Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

How to describe Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson? 

• Kind of like Ready Player One, but imagined 30 years earlier.
• Dense in detail. 
• Intense. 
• If Terry Pratchett wrote cyberpunk instead of fantasy, but not as laughing-out-loud. Just as an example, his main character is called Hiro Protagonist. I mean, how brilliant is that?

This book is like a wild mix of Hunter S. Thompson, Philip K. Dick, Anthony Burgess, and John Brunner. Written eight years after Neuromancer and long before Ready Player One, it shines brightly in the cyberpunk genre. Set in a near-future where governments have collapsed, and society is held together by anarcho-capitalism, Stephenson creates a chaotic but fascinating world.

Nominated for a Prometheus Award, the story walks a fine line between a libertarian dream and a dystopian nightmare. It's packed with sci-fi, social commentary, and big philosophical ideas, all delivered at breakneck speed. Think of it as a Mark Twain-style adventure, but on overdrive.

At its heart, it's a smart, modern adventure that mixes in elements of prehistory and archaeology.

Favourite quote: "BMW drivers take evasive action at the drop of a hat, emulating the drivers in the BMW advertisements--this is how they convince themselves they didn't get ripped off."

Favourite scene: the memo sent to office workers about the use of toilet paper.

I'm a late comer to this book, as it was published in 1992 and here I am in 2024. I'm ready to read this author's impressive backlist.