This is a first for me: a cyber-punk novel that I didn't lose my place in or otherwise lose the plot at some point. I was able to keep track of teh characters and understand what was going on for the entire book. Though I loved The Diamond Age, I lost the plot for a bit in the last 100 pages or so.
.There were a few interesting ideas that stuck with me. The first being the franchises. These took the corporate participation in American politics to a rather frightening conclusion. Unlike the traditional country with boarders, America is more a huge collection of individual corporations with individuals holding citizenship with them. There is no overall set of laws---each franchise controls its own land with its own force and internal rules.
Another was the visualization of cyberspace with a main street and houses, businesses, etc. Instead of logging on, you goggle-in, using a type of VR to interact with the cyber-world. a type of Second-Life, but with more people and more meaningful actions occurring.
I really liked the details Stephenson gave to some of the technology, like Y.T.'s skateboard, with all of its add-ons and exciting features. The wheels, in particular, which adjust to any surface to give a smooth ride---an adaptive surface. Very cool.
The mystery itself about the fundamental basis of language in the brain was interesting. I liked how Stephenson tied it tot he Tower of Babel story and how the story built on the myths regarding language and society's development. I think Stargate may have looked here a bit...
Great sci-fi. 8/10
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