Book Review: Reamde, by Neal Stephenson

[inverarity]

Hackers, gold farmers, pot smugglers, Russian mafia, terrorists, gun nuts, fundamentalists, and man-eating cougars in a sprawling, swollen 21st century doorstopper.

Comments

[calico_reaction]

So, as a reader who just couldn't make herself finish nor care about Snow Crash, is this something you could recommend?

[inverarity]

I guess that would depend on why you didn't like Snow Crash. Reamde is a more mature novel and the characters are more believable (if pretty improbable taken all together). It's also set in the "real world" and there aren't really any science fictional elements (though much of it would have been science fictional when Snow Crash was written). There is still something of the crazy action sequences and zany characters of Snow Crash, but fewer goshcool ideas being flung about just for the sake of cool. And, it's long.

I'd say a much better indicator would be whether or not you liked Cryptonomicon, but if you haven't read that, all I can say is that Reamde is recognizably by the same author as Snow Crash, but it's a very different book.

[calico_reaction]

One day, I'd like to give Stephenson another shot, I just don't know when it'll happen and what book it'll be.

My review for Snow Crash is here: http://calico-reaction.livejournal.com/239197.html

[shinygobonkers]

I've generally quite liked what i've read of Stephenson in the past. this sounds quite zany, but i'll have to give it a try sometimes