Rating: 
Summary: Wow! What a ride through history, math, present, and style
Review: Just finished the book - and while reading it, I recommended it to many others because I was enjoying it so much. I kept telling people "I'm reading the coolest book - you have to read it, too!" Very well written. Moves at an incredible pace, the dialogue is believable, and of course the excursions into math, cryptology, engineering, computers, eating Captain Crunch so it doesn't lacerate the roof of your mouth, and all those incredible observations about society/culture/whatever-is-in-front-of-them that only engineers and sceintists can make are the icing on what would be an incredibly well-written tale even without all that stuff.What makes the book so excellent, though, is the believable story and the believable characters. I found that I liked all of them because they were so real - I even cared about the bad guys. Still want them to lose, of course, but as a *reader*, I cared about them, and that's what keeps driving a reader on through a story. It's certainly a book that requires some commitment - it is very long, but I tell you, after hitting page 800, I was depressed, knowing that I had only another 110 pages of this joyful reading ahead of me. How many books have done that to you lately? In the last ten years? I read hundreds of books each year, most of them I can bring myself to enjoy even if they aren't great literature, but it is rare that I am so much enjoying a book that I begin to question if I should slow down, just so I can savor the enjoyment longer - and I did that a lot with this book. Stephenson has a way with words that will leave you breathless and in awe at his skill at writing. His metaphors are brilliant, sometimes hilarious. His so-true-to-daily-life descriptions had me laughing out loud on the subway and in the laundromat. And if you are an engineer or scientist, you will get all the added benefit of the "inside" jokes, descriptions, observations, etc. I am stupified by Stephenson's genius at pulling this thing off. If only more writers could be as sharp. While this is not the kind of social commentary/critique that great art generally is, it will, I think, leave the reader a different person than when s/he began the book. I know it has affected me on some levels - not greatly, in the way that 1984 or Moby Dick does - but the reader is left (if they've been paying attention) viewing the world a little differently. Lastly, if you've ever hung out with engineers or scientists, and gotten mad/confused at them for their seemingly cold/analytical way of looking at the world, this book is a great resource for coming to understand why they think that way, and what it means to them. I have recommended this book to a couple people simply so that, perhaps, they will have a better understanding of why I do and say the things I do (I am an engineer/scientist by training). For so realistically showing the thought processes, and motivations, of the science-inclined, I applaud Stephenson. For writing a book that is an awful lot of fun to read, I appaud him, too. Truly one of the best books in my library.
Rating: 
Summary: Aggressive, clever, classy, and addictive
Review: Very engrossing and very very funny. If you're the type that might rate Mark Helprin's Antproof Case, Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, and most stuff by Tom Stoppard as top notch stimulation, I think you'll get a enormous kick out Cryptonomicon. Better, all round than Snow Crash....Cryptonomicon held up well all the way through. I couldn't put this down--so probably i was reading way too fast, but there were a few large plot details that have me flummoxed--Father Root coming back to life (?) and the whole Andy Loeb character which never quite clicked into place for me. I'm practically begging other people to read it so that I can sort some of these things out. Was tickled to find the rumor circulating that the typos (of which I was blithely oblivious) are an encrypted message--regardless of whether it's true, that's a fitting salute to the book itself--a beaut of a dig to those self-appointed self-pious spelling and punctuation mavens--Wish I had been the author of this rumor/factoid myself though....sigh.... A reference section/bibliography/further reading section might have made nice addition. Check out the zdnet.com ZDTV video interview with Mr.Stephenson on the web--I was pleasantly surprised to find him so low-key.
Rating: 
Summary: Poetic Murder.
