Reamde

It all depends on why you read Neal Stephenson. If you read Neal Stephenson because you can't handle going to work at your software engineering film and hearing “did you read the newest Stephenson novel?” all day without breaking (or because you have a completionist attitude towards top ten lists or a bevy of related reasons) this is going to be the most painful novel you've ever attempted to read.

If you read Neal Stephenson because you love his Neal Stephenson-ness and the fact that there is no detail too small to be explained in depth and no side plot too irrelevant to devote 50+ pages to, this is Neal Stephenson at his Neal Stephenson-iest.

I, however, am in the middle. I love the idea of reading cyber-cultural tomes and I have a weakness for info-dumps. So there were things I loved about the book: the central importance of an MMORPG and the exploration of the sheer diversity of a player base. I loved the exploration of startup culture and the info dumps on Chinese ethnic minorities and the intricacies of flight planning. I took the seven plus main plotlines with complaint - at least they were largely presented in serial, rather than parallel.

However, I took exception to the fact that this book is fat. Not just large, and not just Neal Stephenson-y crammed with details, but seriously in need of editing. When an entire paragraph is dedicated to whether or not a character pulled the shower curtain closed, you have to seriously consider what sort of editing failed to happen. And when I say that there was nothing too trivial to write about, it's like in order to explain what I ate for dinner, I first had to explain my cooking process (with a twenty page aside into the biochemistry thereof), then my shopping trip, the motivations of my grocery store clerk, but also the entire pedigree of the cow that provided my milk and the intrafamilial fighting of the farming clan that raised said cow. And now pretend that such 100 page long diversions are occurring when you last left the characters that you cared about in a boat stranded in the Philippine Sea, out of fuel.

Still, I knew what I was getting into, and it must be said that Neal Stephenson is definitely one of the Authors of Our Time - the advantage of the glut is that he hit on almost every major trope in current culture, making this probably one of the most relevant books today.

So after marathoning through the last two hundred pages, I'm finally done. I feel like I've run an actual marathon whilst some one was occasionally punching me in the head. I got really excited about this book and tried to explain it to people, but then had to stop because of course there is no way at all to summarize this book. The dust jacket does a terrible job of it, and I ended up with a very different book than I expected. The only other Stephenson book that I've read is “Anathem” which is such a slow burn I have a hard time believing these are the same authors (other than the intense attention to seemingly minor details).

I expected a lot more sci-fi and gaming elements, but really the game is only one very small piece and a massive 3D puzzle. I don't normally read a lot of thrillers because they stress me out, and boy did this one stress me out. Stephenson is a master of, “How could this possibly get any worse?” These poor characters catch not a single damn break until the final show down. And you, the reader, like these characters. You like cool calculating Sokolov and nerd master Marlon and enterprising Zula and really the whole cast of “good guys.” There's a million points when you think, “Ah, so this is how they will finally escape and be okay,” but nope! There's still 600 pages of horrible, horrible things, so strap in.

Stephenson did a helluva lot of research for this book, and I can't speak to the accuracy of any of it since I have approximately zero experience with Russian Mafia, Islamic terrorists, guns, MMORGs, or mountain lions. That said, I feel pretty damn well educated now. That said, I sometimes felt a little too educated, especially when getting into the details of T'rain. I might have made it through this book in decent time without the in depth look at T'rain's geology, politics, and economics, but then the whole thing might have felt a bit more like a cheap plot device.

If I have a criticism, it might be that the ending is a little too pat. The various couples hooking up, especially Sokolov and Olivia whom I appreciated more as a James Bond one time deal than a long term thing and the only good guy death being dear sacrificial lamb Uncle John. Like other books with super happy endings though, I'm just so relieved everyone is okay that I would likely feel upset and angry if they didn't get a happy ending.

This book is in no way for the faint of heart, but if you have a lot of time on your hand and don't mind wrapping your brain around some of the cruelest plot twists in fiction, give this one a go.

There was a great book in here. That great book was probably edited down from 1040 pages to 400.

This book felt as though there were characters and settings added to pad it out. Things came together in an incredibly unlikely way. The second to second minute to minute details of 5 different characters in multiple locations seemed like an unnecessary chore. I don't know if I'll give another one of his books a try at this point.

I read and absolutely loved Seveneves (would have given it 6/5 if I could) by him and that was equally long and overly verbose and detailed. It could be that I enjoyed the setting and plot of that story better.

