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Snow Crash
by Neal Stephenson
by Neal Stephenson
Keely's review
bookshelves: science-fiction, novel, reviewed, american, cyberpunk, favorites
May 14, 07
bookshelves: science-fiction, novel, reviewed, american, cyberpunk, favorites
Read in January, 2001
Crazy, strange, exciting, visionary, action-packed, sexy. Reading this book is like watching the Matrix for the first time. Though it may lack pretense of more complex literature, it asks vague and interesting enough questions to match The Bard's sophistry.
Beyond that it is just a great read. It shows a vision of the future that seems eminently likely, but unlike 1984 or Brave New World, has not started to feel stilted. It also lack the long-winded philosophical diatribes and allegories that stagnate that breed of classics. Gibson may have invented Cyberpunk, but Stephenson takes the genre out for a joyride and loses a hubcap on a bootstrap turn.
It was originally planned as a graphic novel, but when that got scrapped, Stephenson filled it out and got it published. Perhaps this is why his other works never match Snowcrash's frenetic teenage energy and sensuality. I wish there were more books this interesting and enjoyable.
Beyond that it is just a great read. It shows a vision of the future that seems eminently likely, but unlike 1984 or Brave New World, has not started to feel stilted. It also lack the long-winded philosophical diatribes and allegories that stagnate that breed of classics. Gibson may have invented Cyberpunk, but Stephenson takes the genre out for a joyride and loses a hubcap on a bootstrap turn.
It was originally planned as a graphic novel, but when that got scrapped, Stephenson filled it out and got it published. Perhaps this is why his other works never match Snowcrash's frenetic teenage energy and sensuality. I wish there were more books this interesting and enjoyable.
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Cameron
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Oct 08, 2012 12:44pm
Just went out and got it today, thanks to your review.
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Recently finished it. My impressions were much the same. In particular we seem to agree on Stephenson's relation to Gibson. My own thoughts went somewhat like this: Stephenson takes Gibsons ideas and sees how much fun he can have with them. There is a kind of silly streak running through the book, demanding that you take nothing too seriously, allowing Stephenson to catch you off guard with some rather poignant observations.
Yeah, I did like the way he took it lightly--reminded me of how pulp authors write, where the focus is on action and interesting moments, never really getting bogged down. It's especially light compared to Stephenson's own later work.
Agreed. The only other book of his I have read so far is Anathem, which is anything but light in style or theme. I highly enjoyed that book, in some ways even more than I liked Snow Crash, but like you I appreciate what the lighter style does for this book. I think it also reflects well on Stephenson that he is able to master different styles and apply them to meet the needs of different themes in different stories. This is what a good artist does, and it is something to be particularly appreciated in a time when most authors (especially of "genre fiction") tend to establish franchises.Given my enjoyment of the first two Stephenson books I have read, I am quite likely to pick up a few more.
I suppose I'd say the different styles Stephenson shows aren't a sign of his ability to switch between themes, but an effect of how he has changed as a writer over time. This is his earliest book, and in my experience, each book that comes after is longer, slower-paced, and more focused on the little details and odd theories.As a result, I've found every Stephenson book after Snow Crash to be less interesting, but perhaps you will enjoy his later work more than I did.
