The Language Virus | Snow Crash
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- čas přidán 8. 08. 2023
- The 1980s saw the birth of a new genre of science fiction, cyberpunk. William Gibson's "Neuromancer" ignited the spark, laying the foundation for a genre that would captivate the minds of readers and influence countless films, video games, and artworks. But every journey has its destination, and as we explore the vast landscape of cyberpunk literature, we discover that Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash" marks a crucial turning point - the genre's pinnacle of development and the birth of a new element: satirical cyberpunk.
"Neuromancer," a groundbreaking novel, introduced us to a world of hacking, virtual reality, and corporate control. It ushered in an era of gritty protagonists navigating through labyrinthine networks, confronting powerful entities, and questioning the boundaries between humanity and machines. The genre had taken its first steps, setting the tone for what would come next. Over time, cyberpunk flourished and evolved, weaving its way into the collective consciousness. A multitude of works explored the theme of technology's dark side, portraying futuristic dystopias filled with hackers, cyborgs, and mega-corporations. However, as the genre matured, its tropes became familiar, and its themes often echoed each other, leading some to believe that cyberpunk had exhausted its creative potential.
And so, as the cyberpunk landscape reached its apex, "Snow Crash" in 1992 emerged on the scene. Neal Stephenson's satirical masterpiece provided a refreshing twist, signaling the genre's evolution into new territory. Satire, with its sharp wit and keen observations, became the tool of choice for Stephenson to dissect and critique the world he envisioned. As we journey alongside Hiro Protagonist and Y.T., we encounter a cyberpunk setting that deliberately exaggerates the genre's elements, creating a vibrant, almost cartoonish world that is both familiar and absurd. In "Snow Crash," we witness a society where corporate power and virtual realities intertwine, where information becomes a weapon and linguistics hold divine significance. Stephenson uses humor and irony to shine a light on society's absurdities and the dangers of unchecked technology, while still paying homage to the core cyberpunk ethos.
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I love how Quinn is slowly transforming into some sort of occultic priest of science fiction.
This is my favorite comment ive ever read.
Lá! Lá! 👏
He only gets better!
An absolute scifi Loremaster ❤
@@eleksisjohnson9736a LoFi SciMaster? No, that’s not quite right…
Appropriately enough, Snow Crash is ALSO a mythology story, which delves deeply into the myths of Sumer.
Big facts.
It was my introduction to Sumerian mythos as well as cyberpunk.
Marduk be like
@@davestier6247 Do you even know who the F that is, noob?
Yep the hidden retelling of the Astarte myth was amazing to me. and the figurative Tiamat of the floating refugee camp chef kiss
I think Neal Stephenson has improved greatly since writing Snow Crash, and his recent, exceptional novel "Fall: or, Dodge in Hell" does a much deeper dive into myth and mythology than SC does. He really is an exceptional "big ideas" writer, of course part of the price of this is that some of his work can be hard work to get through.
BTW, this isn't a dig at all - Snow Crash is one of my all-time favourite novels, one I've read probably a dozen times and will read a dozen times more.
I'll close with a bit of a tangent, but if you've started with Snow Crash and want more Stephenson, you'll probably end up reading "Seveneves" at some point.
My advice for anyone reading it (yet another Big Ideas novel) - absolutely avoid spoilers if you can; also I'd advise reading it in paper form (or I guess eBook).
I found it to be a powerful novel in its audiobook form, but I definitely felt like I would have had a better experience reading at my own pace. Some of the Big Ideas would've settled in my head better had I been able to easily take a break to mull things over or to re-read a passage, page, or even chapter.
The movie Pontypool uses the concept of language as a virus as the reason for a 'zombie' outbreak. Overtime a combination/pattern of words triggers a primitive response causing the brain to malfunction turning the person into a raging zombie-like creature. Very interesting take on the Zombie genre.
Lol I was just coming to post this. I tell people about Pontypool often.
If you look there is a copy of snow crash on a desk in the movie.
Now that is interesting, an Easter Egg for the movie's influence perhaps...@@Facetiously.Esoteric
Great movie. I will also add there was an 80s Twilight Zone episode Need To Know(?) which had deaths or craziness being spread around by words
Because of that novel approach, very different from "normal" Zombie movies, that movie truly spooked me. Roanoke has an excellent review of it here on CZcams.