Quite an enjoyable read, although some parts are more stretched than they needed to be, esp near the end its a fast paced, fun thriller.
Most of the story runs along at a hundred miles an hour, flying around the world, throwing loads of ideas at you as it goes. At the end though it just comes to a groaning stop with a really over-long over-detailed shootout, which was a shame. There is also probably one coincidence too many in getting all the key characters to the aforementioned shoot out which again was a shame.
Overall recommended if you can forgive the slight annoyances at the end.

Reread in anticipation of [b:Fall, or Dodge in Hell 35429993 Fall, or Dodge in Hell Neal Stephenson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543868021l/35429993.SY75.jpg 45833113]. Looking back not really worth it for just that objective, however still a damn good read and I enjoyed every bit as much as the first time.

Executive Summary: While not as enjoyable as some of his other books, I found this pretty enjoyable. I suspect everyone won't feel the same however.Audio book: Malcolm Hillgartner is a pretty good narrator. He does a few voices/accents for some of the characters that adds a bit to the story. I will say clocking in at 38.5 hours this is a long one that most people can probably read faster themselves unless you listen to it sped up. I don't like to do that, so this one took me about 10 days to get through (which is honestly faster than I was expecting). I'd say the audio is a good option while not be a “must listen”. Full Review[b:Snow Crash 830 Snow Crash Neal Stephenson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385214698s/830.jpg 493634] is one of my favorite books, and I really enjoyed [b:Cryptonomicon 816 Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327931476s/816.jpg 1166797], but I was a bit disappointed with [b:The Diamond Age 827 The Diamond Age Neal Stephenson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388180931s/827.jpg 2181158], so I wasn't sure what to expect here.In many ways this feels like a spiritual successor to [b:Cryptonomicon 816 Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327931476s/816.jpg 1166797]. It's not really science fiction. It's really just a thriller with a technical starting point. Just like cryptography serves as a backdrop for that book, Gaming (particularly MMO's) does so here. Only while the cryptography serves as a pretty constant part of that story, things take a 90 degree turn away from the MMO stuff here for awhile. I initially found that very disappointing. I'm a recovering World of Warcraft junkie and I was hoping for some kind of cyberpunk MMO story. That's not the case though, so if that's what you're looking for as well, you may be disappointed.While we start off in typical Neal Stephenson fashion with immense detail about the design and development of T'Rain, and a virus associated with it called Reamde, this book is really more of a character driven thriller that feels almost more like a spy novel than anything sci-fi.With a book this long, and Mr. Stephenson's tendency to go into more detail on certain things than is ever necessary, I found it got bogged down in parts and just wishing he would get back to the game.However as things went on, I really came to like his characters. I never found anyone's story to be too uninteresting or slow, it was really some of his tangents that were the problem, and general lack of Richard Forthrast, whom the blurb leads you to believe is the main character. He's not. He's an important party, but really this is his niece Zula's story. I found he to be a really enjoyable protagonist. The characters in this book have far more depth than some of his others, but this one will live or die on how much you like the characters I think. Zula is smart, capable and level-headed who continually tries to make the best of bad situations. Things maybe get a little bit close to “chosen one” levels, but for the most part I think Mr. Stephenson does a good job in creating a back story to make things stay closer to “feasible” than fiction.So will you enjoy this one? Hard for me to say. If you liked [b:Cryptonomicon 816 Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327931476s/816.jpg 1166797] then maybe. If you enjoy spy thrillers, then probably. If you're looking for a cyberpunk story, or a video game story, then probably not. I for one ended up enjoying this despite it not being what I expected it to be.

Conflicted about this one. I came into this only having read [b:Snow Crash 830 Snow Crash Neal Stephenson https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477624625s/830.jpg 493634] by Neal previously, and a long time ago at that. He has a digressive style of providing oodles of backstory in a convoluted way only to arrive, a few pages later, at the actual point. I think I loved this in the beginning of the book, when we are meeting characters and want to get to know them; it felt like a real understanding of the characters and a unique and fun way of showing who they were and why they do what they do. However, especially at the end it started to bog down the pacing. At a point in a thriller I think I want to just move along and reach a conclusion, but we still get exposition late in the game and it becomes overwhelming. This is despite having so much backstory, the characters still end up following the plot lines in a slightly contrived way, and it isn't clear to me at least why certain pairings or actions are taken except to ensure that everyone is where they needs to be for the book to conclude.That said, the central sequences were brilliant and I enjoyed it mostly because of them. The twists there were great. I wish they had extended through to the end.