Review: I am sorry, but I heard such wonderful things about this book, and as I attempt to read it, I am frankly annoyed at best. The man misuses, abuses, and downright ignores style. So many times I have to read a metaphor and double take, wondering how he could have seriously wrote that down on paper. Not only are the metaphors often bizzare, there is typically more metaphoric content per page than there is storyline. On the topic of storyline, it seems disjointed, shallow, and contrived. The only thing that flows worse than the story, is each sentence, which when they are proper sentences, often are choppy and erratic in form. It really is a chore to read this man's work. One other minor complaint I have, (which pails in comparison with others) is the overuse and abuse of "Haiku" Haiku, which in it's native tongue is brilliant and beautiful form of art, is (to say the least) difficult to capture in English. Needless to say, I find the "Haiku" contained in this book to be somewhat lacking in Essence. The auther has a brilliant mind for math, I am sorry that it doesn't seem to relate well to Literature.
Rating:
Summary: I'm of a mixed mind, but it's still very entertaining
Review: Have you ever read a book and gotten that feeling that you were being lied to? That the author is being intellectually dishonest for the sake of his weak storyline or to sell more books or for his own personal foibles? Do you encounter examples of character behavior that make you say "Oh, for crying out loud!" and throw the book down in disgust because people simply do not act that way? Neal Stephenson always does that to me. Time and again he uses plot devices and premises that frankly, offend my intelligence as a reader...but damn him, I can't stop turning pages! The specific examples of his authorial misbehavior are legion, but if you pick this book up you will finish it, and probably in at most three days. The man has great storytelling talent, there's no denying it. I just wish he would spend a little more time in the real world and make his characters a little less, well, unbelievably freakish. In short, if you buy this book it's money well spent...but the phrase "suspension of disbelief" will be more than appropriate. Kind of like when you read a Tom Robbins book.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! What a ride through history, math, present, and style
Review: Just finished the book - and while reading it, I recommended it to many others because I was enjoying it so much. I kept telling people "I'm reading the coolest book - you have to read it, too!" Very well written. Moves at an incredible pace, the dialogue is believable, and of course the excursions into math, cryptology, engineering, computers, eating Captain Crunch so it doesn't lacerate the roof of your mouth, and all those incredible observations about society/culture/whatever-is-in-front-of-them that only engineers and sceintists can make are the icing on what would be an incredibly well-written tale even without all that stuff. What makes the book so excellent, though, is the believable story and the believable characters. I found that I liked all of them because they were so real - I even cared about the bad guys. Still want them to lose, of course, but as a *reader*, I cared about them, and that's what keeps driving a reader on through a story. It's certainly a book that requires some commitment - it is very long, but I tell you, after hitting page 800, I was depressed, knowing that I had only another 110 pages of this joyful reading ahead of me. How many books have done that to you lately? In the last ten years? I read hundreds of books each year, most of them I can bring myself to enjoy even if they aren't great literature, but it is rare that I am so much enjoying a book that I begin to question if I should slow down, just so I can savor the enjoyment longer - and I did that a lot with this book. Stephenson has a way with words that will leave you breathless and in awe at his skill at writing. His metaphors are brilliant, sometimes hilarious. His so-true-to-daily-life descriptions had me laughing out loud on the subway and in the laundromat. And if you are an engineer or scientist, you will get all the added benefit of the "inside" jokes, descriptions, observations, etc. I am stupified by Stephenson's genius at pulling this thing off. If only more writers could be as sharp. While this is not the kind of social commentary/critique that great art generally is, it will, I think, leave the reader a different person than when s/he began the book. I know it has affected me on some levels - not greatly, in the way that 1984 or Moby Dick does - but the reader is left (if they've been paying attention) viewing the world a little differently. Lastly, if you've ever hung out with engineers or scientists, and gotten mad/confused at them for their seemingly cold/analytical way of looking at the world, this book is a great resource for coming to understand why they think that way, and what it means to them. I have recommended this book to a couple people simply so that, perhaps, they will have a better understanding of why I do and say the things I do (I am an engineer/scientist by training). For so realistically showing the thought processes, and motivations, of the science-inclined, I applaud Stephenson. For writing a book that is an awful lot of fun to read, I appaud him, too. Truly one of the best books in my library.