Was going to mention the same thing. I love that film:)
I think the existence of Nicaraguan Sign language points toward monogenisis. That language started in the 1970s when the Sandinista forced deaf children of the country together and within 10 years the youngest children learning were creating a sophisticated language. I think that this shows that language is so endemic to the human brain that there is no way it could have formed after the spread of humanity.
Can’t not mention Hotskull!! The idea that language can act as a virus is intriguing. Also the fundamental fact that language allows us to pass on ideas from human to human means every time we speak to someone we are installing new information into them, and then into us. Once you hear an idea, you cannot unhear and ignore it. We are each somehow fundamentally changed each time we speak to each other.
"Keep and open mind. But not so open that your brain falls out"
Did you read WilliamS Burroughs "electronic revolution" if not you should, he's one of the first acience fiction writers to address this theory
@@odalchiszaratutu6793wow fascinating. Sounds like it looks into the dark side of that concept.
This is why I'd always put ear plugs in when my dad had the radio tuned to WEIB AM1080 at noon...
Snow Crash almost made me crash. I listened to it on an audiobook in my car. The first chapter had me laughing so hard, I almost went off the road. Since then, I have read the book twice and raved about it to anyone who would listen.
Me as well.
You did learn from the near miss though right?
The Deliverator!
Did you almost crash into the snow or something?
I really like the linguistics deep dive. That went above and beyond what I expected from the book review but was very interesting. As someone with a linguistics background, "proto-world" language is probably impossible to reconstruct if it ever did exist (which is not a given even if people all came from the same region of Africa). Things have changed a lot in a few thousand years let alone hundred thousand, and there is no archaeological record for spoken language obviously. Regardless it's a fun idea for fiction.
Out of Africa theory is a load of crock. Languages developed long after European and Asian ancestors left Africa (along with the hominids that mixed to comprise them). Not only that, humans and their hominid ancestors did not originate from a single area of Africa.
@@tyner3563 I don't know how you would have any hard evidence whatsoever about when or where language originated. It's pretty well agreed upon that homo sapiens came out of Africa
@@tyner3563 Do you even realize that saying "long after European and Asian ancestors left Africa" implies they originated IN AFRICA?
@@BorkDoggoI’m going to guess that he is refering to the fact that important genes related to vocal communication, come from our neanderthal cousins, which were firmly located in europe. As such they do not enter our genetics until after the migration out of africa. Which might by why his comments references multiple hominids as at that time we were not the only ones. So yes some evidense pointing to our original african ancestors lacking spoken language does exist.
@@mechtheist Are you aware that especially given the context they provide, they're talking about the hypothesis of LANGUAGE coming out of Africa is a crock, not people coming out. Please read the ENTIRE post before commenting, thank you.
Quinn, I graduated high school in 1980. I was an avid reader of science fiction, but athletics then college and finally life just crowded it out. Just 'Analog' magazine remained,. Niven's Ringwood engineer was my last book.....
Your explaining cyberpunk has blown me away. Somehow I got passed by! It reminds me how my grandfather never advanced past 'Lawrence welk show' for his music.
Thanks for the epiphany.
Retired recently- I think I am going to start with Gibson and work from there...
That is your doing.
Again, thanks.
Oh, the comment section you support is worth 20 IQ points.
I envy you the wonders you are going to encounter for the first time. And happy for you.
It's going to blow your mind. Gibson is one of a kind.
@@whannabi Damn, that was kinda saccharine, wasn't it? And SINCERE! Holy sh*t, what's happening to me??
Long live Louis Wu!
Snow Crash was the first Neal Stephenson novel I encountered. It was my first introduction to the cyberpunk genre, and the depths of Sumerian mythos. From that first encounter, I fell in love with Stephenson's writing and I developed an unending hunger for complex stories. I cannot overstate how much this novel changed my life and my appreciation for science fiction.
The idea of a common ancestral language is extremely interesting, and creating a proposition that a "babel" level event was possibly a destruction of that language to protect us from Memetic viruses is very very interesting. We can't all be reprogrammed if the language doesn't work on us.
