast paced with moments of dialogue and original writing that made me laugh out loud (okay, perhaps just chuckle quietly in appreciation). I appreciate the book's originality and can only imagine how surreal it must have been to read it when it was originally published in 1992 (by today's standards, the technology that plays an integral part throughout the book is eerily familiar, especially given the book's context). While...more
Most cyberpunk novels were written before the transformational effect the internet had on telecommunications. There has been an overwhelming impact on the web, technology and information as well. The first thing anybody seems to think about when he gets up in the morning is to check his email. In 1992 the computer age was just starting to peak as a communication and information source. In that same year Neal Stephenson introduced his novel “Snow Crash” the novel was based on a near future...more
A wonderfully complex and imaginative book unafraid to take on some major themes. When I started it, I was slightly put off by its uberhippness (the two main characters are a samurai-sword wielding hacker and a fifteen-year-old skater chick), but the brilliance of the book soon pulled me in. Written in 1992, the book imagines a world in which people relate as much in virtual reality (the "metaverse") as they do in real life. The government has all but disappeared, and the authority in ...more
I love this book so much, I read it twice (and I hardly ever do that). Who couldn't love a book with a main character called Hiro Protagonist, with a business card reading "greatest sword fighter in the world"? But that's only the beginning. Assisted by the coolest skateboard-riding teenage-girl heroine in all of literature, Hiro spends most of his time in the virtual reality environment called the Metaverse, tracking down a deadly computer virus. That is, when he's not listening to hi...more
This book is awful. Never ever read it. It's mastubatory shit written by a self-absorbed pseudo academic with a lolita syndrome or ephebophilia. I can't really decide which. Read Neuromancer instead.
I guess if you're crazy into computer hacking and stuff this book would be a great read. I can't say that it was an entirely horrible book but I don't think I would ever recommend it to anybody that I didn’t wish a horrible, fiery death upon.
The plot was entertaining enough and the back-story though extremely, extremely detailed which as a side note isn't necessarily a bad thing however for those of you yet to read it, a quick warning. As soon as Hiro meets up with that librarian dud...more
The plot was entertaining enough and the back-story though extremely, extremely detailed which as a side note isn't necessarily a bad thing however for those of you yet to read it, a quick warning. As soon as Hiro meets up with that librarian dud...more
Shame on me for never having reviewed this before.
It's the dog's nads.
In re-reading it on my brand spanking new Kindle (Reader, I'm a convert) I was struck again by his skill to punchily deliver a truckload of information without being tedious.
That said, I do know there are a lot of readers who have issues with the amount of information that goes down here in such huge chunks.
I'm simply not one of them.
It was, to me, the only book to merit the honour o...more
It's the dog's nads.
In re-reading it on my brand spanking new Kindle (Reader, I'm a convert) I was struck again by his skill to punchily deliver a truckload of information without being tedious.
That said, I do know there are a lot of readers who have issues with the amount of information that goes down here in such huge chunks.
I'm simply not one of them.
It was, to me, the only book to merit the honour o...more
A blast front to back, even when its stabs at hipness get inevitably dated (I wonder if some weren't to begin with, but whatever). Fast, funny, and constantly surprising/inventive, takes as much from post-modern fiction as it does from cyberpunk (oh, book jacket quotes although I mean, duh obviously, maybe I shouldn't even write it oh whatever) resulting in really fun moments in this alternate (now past) present, like Bruce Lee heading a gang of vicious pirates and the entire world turning into ...more
You have to be impressed with the author's imagination of the near future (considering when this was originally written), but also with his ability to insert the f-word on every other page of the book :( The main character - Hiro Protagonist - is indeed a captivating hero and an engaging protagonist.
Not only was I a bit put off by the excessive language in the book, but I have also never been a real big fan of near-future cyberpunk kind of settings. Nevertheless, Snow Crash presente...more
Not only was I a bit put off by the excessive language in the book, but I have also never been a real big fan of near-future cyberpunk kind of settings. Nevertheless, Snow Crash presente...more
This book has style and furious energy, like all Neal Stephenson, but it doesn't really make sense. Well... if you casually invent the Metaverse while telling a rattling good story, who cares about a logical hole or nine? And the incidental details are terrific. My favourite was the biker who is a nuclear power in his own right, but there were many others.
