My sentiments exactly. His scorecard for predictions is bizarre too. If you don’t get it 100% right, it doesn’t count?
I’d love to see his take on Shakespeare. “The most cliché-ridden thing I’ve ever seen!”
I finished it this morning…
It was good, it’s not ‘my kind of scifi or fantasy’ in that it doesn’t describe a world in which I can envision myself living, but it did raise some interesting thoughts and questions. I thought it was well written, and that there were many well developed characters (something that sadly isn’t always the case in our favorite genre). The conflicts around race in the world Stephenson describes are disturbing - but in a good way, because they’re very cautionary tale-ish (i.e. what if South Africa continued with apartheid, etc).
I also appreciated that there could be positive female sexuality in the novel - Y.T. isn’t there just to be enjoyed by Raven or anyone else, she has agency and makes her own decisions. And she enjoys sex - which if you think about it from a non IYKWIM point of view, is very unusual in a lot of literature, particularly literature written by men.
I guess in terms of criticisms - I was never convinced that Hiro wouldn’t prevail, he seemed too invincible to me. I also thought that the pace varied in kind of odd ways, particularly in the middle third of the novel.
Overall, a solid novel that I enjoyed. It doesn’t make me want to get into cyberpunk, but I appreciate having read it and I wouldn’t eschew something (as I would have previously) because it’s cyberpunk.
This could be the academic in me talking, but I was very comfortable with the librarian. He wasn’t dull at all - but then again, most of what I write for work is very much in that style. I also like how Stephenson managed to attribute information insofar as it was possible within the novel - my scholar side was cheering!
It took me a second or third time till reading till i learned to like the librarian. But the first time i read the book i was like 14 or so and just wanted action not talking. Ive learned to like his ramblings now. Stephenson gets even more rambly in his other works. If you like the intellectual stuff and a strong female character check out the Baroque cycle. Its not cyberpunk at all it takes place in the time of Issac Newton and a bit later. The character of Elisa in it is awesome. there is also a great male character Jack “half-cocked” Shaftoe.
another sort of cyberpunk but not is The Diamond Age. A great character named Nell. You see her go from a street urchin to a leader. Its my favorite of the Stephenson books and Nell is one of my favorite characters of all time.
Another non cyberpunk book is Cryptonomicon. Its all about math and codebreaking but also has a great story.
His best one, IMHO. (He actually ends it well.)
i’ve always kinda liked his endings or rather half endings. For me his endings are kind of like a happily ever after of sorts…kinda. Most stories have the clear cut ending or the cliff hanger but his just sort of end. Its kinda like the Sopranos ending. Now i hated the Sopranos ending but with his books i like them for some reason. I guess it feels like we get a peek at a persons life we dont see it all just the fun bit. Its kinda voyeuristic in a way.
Hmmm the way you guys are describing his other work it totally sounds like my kind of person… tee hee, might we even call it academic science fiction? 
I’m checking out the linked podcast… um how could he not find the book? It’s really very easy to get a copy of… perhaps more later
Hes so acedemic that he often has an appendix in the back of his books that involve further math problems and detailed explanations.
Oh another cool thing.
in the Baroque Cycle (which is a triology he wrote) some of his chapters are written in the form of a play. Which is kind of cool. Well each characters story line has a different feel in story style.
Wow so I listened to 12 minutes and the guy is just weird. Totally entitled to his opinion, but also totally misses the point of the book. In so many ways. I was going to start writing them down, but then I just got annoyed and stopped listening.
Though - I did get the whole BTTF vibe at first with Y.T.'s Kourier plank and whatnot… though I do have to say, much as I love Marty McFly, I do think Y.T. would kick his sorrybarb in that arena…
Yeah. We could.
You need to read Cryptonomicon.
It’s only Sci-Fi because of one scene (well, and the Root connection) but you’d love it. You just have to be able to enjoy digressions.
One of the classes I’m in this semester, I’m in for the prof’s digressions 
Oh god why are you making me listen to this limey sorrybarb? Gods damn he’s an idiot “Lulz there’s no drama in the metaverse let’s completely ignore the fact that Raven was going to unleash A FRAKKIN BOMB THAT SPOILERS TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE METAVERSE!”
And he can’t even get past the fact that it’s a different world than our own.
Oh god. Why did you have to link this. You jerk. You frakkin jerk. AND NOW HE’S MAKING FUN OF HIRO’S NAME?!
Also “IT’S NOT REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEALISTIC!!! IT SUCKS!!!”
The only complaint I have about Snow Crash is that the Ancient Babylon bits are boring as all get out
Hence my desire to do damage via the foot to his testicular region. Or go Butters on him ala last weeks episode of South Park
To be fair, I gave warning. (And yeah, I think that Neal got the FRAKING JOKE THAT HE MADE.)
The only complaint I have about Snow Crash is that the Ancient Babylon bits are boring as all get out
See, this is what I like to call the “sane” criticism of Stephenson. I don’t agree with this one (I found those bits interesting) but then, I don’t think that the holder of that opinion is a monsterous prat who is still suckling at his mommy’s teat.
Well it’s like the same in Cryptonomicon. There’s really interesting and exciting parts going on (WWII/uncovering mysters/shootin the craaaaaaap out of an aircraft carrier) that make everything else seem more boring. The information about ancient babylon is interesting it’s just not as interesting at everything else in the book
Yeah. It’s like the property-distribution chapter of Cryptonomicon. If you like it, you’re probably a Stephenson fan. If not, you’re probably not.
Personally, Cryptonomicon is one of my favorite books, and the whole marine guy going around fighting in WWII part was kinda ho-hum to me. It was the code breaking part that really piqued my interest. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels this way. If you just want mindless action, there are so many books out there that bring it just as well. Stephenson brings something extra.
I think thats one of the great things about Stephenson is that he does have so many diverse characters. If you are into the smart stuff you will like the Waterhouse characters. If you are more into the Action stuff you will like the Shaftoe characters. And it works the same in all his other books as well. He has a character for everyone.
With Snowcrash its some what looser. Hiro is smart and actiony. Raven is just a Bad SorryBarb. Y.T. can be a Bad Sorrybarb as well but also has a brain in her. But if you wnat the smart stuff you do have the librarian.
I like the code breaking parts too , and I felt I learned a lot about Cryptography. The parts I didn’t like where like…running the underwater cable and the code breaker homie and his bike from the beginning.
I’m about half way through, though this is my second reading so I can safely read the thread. It’s reading much more briskly than I remember.
About the librarian. I find him interesting, but not as a character, which he isn’t, but as software. He’s a user interface, specifically a Conversational Interface Agent. He is Clippy for the CIC. Unlike Clippy, he seems to be fairly useful. More importantly, he seems to stay out of Hiro’s way when he’s not wanted. To borrow a complaint about Vista, Clippy seemed like a teenager with ADD, consitintly popping up whenever there was the remotest chance he might be wanted. Clippy would intrude to ask if you needed help writing a letter whenever you typed D-E-A-R. Usually he wasn’t wanted, so he was annoying. The Librarian, on the other hand, seems to stick to mentioning related information to your query and he seems to be pretty good about discerning what you might be interested in.
I’m in about Chapter 16. Rife is such an awesome character and his description of the nature of modern media and industry and the whole whale analogy is so dead on it hurts. The mythological throwback to Crete and the minotaur… Fantastic. I effin’ love this book.