Snow Crash Why, oh why, have I been stuck in the world of genre fiction for my last few reads? The last book, Devil in a Blue Dress, I can totally blame on external sources. This one, however, I admit that I did pick myself. Sort of. This book is one of The Boyfriend’s favorite scifi books and–hey–I do like scifi of all the genres, went through quite a phase of it in my early teens. So I gave it a whirl.

I don’t think I am sorry I did. Not that it’s killer or anything. Far from. In fact, I kept getting incredibly frustrated with the author’s attempt to link Sumerian myth, modern technology and biology (mainly viruses). There were dozens of short chapters devoted to nothing but the main character talking to a computer librarian about these things to become knowledgeable. Hello exposition! Don’t think I didn’t notice it because the chapters were short. Plus, the information seemed so fragmented. I always had another question or saw a missing link in the logic chain, at which point the story quickly moved on, glossing over technicalities and trying to attract your attention away with samurai swords, 15-year-old hotties on skateboards and “The Metaverse.”

The Metaverse was pretty interesting and, as The Boyfriend pointed out, rapidly becoming possible in our own world (because Wired magazine says so, you see). It’s basically a 3D version of the Internet where you walk around as an avatar. You can buy things, learn things, attend meetings, play games, etc. Just like the real world but with more flexible laws of physics. This aspect of the book, along with a few fun yet slightly underdeveloped characters, illustrates the plot-driven nature of the novel, which did keep me interested and moving along at a fast clip.

Sure, it’s not art. But it’s like that action adventure, feel good movie–I mean book–of the summer. Let us remember that Jean Claude Van Damme, though beloved by many, is not about to take home an Oscar anytime soon. Sorry Watson.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars – Vacation reading