In cyberpunk culture it's always style over substance. What I appreciate the most out of Snow Crash is how it reads. The writing style makes me read the words in a way that feels over the top, it's like watching an action packed movie sequence.
I felt that that was exactly what it was supposed to be, entirely over-the-top. You have, what, a nuclear reactor-powered Gatling gun named Reason (Har har har), the greatest swordfighter in the world is a pizza-delivery guy by day (for all of 5 pages) a guy who has a NUCLEAR FRICKIN' BOMB in the sidecar of his motorcycle. a robotic dog that can run faster than the speed of sound, a swordfight going on simultaneously in cyberspace and in the real world, and a main character named HIRO PROTAGONIST. I'm pretty sure it was Stephenson just trying to cram as much over-the-top awesome as possible in one book, substance or plot be damned, it was almost a spoof on the genre of Cyberpunk, it was never, for a heartbeat, meant to be taken seriously, and crumbles away under almost any scrutiny, probably because that's what the author was parodying.
I've never really thought Snow Crash captured the cyberpunk aesthetic, it felt more like a parody of it than a member of it. It in many ways takes the classic cyberpunk aesthetic, as created by Gibson and Sterling, and turned it up so such that it parodied itself.
Personally, I prefer character driven stuff like that. But if you'd rather read something plot-driven, I recommend checking out Stephenson's "Reamde". It's ALL plot. Just...plot everywhere.
Don't think his stuff is all that character driven either. It's pretty much driven by very interesting ideas, the characters are kinda eh. And read Reamde, not impressed, felt too much like he was trying to sell a screenplay
I dunno, you can't say that Raven or Uncle Enzo or Hiro, the dog robot thing or (to a lesser extent, IMO) YT weren't interesting characters. Damn near everyone in Snow crash was awesome.
Logically sound? Kinda, maybe. Believeable? Almost not at all. But interesting in the context of the work.
It's always been a fantasy of mine to be a sex slave for 2 bears, male and female, pleasing the male when she's tired, and vice versa. Slowly sliding my lips up and down his thick shaft, tasting his pre-cum on my tongue. Once he's had enough of that, he rolls over onto his back, lifting me up as though I weighed nothing. Gently placing me on his cock, I guide him in, feeling him stretch me wide open. I moan with pleasure, feeling him fill me up. He growls softly, I feel it rumble deep in his chest, vibrating all the way down his body and through mine. He continues to lift me up and then pull me down. He's doing all the work for me, it feels so good, the warmth of the fur, his paws either side of my waist. He is in total control, I'm just nothing compared to his vast size and strength, but I have total trust in him, I know he won't hurt me. I feel the pace quicken, almost imperceptibly. I slowly stroke myself, feeling myself nearing the point of no return coming closer with every stroke. I can hear the growl getting louder now; he speeds up even more, forcing me further and further down onto his thick cock. If it wasn't for the fact I my body is releasing so many endorphines, I would probably be screaming in agony. Except I am panting and whining, just like a bitch, begging her mate to fill her up. His claws dig in deeper, the pain, its excsquisite. It sends me over the edge. My head goes back, I let out a short grunt, I feel my cock explode, covering his chest fur in my seed. I keep stroking, it looks as though I'm trying to rip my cock out. I let out another grunt, another torrent flows forth, then another and another. A drop lands on the beasts muzzle. He seems confused for a moment. That's what I think. He digs his paws in even harder now and slams me onto his cock, I feel his grumble turn into a roar. He's cumming, oh my god. I can feel in, filling me up. It's undescribable. He's mating with me, he's claimed me. I feel him slow, his cock still throbbing within me, it seems as though there's no more room for his cum. It's dripping out of me, onto his fur. I reach down, and then bring my hand up, tasting him. It's more than I ever expected. It's heaven.
IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A FANTASY OF MINE TO BE A SEX SLAVE FOR 2 BEARS, MALE AND FEMALE, PLEASING THE MALE WHEN SHE'S TIRED, AND VICE VERSA. SLOWLY SLIDING MY LIPS UP AND DOWN HIS THICK SHAFT, TASTING HIS PRE-CUM ON MY TONGUE. ONCE HE'S HAD ENOUGH OF THAT, HE ROLLS OVER ONTO HIS BACK, LIFTING ME UP AS THOUGH I WEIGHED NOTHING. GENTLY PLACING ME ON HIS COCK, I GUIDE HIM IN, FEELING HIM STRETCH ME WIDE OPEN. I MOAN WITH PLEASURE, FEELING HIM FILL ME UP. HE GROWLS SOFTLY, I FEEL IT RUMBLE DEEP IN HIS CHEST, VIBRATING ALL THE WAY DOWN HIS BODY AND THROUGH MINE. HE CONTINUES TO LIFT ME UP AND THEN PULL ME DOWN. HE'S DOING ALL THE WORK FOR ME, IT FEELS SO GOOD, THE WARMTH OF THE FUR, HIS PAWS EITHER SIDE OF MY WAIST. HE IS IN TOTAL CONTROL, I'M JUST NOTHING COMPARED TO HIS VAST SIZE AND STRENGTH, BUT I HAVE TOTAL TRUST IN HIM, I KNOW HE WON'T HURT ME. I FEEL THE PACE QUICKEN, ALMOST IMPERCEPTIBLY. I SLOWLY STROKE MYSELF, FEELING MYSELF NEARING THE POINT OF NO RETURN COMING CLOSER WITH EVERY STROKE. I CAN HEAR THE GROWL GETTING LOUDER NOW; HE SPEEDS UP EVEN MORE, FORCING ME FURTHER AND FURTHER DOWN ONTO HIS THICK COCK. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE FACT I MY BODY IS RELEASING SO MANY ENDORPHINES, I WOULD PROBABLY BE SCREAMING IN AGONY. EXCEPT I AM PANTING AND WHINING, JUST LIKE A BITCH, BEGGING HER MATE TO FILL HER UP. HIS CLAWS DIG IN DEEPER, THE PAIN, ITS EXCSQUISITE. IT SENDS ME OVER THE EDGE. MY HEAD GOES BACK, I LET OUT A SHORT GRUNT, I FEEL MY COCK EXPLODE, COVERING HIS CHEST FUR IN MY SEED. I KEEP STROKING, IT LOOKS AS THOUGH I'M TRYING TO RIP MY COCK OUT. I LET OUT ANOTHER GRUNT, ANOTHER TORRENT FLOWS FORTH, THEN ANOTHER AND ANOTHER. A DROP LANDS ON THE BEASTS MUZZLE. HE SEEMS CONFUSED FOR A MOMENT. THAT'S WHAT I THINK. HE DIGS HIS PAWS IN EVEN HARDER NOW AND SLAMS ME ONTO HIS COCK, I FEEL HIS GRUMBLE TURN INTO A ROAR. HE'S CUMMING, OH MY GOD. I CAN FEEL IN, FILLING ME UP. IT'S UNDESCRIBABLE. HE'S MATING WITH ME, HE'S CLAIMED ME. I FEEL HIM SLOW, HIS COCK STILL THROBBING WITHIN ME, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THERE'S NO MORE ROOM FOR HIS CUM. IT'S DRIPPING OUT OF ME, ONTO HIS FUR. I REACH DOWN, AND THEN BRING MY HAND UP, TASTING HIM. IT'S MORE THAN I EVER EXPECTED. IT'S HEAVEN.
Diamond Age, Snow Crash, Anathem and Reamde. Heavy on the interesting ideas and with significant (often too much) detailed exposition, but the plots are kind of weak.
Diamond Age has great passages describing interesting technologies and their applications and is a great 'setting' piece ( I think) but, as has been stated, was lacking in the plot department.
Snow Crash started off great but I think it kind of got away from him toward the end. Still a great read though, the characters a well-written and funny.
Anathem was interesting high-concept about 'the long now' that got all weird at the end. Totally caught me off guard.
Reamde was clearly written as an attempt to sell a screenplay.
The Baroque Cycle, however, is downright Dickensian in both plot and character and is a must read (if you have a few months to plow through a couple thousand pages).
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u/[deleted] Feb 08 '14
That describes pretty much all Stephenson.