Difference between revisions of "Snow Crash"

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Some consider that one of the major successes of the novel is that it is fun, even though it defies some of the rules and protocols of science-fiction writing, with massive infodumps on Sumerian religion, information theory and other subjects <ref name =”9”></ref>.
 
Some consider that one of the major successes of the novel is that it is fun, even though it defies some of the rules and protocols of science-fiction writing, with massive infodumps on Sumerian religion, information theory and other subjects <ref name =”9”></ref>.
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==About the story==
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The main character, Hiro Protagonist, is a freelance hacker and the best sword fighter in the Metaverse. The story revolves around Hiro, as he uncovers the secret behind the online narcotic “Snow Crash” and the collapse of the dystopian society. He teams up with Y.T. and Juanita (Hiro’s old girlfriend) to delve into the mystery that mixes Sumerian myth with virtual reality in a cyberpunk setting  <ref name =”10”> Bookrags. Snow Crash Summary & Study Guide Description. Retrieved from http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-snow-crash/#gsc.tab=0</ref>  <ref name =”11”> Stranger Views (2017). 5 reasons Snow Crash will be the coolest book you ever read. http://www.strangerviews.com/sci-fi-books/classic-sci-fi-books/5-reasons-snow-crash-will-coolest-book-ever-read/</ref>.
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Some reviewers consider that the book has one of the most effective opening hooks in science-fiction. A description of a high-tech armored driver and car; a man who works for the Mafia delivering pizzas. During this setup, not only the main protagonist is introduced but also the skateboard courier Y.T., and some of the major players and political structure of the future Los Angeles <ref name =”12”> Eyrie.org. Snow Crash. Retrieved from https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/0-553-56261-4.html</ref>.
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Snow Crash can be considered cyberpunk humor. The characters approach an insane, satirical world with a sarcastic attitude. The author does not only provides humorous ideas, but also “digs beneath the surface, filling out the corners and edges with with bits of trivia and extrapolation, resulting in a highly improbable world that feels, while reading, like a living, breathing place just a few exaggerations around the corner from our own.” <ref name =”12”></ref>
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The story is also considered divisive. Many view the novel has flawed, going against a lot of accepted tenets of literary writing. Indeed, Stephenson’s education was as a physicist and a geographer and he came to writing from the outside. One of the criticism is that right from the opening two chapters Neal Stephenson picks style over substance, providing a constant flow of information that can overwhelm the reader and take him out of the narrative (the so called “infodumps”). This is a trend that is constant throughout the book. It is the result of the author doing masses of research on a variety of different subjects <ref name =”9”></ref>.
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==About the author==
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Stephenson, in addition to his work as a science-fiction writer, is also the chief futurist at the AR company Magic Leap. He was born in Fort Meade, and grew up in a family that included biochemistry, physics, and electrical engineering professors. He studies physics and geography  <ref name =”13”> Ha, A. (2016). ‘Snow Crash’ author Neal Stephenson is hoping for weird, indie VR. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/13/neal-stephenson-disrupt/</ref>.
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He is the author of several other books like Zodiac, the Hugo award-winning The Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and the three volumes of the Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World). Stephenson also writes under the pseudonym Stephen Bury <ref name =”9”></ref><ref name =”14”> Mustich, J (2008). Neal Stephenson: Anathem. Retrieved from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/review/neal-stephenson-anathem/</ref>.
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Revision as of 19:56, 23 April 2017

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (Image: www.bioethics.ac.uk)

Snow Crash is a science-fiction novel written by American author Neal Stephenson. It was published in 1992 and established Stephenson as a major science-fiction writer of the 1990s. The book was selected by Time magazine as one of the 100 all-time best english language novels written since 1923. The list was created by critics Lev Grossman and Richard Lacayo [1]. Snow Crash has been considered a parody of cyberpunk, filled with satire - deliberately looking at the world “through the lens of exaggerated, humorous motifs aimed at providing insight through magnification of salient traits.” [2] In 1993, the novel was nominated for a BSFA (British Science Fiction Association Award) and a Prometheus award. In 1994, it received a nomination for an Arthur C. Clarke award [3] [4].

The science-fiction novel depicts a posthuman world in which many of its inhabitants have a parallel existence in the Metaverse - a digital network that has some features in common with the internet. Users log into the Metaverse with a virtual reality headset that has earphones that are plugged into the ears [5]. The Metaverse is mostly populated by real people that are represented by avatars in the digital space. It is a virtual reality world envisioned as a large cyber-planet containing homes, corporate headquarters, nightclubs, and other types of buildings found in reality, and others that are not. Besides the real people, the Metaverse also contains totally synthetic characters. These have different degrees of capability and complexity, interacting with users as if they were avatars representing real people [6]. Once a user enters the Metaverse, he will be presented with a brilliantly lit boulevard that stretches off into an infinite blackness. The boulevard is a computer-rendered view of an imaginary place from where the user will then navigate the fantasy world through the use of his avatar. The story’s main character is called Hiro Protagonist - a young man who is a computer hacker by profession. He spends the majority of his time in the Metaverse, believing it is his only escape from the harshness of reality [5].

