Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson
119 people recommended it in 51 threads, 2007–2024.
6 commenters pushed back on it — worth reading the threads.
What people on Hacker News said
Of course, I'll also second Snowcrash as a must-read. Same with Cryptonomicon.
Snow crash is the book that made me think "Fuck, how can one write a book like that ?" and therefore started what I hope to be a lifelong hobby.
Reading one of his books is almost like sitting in a really interesting philosophy class in college that just makes you think about familiar concepts differently or way more in depth.
the first chapter of snowcrash is one of my favorite chapters in any book i’ve ever read. the rest of the book is great and goes into some really bizarre territory on how to manipulate humans, as well as looking at the effects of a truly decentralized economy + metaverse. it’s really forward looking and prescient for a book that was written in 1988-91.
The idea of an ideology as a conceptual virus really transformed my thinking towards religion. I was already an atheist, but it really made me see it in a new light-- the way religion can consume people's minds and seems to spread from one to another like a sickness.
His Snow Crash novel is an absolute must read in a cyberpunk genre. It is really vivid, bizarre and quite believable version of a near future.
Where it comes up
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- Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read? 2008 · 4 recommendations
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- 32 Sci-Fi novels that you should add to your reading list 2008 · 3 recommendations
- Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when? 2022 · 2 recommendations
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- Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything? 2019 · 2 recommendations
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