Difference between revisions of "Snow Crash"

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[[Image:Snow Crash - Hardcover - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|thumb|256x256px|1st edition US hard cover.]]
 
[[Image:Snow Crash - Hardcover - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|thumb|256x256px|1st edition US hard cover.]]
  
'''''Snow Crash''''' is a techno-thriller by [[Neal Stephenson]]. It's a humorous, yet action-packed romp through a not-too-distant future cyberspace. The world is no longer controlled by governments, it's now controlled by corporations. Even the Central Intelligence Agency has turned into the Central Intelligence Corporation. Hired security is more powerful than most armies and new currencies are created by individual companies. Instead of just looking at the old 2D Internet, you fully immerse yourself into the highly evolved 3D world of the Metaverse.
+
'''''Snow Crash''''' is a techno-thriller by [[Neal Stephenson]] and published in June of 1992. The story takes place in a futuristic world that is no longer controlled by governments, but rather corporations. Individual corporations are now issuing their own currency, security companies are more powerful than most armies, and the Central Intelligence Agency has turned into the Central Intelligence Corporation. Instead of just looking at the old Internet, you fully immerse yourself into the highly evolved virtual reality Metaverse. Ride along with Hiro Protanganest a former computer programmer who now delivers pizza for the Mafia. His fellow hackers are being wiped out by a new computer virus called Snow Crash that has the ability to not only infect your computer, but your mind as well. It appears to be based on civilization's oldest religions, and a strange cult is growing up around it. Along the way, he encounters Y.T., a fifteen-year-old Kourier who can't help but get into trouble, which is bad because her mother works for the FBI. You'll also meet Raven, a bad-ass biker who not only carries knives that can cut through bulletproof Kevlar, but has his brain hardwired to an atomic bomb.
  
Ride along with Hiro Protanganest (a pizza delivery man for the Mafia) as he searches for intel about a new computer virus called Snow Crash that has the ability not only to infect your computer, but your mind as well! Then there's Y.T., a fifteen year-old Kourier who gets tangled up with the Mafia, cults, and cops, but who's mother works for the FBI. You'll also meet Raven, a bad-ass who carries knives that can cut through bulletproof Kevlar and has his brain hard wired to an atomic bomb.
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My friend Dave lent me this book in the early 2000s, and enjoyed it quite a bit. It was the book that introduced me to Neal Stephenson, and I've grown very fond of him since.
  
This book is very clever, highly witty, and full of interesting computer and mythology metaphors. You'll learn about futuristic possibilities as well as the world's most ancient mythology. This is a must read for anyone who thinks they might be a hacker.
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==Status==
 +
I don't own this book, but have read it and listened to an audio book recording.
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
 +
{{Spoilers}}
 +
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
* I really like the idea of being a mind-hacker with the assembly code of the brain.
+
* I really like the idea of being a mind-hacker working with the assembly code of the brain.
* Stephenson did a good job at appropriating ancient mythology into modern hacking terms.
+
* Stephenson did a good job at appropriating ancient mythology into modern hacking terms, though some of it seems forced.
 
* Hiro, even though he's not nearly the most interesting character, is a perfect lead.
 
* Hiro, even though he's not nearly the most interesting character, is a perfect lead.
 
* YT is hilarious, and not too ridiculous to be unbelievable.
 
* YT is hilarious, and not too ridiculous to be unbelievable.
 
* Raven is a wonderful villain, a true bad-ass.
 
* Raven is a wonderful villain, a true bad-ass.
 +
* I love how governments have become so unimportant that nobody even knows the President of the United States even when he's right in front of them.
 
* I would certainly listen to Reason.
 
* I would certainly listen to Reason.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
 
* I don't like it when authors jump around in their time line like in this book. I guess they do it to make their writing seem edgy, or keep the right pace, but I find it unnecessary and confusing.
 
* I don't like it when authors jump around in their time line like in this book. I guess they do it to make their writing seem edgy, or keep the right pace, but I find it unnecessary and confusing.
* "Snow crash" is a highly antiquated term, and not something that hackers past the 70s would be familiar with, let alone future hackers.
+
* Like many authors who have described an online virtual reality, the rules don't seem like they'd work in practice. The Metaverse seems far too constrictive in some ways (avatars have to be the same height at their owners, they can't teleport, etc.), and too liberal in others (a hacker can adjust their size to zero, a single programmer wrote the code for all the graveyard demons and it hasn't changed in years, etc.)
 +
* The book goes into so much detail with ancient mythology that I started to get bored several times, and I found there to be too many analogies for the ancient terms.
 +
* Y.T. may be mature for her age, but 15 is a too young for a graphic sex scene with a much older adult, and I'm not a fan of all the other times she is objectified.
 
* The future is way too soon. Most of the technology necessary for the Metaverse is still many years away despite taking place around 2010.
 
* The future is way too soon. Most of the technology necessary for the Metaverse is still many years away despite taking place around 2010.
* The book goes into so much detail with ancient mythology that I started to get bored, and I found there to be too many analogies for the ancient terms.
 
 
* A lot of time is spent talking about the US government, but it never amounts to anything.
 
* A lot of time is spent talking about the US government, but it never amounts to anything.
* Like many authors who have described an online virtual reality, the rules don't seem like they'd work. The metaverse seems far too constrictive in some ways (avatars have to be the same height at their owners, they can't teleport, etc.), and too liberal in others (a hacker can adjust their size to zero, a single programmer controls all the graveyard demons, etc.)
+
* "Snow crash" is a highly antiquated term, and not something that hackers past the 70s would be familiar with, let alone future hackers.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
 
* Nothing.
 