Another Stephenson novel, Diamond Age (or a young lady's first primer), continues to delve into proto-linguistics in the form of the "drummers" overriding basic human mental functions. A great read.
I didn't hear any mention of Julian Jaynes "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind". While there's little to credit that book as science, it is almost certainly an inspiration to "Snow Crash". If you haven't read Jaynes' book, you should check it out, its a mind bender. Is also directly relevant to "Three Body Problem".
Snow Crash is in my top favourite books of all time. Really excited for your commentary on it!
It’s a book I keep meaning to pick up. Any time it’s popped up in conversation I’ve always heard that it’s a thoroughly entertaining read 😊
I tried reading it once...found it too much a chore tbh so gave up
Snow Crash is thrilling and funny, and it will force you to think deeply in order to understand it. But Neil Stephenson is easier on his readers than William Gibson. Stephenson takes time to explain the rules of his world, which helps you keep up. And the two leads, Hiro Protagonist and Y.T., and hugely likeable. I recommend this book very highly.
@@Karin_Allen I saw it as a recommendation for people who like Philip K Dicks works which I do but I think it takes ages to go nowhere. The modern malaise of writing too wordy for the sake of it
@@keithparker1346 I get your point, but to me, the words were funny, so I didn't care. 😉
Though this was going to dive into Samuel R. Delany's "Babel-17". It's an EXCEPTIONAL scifi that tackles the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in a much more direct way. LOVE it, it's so under appreciated!
This book came out when I was in high school. I was already drifting away from the golden age Asimov and Anderson of my youth, I did not yet know the name "cyberpunk," or how to group my burgeoning interests into a genre. Though I did not discover Snow Crash until many years later, I am sure I felt its influence of witty, snarky style on the comics and movies I was devouring in my teens and twenties. When I finally read it, something clicked in my brain, "Ah. This. This was (one of the things) going on then." It was very much both a product of and an influence on the time when it was written... and was likely a formative influence on many adolescent and young adult Gen Xers. The cynicism, snark, and grittiness.... worn as armor to protect us from our disappointment in western culture: one that had failed miserably to live up to the high ideals promised by golden age sci fi.
Best first chapter ever. Who else could make a pizza delivery so exciting and engaging?
"YT knew something Hiro didn't know. Uncle Enzo owed her a favor." Yeah, that's how you close a chapter. Also, the Dentata.
I love your content! The entire time I was listening to this, I kept thinking about Metal Gear Solid V. Its probably just a re-hash but the entire premise is to build a virus into a specific language. Simple because the antagonist believes that language is the base foundation of culture and religion. You choose a language, that entire society collapses
Hideo pretty much ripped off Snow Crash's homework without changing it a bit so no one noticed
@@montgomeryfitzpatrick473 to be fair I believe 007 did it to along time ago in a book
Snow Crash rocked my world for the first time when I was only 12 years old. I was incredibly influenced by Hiro, the first character I'd ever read who was Hapa (half Asian), like me.
I reckon if you go through life named Hiro Protagonist you’re gonna start thinking of yourself as the Main Character in most situations…
Mee too! I was 16 and loooved every page
If I have to be honest, I am 99% certain the book rocker your world at 12 because it reads like a 12 year old writing a cyberpunk book. Have you tried re-reading it as an adult. It's utter garbage.
I named one of my cats Hiro.
@@grahamstrouse1165 Putting “World’s Greatets Swordsman” on your business car probably feeds into that too.
SnowCrash is my favorite book. I really would like to see a 10 episode live action series.
Me too, and I wouldn't mind a second season with an original story if that means more Hiro, more YT, more Raven and more Enzo
The rights to both movie and television for this IP have been bouncing around Hollywood for over a decade, at one point being associated with George Clooney of all. There were several near misses in the last few years at both a HBO Max and Prime series or movie. It’s really frustrating.
I’d like to see an Anime version of the story, done by the Cyberpunk series creators of the Netflix show.
Snow Crash is such a great book and I love uncle Enzo.
