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288 of 327 found the following review helpful:
4 1/2 stars, reallyApr 30, 2001
By W. K. Miller
"kenmiller32"
I came to _Snow Crash_ on the recommendation of a few people who had read it (they called it "great!" and "hilarious!," and knowing that Neal Stephenson is sometimes listed as a "cyberpunk" writer along with William Gibson et al. I had liked William Gibson's books, so I gave _Snow Crash_ a try. _Snow Crash_ is primarily about Hiro, a young man who delivers pizzas and collects information for the Central Intelligence Corporation (freelance), for a living. He lives in a storage unit with a cult-hero rockstar named Vitaly Chernobyl. He owns a futon, two awesome Japanese swords, and a laptop computer, where he stays "jacked in" to the "Metaverse" a lot of the time, where he is the world's greatest swordfighter. Hiro witnesses a crime while interacting with others in the Metaverse. One of his friends is deliberately exposed to a dangerous block of text, which fries his brain (in the real world), and renders him a vegetable. Hiro and his friend Y.T. (15-year old skateboarding female, and knee-slappingly funny smartaleck) set off to find out why, and save the world in the process. From the getgo this is a funny book. Sure, the vision of the near-future is dark, a little alarming, and at times depressing (there are NO general laws in _Snow Crash_, for example, and private corporations run everything, even the police, just as an example). That's what cyberpunk is like. But the HUMOR is one thing that sets Neal Stephenson aside. Hiro Protagonist? Come on, that's FUNNY, PEOPLE! One reviewer called it an 'odd' name. Yes, it's odd, and it's absurd, and it's funny! Did this author mean it is an unusual choice for a character name? I don't know. I hope not. It would be an odd choice for a character's name in a Jane Austen novel, sure. But this is cyberpunk, or something like it. Among this genre's leading inspirations are the works of Thomas Pynchon, and "Hiro Protagonist," as a character name, would fit in perfectly among his merry bands of misfits, especially in _V._ or _Gravity's Rainbow_. Repeatedly reviewers are slamming Stephenson for his use of Sumerian myth, exploration of Sumerian culture, etc. in the book... calling it inaccurate, poorly connected to the rest of the story, and, (my personal least favorite), BORING. I tell you, besides the great sense of humor, the Sumerian-myth link is what sets this novel heads above so much other cyberpunk. I don't care if it's inaccurate (this is FICTION, see?). Stephenson "traces" computer/textual viruses and biological viruses quite nicely back to Sumerian times, and he links them to one another, biological virus to digital/informational virus (a debt to another pre-cyberpunk luminary, William Burroughs, who said "Word is Virus?")-- it's all very well connected to the metaverse/here-and-now portion of _Snow Crash_'s plot. This is a funny, riproaring tale. I raced through this nearly 500-page paperback in half the time I read most books of this length. I enjoyed it beginning-to-end. My only complaint with the book was that, at times, it too much resembled a Hollywood action movie, what with all sorts of incredible stunts being performed, by boat drivers, skateboarders, swordsmen, etc. I say, if you like William Gibson or Thomas Pynchon, or if any of this review makes _Snow Crash_ seem a bit appealing to you, give it a chance. I enjoyed it 10 times as much as I thought I would. ken32
86 of 96 found the following review helpful:
 Control Alt Delete RestartJul 17, 2001
By taking a rest
To the extent that a book can be described as original, "Snow Crash", by Neal Stephenson is deserving of the moniker. About the only common ground that his work shares with others is that ink is applied to paper using the same letters, and then pages are bound to create a book. Much beyond that and you are in the midst of this Author's view of a given world he has modified and created. He is not only incredibly unique; his wit passes the cutting edge to the bleeding edge of razor sharp sarcasm, and irony. And when he uses words he assembles them in arrangements you have never listened to before. An important aspect that sets his work apart in this genre is that while delivering enormous amounts of information, he keeps the reader informed, he does not lose you, he ensures you stay with his wickedly fast pace by keeping you educated. Other Authors of Science Fiction are weak on this point, and it weakens their books. One date to remember when reading this work is that it was first released in June of 1992 after three years in the making. This is critical, as so much of what was absolute fiction then, may now be found within the pages of Wired Magazine. There are even words he originated that are common to most people who use a computer, especially if you have ever tried what he calls the Metaverse, touring it as an Avatar. One of the reasons his work is so authentic and exceptionally good is that he knows his material. If he talks about code he's qualified, as he has written it. When he is speaking of Sumerian Mythology an Author who spent years researching his material is again relating it. And when he just lets go with dialogue or descriptive prose it is mind binding for being clever, unique, and hilarious. He also has raised sardonic prose to an art form. If he were any less a craftsman, a main character named Hiro Protagonist that at one point delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo's Cosa Nostra Pizzeria, would be moronic. Technology, a version of what today's society might look like one day, viruses that share traits whether attacking a human or a silicon life form, the origins of language based on Biblical text, it just never stops. He is an extraordinary artist who chooses to express his art through words. It is a unique ride if you have yet to take it, and one that you will never forget.
