Snow Crash discussion

I don't want to spoiler, but if you read the book, you know which bomb i'm talking about: Ravens Bomb.

I just don't get it what happen to the bomb on the end of the book.

As far as I remember, it did not blow off. But why not? Did I miss something in the book? Was it defused, but if so when and by who?

Well, according to one web site I found, the options are:
A. He's captured alive and unable to detonate it. Maybe he uses it as negotiating tool to get released or Uncle Enzo gets someone to defuse it.
B. He escapes and eventually ditches the bomb.
C. He dies and it goes off but in the world as presented it wouldn't be a big deal unless it was in an agricultural area.
D. Since nukes decay over time it may be a dud by the time he dies.
E. It was never really armed; just a bluff.
F. He deactivated the dead man switch before he died.

I like the raft theorie.

But still, it's a big open end, it is not fitting to other stuff Stephanson wrote.

Yes, but he did not shift in this case. Raven was still there, but somehow he turned from a guy with a bomb to a guy without a bomb.

Not even Enzo is mention the bomb, and he must know about it.

It fees like that Stephanson completely forget about the bomb.

You guys are missing something at the end:

"A pizza delivery car takes off from one of the private parking areas, tires squealing, and a Mafia car peels out after it in hot pursuit."

Now, rhetorical question time, what kind of vehicle did Raven arrive in?

It's still speculative, but I think it's extremely suggestive of Raven still being alive.

"It's still speculative, but I think it's extremely suggestive of Raven still being alive."

I agree, Raven is shown as a very pragmatic man. He supports certain groups only as long as he can achieve his goal of revenge. That revenge is giving an eye for an eye. Nuking the people who killed his father. May I suggest that Raven knew that if he died in that situation the bomb would have only affected the Raft. Not the goal Raven was after. So when unarmed and faced against Enzo, who is obviously a dangerous man, and faced with the failure of what he has devoted his life to, Raven would not have liked his chances. As an obviously pragmatic person would have opted to not take his chances and potentially fail in what he had devoted his life to.

Travis wrote: "As an obviously pragmatic person would have opted to not take his chances and potentially fail in what he had devoted his life to."

Agreed.

molosovsky wrote: "Oncle Enzo kills Raven on LAX tarmac. As reader you hav’re invited to draw the conclusion: Nuclear bomb is still on the Raft (where it was left), which is — supposedly — destroyed by detonation (be..."

...which is pretty unsettling when you realize how many innocent people were on that Raft. 8(

Travis wrote: ""It's still speculative, but I think it's extremely suggestive of Raven still being alive."

I agree, Raven is shown as a very pragmatic man. He supports certain groups only as long as he can achie..."

I like this theory.