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I’m surprised that he isn’t wealthy on the back of his world famous novels, and also why some of his novels haven’t been brought to cinema. Snow Crash would mak

I’m surprised that he isn’t wealthy on the back of his world famous novels, and also why some of his novels haven’t been brought to cinema. Snow Crash would make a good film in the Internet age. Perhaps, this essay is old though, and by now he is and some of them have been.

kjaftaedi 6y ago
https://www.engadget.com/2019-12-14-snow-crash-tv-series-hbo-max.html https://www.engadget.com/2019-12-14-snow-crash-tv-series-hbo...
- tpmx 6y ago
  Ready Player One was competently directed by freaking Steven Spielberg with a "$155–175 million" budget and still sorta disappointed lots of us who had read the book. Perhaps some awesome scifi books are just better left to the imagination? Edit: I felt the same after watching "Ender's Game" (2013). Edit 2: I felt that the TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "Good Omens" featuring David Tennant and Michael Sheen was absolutely brilliant. I hadn't gotten around to reading the book yet though...
  - bborud 6y ago
    Both Ready Player One and Ender lacked grittyness and good actors to carry the roles. Turning them into fluffy afternoon cartoons. Good Omens on the other hands was solidly built around good acting and a style that fit the book.
- inetsee 6y ago
  This article also says that Amazon may develop William Gibson's "The Peripheral". https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-13-amazon-william-gibson-the-peripheral-series.html https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-13-amazon-william-gibson-th... I'd love to see that!
titanomachy 6y ago
How do you know he isn't wealthy?
- onli 6y ago
  He wrote as much, it's at the end of the essay.
  - pklausler 6y ago
    Which is 22 years old now.
    - onli 6y ago
      HN title said 2015 when parent wrote that comment.
tpmx 6y ago
I just wish he would go back to writing hard sci fi books like Snowcrash. IMHO after/during Cryptonomicon he started writing books only very serious people would enjoy. I admit I haven't tried to read anything after his baroque cycle. (Which I couldn't finish. I got so bored.) Did he ever recover from that desire to write those overly complicated books?
- ISL 6y ago
  I didn't follow up with the entire novel, but the opening chapter to Seveneves had some of the energy of Snowcrash.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - tpmx 6y ago
    Um, now when you say so, I think I actually bought the ebook on some platform and started reading it. Then I was distracted. It's so hard to read books ~20 years later. So many other things pulling for your attention. Like HN.
- pklausler 6y ago
  Anathem is really good, and possibly his best. Several big ideas that will make you close the book and go for a long walk to think about, and it also has a real ending. Deserves and rewards multiple readings. Reamde is a lightweight page-turner, but fun. Seveneves and Fall: meh. D.O.D.O.: can't say anything good about it. Only Stephenson book I've donated to a drop-box.
  - tpmx 6y ago
    > Reamde is a lightweight page-turner, but fun. Read it a couple of times. Totally agree. This, but at a larger scale (like Snow crash) is the kind of Stephenson I love! Thanks for your thoughts. I think I'll try reading Anathem.

kjaftaedi 6y ago

https://www.engadget.com/2019-12-14-snow-crash-tv-series-hbo-max.html https://www.engadget.com/2019-12-14-snow-crash-tv-series-hbo...

tpmx 6y ago
Ready Player One was competently directed by freaking Steven Spielberg with a "$155–175 million" budget and still sorta disappointed lots of us who had read the book. Perhaps some awesome scifi books are just better left to the imagination? Edit: I felt the same after watching "Ender's Game" (2013). Edit 2: I felt that the TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "Good Omens" featuring David Tennant and Michael Sheen was absolutely brilliant. I hadn't gotten around to reading the book yet though...
- bborud 6y ago
  Both Ready Player One and Ender lacked grittyness and good actors to carry the roles. Turning them into fluffy afternoon cartoons. Good Omens on the other hands was solidly built around good acting and a style that fit the book.
inetsee 6y ago
This article also says that Amazon may develop William Gibson's "The Peripheral". https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-13-amazon-william-gibson-the-peripheral-series.html https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-13-amazon-william-gibson-th... I'd love to see that!

titanomachy 6y ago

How do you know he isn't wealthy?

onli 6y ago
He wrote as much, it's at the end of the essay.
- pklausler 6y ago
  Which is 22 years old now.
  - onli 6y ago
    HN title said 2015 when parent wrote that comment.

tpmx 6y ago

I just wish he would go back to writing hard sci fi books like Snowcrash. IMHO after/during Cryptonomicon he started writing books only very serious people would enjoy. I admit I haven't tried to read anything after his baroque cycle. (Which I couldn't finish. I got so bored.) Did he ever recover from that desire to write those overly complicated books?

ISL 6y ago
I didn't follow up with the entire novel, but the opening chapter to Seveneves had some of the energy of Snowcrash.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- tpmx 6y ago
  Um, now when you say so, I think I actually bought the ebook on some platform and started reading it. Then I was distracted. It's so hard to read books ~20 years later. So many other things pulling for your attention. Like HN.
pklausler 6y ago
Anathem is really good, and possibly his best. Several big ideas that will make you close the book and go for a long walk to think about, and it also has a real ending. Deserves and rewards multiple readings. Reamde is a lightweight page-turner, but fun. Seveneves and Fall: meh. D.O.D.O.: can't say anything good about it. Only Stephenson book I've donated to a drop-box.
- tpmx 6y ago
  > Reamde is a lightweight page-turner, but fun. Read it a couple of times. Totally agree. This, but at a larger scale (like Snow crash) is the kind of Stephenson I love! Thanks for your thoughts. I think I'll try reading Anathem.