As technology advances and online networks bring people together from all over the world, cyberpunk as a sub-genre is something that I find myself more and more fascinated by. Ranging between the original world building of William Gibson’s [b:Neuromancer|6088007|Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1)|William Gibson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554437249l/6088007._SY75_.jpg|909457] and the unadulterated fun of Ernest Cline’s [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)|Ernest Cline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571._SY75_.jpg|14863741], Neal Stephenson’s [b:Snow Crash|40651883|Snow Crash|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530057753l/40651883._SX50_.jpg|493634] falls smack dab in the middle of this spectrum.

Honestly, this is a book that is filled with highs and lows. What is good is its own particular stab at world building with the Metaverse. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of ancient Sumerian language and lore being incorporated into coding language as a key plot point, cool stuff. However, what I did not enjoy was essentially every single character, in particular the arrogant Mary Sue that is the not-so nonchalantly named Hiro Protagonist. Like, his name is hilarious, but the joke ends there, which is more or less the case for many of the characters in this novel. The initial punchline is good, but the follow-up always feels a bit lacking.

Still, overall, I would say this was an entertaining enough novel. If cyberpunk is something that interests you, I would consider Snow Crash an important key read of the sub-genre.