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Book Review: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson * Roytang.net



Book Review: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

I read Snow Crash in three weeks. This is slightly quicker than the Neuromancer work I read this year. They are similar only in the sense that both have a central plot point that is connected to the internet. However, they're not really that similiar, though the review is made easier by having a basis for comparison. Snow Crash is less cyberpunk than Neuromancer and may take itself less seriously. I mean, the main character's name is "Hiro Protagonist", so that ought to tell you something immediately.



Snow Crash was published in 1992, and Neuromancer was released in 1984, so the latter book draws some inspiration from the earlier one in terms of cyberspace. The version in Snow Crash is called "Metaverse" and it's more of a shared virtual world, just like how you are connected to a MMORPG like World of Warcraft. The players of the Metaverse can even wear goggles to play in the game, something that became feasible in the past five years or more. Hiro in this case is among the top hackers of the metaverse, having contributed a lot to the functionality of the virtual world.



This is only the second Stephenson book I've read, following Cryptonomicon waaaay back in 2004. I was concerned that I'd run into the same issues that I did with Cryptonomicon here - the general lack of vocabulary and slow pace. Fortunately, Snow Crash turned out to be faster paced and much easier to follow than the other one. The plot is well-paced and focuses almost entirely on Hiro and his partner who is the Kourier who goes by the name of Y.T. (for "Yours Truly") as they travel through a world where the United States has suffered a massive economic slump and has had to cede some parts of California to what is now a collection of autonomous and sovereign microterritories. Many of these microterritories belong to private franchises that have names such as "Mr Lee's Greater Hong Kong", or "The Mafia".



The plot is based on archaeology, linguistics and history and computer science and other related fields (unsurprising given the topic of Cryptonomicon). It is based on the notion that an ancient civilization was able to use language can be used to propagate the idea of a "virus" across the entire world through hacking into the human brain in the same way that viruses can spread through a computer network. The villain in this story is attempting to utilize this idea of a virus that originated from an ancient language to manipulate the population and create an all-powerful religious system with him as the leader.



The book's title, "Snow Crash", refers to an electronic "drug" the bad guy uses to target hackers. The drug is actually a digital image composed up of random black-and-white bits. This mimics the way an LCD or TV would look when it loses its signal. It affects hackers' brains in a specific manner. I guess I shouldn't spoil the experience any further.



My only complaint would be that the ending was a bit abrupt. Although the story was nicely wrapped up, it all was mostly out of the reach of our protagonists. I do like it more than Cryptonomicon, which was a book later of his (published in 1999). This one was more readable.



Last modified at: March 2 2022 at 4:11 p.m. Source file



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@roytang I love Snow Crash but I'm not sure how it will hold up to a second reading.



@paulcatiang A film adaptation would be awesome!



@roytang It lends itself well to one!



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