Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Snow Crash

I just finished reading Snow Crash. That's one book down, and I'm gaining momentum.

After finishing a book, I intend to write a reflection. Not a summary, or a review, but a collection of thoughts. Finishing a great read is very stimulating, yet its hard to hold onto any single idea for very long. So, I expect that these reflections may be quite wordy and meaningless as I fumble to record my feelings.

Writing a book must consume the author. He or she must literally dive into their creation until they are sick of it, but intimately familiar with it. They must know it like they know themselves, painfully aware of its shortcomings and awkwardness, probably never able to appreciate it the way others do.

I don't believe I have ever read such vivid, illicit and stretching metaphors as I have in this book. Each one is like an Olympian contorted and taxed to his limit to make it from point A to an unanticipated B. I will never see shopping carts or canyons quite the same way...

The author of this book uses a very informal narrative. I was a little surprised by the cursing, but whether or not it bothers you will be a matter of taste. (Personally, I don't like to curse, but do appreciate the emphasis it adds in extreme situations. (Overuse of cursing is pointless, which is why people who cuss regularly have to invent compound-curse words to further emphasize what they are saying.)) There are a few sexual references in the book, so that might bother some. But, once again, whether you feel they are unnecessary or not will be a matter of taste.

As expected, I did enjoy this novel. It was a fun adventure and a world I might not mind being a part of.

So, if you are asking yourself ``Should I read Snow Crash?'' then consider the following questions.

Are you interested in images of the not-too-distant future generated from wild, though entertaining extrapolations?

Are you interested in Stephenson's vision of a large-scale multi-user virtual environment, which he calls the Metaverse?

Are you entertained by Computer Science Fiction (CompSci-Fi) in general?

If so, then in fine Reading Rainbow tradition, you should read this book! But, ya don't have to take my word for it!

I'll see ya next time.

2 Comments:

Blogger Claytonian said...

I'm currently reading Stephenson's book quicksilver. Snow crash was excellent.

7/15/2004 3:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i want to read a blog entry about the ambiguously gay duo's "camping" trip.
- sleepless in san antonio

7/20/2004 1:28 PM  

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