* Nothing.
 +
 +
==Cover Art==
 +
<gallery>
 +
Snow Crash - Hardcover - USA - 1st Edition.jpg|Hardcover, USA, 1st edition. Good typeface and interesting merge from modern day to a microchip to mythology. Otherwise boring layout.
 +
Snow Crash - Mass - USA - Bantam.jpg|Mass Market, USA, Bantam. Fantastic painting of Babylonian gates opening to a futuristic city with Hiro striking a pose. My favorite.
 +
Snow Crash - Unknown - Unknown.jpg|Unknown, unknown. A less-complete version of the original art.
 +
Snow Crash - Paperback - USA - Bantam.jpg|Paperback, USA, Bantam. Not sure why they cut up the original art, maybe they thought it was too busy.
 +
Snow Crash - Paperback - USA - Spectra.jpg|Paperback, USA, Spectra. "Guy with sword running down hall," doesn't convey the book very well.
 +
Snow Crash - Paperback - Unknown.jpg|Paperback, unknown. This is an interesting collage, and fits the story, but it looks piecemeal.
 +
Snow Crash - Paperback - UK - Penguin.jpg|Paperback, UK, Penguin. This is just horrible and has nothing to do with the book.
 +
Snow Crash - Paperback - USA - Del Rey.jpg|Paperback, USA, Del Rey. Abstract, but clearly about technology and samurai. Nice color use too.
 +
Snow Crash - Paperback - USA - Penguin.jpg|Paperback, USA, Penguin. Nice palette, but what the hell am I even looking at?
 +
</gallery>
  
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 +
Snow Crash - Hardcover - USA - Back - 1st Edition.jpg|The back cover of the USA 1st edition.
 
Snow Crash - Fan Art - Hiro Protagonist - IzzyMedrano.jpg|Fan art of Hiro by IzzyMedrano.
 
Snow Crash - Fan Art - Hiro Protagonist - IzzyMedrano.jpg|Fan art of Hiro by IzzyMedrano.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash] - Wikipedia.
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{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash}}
 +
{{Link|GoodReads|https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash}}
 +
 
 +
* [http://www.cyberartsweb.org/cpace/scifi/ns/snowcrashov.html cyberartsweb.org/cpace/scifi/ns/snowcrashov.html] - Various essays about the book.
 +
* [https://slashdot.org/story/99/10/18/1049244/snow-crash slashdot.org/story/99/10/18/1049244/snow-crash] - Slashdot review.
  
  
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[[Category: Techno-Thriller]]
 
[[Category: Techno-Thriller]]
 
[[Category: Cyberpunk]]
 
[[Category: Cyberpunk]]
 +
[[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress]]
 +
[[Category: Trope - Queer Character]]
 +
[[Category: Trope - Strong Female Character]]
 
[[Category: Books I've Read]]
 
[[Category: Books I've Read]]
 
[[Category: Favorite Books]]
 
[[Category: Favorite Books]]
[[Category: Strong Female Character]]
 

Revision as of 11:31, 20 November 2019

1st edition US hard cover.

Snow Crash is a techno-thriller by Neal Stephenson and published in June of 1992. The story takes place in a futuristic world that is no longer controlled by governments, but rather corporations. Individual corporations are now issuing their own currency, security companies are more powerful than most armies, and the Central Intelligence Agency has turned into the Central Intelligence Corporation. Instead of just looking at the old Internet, you fully immerse yourself into the highly evolved virtual reality Metaverse. Ride along with Hiro Protanganest a former computer programmer who now delivers pizza for the Mafia. His fellow hackers are being wiped out by a new computer virus called Snow Crash that has the ability to not only infect your computer, but your mind as well. It appears to be based on civilization's oldest religions, and a strange cult is growing up around it. Along the way, he encounters Y.T., a fifteen-year-old Kourier who can't help but get into trouble, which is bad because her mother works for the FBI. You'll also meet Raven, a bad-ass biker who not only carries knives that can cut through bulletproof Kevlar, but has his brain hardwired to an atomic bomb.

My friend Dave lent me this book in the early 2000s, and enjoyed it quite a bit. It was the book that introduced me to Neal Stephenson, and I've grown very fond of him since.

Status

I don't own this book, but have read it and listened to an audio book recording.

Review

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • I really like the idea of being a mind-hacker working with the assembly code of the brain.
  • Stephenson did a good job at appropriating ancient mythology into modern hacking terms, though some of it seems forced.
  • Hiro, even though he's not nearly the most interesting character, is a perfect lead.
  • YT is hilarious, and not too ridiculous to be unbelievable.
  • Raven is a wonderful villain, a true bad-ass.
  • I love how governments have become so unimportant that nobody even knows the President of the United States even when he's right in front of them.
  • I would certainly listen to Reason.

Bad

  • I don't like it when authors jump around in their time line like in this book. I guess they do it to make their writing seem edgy, or keep the right pace, but I find it unnecessary and confusing.
  • Like many authors who have described an online virtual reality, the rules don't seem like they'd work in practice. The Metaverse seems far too constrictive in some ways (avatars have to be the same height at their owners, they can't teleport, etc.), and too liberal in others (a hacker can adjust their size to zero, a single programmer wrote the code for all the graveyard demons and it hasn't changed in years, etc.)
  • The book goes into so much detail with ancient mythology that I started to get bored several times, and I found there to be too many analogies for the ancient terms.
  • Y.T. may be mature for her age, but 15 is a too young for a graphic sex scene with a much older adult, and I'm not a fan of all the other times she is objectified.
  • The future is way too soon. Most of the technology necessary for the Metaverse is still many years away despite taking place around 2010.
  • A lot of time is spent talking about the US government, but it never amounts to anything.
  • "Snow crash" is a highly antiquated term, and not something that hackers past the 70s would be familiar with, let alone future hackers.

Ugly

  • Nothing.

Cover Art

Gallery

Links

Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-GoodReads.png