Mommy Read: Reamde

Oh yeah, it's 1,042 pages

Dads may enjoy this novel by Neal Stephenson as well. Reamde is the name of a computer virus that mostly exploits the players of an online MMO called T'Rain. When the files of a member of the Russian maffia are infected and held hostage, Peter and Zula are kidnapped and taken to China to help track down the hacker who created the virus so that the Russian can kill him. Things don't go as planned and Zula ends up in an even bigger snake pit than before. Neal Stephenson takes his readers on a global chase that keeps readers on the edge of their seat and makes you wonder what could possibly happen next?

Stephenson's book is much more than just a high speed thriller, though it does that part very well. Reamde takes the reader on a tour of the culture of MMO's and how the economics of such games work. Personally I get dizzy from watching a video game for more than 10 minutes, so as you can imagine MMO's (which stands for Massively Multiplayer Online for those of you who've been wondering) are not my cup of tea at all. But I am fascinated that there are people who can make these types of games their entire life; playing for hours and hours straight, sinking money into digital items that don't exist in the real world, befriending people you will likely never meet. For a funny look at MMO's and the people who play them, check out a web series called The Guild. It's really funny because most of it rings true.


You're so funny Felicia Day!

 The other feature of Neal Stephenson's book that struck me is the sense that we now live in a global society. I'll be the first to admit that I'm usually stuck in my own little corner of America and don't really pay attention to what goes on across the state border, let alone on other continents. But Reamde makes you stop to think about how what goes on in one nation can and will affect others. A terrorist is thwarted in a suicide bombing attempt in China, but the thing that thwarted him gives him access to a plane and the United States. This book makes me want to raise my son to pay attention to the affairs of other nations and to have the skills he needs to survive in dangerous situations. The only drawback for me is that I feel that there should have been a more extensive epilogue. It was quite jarring to go from action action action to brief 'how they ended up scene' to end of book.

Too manly for tea. This book is coffee, black.

I really enjoyed this book, but I fully recognize that the amount of guns and gun descriptions in this book raises the testosterone to deadly levels for some women. Also, at 1,042 pages, the length is sure to scare off many people. But this book is quite a thrill ride and well worth the read.

PS If you end up liking this book, check out Anathem by the same author. I liked Anathem even more!