I watch Quinn to hear about one of my fav topics - science fiction and philosophy. Never did I imagine I'd also be treated with another of my favs - linguistics. Thank you Quinn for making my day 🌸
Entomology is a fav of mine as well. Does Quinn go into the next generation of humans? Like the next 2-5000 yrs?
Linguistics is deeply intertwined with philosophy!
@@lobstrosity7163 of course, and that's why I enjoy it so much
I’ve been watching your content for a couple years now. Besides complimenting another brilliant analysis on something close to my heart, I’d like to take this opportunity to compliment you and your work as a whole.
The genuine enthusiasm for and understanding of the media you discuss is incredible. You’ve released plenty of videos on media I don’t know or otherwise hadn’t interested me that I always sit down for, because I’ve learned to trust your taste. It’s introduced me to works I never would’ve engaged with, and it hasn’t missed yet.
Your scripts have been spot on since I first started watching, but they’ve evolved over time. Your genuinely incredible _dramatic_ talent is what sets you apart from so many other equally talented essayists, though. The first time I heard you reading from Herbert’s _Dune_ I recoiled and set the video aside.
In my experience dramatic readings represent a nearly impossible tight rope. They require such confidence, familiarity with a work, and competence in constructing a script around them that most efforts come out flat, jarring, funny, or uncomfortable. None of which even matters without an innate theatrical talent.
So I went back and listened to you read Herbert and I loved it. Your performances make me _feel_ the dread, horror, awe, or humor any given author means the audience to feel. The excerpts you choose and the way in which you integrate them into your scripts is so organic.
All of which is bound together with best musical and audio effects one could ask for.
I love and thank you for the work you produce, and I know I speak for many in this wonderful community you’ve developed over the years.
Yeah... what he said!
This was such a delightful read. I continually found myself second-ing and 'amen'-ing each point of praise; it honestly felt like you organized my own gd thoughts for me!
I am such a huge fan of Quinn through and through and find him just endlessly entertaining and inspiring.
@@DarlingMissDarling Thank you for the kind words, friend.
This was Awesome and mirrored my thoughts as well👍
Hear! Hear!
I love Snow Crash. That first chapter was unlike anything I had read before (and was my gateway to Neal Stephenson).
Thanks for the fascinating video. Your scripts are obviously very good. But the superb narration and audio quality combine with those scripts to make this channel a real gem. Looking forward to checking out your podcast!
Also my gateway 👍
"The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed sub-category."
Once you read that first line you KNEW you were in for a great read. God... that first chapter is one of the funniest & best damn executed jokes and pieces of social satire I have ever read. The setup, build up, and payoff were goddam FLAWLESS! Best tribute to Pizza Delivery guys ever... BAR NONE!
Snowcrash is Epic. A unique vision of an alt world never imagined in quite the way Stephenson saw it. This is a truly exceptional piece of writing. I have read 1 or 2 books a week for the last 55 years. This book is in the top 25. Dont miss it.
Can you give me your top five? Looking to read more
Impressed with your reading accomplishments! I’m just about to finish snow crash and it’s taken me like 2 years 😂 I have adhd and dyslexia among other issues that stop me from reading as much as I like . I love this book
@@glennmatthews758same !
Would love to know your other sci fi / cyber punk must not miss books
@@baby.nay. Forever War, Tau Zero, Foundation, All You Need Is Kill, Harry Turtledoves World War 2 four volume set...Tilting The Balance,etc....where the lizards invade during WW2....the 4 vol. colomization series after is also epic and excellent. Good luck....
I love the Quinn Cyberpunk arc.
Quinn, your writing and production on this absolutely crushed it. Consider me a Patreon from here on out.
A good companion piece to this book is the 2008 film Pontypool. It has the same basic premise of a language virus, but executed à la Night of the Living Dead.
Yup, was just going to post about Pontypool and you beat me to it. Bizarre and great movie.
I love how your channel has carved out its niche as ASMR book club, collegiate dissection, polished video essay, and hype man for under appreciated/obscure literature. Genuinely scratches an itch I didn’t know existed and helps me generate ideas for stories. (Nothing important, just a ttrpg GM)
Honestly, I probably account for 10% of your views on Blindsight
Thank you for reviewing one of my favorite stories by an amazing author.