29 of 30 found the following review helpful:
I'm a victim...Apr 16, 2001
By Carl C. Nelson
...of someone who took a previous reviewer's advice to have another buy the book, then lend it and be forced to buy another copy when it doesn't return! From the opening description of Hiro Protagonist (the main character--couldn't you tell?), I was caught by the irony, sarcasm, wit, and sheer fun with the English language that Neal Stephenson has in his repertoire. Snow Crash is gutsy, innovative, witty, and fun. It rewards anyone who churn out code for a living. Anyone who wonders what happens to our brains with all the advertising thrown at us. Anyone who is tired of the same old science fiction. Anyone who has wondered if the Tower of Babel story, combined with Sumerian mythos, would make a good computer-age read... the answer is yes. It's almost impossible to review a cyberpunk book without comparing it to uberauthor William Gibson's works. I find Gibson to be cooly intellectual, reserved, methodical--a great read for a day when I'm ready to think hard. Stephenson is white-hot, down and dirty, in the trenches, while not losing touch with the thoughtfulness and underlying structure that makes Gibson satisfying.
49 of 56 found the following review helpful:
 Mixed bag.Jun 26, 2001
By Asthenia
Snow Crash: The idea of a virus being both biological and technological. Intriguing concept - but its explanation, rooted in Sumerian myth, comes off as if the author knows way too much about the subject and couldn't make it accessible to his audience (but read the novel's acknowledgments to find out the truth). For the most part, explanations involving the application of Sumerian myth to the novel's conflict take part in long, involved passages, which equate to Hiro Protagonist having long, involved conversations with a computer program. This literary set-up smacks of Stephenson researching Sumerian mythology, and rehashing conversations that he might have had with experts on the subject. It is rather clumsy: The reader will cruise along Stephenson's action-packed, cyberpunky adventure, then suddenly hit a chapter that explains why it is all happening. Kind of like the bad guy telling you his plan before he executes you: It's not subtle. An essay on the possibility of verbal viruses - condensed from explanations in the novel - would be an enjoyable read. On the other hand, Stephenson is at his best when he dabbles in cyberpunk pursuits rather than scholarly ones. The idea of 'franchulates', corporate ownership, and religious fanaticism tying together in the near-future is a common one (suggest reading Palahniuk's "Survivor") but pizza delivery and courier service are envisioned especially well [Stephenson takes skateboarding to an entirely new level]. Snow Crash is full of puns, and bits of irony and wit, which shouldn't be overlooked. Although Hiro renders avatars with the greatest of ease in the Metaverse, Stephenson's main characters are a bit flimsy - on the whole, they give off the impression there was a labored attempt to make them three-dimensional. Or: Characters may be introduced once, serve a purpose, then simply fade away or are very conveniently disposed of. The characters are loosely tied together - or just ridiculously (read: the protagonist and his nemesis share a rather unlikely connection). Characters - especially secondary characters, which there are (in my opinion) far too many of them - also tend to come off as stereotypes: hero, nemesis, love interest, boss, fiesty girl, brooding sniper. The novel's structure is a bit disjointed and unbalanced. There are many loose ends. The first few chapters are unique; the ending is contrived. (Alternative title that involves harpooning - since Snow Crash seeks to tackle many varied subjects, including references to Moby Dick: Ahab's Wife.)
16 of 18 found the following review helpful:
This is not about the book, but about the Kindle editionNov 21, 2010
By Richard Barlow
I give the book 5 stars, as I love the style & the humour. What I give 1 star is the Kindle edition compared to the printed book. Did this book not exist as an electronic file prior to the Kindle version? I find that hard to belive, but nevertheless, Amazon must have thought so because the Kindle edition has very obviously been scanned & OCR'd from the printed page, and the OCR software they used must have come from the same year when Stephenson wrote the book longhand on paper, apparently.
There are many, many OCR errors in the text, particularly misinterpretation of rn as m, which often makes non-words, or, worse, makes actual words which make no sense, or, even worse, makes actual words that change the meaning of a sentence and bring your reading to a grinding halt.
Amazon; if you must OCR books to Kindle, spare a few hours to proof-read them. This is my first bad Kindle experience. Very amateur electronic publishing job.
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