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 farmersβ 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 upβa venture that has morphed into a Fortune 500
computer gaming group, Corporation 9592, with its own super
successful online role-playing game, TβRain. But the line
between fantasy and reality becomes dangerously blurred when
a young gold farmer accidently triggers a virtual war for
dominanceβand 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.
No excerpt available.
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