# About the ending of "Snow Crash"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-snow-crash/255482>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 16, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-snow-crash/255482 "2004-07-16T21:01:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Abe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f1d935/32.png) [@Abe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-snow-crash/255482/21 "2004-07-20T03:17:17Z")

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> [@Abe](#):
>
> We shouldn’t forget Bruce Sterling, whose Shaper/Mechanist stories date back to the late '70s. Although I would say his first real and definite work of Cyberpunk is not until 1985 with _Schismatrix_, his Shaper/Mechanist stories definitely have a certain whiff of cyberpunk.

Er, sorry, the Shaper/Mechanist short stories are from the early '80s, not late '70s. Specifically 1982-84 (with _Schismatrix_ published in 1985). That’s still enough time to influence Gibson.

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**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-snow-crash/255482/22 "2004-07-20T03:28:55Z")

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Also, don’t forget K. W. Jeter’s book _Dr. Adder_ (1970? 1972? Something like that.) This is the earliest “true” cyberpunk novel that I’ve run across.

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-snow-crash/255482/23 "2004-07-20T03:59:32Z")

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I was surprised by **Abe** ’s assesment of Uncle Enzo’s likely state at the end. But I just checked and it is definitely left up in the air. Stephenson even says “if he survives”. My reasoning for his survival was his challenge to Raven about using steel what with Raven being weaponless.

Raven, while not explicitly stated so, is alive and in the pizza truck with a Mafia car in hot pursuit.

Rife, the rat thing and an irrelevant minor politician are dead.

Hiro is a hero in the Metaverse.

Y.T. went home to mom.

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