It's been 10 years, but I decided it was time to reread "Snow Crash", Neal Stephenson's first big success. And, I have to say, it has more than held up. This is right up my alley -- fast-paced, filled with Sumerian mythology, psycholinguistics, virtual reality and geopolitics in a hyper-capitalist age. Governments are a thing of the past and people choose which franchises they will become citizens of -- from the Mafia to Mr. Lee's Greater China franchulate.
However, when Stephenson brings up the beginnings of religion or language, he's not just showing off his research a la Thomas Pynchon, he's bringing up issues central to his narrative. So, go out, buy the book, get some paper cuts from reading too much and ponder virality of pre- and post-rational religions.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
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