Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson's landmark 1992 cyberpunk novel, follows Hiro Protagonist, a hacker and pizza delivery driver for the Mafia, and Y.T., a teenage skateboard courier. In a fractured future America where government has collapsed and corporations rule, a mysterious virus called Snow Crash begins infecting both computers and human minds. Racing through the Metaverse—a sprawling virtual reality—and gritty real-world streets, Hiro and Y.T. uncover a conspiracy rooted in ancient Sumerian mythology and linguistic programming. Blending satire, action, and visionary technology, the novel pioneered the concept of the metaverse and profoundly influenced generations of technologists and writers.
