Hiro Protagonist (yeah, that’s his name) is a pizza deliverer in an unspecified future. Pizza delivery is run by the mafia and is super important. All pizzas must be delivered within 30 minutes or huge, major consequences happen. Long story short he crashes in a pool and meets Y.T a spunky skate-board-car-surfer. She delivers the pizza and thus befriends the mafia. And then Hiro is also a hacker and there is a huge virtual world called the metaverse. And in this metaverse there is a virus that infects hackers in real life; called snow crash. Just by looking at data in the form of ones and zeroes these hackers have their brain restructured and they completely lose it.
Hiro is contacted by an ex-girlfriend hacker who introduces the problem and then something about a crazy guy named Raven on a motorcycle with a nuclear bomb and a rich guy on a boat with religious followers from all over the world.
This story changed directions so many times, it started out quiet and somewhat scattered and diverted into car chases and long theological discussions and theories. Honestly I felt too stupid for this book. It may be that, for me, religious conspirations and endlösung are a bit played out since the book was written in 1992 or it may just be the format of alternating between long conversation-y, theoretical pieces and long fight/explosion scenes. Neither of which held my interest.
I liked Y.T – the relationship with her mother was good. And I especially liked that her sexuality was not swept under the rug, she was a 15-year old horny girl. I always appreciate when women are written well and believable. However besides her mother and she is the only woman in this book. And her role is still just to have sex with a main character – she starts out so strongly by rescuing Hiro and is then still just a little girl being rescued by the end of the book.
I never really related to Hiro. Partly because of the way the book was written; it starts out a silly and fun read and then by the middle it takes itself way too seriously; Hiro is the best hacker, the best sword fighter and he totally ends up saving the world.
This book was recommended to me by my boyfriend. If you’re a dudebro maybe this is your thing. For me; I finished it because I had to.
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