The Diamond Age should be another review if you like NS.
Finding out that Miss Matheson is Y.T. was a neat little detail.
Ahhh, Snow Crash! One of my absolute favorite cyberpunk stories. I really wish to see it made into a film someday.
I always thought it hilarious that Hiro was “the greatest swordsman in the metaverse,” due to the fact that he wrote the code himself and he never sees the irony in that.
Oh no....nothing ever compares to one's phantasy!
Although it is also shown in the book that he does seriously practices his swordsmanship, blending the serious, stoic samurai trope with that of the sly hacker that "cheats" to win
You better call that wish back from the void, otherwise Roland Emmerich or Michael Bay is going to get the job...
Oh man! You read it! I recommended this after watching your neuromancer video because i figured you'd like it. Snow Crash is my all time favorite book. So many layers, such great characters, amazing worldbuilding, and satire made reality as our collective future.
Hell yeah man! Stevenson is one of my favorite writers ever 😊
Thank you for including photos, where possible, of the researchers! It's a nice touch that helps place them in time and culture. A very human way to cite!
It makes me so happy to see how your channel has been growing! You’ve been putting in so much work and it’s really showing.
The influence of this book is not talked about enough. Thank you for this, Quinn!
Snow Crash is one of my favorite books. Only Cryptonomicon & SevenEves top it among Stevenson’s body of work IMO.
Anathem is better than Cryptonomicon and SevenEves. The soundtrack for Anathem's audiobook version is amazing.
Thanks for covering Snow Crash, Quinn! Been looking forward to it for a while!
Glad you're diving deep on the cyberpunk stuff, man. Really giving me the drive to read them myself finally
This is such a high quality video! Not only is it a great brief introduction to Snow Crash, it is also a super high level yet accessable intro to theories about the origin of langue, all packaged up with great sound design and a Ken Burnsian curation of deviant arts. Thank you!
I love the video assay, researched, academics vibe of the video, when you discuss the proto human language! Really appreciate the hard work!
I have learned about so many cool books and universes because of your channel.
This video is another example. Love watching your videos man.
This is my favorite book and this video was by far the most nuanced and astute review of it I’ve seen. Thanks as always for the content, you’ve introduced so many books to me and it’s nice to see your take on one of my all time favorites
Nam-shubs indeed! I believe that the first language and connected phonemes consisted of 'motion-event' complexes, with the symbolic complexes developing in parallel with writing. Snow Crash was a fun read, you've put together a great analysis! ❤
A language virus plays a big part in Metal Gear Solid V as well. (Well, a language parasite)
I saw this title and came to see if anyone would bring that up ahaha
Quinn, I love your videos. Over the past 5-7 years I’ve been diving into the world of sci-fi and have been loving it. As is often the theme with your videos, it seems to me that the most valuable part of reading sci-fi is the philosophical questions implied or explored by a story, often leading to places that other kinds of stories could never go. Though I occasionally disagree with your own interpretations (most notably with the overall “message” of Dune-I left a comment on those videos a while back), I find your views usually enlightening and useful. I love comparing and contrasting with you on books we’ve both read, and I love hearing your reviews and recommendations of things I have no yet read as a way of knowing where to go next in my own journey. One I have not yet read but bought and will soon read because of you is “Hyperion.” I’m excited. Thanks for everything!
One of my fav youtube channels. The way you put everything together is brilliant.
Love to see that you are finally dipping into my favorite sf subgenre; cyberpunk.
If you ever want to dive a bit deeper, you might find Simulacra and Simulation - Jean Baudrillard an interesting philosophical read.
I wasn't aware of this book, but the idea is sort of covered in a film called Pontypool. Little indi movie that while not perfect, I quite enjoyed. Would recommend to anyone who likes a low budget horror
Nothing but love. Your ideas are appreciated and the voice makes it possible for my sister to sit through this "boring" video. I thank you so much
was not expecting the deep dive into the origins of language, i would LOVE if you kept doing similar things in future videos. great stuff quinn
This book was Incredible. I read it for the first time a couple years back. It was an incredible read. Some parts haven't aged so well but all and all it was a fantastic and honestly one of the funiest and most thought provoking satires I have ever read. The fact that it satirized the cyberpunk genre and society as a whole made it even better. Plus, while our brains don't strictly function that way, the concept of language as the code our minds are written in (and thus weaponizable a virus regardless of our comprehension) is a fascinating & terrifying concept. It bears more than a little resemblance to the concept of memes & how they function... and can honestly be viewed as an allegory for them and their effects on people.
