As a first novel, this is actually great, and gives tantalizing glimpses of what Stephenson's work will evolve into. But I would not recommend reading this as a first exposure to his work. The plot goes in all directions but the loose ends aren't all tied up, and it generally tries to be an 800-page novel in 200 pages, which can work if it's pared down, but this... isn't.

The big (P) U.

CNF - Could not finish, tried for 160 pages, life is too short to read this. Only wish I chucked it sooner.

I tried but I'm not going to finish it. I believe he has disavowed it. Well written but I can't get into it.

Factory grade Neal Stephenson entertainment, free of infodumps. Features all that was ridiculous about the American university in the 1980s and puts it in an outrageous play. The buildup to the final surreal extravaganza is a slow convergence of independent events and storylines. The whole thing moves so slowly that even the name of the narrator is only revealed on page 125, his surname on page 235. This somehow helps the stereotypical characters stay longer in focus, creating an expectant tension before their predictable actions take place. It works very well, even more so when the whole university setup is weirdly recognizable today, so the anticipation instead of being stale is like waiting for the start of the good part in a favourite song.

i loved the rest of his books that i've read (i've had the first in the baroque cycle since it was published, but it seems like a big commitment so i haven't started it yet). this one was his first book, i think, and was only brought back into print due to his later success. it was a bit over the top and some of the characters' idiocy reminded me, unfortunately, of a confederacy of dunces, but i still enjoyed it.

“Big U” je Stephensonov prvý a najhorší román, ale pri jeho čítaní môžete sledovať zrod velikána. Príbehom o monštruóznej gigantickej univerzite, ktorá bola svetom samým o sebe a ktorá postupne zdegenerovala na akúsi primitívnu kmeňovú spoločnosť, si zjavne vyrovnával účty so svojím vysokoškolským štúdiom. My netušíme, ktoré udalosti a postavy mali predlohu v skutočnom svete a autor zas netuší, či už píše cyberpunk, alebo či je to ešte len psychadelická zlátanina. Má to niekoľko nepochopiteľných a nezáživných pasáží, ale aj perfektne napísané časti, ktoré by mohli byť v jeho najlepších románoch.

Jde o knihu, jejíž vydání nechtěl autor dlouho povolit a proto získala kultovní status. Tak trochu nezaslouženě, tak jako u nás Kulhánek. ; )
Ne, že by byla vyloženě špatná ale na druhou stranu nejde ani o nějaký zázrak nebo přelomové dílo. Prostě takový slušnější nadprůměr.
Jde o vyprávění o životě v smyšlené americké obří universitě, která tvoří takový stát ve státě. SE všemi výhodami a nevýhodami. K vykreslení jak samotné university, tak jejích obyvatel a institucí použil autor pořádnou porci černého humoru. I ve jménech osob a institucí se nenechal omezovat nějakou politickou korektností a proto universitu řídí S. S. Krupp a na universitě působí spolek levičáckých aktivistů skrývající se za zkratkou S.U.P..
Do vyprávění se prolíná spousta iracionálních až magických prvků a s tím, jak se postupně prohlubuje krize a chátrání university, iracionalita jejich obyvatel nabývá na intenzitě. Jednou z nejlepších scén v knize je je ta, kdy S.U.P. naplánuje, že po rektorovi university hodí šlehačkový dort ale "soudruh" pověřený koupí "munice", koupí ten dort mražený a tak ho musí poměrně dlouho rozmrazovat pod sušákem ruk na záchodech a jen tak tak, stihne rozmrazit dort ještě před skončením vystoupení S. S. Kruppa. Nakonec se stejně netrefí.
Kniha bych asi doporučil jako takovou jednohubku mezi dvěma knihami s vážnou tematikou.

I had a hard time reading this book, which was several years ago. I remember that Stephenson tried to distance himself from this novel (his first), and I can see why. I wasn't a fan; it was all over the place and struggled to finish it. I can see why some readers would like it, but it was just too chaotic for me.

I'm a big Stephenson fan and this book is not bad for a first novel but does not live up to his later work.

Quite bad, would not recommended. He got much better at writing later on, this was put back in print after Snow Crash as a cash grab (fair, get that bag), not because it was good.

This book is only slightly better than terrible. I've read many other Neal Stephenson books, and they are all much better than this. The writing is aweful, the story has only hints of interesting plot points, and it will go off on psychedelic interludes every so often, for no apparent reason. Avoid this book. Go read Cryptonomicon instead. Much better!