The book has had a great influence in several people that were inspired by the world that Stephenson created, more specifically the concept of the Metaverse. Indeed, Michael Abrash (Chief Scientist at Oculus VR) has described how the novel inspired him to start thinking about a lot of concepts that were explored in the book that could be implemented in real life [7]. The book is also said to have predicted several aspect of modern society and technology, like pervasive access to the internet, a virtual “web” of interconnected information [5] [8]. Its arrival in 1992 coincided with the emergence of the internet, when William Gibson’s ideas about cyberspace were being reshaped by his readers in their own image. Therefore, it was integrated easily in a culture that was at the brink of a new information revolution with the world wide web. Snow Crash’s influence goes well beyond the confines of traditional science-fiction literature. It has influenced game designers, coders, graphic artists and 3D modellers who, like Michael Abrash, took a sense of possibility and tried to realize it in the real world [9].

Some consider that one of the major successes of the novel is that it is fun, even though it defies some of the rules and protocols of science-fiction writing, with massive infodumps on Sumerian religion, information theory and other subjects [9].

About the story

The main character, Hiro Protagonist, is a freelance hacker and the best sword fighter in the Metaverse. The story revolves around Hiro, as he uncovers the secret behind the online narcotic “Snow Crash” and the collapse of the dystopian society. He teams up with Y.T. and Juanita (Hiro’s old girlfriend) to delve into the mystery that mixes Sumerian myth with virtual reality in a cyberpunk setting [10] [11].

Some reviewers consider that the book has one of the most effective opening hooks in science-fiction. A description of a high-tech armored driver and car; a man who works for the Mafia delivering pizzas. During this setup, not only the main protagonist is introduced but also the skateboard courier Y.T., and some of the major players and political structure of the future Los Angeles [12].

Snow Crash can be considered cyberpunk humor. The characters approach an insane, satirical world with a sarcastic attitude. The author does not only provides humorous ideas, but also “digs beneath the surface, filling out the corners and edges with with bits of trivia and extrapolation, resulting in a highly improbable world that feels, while reading, like a living, breathing place just a few exaggerations around the corner from our own.” [12]

The story is also considered divisive. Many view the novel has flawed, going against a lot of accepted tenets of literary writing. Indeed, Stephenson’s education was as a physicist and a geographer and he came to writing from the outside. One of the criticism is that right from the opening two chapters Neal Stephenson picks style over substance, providing a constant flow of information that can overwhelm the reader and take him out of the narrative (the so called “infodumps”). This is a trend that is constant throughout the book. It is the result of the author doing masses of research on a variety of different subjects [9].

About the author

Stephenson, in addition to his work as a science-fiction writer, is also the chief futurist at the AR company Magic Leap. He was born in Fort Meade, and grew up in a family that included biochemistry, physics, and electrical engineering professors. He studies physics and geography [13].

He is the author of several other books like Zodiac, the Hugo award-winning The Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and the three volumes of the Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World). Stephenson also writes under the pseudonym Stephen Bury [9][14].

References

  1. Grossman, L. (2010). All-time 100 Novels. Retrieved from http://entertainment.time.com/2005/10/16/all-time-100-novels/slide/snow-crash-1992-by-neal-stephenson/
  2. Pimentel, S. (2016). Snow Crash Revisited: Grokking a Satire of Mimesis. Retrieved from https://hackernoon.com/snow-crash-revisited-grokking-a-satire-of-mimesis-23de3ac05f47
  3. Worlds Without End. 1993 Award Winners & Nominees. Retrieved from https://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1993
  4. Worlds Without End. 1994 Award Winners & Nominees. Retrieved from https://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1994
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Sedore, M. (2012). The dangers behind technological progress: Posthuman control in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash. Master of Arts Thesis, Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved from https://fau.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fau%3A3969/datastream/OBJ/view/dangers_behind_technological_progress.pdf
  6. Allbeck, J. M. and Badler, N. I. (1998). Avatars á la Snow Crash. Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/hms/24
  7. Abrash, M. (2012). Valve: How I got here, what it’s like, and what I’m doing. Retrieved from http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/abrash/valve-how-i-got-here-what-its-like-and-what-im-doing-2/
  8. Robert (2013). Snow Crash’s Influence On The Internet & Gaming. Retrieved from https://101books.net/2013/02/05/snow-crashs-influence-on-the-internet-gaming/
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Raven, P. G. (2008). Snow Crash. Retrieved from https://www.sfsite.com/09a/sn279.htm
  10. Bookrags. Snow Crash Summary & Study Guide Description. Retrieved from http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-snow-crash/#gsc.tab=0
  11. Stranger Views (2017). 5 reasons Snow Crash will be the coolest book you ever read. http://www.strangerviews.com/sci-fi-books/classic-sci-fi-books/5-reasons-snow-crash-will-coolest-book-ever-read/
  12. 12.0 12.1 Eyrie.org. Snow Crash. Retrieved from https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/0-553-56261-4.html
  13. Ha, A. (2016). ‘Snow Crash’ author Neal Stephenson is hoping for weird, indie VR. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/13/neal-stephenson-disrupt/
  14. Mustich, J (2008). Neal Stephenson: Anathem. Retrieved from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/review/neal-stephenson-anathem/