I loved this book. The world is distopian, but not so badly as Neuromancer’s world. The characters are well done and you can care about them, unlike those in Neuromancer. Stephenson has a sense of humor, and he took 1992’s trends and extrapolated them into a world that I can see evolving around the world today. He didn’t get everything right- people aren’t gathering in cyberspace while wearing goggles to get benefit of realistic settings (thank gawd the trend for endless animations on websites died a few years ago), and no one is using skateboarders for high speed couriers- but the burbclaves (gated communities) are very real, as is replacement of independent businesses by franchises.

The novel weaves Sumerian myth, neuro-linguistic programming, cyberpunk, virtual reality, and a lot of other things together and the action never stops. Well, it does slow a few times, while conversations explain about Sumerian myth and how it applies to computer hackers and viruses from outer space, but he doesn’t over do the stop and talk about it routine. ( )

This is set in the near-future, and is sort of dystopian, I guess. It envisages a world with a meta-VR subsidiary, with the real world governed absolutely by corporations and their franchises. It’s a thriller at heat, but the writing’s so good that it becomes almost epic in nature, set in its own environment and peopled by so many different types of individuals. Definitely worth picking up. ( )

The detail is amazing. Took a long time to read because of it, but it's very impressive. Fantastic all around. ( )

Fun book. Takes place in a future where everything is privatized. The U.S. government has become all but marginalized. In place are huge franchised real estate developments and other businesses (including the Mafia). The CIA and Library of Congress are privatized to become an EBay of information. People live dual lives in reality and in a virtual reality. ( )

Essential Neal Stephenson.

This book was a roller coaster of futuristic vision from chapter 1. Stephenson's wit and imagination are absolutely fascinating. Just the beginning, where Hero Protagonist is a Pizza Delivery boy for the Mafia, was enough to peak my interest of Stephenson's imaginative future.

Anyone who is a serious science fiction fan should read this book - definitely in my top 10, perhaps my top 5. ( )