The fact that Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson was published in 1992 is positively mind-boggling (No Spoilers)

I finished Snow Crash last night and I'm honestly still reeling. The level of detail used to describe the internet, and the associated VR/AR technology used in the story, this work could have been written today and still been fully believable/technologically sound. Of course, it's still sci-fi and there's plenty of other technology which is not (or at least not yet) applicable to the modern world, but still.

The prose also holds up exceptionally well. Language evolves a lot over 30+ years, but the characters all speak in a way that still feels authentic today, and in my opinion the same can be said for the narrative bits. Usually the older works of sci-fi that I've read thus far which hold up the best on a modern level are those which take place in an intangible setting, Dune comes to mind. Published in the 60s, but due to its setting being an entirely different planet and also incorporating a level of magic/supernatural elements like the Bene Gesserit, it's less susceptible to becoming outdated than something taking place entirely on Earth with familiar elements. Snow Crash manages to accomplish that feat while taking place in a (reasonably) realistic Earth setting which doesn't necessarily rely on anything supernatural to establish long-lasting authenticity.

In addition to that, it's simply one of the funniest works of fiction I've ever read. I bought the book on a total whim with no frame of reference for it as a novel, nor Stephenson as a writer. The cover art just caught my eye on the shelf, but the part that cemented my desire to buy it came from the blurb on the back. I laughed out loud when I read that the main character's name was Hiro Protagonist, and committed to it then and there. I knew in that moment that I was either in for an incredible treat or a total disaster. I'm happy to report the end result was an incredible treat! Like the blurb on the back, I found myself laughing out loud throughout the entire book.

If you're looking for a witty, fun, hilarious, action-packed, and highly original (as far as I've read) standalone sci-fi work, I couldn't recommend Snow Crash enough. 4.75/5.00 as far as I'm concerned. I'd have liked a slightly more complete ending, but I understand that's pretty typical of Stephenson as a writer. I'm still quite content with imagining for myself where a few of the windows he technically left open could be sealed.