Thanks to this book I discovered Neal Stephenson, and gained a new favorite author to add to my collection. Since then I've gone on to read Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and Interface. Honestly the dude is an awesome writer with a firm grasp of subjects speculative, historical, and mythological in nature. His writing is also surprisingly witty & gorgeously detailed. As a result his books are fascinating, fun, engaging, genuinely thought provoking, and fulfilling reads. I honestly feel like I come away having learned something, or looking at the world a bit differently, every time I read one of his books.
Yes! Thanks for covering Snow Crash, my older brothers friend told me about it years ago and I listened to the audiobook (because I’m too dumb to read it) but it changed my life forever and luckily it’s never gotten a movie/tv show adaptation (well I should say no adaptation is better than a bad adaptation) I don’t know how they would capture the insanity, ridiculousness and depth of it all... i imagine it would be like something akin to Blade Runner meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit and whatever the hell is in between!!!
The snow crash effect reminds me of the strange days movies version of that. I bet they totally drew inspiration from it.
I absolutely LOVE watching your content while smoking weed, it becomes a mystical experience for me so i should thank you for giving me these moments of peace in my life, never stop what you're doing because you make one of the best videos on the platfrom and not because of extremely over the top editing and quality, you do it with your intelligence and likeability.
The first book I read from him was Anathem a couple years after it came out (think I was 20?), this was the next one I read after doing some delving, love it.
The first book of his I read was Zodiac shortly after it came out because it was on a rack in a library I hung out in in 8th grade. I didn’t really register him as who he is as an author until after Snow Crash and The Diamond Age came out and I read those in college and noticed he also wrote Zodiac. When his next book, Cryptonomicon, came out I definitely knew who he was and even saw him at a book reading in Seattle just before the book was released. He read the chapter about the proper way to eat Cap’n Crunch cereal and another one about (I think) getting a tooth pulled.
I really love Anathem btw.
Great video, an interesting combination of two of my favorite things, sci fi and language history. I can count on Quinn to always give me something interesting to think about and look into, thanks man.
Perhaps you should read more Neal Stephenson the baroque cycle has some interesting notes on linguistics and cryptography.
@@Howl-Runner I'll definitely be looking into it
The way you go from sci fi to factual information is dope. So glad I subbed.
Love seeing your channel grow I was subscribed at 80k and I can’t believe how fast your channel is growing. I have a lot of respect for you and how much effort you put into all of your videos won’t be long now till you hit 1. Million and I am glad I was there to see you through your journey and how much your videos have improved in quality.
I have the same books in my library 🙂 The Languages of Pao by Jack Vance (1958) deals with languages shaping cultural profiles
Snow Crash is still my favorite Cyberpunk novel I've read.
This is the first of your videos I've watched, and I was really impressed several times by just how good your presentation is. Thank for a great lesson! And your bookshelf is AMAZING.
I also binge watch anthropology and linguistic videos, and your research was really solid. Well done!
Man, I love Neal Stephenson. So many excellent books! I still remember first encountering DA5ID and realizing 5 could also be written as a Roman numeral, thus DAVID, and thought it was so damn clever haha.
Dang! That’s up there with all cops in The Yiddish Policeman’s Union calling their guns, shaloms.
QUINN YOU ROCK!!!
I haven't even watched the video yet and I know you did this right by the title alone!
THANK YOU!!!!!!
Oh DUDE I LOVE Snow Crash. Been watching you since 2018. Keep up the awesome work.
I love the answering comments. I don't have questions, just compliments. You are, hands down, the Dune scholar I send friends to when they ask/exhaust my social energy to explain my obsession. Also, buying all your graphic novels. Not only is comic art my thing, but I have a little 11 year old son who told us at 10 he was gay, and loves genre, so I'm collecting as many queer creators works for him as I can, like you, or Matt Baume, for when he's old enough. Thank you, man....and be careful of the entity, yeah?
