Tuesday, October 11, 2011

REAMDE read

No, I spelled that right.  The author, Neal Stephenson, named it after a fictitious virus (which was a misspelling of the "README" common in computers, and probably a reference to "reamed" as well).  It's a roller coaster ride involving a young couple, a massively multiplayer roleplaying game, Russian mafiosi, Chinese hackers, spies, and an Al Qaeda cell headed by a Welsh terrorist.  Oh, and currency exchange.

This may be his best written novel yet, although some people were disappointed in it (it was not as brimful of technological flights of fancy as his usual fare).  Perhaps the cast of characters is a bit large and hard to keep track of, but he ties everything together splendidly.  Don't expect very deep character analysis, but do expect to be surprised by his sudden turns and made thoughtful by some of the ramifications of technology that he exposes (such as using computer games to facilitate real life crime).


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