First Impressions

I am not completely sure of how I feel about this book yet. I rarely read fiction in my everyday life, and I'm not a big science fiction fan. So, picking up a fictional science fiction book was not something I was completely looking forward to. I am about a third of the way through the novel and although I am not thoroughly enjoying the novel I must give Stephenson a great deal of credit. The world that he creates, which may not be far from our own in some ways, is very vivid. It is a very well crafted book. He is a gifted writer without question. He leaves nothing to the imagination so, I really feel like I am in the novel. Whether or not I want to be is a different question. I do feel as like my thoughts are going in a million different directions, so please bare with me as I try to sort them out...

Stephenson puts forth an idea of living in 2 worlds. Reality and a virtual reality called the "Metaverse." In this virtual reality Hiro no longer delivers pizzas. He lives a very different life, a complete escape from reality. It can be accessed from anywhere and in it, you can be anything you want to be as long as you have the right software. However, as I was contemplating whether or not this virtual reality was appealing to me, it occured to me that we are already, in a sense, living in 2 worlds.

Do you have Facebook or Myspace, maybe a profile on an online dating system, even a personal blog? While the idea behind these profile systems is to connect easily online lets face it, most of us don't tell the whole truth. Different rules apply here, just like the "Metaverse." We can be whoever we want to be. The shy guy can be outgoing and flirtatious. Someone completely insecure about their looks could be the next model for Victoria's Secret. Very few people will ever know the real you if they meet you online, and you never have to let them. Of course, there are many people who are completely honest, and I do apologize to anyone I may be offending. However, online the rules change. Unless you allow them, no one has access to who you really are. It is a whole new world. The way we present ourselves in this world is completely different as well. Isn't this true of Hiro's "Metaverse"? The back of the book reads "In reality, Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo's CosaNostra Pizza Inc., but in the Metaverse he's a warrior prince." I think this is the most accurate observation Stephenson has made so far in this book. We are already living our lives through the internet. Shopping, managing bank accounts, keeping in close contact with friends and family, doing business, ording a pizza can even be done online on our Cortland campus. Many ideas in this book are far-fetched, and many of them are completely unimagineable in our near or distant future but, I don't think the idea of "Metaverse" is far off.

It's far too early in the novel to say whether I love it or hate it, but it has made me realize just how much I enjoyed Smart Mobs by Rheingold. I feel like that was a great introductory book to get our feet wet. It prepared me well for this novel, which uses a completely new and unique set of vocabulary. I can't imagine the time that went into creating these ideas. Developing these complex characters and the even more complex world they live in. I am enjoying how he has introduced a whole new set of vocabulary to the reader, and while they are terms that I've never seen, he uses them in a way so you have a good idea of what he is using them to represent. Once again, his writing is excellent. It is very well thought-out, and as someone who enjoys writing myself, I must respect that.