Thanks for the video I enjoyed "Snow Crash" . Can you do "Diamond Age" next by the same author?
Certainly one of your best vids. I love the deep dive. WOW! You are about to get a new supporter.
This is amazing and I see evey second of the incredible work that you did on this. So well edited and so interesting
Quinn you are a fantastic narrator and I would love to listen if you do audiobooks
Seconded!!
"Snow Crash" is one of the fasted written storys I've ever read, especially the first chapters. But my favourite character of all times is Nell from Neil Stephensons next book "The Diamond Age" (also a winner of the Hugo and Locus awards) . Please consider reading that one. It's weired, it's all over the place, but it's also the f-ing sh-t!
Notice that we all have Books, now?
Man that's a dope edition of Neuromancer.
When I was a kid, Neuromancer was my first BBS handle. Those were some days.
This is the earliest I've ever been! Thanks for all your hard work to bring us unique sci-fi content!! Love you keep it up ❤
Quinn, your enthusiasm for language in Snow Crash made me wonder if you would enjoy Babel by RF Kuang. It’s more fantasy than Sci Fi but a thought provoking and enjoyable read. I’d love to hear your take on this book. Plus , if the US hardback is as lovely as my UK edition, it will make a great addition to your library.
It makes an old hacker smile to see this book get the belated attention it wholeheartedly deserves. Over time the prophetic nature of the book has bee reinforced and revealed, which is also true of his unrelated follow up The Diamond Age. Also over time the character of Y.T. has become clearly very problematic, and that’s something to warn others about when sharing the book with those who haven’t read it… I’m sure Stephenson (whom I’ve met once and was very approachable and chill) also regrets YT and some of the implications of her name, race, and age.
🙄
What's problematic about the character? I'm genuinely curious because I've never read the book
@@joeclarke7982you don't want to know
She was a bit young.
@@joeclarke7982 I’m willing to grant Stephenson a lot of latitude here; the genre of cyberpunk at that time had a lot of sex, drugs, etc - it was a punk genre that was super edgy long before that term was invented. Sci-fi is also packed with objectivism of women, bad cultural cliches, sexism, etc. by even the greats such as Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov, Bear, Niven, etc because you have an audience in mind and you write what you think excites or intrigues them. It’s just… yeah, it’s creepy in many situations in the book. I just remind myself that Stephenson was very young and trying to be edgy and get noticed among other books, and just skip through those parts. It doesn’t take away the overall masterpiece level of the book, you just have to read it with the context like many works of literature.
The reason I bring it up is because I like to introduce the books that I love to everyone, and a lot of the people I know are female… and they have a less charitable interpretation of what’s going on there, to say the least.
omg two videos of yours that i check out, and they immediately make me wanna read those books, great job!
Hard to believe it's been 31 years since Snow Crash was first published. I read it in '92, and it remains one of my favorites. I was thinking last week it might be time to revisit the book, and you've given me the impetus to do so. Wonderful review! Well done!
Not sure if you've read it but I think you'd enjoy "Bable-17" (1966) by Samuel R. Delany. This one also deals with language as a weapon and it's short lol
If you built an omni-lingual large language model like GPT-4, you could probably tease out what all languages have in common and build a language that most closely fits our brains.
It's not the same as a proto-language, but it might be similar, since the first language would have also emerged out of the structure of our brains.
What all languages have in common: nouns, verbs, and words describing those nouns and verbs.
I think that's basically it.
@@BoxStudioExecutive wow, that's actually so small-minded, it's impressive. one of the top ten dumbest comments I've read in years. good job, I guess
@@Embassy_of_Jupiter Prove me wrong. Since it's one of the dumbest comments you've read in years, it should be easy for you, but you've resorted to name-calling instead of flexing your apparently nonexistent brain.
