Reamde

Finally! I finished this mammoth of a book!
I started the audiobook a couple of months ago and I just couldn't get into it. It was technical explanation over technical explanation about the origin of T'Rain. Fascinating, but not really engaging to me. When I decided the audiobook wasn't for me I got the ebook and that made it a lot easier. I could follow the story better and go back and see what had happened 20 pages ago if necessary. But, Oh. My. God. was it a slow build. I was advised to be patient, that Stephenson liked to set his world before beginning the story, but it was quite hard to plow through some of the more detailed videogame history and mythos I've ever read in my life. Although I must admit I found myself wishing T'Rain was real once I got the hang of it and my curiosity was spiked.
When everything started getting crazy, and crazy it got indeed, at about 30% in, I got back to the audiobook and this time, I was engaged.
The audiobook is 38hs and 29 minutes long. Given that I am impatient and that the narrator talked inhumanly slow for me (I still love you Malcom) I listened to it at 1.8x (or 2.2x speed if I had my kindle at hand to follow anything I might miss). Even then I couldn't find out what happened next fast enough. I got hooked and I cleaned my entire house, went for walks and offered to do the shopping just to have excuses to continue listening to the story (otherwise I should have been studying).
Now, all of my emotions and backstory aside (which I am sure anyone reading this finds fascinating.), this book was amazing. Once I got into the story I could appreciate the authors writing, his research and his ability to:
- explain the most technical details in a way I could understand it;
- explain geography in a way I could navigate it (truly a miracle since I am quite useless at reading maps or situating myself on a point in space)
- convey characters motivations, emotions and situations. This was especially true for Zula. I was physically reacting to the situations she found herself in and got rushes of adrenaline because of it.
- build a world where something so bonkers could happen without one single plot hole I could find or getting me out of the story with its complete crazyness. I mean, it's the first book I read that has jihadists, British spies, rich entrepreneurs, Eritrean refugees, hackers, Russian mobsters, vets, big footed women, video games and wonderful sceneries all in one and every introduction felt as natural as getting up in the morning.
If it hadn't gotten me more than a hundred pages to get into it, it would get 5⭐. It's been a long time since I've read a thriller so good I couldn't even begin to guess what would happen next, and that I was so into I even dreamt about it, trying to figure out how the story would resolve itself. I think I am going to be reading more of Mr. Stephenson sooner rather than later. ( )

This is now the second book by Stephenson that I have abandoned. I made it to around page 240 which is merely 1/4 of the way through this giant doorstop of a book. Brevity lives in a faraway land for Mr. Stephenson and he does not travel there often. My god, where does he get the time to churn out these monster novels? The truth is that he is actually a very good writer. He writes confidently and with deep knowledge of his subject (in this case, the world of online video games as the backdrop for a thriller). But, oh man is this guy wordy. As I said in my other review, he is the anti-Hemingway. I just could not hang in there. I couldn't slog through to the end. However, if you like online video games, I would definitely recommend that you pick up this book. It is rich with interesting detail about the intricacies of online gaming and how worlds are created, and players interact. As you might guess, I have never played an online video game in my life and in the end, was just not that interested in the level of detail that Stephenson presents. The thriller theme woven through the novel was actually pretty good with very good characters and a well-strung plot. If you like long books, I mean really long books and if you like video games you might really enjoy Reamde. I did, but not enough to make it to the end. ( )

Gripping techno thriller ( )

3.5/5. Jack Reacher by way of Neal Stephenson. ( )

I like Neal Stephenson's Science Fiction. This book was not Science Fiction. It was something of a thriller with an unlikely cast of characters. It reminded me mostly of Snow Crash but set in the modern day world. Like Snow Crash there are rich billionaires, hackers, trained killers, kidnapped young women, pursuit through strange locations and unlikely alliances. It is a little madcap but really should not have been over 1000 pages long. I liked his previous book Anathem. It was more Science Fiction and had more unusual ideas in it. The most novel idea in this story was a MMRPG built with gold farming in mind and based on geological simulation. That was explained in the first hundred pages and everything after that is just characters running around, meeting, talking and shooting. The characters were well realized with interesting and diverse backgrounds. The plotting and coordination of their movements was well thought out and there were no Deus Ex Mechina thrown in to get the author out of a tight spot. Many events were unlikely but you could see them coming miles down the road. There were no surprises. That could be considered a good thing or a bad thing.

I would not ever read this again. I would read Snow Crash, Diamond Age, Anathem and even Zodiac again. The Baroque Cycle was interesting and fun to read but shared a rambling nature with Reamde. I do not think I would ever re-read that one either. ( )