There are many things I enjoyed about Reamde. The first half was well-paced and fun, with a focus on tracking of the virus named Reamde and it's creators. Unfortunately the last half or so turned into mainly an action story. It wasn't bad exactly... but very long-winded. A little extra editing would have gone a long way here. I began reading this in print, but soon switched to audiobook. Towards the end, I was counting down the tracks, anxious to move on to something else. There was a great deal of running around outdoors with guns. Also, there were guns. And more guns. Guns, guns, guns. And hey did you notice... GUNS! It gets old.

Speaking of the audiobook though, it was narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner, who did a spectacular job. Many of the characters are not native English speakers, and he did such a wonderful job giving each character a unique voice, many with accents. I usually prefer reading in print, and find different voices distracting or even annoying. Not so here.

It was interesting to me to read some of the other reviews which point out racism and sexism present in this book. I see the racism angle, with Muslims pitted against red-blooded Americans (though that's a VERY simplified version of the plot), but didn't get the sexism at all. On the contrary, probably my favorite thing about the book was the three main female characters. Each had a distinct, strong personality, and none of them filled the classic girlfriend/sidekick role (let's forget the epilogue–really, let's forget it). I was pleased with seeing these characters, especially in a tech and firearms sort of thriller.

This was my first book by Neal Stephenson, and I did like it well enough to read some of his other work. Despite my criticisms, it was a good read overall.

In a book as complex as it is lengthy, Reamde begins by introducing the two main protagonists, Richard Forthrast and his niece, Zula, in a scene describing a  family reunion of unusual tastes. Zula, an orphan from the African country of Eritrea, has been raised by the Forthrast family in Iowa for most of her life. When she runs into her uncle Richard at the reunion, whom she hasn't seen in several years, Richard finds himself immediately protective of the brilliant and spirited young woman that Zula has become.

The book moves slowly at first, mostly revolving around Richard and his past, and delving deeply into the mechanics, history, and construction of the fictional game at the heart of the story, T'Rain. It's intriguing material, and to call it a page-turner is to undersell this book. Unfortunately, the beginnings may turn off some readers, as Reamde is what seems like several different genres mixed, and the first chapters are very much about video gaming and business acumen. Those who stick with it though are rewarded as events take a turn, and the story picks up dramatically.

It's been said that some stories “can't be made up”, but Reamde is proof that some of them can. The smallest and seemingly innocuous plot threads end up being central to the story. For example, Zula's boyfriend, Peter, borrows a USB drive from her uncle Richard, which is unknowingly infected with the Reamde virus. Peter's use of it during a questionable business transaction causes the buyer's files to be encrypted–including the ones Peter just sold him–and being held for ransom. The buyer is understandably upset, showing up at Peter's home for an explanation. Things quickly grow more complicated, as the creator of the virus is requiring payment in the game T'Rain, which can then be extracted for real profit anonymously. As attempts are made to pay the ransom within the game, the buyer's boss arrives, demanding explanations, not liking what he's hearing. He decides to take a more direct approach, and flies everyone to China–Zula included–to find the virus creator and extract some vengeance. Things go off the rails, and Peter and Zula's lives are threatened at every turn.

And that's just the beginning.

Reamde hosts a cast of characters that's almost obnoxiously vast, and yet the author does an excellent job of making them not only believable, but memorable as well. Where many books might introduce a character, only to have them forgotten by the next page turn, Stephenson breaths life into each voice, and gives them their very own purpose in the story–from Richard and Zula, all the way down to the woman who offers her services in navigating them around in China. The lives of each of these characters is so true-to-life, it's hard to imagine that they're fictional characters at all. Their actions, opinions, mannerisms, and even accents all match perfectly their history, so that they're practically four-dimensional; it's rare that an author can make characters so believable, that the reader could actually imagine them stepping off the page, and holding a conversation with them.

Spanning over a thousand pages, Reamde is no book for the casual reader. In a way, it's almost too long, and does have sections that drag by–kind of like a long movie with slow scenes. Yet it's still a page-turner, even in the slower chapters–a tribute to the skill of the author. The story weaves and dodges, and as the characters split up, their stories aren't yet over, as they impressively and–most importantly–believably collide into a climax that's both suspenseful, and cathartic.

There's not much to complain about in this book. Yes it's long, and sometimes feels a little repetitive, but Neil Stephenson should be commended for penning a tremendously entertaining novel (and he has been). There are a couple plot threads that seem to be left aside, but aren't particularly important to the outcome of events in the book. Perhaps the only disappointment would be that there's not much of an epilogue. We're shown where the characters end up, but not much more. After spending a thousand pages with this cast, caring whether they lived or died, fell in love, or not, readers are left with a very brief glimpse of life after the pages run out. It would have been nice for a little bit more.

