Yong (2.5/26): Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Yesterday, my Michigan hosts took a day off work to take in a rare movie while one child was at daycare and the other with the nanny. We watched the new "Transformers" movie. Eh, it was actually better than my admittedly low expectations. And it's with the same suspension of disbelief that one ought to approach Snow Crash. The author practically admits this up front, when he introduces his protagonist with a wink and a nudge as Hiro Protagonist. No joke. I'm going to have to differ with Time's placing this book on its 100 best post-1923 English novels list. If The Stars My Destination below gets 5 stars (for scifi), this gets 3. Still, the book manages a respectable job of intertwining virtual reality and hacker culture with ancient Sumerian and the Exodus and Babel mythologies with linguistics with the relating religion in particular and conscious thought in general as viral transmissions not at all unlike biological and computer viruses. As additional feathers in its cap, it's responsible for our acceptance of the term "avatar" and the idea of Google Earth. Way back in 1991.
posted by yong at 8:14 AM
2 Comments:
Yay for vacations that afford more reading!!
I tried reading this one too, and gave up. But I have a public transportation story related to this book too! (See previous Muni story from 2006: http://eyeshurt.blogspot.com/2006/11/kayan-126-autobiography-of-malcolm-x.html):
I was on SF Muni and some HipsterBoy saw me reading Snow Crash and struck up convo with me. Later that day, my coworker sent me a link. HipsterBoy had posted a Missed Connection on Craigslist for me.
- Kayan
hehe. that's too funny. I think I remember you mentioning the Missed Connection way back when. if Hipster Boy thinks Snow Crash is the shizzle, then...probably a good thing you missed that connection. and that you never finished the book. wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
Now that I read my two fluff books and have been trying to read more meaty stuff, my reading's slowed way down. Plus we're making much better progress on the deck. Half the railing got completed today.
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