Category: cyberpunk

  • Snow Crash – Cyberpunk Classics everyone has to read

    Snow Crash – Cyberpunk Classics everyone has to read

    Soooo, I read “Snow Crash”. It supposed to be an easy read after finishing “The Shadow of the Torturer”, but I underappreciated Neal Stephenson. Seriously underappreciated.

    Neal Stephenson’s “Snow Crash” is often hailed as a seminal work in the cyberpunk genre, a gleaming cybernetic implant in the collective consciousness of sci-fi enthusiasts. But let’s strip away the hype and take a closer look at this 1992 novel, which is as much a fever dream of late-capitalist dystopia as it is a cautionary tale about the perils of ordering pizza in a post-apocalyptic world.

    First, let’s talk about the prose. Stephenson has a knack for describing the mundane with the fervor of a prophet on his fifth espresso. The opening pages, a tour-de-force of pizza delivery gone mad, are a masterclass in making the banal seem extraordinary. It’s like watching a high-stakes action movie where the hero’s superpower is navigating traffic.

    The world of “Snow Crash” is a grimy, corporate-dominated future where nation-states have been replaced by franchises, and everyone seems to be on a perpetual power trip—literally and metaphorically. It’s a bleak vision, but Stephenson delivers it with such panache that you can’t help but be drawn in. The cyberpunk aesthetic is turned up to eleven, with hackers, virtual reality, and enough neon to make a rave look like a candlelit dinner.

    But where “Snow Crash” truly shines—or perhaps blinds—is in its ideas. Stephenson weaves a tapestry of ancient Sumerian mythology, linguistics, and computer science that is as audacious as it is bewildering. It’s like watching a high-wire act performed by a philosopher juggling flaming chainsaws while reciting Shakespeare. You’re not sure how it all fits together, but you can’t look away.

    The influence of “Snow Crash” on the cyberpunk genre is undeniable. It’s a book that dares to ask, “What if the internet was a physical place, and also, what if ancient languages could reprogram your brain?” It’s a heady mix of high-concept ideas and low-brow humor, a rollercoaster ride through a future that feels both eerily prescient and delightfully absurd.

    Yet, for all its brilliance, “Snow Crash” can also be a bit of a slog. The plot meanders like a drunken tourist in a virtual reality theme park, and the characters often feel like they’re along for the ride rather than driving the story. But perhaps that’s the point. In a world as chaotic and unpredictable as the one Stephenson envisions, maybe the best we can do is hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

    In the end, “Snow Crash” is a book that defies easy categorization. It’s a cyberpunk epic, a linguistic puzzle, a satire of late-stage capitalism, and a love letter to the power of pizza delivery. It’s a book that will make you think, make you laugh, and make you wonder if you should brush up on your ancient Sumerian. Just in case.

  • Review #2 – Falling into Oblivion by Aaron M. Payne

    Review #2 – Falling into Oblivion by Aaron M. Payne

    So, another book is read.
    That was quite a quick and easy read for me, thrilling detective story in bright and shiny cyberpunk setting.
    I won’t talk about the plot. I don’t want to make a review reciting the story, kinda makes no sense for me. What makes sense is to highlight strong sides of the novel and explain why it is a not five-star read.
    Let’s start from the world-building. That’s the strong part of the book. Nox City is written out in detail, some key locations were explicitly described and in general, the world is living and breathing being in the book. Night club, Swamplands the rich ass’ apartments… sometimes you even understand how it smells there just based on the descriptions.
    Setting. Cyberpunk in its best. Modifications, neon, new unknown drugs, cyberpets, all-inclusive. High tech low life as it should be. Big corporations, a couple of big criminal groups (very distinctive from each other), non-existence of social warranties and a couple of highly ethical questions raised. I liked it much.
    Let’s move to the pace. Wow! That’s actually 6 out of 5. I haven’t expected that the whole book is about less than 24 hours. It’s amazing how much of action you can stuck into such a small period of time. Action-packed, high-adrenaline detective story that will keep you tense all the time.
    Now, the prose. ehmm, that’s difficult. The language and words used look like a right tool for this case. Not really sophisticated, rough, even simple sometimes. But that’s an action novel, it should be that way. I’d prefer more exquisite expressions, especially for different characters. They kind of sound the same. Sometimes you need to return a couple of lines backwards to check who says what.
    Characters. Not protagonist, everyone else. They are well-written, with clear motivations and goals. I liked most of them. Mirk is very believable and annoying, Coleson is challenge-motivated and not really about material compensation. They are organically part of the world and feel real. Of course, you cannot open and connect a lot of them. There isn’t much time for that.
    Aaaand the weakest part in the book for me. It’s Sol. His thoughts, his actions, his demeanor. Some moments were utterly “facepalmy” for me. Like the most of night club interactions, for example. Those flashbacks were supposed to build the backbone of motivation for the main character, but for me he looked like emotionally very unstable person. Let’s say it so, I wouldn’t give a gun to this grown-up child. I tried to connect somehow with him, but I failed.
    Overall conclusion: Did I like the novel? Hell yeah! Great world-building, amazing well-paced story, immersive cyberpunk setting, all is here. I hope in the next books author will put more effort in the main character development. And yes, I’m waiting for the next book and I’ll definitely buy it.

  • Review #1 – The Escher Man by T.R. Napper

    Review #1 – The Escher Man by T.R. Napper

    Oh boy! I just love this novel!
    In the best traditions of cyberpunk this novel drags us through the high tech low life in Macau and bordered regions. How one of the reviewers said, it’s a complete mindfuck. The book starts as a usual criminal thriller, but then… I’ll provide you no spoilers. Because this book is a treasure for an engaged reader.
    Characters are well-fleshed, with understandable motivation, goals and flaws. Endgame is a beast.
    World-building is exquisite. The novel doesn’t give you any exposition, just throws you into the action and doesn’t care if you get it or not. The world is vivid, alive and believable.
    And the prose, prose is magnificent! Harsh, cruel, but limited vocabulary of thugs intervenes with sophisticated word combinations of scientists and educated people. Moments with memory flashes are written thoroughly and very realistically. T.R. Napper has just bulldozed his place in my Top-5 of favourite authors.
    But, there are some flaws as well. Nothing is perfect, you know. But here they are minor. In some chapters, the pace was sluggishly slow, I crawled through the book, waiting for some development. Especially in the Golden Dragon casino chapters… I understand that they are important for plot, but those chapters were painfully slow.
    So, the conclusion. If you love cyberpunk, just read it and you’ll like it. If you love criminal thrillers with memory manipulation, just read it and you’ll love it. If you like well-written characters and great world-building… you got it. So, I’ve got nothing more to say, just read the fucking book!