Snow Crash Summary
5 min read ⌚
Sometimes, these novels bring about change in behavior and spark intuitiveness.
It’s unusual for a science fiction novel to present the future so accurately. Nonetheless, Neal had the vision to impart a new perspective regarding the irregularities that penetrate deeper and deeper into every layer of the society.
We try to bring the essential moments of this novel in a nutshell, but that’s not an easy task!
We leave you with the judging notion.
Who Should Read “Snow Crash”? And Why?
Snow Crash was written in 1992 and can be categorized as a science fiction novel with an incredible storyline.
Readers from all over the world will find how meticulously this novel actually is – in terms of predicting the human reactions to technological progression. Indeed, we believe that fiction lovers should add this book to their reading-list – sooner rather than later.
Neal Stephenson Biography
Neal Stephenson can be regarded as one of America’s greatest modern novelists, and game designer who thoroughly express his science-fiction orientation.
So far, he wrote around 15 novels and several other fictional projects.
Plot
As one may assume, Neal Stephenson, focuses on many spheres such as computer science, religion, nationality, culture, language, etc.
The author takes the role of futurologist, who has insights into the future; which at first glance seem like both distant and related to the actual happenings.
In the 21st century, 1% of the people control approximately ½ or 50% of the global wealth. The same fate reoccurs in the novel, and the distribution of resources represents a big problem for the community.
Language remains the only concept standing in the midst of confusion; a beacon of hope – something that can balance the scales.
All people have religions. It’s like we have religion receptors built into our brain cells or something, and we’ll latch onto anything that’ll fill that niche for us.
The storyline revolves around the incentives of a Los Angeles pizza delivery guy named – Hiro Protagonist. Los Angeles as the largest city in the state of California – acts as an independent area, which is controlled by a group of wealthy businessmen.
Hiro has a tough time with his social life and works as a pizza guy to reduce that aversion. One day, the restaurant receives an order, and they send Hiro to deliver pizza to American Mobsters. Before hitting the road, it’s vital to mention that he is a highly skilled hacker and swordsman.
One routine day, Hiro runs into a Y.T. – which stands for Yours Truly. This skateboarding courier sure does infuse a dose of freshness into the delivery guy’s life.
Shit, if I took time out to have an opinion about everything, I wouldn’t get any work done.
They decide to embark on a joint adventure and escape to Hong Kong. They lay eyes on small cybernetic security devices also known as Rat Things, which help Hiro to complete his order more efficiently.
That marks the beginning of a new partnership. They begin to act as small intelligence gathering organization, that is profit-oriented. At first, they are the extended hand of CIC (the merger of the CIA and Library of Congress) and the Metaverse which is a “close relative” to the Internet.
Users on Metaverse are exposed to a new drug; recognized by its popular name Snow Crash. Hiro same as the other persons are offered to taste the drugs.
Da5id, one of Hiro’s friends, induces system crash while looking at the binary code, containing various naked avatars.
On top of that, Da5id has brain damage, which further hinders his performance. Afterward, Hiro bumps into Juanita who gives him some files and then suddenly vanishes leaving no trace.
Yours Truly gets involved in a project launched and monitored by Uncle Enzo – Mafia Boss with strong connections. Y.T. takes a glance at classified intelligence collected by Juanita and transferred over to Hiro.
They discover a dangerous and alarming truth – The Sumerian Language was used for brain-programming and adjusted to help the priests to control the masses.
Fortunately, there is an antidote that can block the magical power of these controlling words. The God Enki somehow managed to create a counter-virus that is able to put a stop on the brain-processing and the development of new language branches.
The Biblical story of the Tower of Babel is the symbol of defiance, which explains why God made or created so many languages.
As the plot starts to heat up, L. Bob Rife comes to the stage – a renowned media tycoon who starts collecting artifacts originating from Sumerian culture. He intends to wreck control over the population, by examining the drugs.
Snow Crash now becomes addictive opium that makes people subordinate to its effects. The Metaverse version is clearly negatively affecting the performance of hackers, primarily how they respond to the code.
Hiro realizes that it’s now a great time to locate Juanita and heads for West Coast. The mega inflation leaves most of the Asian continent in severe poorness. As a response to the crisis, a large number of refugees attempts to get into the U.S. illegally and ask for asylum.
Rife leverages the situation by indoctrinating the refugees before they set foot on U.S. soil with the new drugs Snow Crash. Y.T. connection with the Mafia Boss proves to be catastrophic, and she is taken hostage.
Hiro has little options and ends up begging Enzo to help him gain access to the Raft to save Y.T. They come to an agreement, but Yours Truly while being imprisoned falls in love with an assassin named Raven.
Before making a move, Hiro discovers that Juanita is also there and they jointly manage to locate the counter-virus read it out loud to rescue everyone from the drug.
Snow Crash Epilogue
Rife discovers what is going on and takes both Raven and Y.T. with him to attend a big Metaverse concert.
Rife intends to use the “craziness” of the gathering to present the virtual Snow Crash. Hiro tackles the threat, and Yours Truly manages to break away from these chains.
Rife now face two obstacles: The Mafia Boss Enzo, and Rat Thing. It all ends pretty dramatically when Fido decides to infiltrate the engine of Rife’s private jet, with an intention to kill him and destroy the virus once and for all.
Hiro and Juanita decide to start over, and Y.T. makes up her mind to bury the hatchet with her mother.
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“Snow Crash PDF Quotes”
See, the world is full of things more powerful than us. But if you know how to catch a ride, you can go places. Click To Tweet When you are wrestling for possession of a sword, the man with the handle always wins. Click To Tweet It was, of course, nothing more than sexism, the especially virulent type espoused by male techies who sincerely believe that they are too smart to be sexists. Click To Tweet I don't even want you to nod, that's how much you annoy me. Just freeze and shut up. Click To Tweet Most countries are static, all they need to do is keep having babies. But America's like this big old clanking smoking machine that just lumbers across the landscape scooping up and eating everything in sight. Click To Tweet
Our Critical Review
We genuinely believe that if you are not a hard-core fan of the science-fiction storyline, this book will not remain etched into your heart.
That being said, those who thrive on amazing stories that exalt science, bravery, and determination – will be thrilled by all the elements in it!
Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.
