REVIEW: Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash

Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash is a classic sci-fi novel set in future Los Angeles. A "snow crash" is a particular devastating failure of a computer so that the result is a completely non-functioning hard drive and a monitor showing black-and-white "snow." On my recent trip to D.C. I took this book with me and even though I was spending most of my time reading hundreds and hundreds of pages of government grant applications, to cleanse my mental palate I brought Snowcrash along for "fun reading." It is definitely a fun read.

The writing is taught, witty and fast-paced. The main character is Hiro Protagonist (get it?), a multiracial (African American and Japanese) pizza deliveryman cum independent hacker who just happens to be "the best swordsman in the world." The other important characters are Y.T., a 15-year old blonde bombshell who is also an über-messenger called a Kourier and L.Bob Rife, the most prominent businessman in the world who happens to own a fiber optic monopoly. Other fun characters are Reverend Wayne Bedford, the head of a worldwide franchise network of churches which feature a new trinity: Reverend Wayne, Jesus and Elvis (of course); Uncle Enzo, the head of The Mafia, the most efficient and effective organization in the world; and Rat Thing, a nuclear powered biomechanical hybrid canine which can be used to either defend or attack

The plot is a bit too convoluted to summarize here but it is really inconsequential to the enjoyment of this work, which has the pace and feel of a graphic novel. With the recent success of film adaptations of other graphic novels like SinCity, V for Vendetta, and A History of Violence, I hope a movie version of Snow Crash is coming soon.