My best friend just recommended this to me, currently about 2/5 ths the way through. Really glad CZcams actually recommended you this time 😊
It's a crime how you don't even have a million or more subscribers when you make content this good and high quality. I love your work and please keep it up since you have been pointing me to my scifi reads since I found your channel
Sick review! Snow Crash is now definitely on my future reading list. I enjoy the nuances of your work. The history and philosophy add a good deal of depth. Thank you. Oh, and if you're game, I'd love to hear a review and analysis of Cyberpunk Edgerunners.
Many many people would love to see this made into a movie or mini series. Sadly, I think it would likely get subverted and made into something for modern audiences.
It's an excellent story.
You're gonna have a good time.
I am curious if you have read the baroque cycle. So good
@@kevincrowley4857 I haven't, but I'll check it out.
Months ago when you were seeking suggestions for new scifi novels to read I recommended the sequel to Snow Crash, "The Diamond Age".
Hopefully the release of this video means your analysis of the sequel will be released soon!
It has a sequel?!
You just gave me another reason to hit the book store.
@@sirg-had8821 It takes place about 50 years or so after Snow Crash. It is a very indirect sequel...but there IS someone from Snow Crash in the book. You have to look for them, though.
Thank you for reinvigorating my science fiction obsession. I love your work!
Was excited to see you cover this one! Excellent review, man.
In the anime Macross culture and music are treated a similar way. If you naturally develop your own it's a natural immunity to it's effects.
Hey, Quinn! How about a critique of the latest season of "Foundation"? I'd love to hear you pick it apart!
Have you seen Prism's amazing fanfic rewrites of "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi" right here on YT? It's great stuff using the existing raw materials and nothing from Legends. He spun gold from straw! I'd love to hear your take on them!
I think about this theme all the time! Snow crash was a great novel. You did a great job with this video.
I've waited forever for you to finally come across this masterful work and do a video on it. One of the biggest sci-fi influences for me, I came across this after "Dune" as well - followed up "Snow Crash" with Gibson's "Idoru" after and found the layering between the two to be phenomenal. Have you considered taking a look at Daniel Suarez's "Daemon" trilogy? I think you'd find it a fascinating techno-thriller you'd enjoy!
One of my all-time favorite books but I strongly advice to read it in the German translation. I read the English and the German release and I must say it gain from the translation. English is a 'simpler' language than German, and the additional depth add to the fun and beauty of the book.
Pretty amazing deep dive into linguistic theory, actually referencing academic publications. I wish more channels had the effort that you put into your videos! It would be even better if you added citations into the description. Not common for CZcams, but greatly appreciated. This video is almost a review of the origin of languages.
Just finished reading Snow Crash recently so it was a pleasant surprise to see this upload. I very much hope you cover some of Neal Stephenson's other books.
Quin you always have the best timing for some of the most intersting videos im all for it
I love your essays, man! Been following a long time and really enjoy your perspectives. I was surprised to see my art in this video, but my Snow Crash interpretations are commonly used this way.
I'm commenting because I've noticed that you regularly credit the music for your videos and I think it would be a decent practice to start doing so with the art you use while it is on screen. All the creatives contributing to your works deserve recognition, brother.
I'm looking forward to more awesome content from you, and hope that you will put in the effort to acknowledge the variety of artists that help make your videos such an enjoyable watch! Keep up the great work!
A brilliant analysis of one of my favorite books and IMO one of the most underrated.
Thanks for another interesting and informative video.
Thank you for making these videos! The quality of your content is always soo good and I feel like the things you have to say are always enriching my day.
"Language is a virus from outer space. That's why I'd rather hear your name than see your face. " Laurie Anderson embellishing William S Burroughs. Back to Snow Crash, it's been years since I've read it, but I remember thinking that it balanced action, story, and philosophy pretty well.
Hey, man! Thank you for your videos. I was able to enjoy Liu Cixin's trilogy last summer because I saw you here, on CZcams. You have a very well-endowed library, with very similar tastes to mine. Thanks for being there, on the other side of cyberspace.
Love to see you delving into cyberpunk!
Fascinating history lesson in this video. I read this book 25 years ago and loved it. You made me want to read it again.
Love the channel, always keeps me thinking and gives me good book choices. Thank you.
Just found this channel. Love it. Very well done. Keep up the good work.