The Sword and Laser discussion

While I think the characters are great I
(view spoiler)[was hoping for more than a season of "24" if you catch my drift. I really hope there is more to this plot than trying to save Zula from a terrorist or Zula trying to save herself. (hide spoiler)]

One thing I really like about Zula is she seems to always be thinking and does as much as possible so she doesn't have to wait for someone else to help her get out of predicaments. Basically she doesn't freeze up under pressure and tries her best not to let herself become a victim in any circumstance. She really is a great character in this book.

Agreed about the plot but that really isn't likely i think with Stephenson. Has been fun to see his take on the whole game on line as a story device though.

Yeah, I'm 51% right now and I almost believe that I'm reading a completely different book from the one I started.

Ken wrote: "Yeah, I'm 51% right now and I almost believe that I'm reading a completely different book from the one I started."

Yes. That's exactly what I thought too.

I'm finished, and while it didn't go anything like the way I expected, I still loved it. But yeah, it's very much not *about* the game - T'Rain is just a plot device/topic for speculation and musings from Stephenson. It's an interesting take on his usual theme of technology in context, but I prefer his earlier style, where the story really is about the tech. I kept feeling like this was edited for a person who isn't interested in video games - none of the main characters even identify themselves as gamers (well, two do, but they show up later on, much later in one case).

Not what I signed up for, but still a great ride.

Ken wrote: "Yeah, I'm 51% right now and I almost believe that I'm reading a completely different book from the one I started."

Just curious to observe that we've gone from citing page number in a book to what percent the way through we are, courtesy of Kindle and Audible I'm sure.

Mike wrote: But yeah, it's very much not *about* the game"

This was my chief source of disappointment with the book. I've seen a number of people identify the 20% mark as the place where the book bogs down and I completely agree - it's where Stephenson stopped writing about the game and shunted it into the background. It does make an excellent contrast with Ready Player One though, which was all about the game. Maybe if Neal and Ernie had teamed up...

I finished it but I am not sure why i did so. I quit liking it at around 30%. and then it dragged to the end.

Personally, I enjoyed it for the same reason I enjoy most of Stephenson's writing - the crazy vignettes and juxtapositions. The reformed marijuana smuggler turned MMO mogul. The dueling ultra-nerd fantasy authors. The elite US Special Forces squad who are also hardcore T'Rain players. The pair of hackers who end up committing literal piracy. (view spoiler)[The Russian mafia/terrorist showdown in China. The jihadist cell trying to invade the US from Canada. The crackpot survivalist community that ends up actually fighting off terrorists at an unguarded part of the border. (hide spoiler)]

There's a ton of really clever humor in the situations he sets up, although I don't think he's yet topped the van full of EMP-happy neckbeard programmers in Cryptonomicon.

I wish it was a sci-fi as I don't really like spy thrillers... but he's the writer so it is his call.

I enjoyed the story, however it's probably my least favorite Stephenson novel so far. I agree with @Mike that REAMDE has a lot of the same Stephenson style but for me it seemed to be not quite as well crafted.

I'm about halfway through it (audiobook) and man is it just limping along.

There is so much unnecessary fat in this book, something that becomes totally apparent when you're relying on someone else to read it for you.

Does it get better? I don't have much interest in most of these characters at the moment.