FICTION: CYBER CLASH
Reamde by Neal Stephenson (William Morrow)
The cyber-game world is central to Neal Stephenson’s fast-paced thriller, “Reamde,” but be wary of carelessly tossing the work into any of genre fiction’s convenient bins. Stephenson pulls in an American entrepreneur, Chinese nationals and Russian wise- guys, and then adds survivalists and jihadists. The result is a toothsome mix. Good writing is a reader’s first desire, and the result here is an obsessive read.
Publisher materials describe “Reamde” as Stephenson’s most accessible work. Speaking by phone from his home in Seattle, he said “accessible,” in this case, was “just a way of explaining to people that it’s not science fiction. There’s still a segment of the reading population that recoils from anything branded as science fiction, and I have a reputation of a guy who writes that.”
Richard Forthrast is the focal point of the novel, a guy who moves beyond marijuana smuggling to found a gaming company. That company, which produces and operates the massively popular online multiplayer game T’Rain, is now a member of the Fortune 500.
Things get a little complicated. A group of Chinese programmers looking to supplement their income develop the REAMDE virus, and launch it from within the world of T’Rain. It’s a slick little bit of extortion. User files are encoded when the virus moves to the hard drive. For a price, delivered in T’Rain coin that can be migrated out of the game and into real life, files can be unlocked.
“Reamde” feels nothing like Stephenson’s 2008 best seller, “Anathem.” He said the common thread running through his work is simply that a guy who likes to tell stories writes them.
These recent novels are much longer than Stephenson’s earlier “Snow Crash” (1992) and “The Diamond Age” (1995). He said his tomes “are usually divided up internally into more normal book lengths. “The Baroque Cycle” (2003 and 2004) was originally published as three volumes that were divided into eight books.
“Reamde” has two parts of almost equal length: “Nine Dragons” and “American Salt.” While it would be possible to treat the novels as a series by splitting them up, he said his publisher has generally decided to keep the works together.
The ability to write, Stephenson said, is much more common in the world than people believe. In terms of telling stories, “You need to have an organization in your head as to how you are going to present the information.” He used an example from when his children were young and playing soccer. Team members’ parents were charged with providing e-mail directions to games. “This was before Google maps,” he said.
“The range of skill that was visible in those e-mails was amazing. You had people who were just awful, others whose explanation would be clear, unambiguous. Some people have the knack of being able to sympathize with someone who doesn’t know, and for many there isn’t a large jump from organizing thoughts to telling stories.”
One thread of “Reamde’s” plot involves a group living off the grid; here Stephenson’s portrait is clear and empathetic. Survivalists tend to be stereotyped as extremists, but in Stephenson’s hands these characters are admirable in their fierce independence.
“There are people associated with that world that sometimes believe some repellent things, but my sense is that the overriding mentality there is something to do with wanting to live an extremely simple life and not be bothered,” he said.
“I don’t agree with them about most things, but they are a part of this country and there are many people who may have a family member or friend who is attracted to that way of thinking or that way of life. The idea here isn’t to glamorize or idealize them, but to depict America as it is.”
Stephenson is writing in what he considers a popular-culture medium. “You can practice it as a fine art,” he said, “and make it like an oboe concerto or a painting, but what it wants to be is more the nature of a summer blockbuster film, in terms of its emotional appeal and entertainment value. If you look at the serialized novels of the 19th century, that’s exactly the roles those books played.
“I make no bones about trying to write books that have those qualities, though I think a successful novel can deliver other kinds of payload beyond entertainment.”
He delivers the payload he seeks. Those familiar with the online gaming world will find themselves in familiar territory. That Stephenson can make that world not just vital but important to non-gamers, to realistically and successfully shed a light on both the social and economic impacts of that world, is a feat worthy of admiration. And of being read.
Meet the author
Neal Stephenson will read from and sign “Reamde” at the Tattered Cover Lodo, 1628 16th St., at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Free; numbered tickets for a place in the signing line will be handed out beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Article source: http://www.denverpost.com/rss/ci_18957041?source=rss
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