Reamde

Hardcover, 1044 pages

English language

Published Aug. 8, 2011 by William Morrow.

ISBN:
9780061977961

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4 stars (1 review)

Reamde is a speculative fiction novel by Neal Stephenson, published in 2011. The story, set in the present day, centers on the plight of a hostage and the ensuing efforts of family and new acquaintances, many of them associated with a fictional MMORPG, to rescue her as her various captors drag her about the globe. Topics covered range from online activities including gold farming and social networking to the criminal methods of the Russian Mafia and Islamic terrorists. ([Source][1])

[1]: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reamde

7 editions

Fun albeit sometimes a bit obnoxious

4 stars

It's a fun adventure/thriller involving techbros, terrorists, mafia, three-letter-agencies and gun-nuts. It takes some pretty crazy twists and turns but eventually culminates in a really satisfying manner. It was kind of different from what I usually read/listen to but definitely worth it.

As pointed out in the title, the writing can sometimes be a little obnoxious. This is because the book was clearly written by a techbro-y kind of guy: Computer stuff, MMORPG culture, commercial and military organization principles and gun usage are all described and explained in minute detail. Some of this is quite interesting (I learned a bunch of stuff about firearm safety) but it can get somewhat draining at some points.

Another thing that I found somewhat off-putting is all of the cartoonish characters. Nearly everyone is an excentric genius, super hardcore operator or very principled anti-Trump conservative. With some fantastical stories, Dune prime among, this sort …