Author Neal Stephenson is quite the multi-faceted man. From
his college studies in geography and physics, to his work
on a manned sub-orbital launch system with Amazon founder
Jeff Bezos, Stephenson's true calling can be found among
his writings. His many novels range in subject from cyber-
punk to historical fiction, with a lot of science fiction
sprinkled in for good measure.
His latest book, REAMDE is an adventure packed thriller
that tells the story of a computer gaming geek who finds
himself caught up in a very real and very dangerous version
of his own online war game.
The story begins with Richard Forthrast. A true rebel
without a cause, Forthrast was a draft dodger, marijuana
smuggler, Iowa farmboy in his youth. Now, granted amnesty
by the U.S. Government, Forthrast is the very successful
CEO of Corporation 9592, which created the online game
world of "T'Rain." But just as he is attempting to retire,
a virus called REAMDE (a play on words for the computer
program READ ME) infects his game and proceeds to wreak
havoc among the T'Rain community and the world itself. It's
up to Forthrast to find a solution to set things right --
before time runs out and he and those he cares about become
victims of their own version of war.
It's not easy to summarize a book that is 1000-plus pages
long, especially one that is as crammed full of action,
plot twists and intrigues as REAMDE is. There is a
little something for nearly everyone here in this book --
from an action thriller to a suspenseful mystery, with a
little bit of a love story thrown in for good measure. This
novel also is a world-traveler, moving from Chine to
Russian to the Middle East and back to America.
Stephenson's novel is an ambitious undertaking, and you may
need a scorecard to keep track of all the characters, but
the brave reader who dares will be greatly rewarded with a
fantastic story that will be remembered long after the last
page is turned.
Four decades ago, Richard Forthrast, the black sheep of an
Iowa family, fled to a wild and lonely mountainous corner of
British Columbia to avoid the draft. Smuggling backpack
loads of high-grade marijuana across the border into
Northern Idaho, he quickly amassed an enormous and illegal
fortune. With plenty of time and money to burn, he became
addicted to an online fantasy game in which opposing
factions battle for power and treasure in a vast cyber
realm. Like many serious gamers, he began routinely
purchasing viral gold pieces and other desirables from
Chinese gold farmers— young professional players in Asia who
accumulated virtual weapons and armor to sell to busy
American and European buyers.
For Richard, the game was the perfect opportunity to launder
his aging hundred dollar bills and begin his own high-tech
start up—a venture that has morphed into a Fortune 500
computer gaming group, Corporation 9592, with its own super
successful online role-playing game, T’Rain. But the line
between fantasy and reality becomes dangerously blurred when
a young gold farmer accidently triggers a virtual war for
dominance—and Richard is caught at the center.
In this edgy, 21st century tale, Neal Stephenson, one of the
most ambitious and prophetic writers of our time, returns to
the terrain of his cyberpunk masterpieces Snow Crash and
Crpytonomicon, leading readers through the looking glass and
into the dark heart of imagination.
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