Been a while since I read a Neal Stephenson book, but I'm glad I got back to it. I think this thing is like 1,000 pages but it went by really quick. Sure, it wasn't super deep or complex, but I love his writing style. Plus it had a lot of a) nerdy stuff in it and b) gun stuff in it, which was surprisingly interesting after my recent shoot-out in Vegas.

I always approach Neal Stephenson's behemoths with a certain trepidation and this was no exception. I'll give it credit for keeping me involved until the end, however there was a distinct impression of the author trying to come up with scenarios that would allow the plot to get from A to B. And, my god, the amount of information and digressions (removing all the infodumps would probably result in this being classed a novella). Still, as I say, it kept me involved and the plot was original, so I'll give it 4 stars.

Reamde represents the first time that I have been disappointed with a Neal Stephenson book. Before I get into it, I'll start by saying that Stephenson is my favourite author. [b:Snow Crash 830 Snow Crash Neal Stephenson http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320544000s/830.jpg 493634] became one of my favourite books as soon as I read it, and remains a novel that I feel like reading once every couple years. His essay “[b:In the Beginning...was the Command Line 18937 In the Beginning...was the Command Line Neal Stephenson http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266452094s/18937.jpg 530507]” (which has now been published as a book), influenced my own personal computing habits, and encouraged me to learn Linux. Even though current technology has made the essay obsolete, the ideas contained within it still inform my views on computers.The common thread that runs through my love of Stephenson's work is his presentation of new ideas. He likes to spit out long infodumps on nerdy details that connect tangentially to the plot (Sumerian history and mythology in Snow Crash, the mathematics of encryption in [b:Cryptonomicon 816 Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514E9A0MPEL.SL75.jpg 1166797]) and every time he does, I eat it up. I basically feel like I'm learning something, and as deluded as I may be for thinking that I can get an education by reading fiction, it's very satisfying for me.At first, Reamde gave me what I wanted: it takes the familiar MMORPG concept and adds some neat ideas. There's also some geeky humour about the placement of apostrophes in the nomenclature of the game's fantasy setting. The problems start about a quarter of the way in, when the book turns into an action thriller. Aside from a couple of scenes where some characters meet up and communicate in the online game world, the cool ideas that got me hooked at the beginning are mostly abandoned. The plot revolves around a terrorist plot, and the secret and not-so-secret agents who try to stop the terrorists. In other words, it's like a really long season of 24 (not my favourite show in the world).When the action ramped up, I assumed that it was just a small scene that would bridge into the second part of the novel. Instead, the action pretty much continues for the rest of the way. It's like the climax starts a quarter of the way in, and encompasses three-quarters of the book.I don't mind action, and Stephenson writes it well, but it really feels like a slog when the book is a thousand pages long. Each chapter takes place in one day and are titled as such (e.g. Day 1, Day 15). The “Day 4” chapter lasts for 200+ pages on its own (about 20-25% of the total length). It took me almost a week to get through it and I eventually started thinking to myself, “These characters are still in pretty much the same situation that I was reading about three days ago!”Let me contrast this with the way Stephenson treated action in his earlier work. This sentence ends a chapter in Snow Crash:After that—after Hiro gets onto his motorcycle, and the New South Africans get into their all-terrain pickups, and The Enforcers get into their slick black Enforcer mobiles, and they all go screaming out onto the highway—after that it's just a chase scene.To me, this is a very clever way to jump forward in time. The narrator is breaking the fourth wall and telling the audience, “We all know what a chase scene is, so let's not dwell on it.” Now, imagine replacing this line with 200+ pages of actually describing all the things that happen in the chase scene and you have Reamde.To sum up, I still did enjoy Stephenson's writing style and humour, but it went on way too long. Too much action and plot, not enough ideas. I've pretty much read all of his books more than once, but I don't see myself coming back to Reamde anytime soon.

Even though I tossed aside Anathem at about 260 pages in, I was in the mood for some more from this author and with Reamde he tries his hand at the thriller genre. But of course his thriller is over 1000 pages long which is a little daunting. This story brings together a MMORPG, a virus, Russian gangsters, Chinese hackers, spies, jihadist terrorists, and an Iowan clan of survivalists. After a little under 100 pages of setup, things start rolling and when they do, they don't stop until the end of the book. This book was so much fun to read. The characters are varied and fun, there's occasional bits of humor, and the action is all over the place. Don't let the size intimidate you. This is the fastest moving 1000-page thriller you'll find. I loved it.