Review: Snow Crash
Jan. 3rd, 2011 12:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitch25One of the things I'd like to continue to do, and this has less to do with the secular new year and more to do with the "finally at a point where I can start", is publicly post reviews and comments about stuffs. Movies, books, products, etc. Some of it is record for me, but some of it is also record for the ether. One of the things I've realized is that I really like taking advantage of other people's reviews of things, but I rarely contribute. Time to fix that.
Along those lines, I finally finished Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. Liked it quite a bit. I really enjoyed the technological side of it, and I appreciated how a recent viewing of the Bruce Willis flick, Surrogates, tied in well with aspects of it. This book also reminded me that I continue to be sorely ignorant in matters of mythology, and that I would do well to spend some time researching and learning some of the greater historical mythos.
Overall, I liked the story, but the end crescendoed in a big busy flurry. I may have to re-read sections because I think I missed a few things. I really enjoyed the religious aspects and implications and the idea that while I think there are established ancient ways of tapping into deeper parts of ourselves, those ways aren't the only mechanism, or better stated, those ways are a more homogenized and overly foolproof way of triggering the mechanism, and while successful, are lacking the greater understanding of the mechanism itself.
But like anything else, some people just want things to work. They don't need to know how or why. They just want to push button, get treat. Nothing wrong with that. But others want to know how button arrives at treat and if there are other ways that involve different buttons or no button at all. :-)
Not that I've ever had a problem with pushing buttons. ;-)
Good book though. I look forward to reading others of his!
And for the moment, I'm off reading the latest Dexter book that came out in September. I really enjoy that series as well and appreciate that the TV series diverged enough that I can hold the two worlds separately.
Along those lines, I finally finished Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. Liked it quite a bit. I really enjoyed the technological side of it, and I appreciated how a recent viewing of the Bruce Willis flick, Surrogates, tied in well with aspects of it. This book also reminded me that I continue to be sorely ignorant in matters of mythology, and that I would do well to spend some time researching and learning some of the greater historical mythos.
Overall, I liked the story, but the end crescendoed in a big busy flurry. I may have to re-read sections because I think I missed a few things. I really enjoyed the religious aspects and implications and the idea that while I think there are established ancient ways of tapping into deeper parts of ourselves, those ways aren't the only mechanism, or better stated, those ways are a more homogenized and overly foolproof way of triggering the mechanism, and while successful, are lacking the greater understanding of the mechanism itself.
But like anything else, some people just want things to work. They don't need to know how or why. They just want to push button, get treat. Nothing wrong with that. But others want to know how button arrives at treat and if there are other ways that involve different buttons or no button at all. :-)
Not that I've ever had a problem with pushing buttons. ;-)
Good book though. I look forward to reading others of his!
And for the moment, I'm off reading the latest Dexter book that came out in September. I really enjoy that series as well and appreciate that the TV series diverged enough that I can hold the two worlds separately.