4 ms·

"Snow Crash is definitely action, and definitely dated (it's more alternate present than near future at this point), but if it's dumb I would sure like to see s

by jmduke 14y ago

"Snow Crash is definitely action, and definitely dated (it's more alternate present than near future at this point), but if it's dumb I would sure like to see smart." I enjoyed reading Snow Crash, but I have to agree with the other posters -- it's a good story, not a great book. The prose is ...weak, to say the least, and it felt like science fiction for the sake of science fiction -- which is not to say that's bad in of itself, but it lacks the thrust and weight of Vonnegut or Pynchon (both of whom I recommend reading if you want to see 'smart').

Cushman 14y ago
I wasn't trying to say it's a "smart book" per se; it's certainly an exercise in indulgent cyberpunk fan service, for better and for worse. Only that calling it a "dumb action movie" implies that the reader is not particularly aware of the state of action movies. Personally, I'm a DFW man.
- jmduke 14y ago
  Reading DFW is like being run over by a train of literature. I mean that in the best way possible -- he's an amazing author and one of the most unique voices that we've been fortunate enough to receive. If you haven't read it, his Kenyon address is stunning: http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/david-foster-wallace-in-his-own-words http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/david-foster-wallace-in...
- adavies42 14y ago
  if you're looking for smart books, you want _The Diamond Age_ <rimshot>
- tptacek 14y ago
  If you want to double down on hyper-referential and symbol-laden and keep the guns and stuff from Stephenson, try getting through _Gravity's Rainbow_.
aphyr 14y ago
The prose is ...weak, to say the least Really? I mean sure, on the scale of "everything written in the English language" it may not be top notch, but I think it's one of Stephenson's best crafted works. The allusive density and rhythm of the prose is delightful, and it's packed with juicy, gritty metaphors. Who could forget: The Deliverator's car has enough potential energy packed into its batteries to fire a pound of bacon into the Asteroid Belt. Unlike a bimbo box or a Burb beater, the Deliverator's car unloads that power through gaping, gleaming, polished sphincters... You want to talk contact patches? Your car's tires have tiny contact patches, talk to the asphalt in four places the size of your tongue. The Deliverator's car has big sticky tires with contact patches the size of a fat lady's thighs. The Deliverator is in touch with the road, starts like a bad day, stops on a peseta. Yeah, it may not be provocative, life-altering science fiction, but dammit, Snow Crash is good storytelling.
- Cushman 14y ago
  A lot of people really hate the present tense, I think.

by jmduke 14y ago

Cushman 14y ago

I wasn't trying to say it's a "smart book" per se; it's certainly an exercise in indulgent cyberpunk fan service, for better and for worse. Only that calling it a "dumb action movie" implies that the reader is not particularly aware of the state of action movies. Personally, I'm a DFW man.

jmduke 14y ago
Reading DFW is like being run over by a train of literature. I mean that in the best way possible -- he's an amazing author and one of the most unique voices that we've been fortunate enough to receive. If you haven't read it, his Kenyon address is stunning: http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/david-foster-wallace-in-his-own-words http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/david-foster-wallace-in...
adavies42 14y ago
if you're looking for smart books, you want _The Diamond Age_ <rimshot>
tptacek 14y ago
If you want to double down on hyper-referential and symbol-laden and keep the guns and stuff from Stephenson, try getting through _Gravity's Rainbow_.

aphyr 14y ago

The prose is ...weak, to say the least Really? I mean sure, on the scale of "everything written in the English language" it may not be top notch, but I think it's one of Stephenson's best crafted works. The allusive density and rhythm of the prose is delightful, and it's packed with juicy, gritty metaphors. Who could forget: The Deliverator's car has enough potential energy packed into its batteries to fire a pound of bacon into the Asteroid Belt. Unlike a bimbo box or a Burb beater, the Deliverator's car unloads that power through gaping, gleaming, polished sphincters... You want to talk contact patches? Your car's tires have tiny contact patches, talk to the asphalt in four places the size of your tongue. The Deliverator's car has big sticky tires with contact patches the size of a fat lady's thighs. The Deliverator is in touch with the road, starts like a bad day, stops on a peseta. Yeah, it may not be provocative, life-altering science fiction, but dammit, Snow Crash is good storytelling.

Cushman 14y ago
A lot of people really hate the present tense, I think.