Ivan Wohner answers “Hiro Protagonist, really? Should I be...”

Sam asked this question about Snow Crash:

Hiro Protagonist, really? Should I be worried about the startling lack of imagination this displays?

Ivan Wohner When I first read snow crash, discovering Hiro make me laugh uncontrolably, not just at the name, but at the device that was being used. a big aspect …moreWhen I first read snow crash, discovering Hiro make me laugh uncontrolably, not just at the name, but at the device that was being used. a big aspect of the book is it's exploration (almost prophetically) in technology. And half the action takes place in the Meta-verse. If you're going to write about the meta-verse, in a work of fiction, calling your hero/protagonist Hiro Protagonist is the most meta way to do so. And with that simple choice, the humor and irreverent tone are set, this book attacks what a novel should be, and mid way through, when you're thinking to yourself "Holy @#% this is unbelievable, this is insane" ; you can just remember old Hiro and realize that this is just a novel. And when you think, "omg, this is what's happening with the world!" you'll say, also this is just a novel. (less)

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