Book summary, Reamde and Fall, by Neal Stephenson

These two books follow the same characters, but have completely different plotlines and focus. They are both excellent for different reasons.

Reamde is a thriller. It takes place over a short span of time, only a few weeks, and has computer viruses and Russian crime lords, leading to international terrorists and spies, with gun battles and noble sacrifices.

Fall, or Dodge in Hell still follows Dodge and Zulu Forthrast, but spans a (very long) lifetime, and explores a radical transformation of all of humanity. 

I wanted to write a summary of the major plot points and themes of each book since this was my second read of each, so I wouldn't forget as much as I did the first time. Just notes, really.

*** Lots and lots of spoilers follow ***

Reamde starts with Zulu and Peter getting mixed up with a crime - Peter sells some hacked accounts to XX, and then XX comes back when his computer is infected with the Reamde virus, and the hacked accounts are encrypted and inaccessible. Zulu tries to help pay the ransom by bring gold to a certain place in T-Rain the video game that Zulu's uncle Dodge designed and got rich from. It's designed to support gold farming. Csongor is techy for Russian boss, likes Zulu. 

Crazy Russian crime lord figures out that his stuff has been stolen, and comes to Peter's apartment. Executes XX. Traces the virus to China, goes there on a private jet, kidnapping Zulu and Peter. At an apartment in China Zulu directs the russians to the wrong floor of the apartment, because she thinks the floor is empty. Turns out it is full of terrorists, and russian mobsters are almost all killed. Russian leader kills Peter. 

Security expert for russian ends up teaming up and hooking up with british agent, ethnic chinese, who was monitoring and spying on Jones from across the street.

Jones is black bomb expert who wants to blow people up in the US. Decides to take private jet to US, gets out of China by flying directly under a commercial airliner. Gets to Canada before running out of fuel. Zulu stays alive by telling Jones her uncle Dodge can get him into the US the same way he used to get pot over the border - a mining tunnel that leads to his brother Jake's compound in the northern US. 

Dodge's brother gets shot, blows self up with claymore to take out some terrorists. Dodge leads Jones to Jake's compound, and giant shoot-out ensues. Jones retreats, marvels that a mountain lion has been tracking him, and Dodge kills him.

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Fall has many different falls in it. First Dodge is stricken by complications in a routine medical procedure, and ends up brain dead. His health directive says he's supposed to be cyrogenically frozen to be brought back later. Brain connectome scanning is deemed a better option. El Shepard tries to convince Corvalis that letting Shepard do everything is the right course. 

Moab hoax. Corvalis and Maeve

Zulu cross country trip, Ameristan, burning cross

Zulu internship, starting DB (Dodge's brain) process.

Qualia, the red leaf, creating the town out of nothing. The Ephrata eleven. 

Verna becomes Spring.