____________________________________________________
I happened to look at the Wikipedia article, and was immediately entranced ...more
____________________________________________________
I happened to look at the Wikipedia article, and was immediately entranced ...more
I don’t think that reading Snow Crash has the same effect in 2009 as reading it would have in 1992, the year it was published. Stephenson creates for us a world so absurd that you can’t help but buy into it. The Mafia controlling pizza delivery, the US being a city-state and the Internet - or Metaverse - being your very own Sims game - all seemingly very plausible.
The story follows Hiro Protagonist - jack of all trades. He is the world’s greatest swordsman (though in the Metaverse),...more
The story follows Hiro Protagonist - jack of all trades. He is the world’s greatest swordsman (though in the Metaverse),...more
Re-reading this book. The CEO of a company I used to contract for would always tell me I reminded him of Hiro Protagonist. I'd read this book something like 15 years ago when it came out, so couldn't remember the plot details and for some reason I mostly only remembered the other characters in the book instead of Hiro, the protagonist.
I think it's because I identified so much with him at the time that I think I read the novel completely inserting myself into it to where I only rememb...more
I think it's because I identified so much with him at the time that I think I read the novel completely inserting myself into it to where I only rememb...more
Raven is one hawt bad-guy.
As for the rest of the book, to say that it's relevant is an understatement. Maybe I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a well-rendered glimpse of the future, but then again, after a couple beers I would probably start rambling about how the fractioning of public services, the mainstreaming of mafia organizations, the stodgy-loyal-inefficient government in cahoots with the Texan Christian megalomaniac selling religion to the masses, and all that has been capture...more
As for the rest of the book, to say that it's relevant is an understatement. Maybe I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a well-rendered glimpse of the future, but then again, after a couple beers I would probably start rambling about how the fractioning of public services, the mainstreaming of mafia organizations, the stodgy-loyal-inefficient government in cahoots with the Texan Christian megalomaniac selling religion to the masses, and all that has been capture...more
the future is now.
Uncanny how the author definately conveyed at least a dozen years ago, what is happening now, today.
they'rrrre hereee....
Hiro Protaganist, an interesting character.
altho i relate more to Vasily Chernobyl and the Meltdowns--
never been able to figure why people actually prefer freeways
(seems like asking for it)
and the L.Bob Rife character: beautifully co-opted.like the moniker; in fact a rundown of characters courtesy of wikipedia g...more
Uncanny how the author definately conveyed at least a dozen years ago, what is happening now, today.
they'rrrre hereee....
Hiro Protaganist, an interesting character.
altho i relate more to Vasily Chernobyl and the Meltdowns--
never been able to figure why people actually prefer freeways
(seems like asking for it)
and the L.Bob Rife character: beautifully co-opted.like the moniker; in fact a rundown of characters courtesy of wikipedia g...more
For me, Snow Crash was an unexpected gem if science fiction. I was immediately hooked in by Stephenson's view of the future, from the advancement of the pizza delivery service to the grand piece of technology that serves as the Internet's successor. He has a sharp wit and a humorous way of comparing technology advances and glitches to situations that everybody can enjoy.
The novel opens on a pizza delivery gone bad, where the two primary characters meet not by choice. Right in chapter...more
The novel opens on a pizza delivery gone bad, where the two primary characters meet not by choice. Right in chapter...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How Much Swearing and sex in Snow Crash? | 54 | 327 | Jan 24, 2012 07:39am | |
| Mental Casting | 9 | 63 | Sep 27, 2011 12:32pm | |
| Quality of the German Translation | 3 | 15 | Sep 07, 2011 12:28pm | |
| Science behind Snow Crash | 3 | 106 | Jul 07, 2011 05:30pm |
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Neal Town Stephenson is an American writer known primarily for his science fiction works in the postcyberpunk genre with a penchant for explorations of society, mathematics, cryptography, currency, and the history of science. He also writes non-fiction articles about technology in publications such as Wired Magazine, and has worked part-time as an advisor for Blue Origin, a company (funded by Jeff...more
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“Until a man is twenty-five, he still thinks, every so often, that under the right circumstances he could be the baddest motherfucker in the world. If I moved to a martial-arts monastery in China and studied real hard for ten years. If my family was wiped out by Colombian drug dealers and I swore myself to revenge. If I got a fatal disease, had one year to live, and devoted it to wiping out street crime. If I just dropped out and devoted my life to being bad.”
—
288 people liked it
“Ninety-nine percent of everything that goes on in most Christian churches has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual religion. Intelligent people all notice this sooner or later, and they conclude that the entire one hundred percent is bullshit, which is why atheism is connected with being intelligent in people's minds.”
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