Rating:
Summary: Codebreaking, Computers, and Combat
Review: Reviewing an epic novel like "Cryptonomicon" is not easy. The sheer depth of Neal Stephenson's 1,100-page story about World War II codebreakers and modern-day technology entrepreneurs is bound to make any quick summary or analysis seem inadequate. That said, I will mention a few positives and negatives that struck me about this book. POSITIVES: The story itself is remarkably clever and well thought out. Mr. Stephenson obviously did a tremendous amount of research on the World War II era and the art of cryptography, both past and present. Anyone with an interest in these subjects will not be disappointed. It is also obvious that Stephenson spent a considerable amount of time in the Philippines, where the bulk of the story unfolds. Actually, "Cryptonomicon" is several stories that run parallel to one another throughout the book and then gradually converge near the end. Stephenson makes it obvious from the beginning that these seemingly disparate plot lines are somehow related, but the relationship does not become clear for quite some time. Watching them intersect is very satisfying. NEGATIVES: The book is far longer than necessary. Those who read Stephenson's fast-paced "Snow Crash" will be surprised by the tempo of "Cryptonomicon," which is much slower and more deliberate. Stephenson often gets sidetracked, using many pages to establish what ultimately turns out to be a minor element in the story line. The book probably would be much stronger without 300 or 400 pages of unnecessary material. Also, there are a few too many coincidences, which hurt the story's plausibility. Some of the coincidences are appropriate and necessary to the plot line, but others were thrown in for no apparent reason. For example, a primary character just happens to stumble upon the Hindenburg Disaster while riding his bike one evening, yet this episode has no bearing on the story (unless there is some hidden meaning beyond my grasp). Overall, "Cryptonomicon" will not disappoint those who invest their time and money in it. Neal Stephenson is a stylish author with a vivid imagination and a sharp sense of humor. His passion for technology, mathematics, and history practically leap off the page. In "Cryptonomicon," he has combined these elements into an intriguing and unique tale.
Rating:
Summary: This book is great cyberpunk!
Review: I was one of those people who only liked the "old-fashioned" science-fiction epics by the old masters of science-fiction books, but, after reading "Cryptonomicon" and some other Neal Stephensen books, I have come to really like the sub-genre known as cyberpunk. I have purchased and am reading "Snow Crash", "Zodiac", as well as other cyberpunk books by other authors like "Neuromancer", "Prey", "Mona Lisa Overdrive" and "Cyber Hunter". Kudos to Stephensen!
Rating:
Summary: Typical Stephenson - just bigger
Review: Neal Stephenson tends to write for smart people, ergo, smart people tend to like his work. He writes in their language, the stuff of computers and math and physics and hackers and conspiracies and all that madness. My friends all like Neal Stephenson, because he writes about the things that they like and does it in a reasonably entertaining way. Me, I just can't get into it to any great degree. See, I've always found Stephenson to be somewhat overrated, with all the written praise about him treating him like he's the Second Coming of Something. Now I don't think this is his fault, he's only guilty of writing books that people seem to like . . . but I think the hype around him blows him way out of proportion. Critics salivate over his novels like nobody writes big books anymore and the publisher acts like he's a genius of singular talent (which, to be fair, is their job to do) . . . but I just don't get it. Cryptonomicon is the latest example of my lukewarm reaction to his work. It reads well, it's entertaining, but at the end of the day it just doesn't move me the way great literature should. In some respects, it seems like Stephenson is trying to parallel the career of semi-obscure author Thomas Pynchon, his earliest successful novel Snow Crash was repeated compared to Vineland and I've seen more than one review saying that this is his answer to Gravity's Rainbow. But other than the fact that both books are somewhat erudite, set in WWII and written in the present tense, there really is no comparison. Stephenson's novel has a relatively small cast of characters and focuses mostly on cryptology, while Pynchon's novel had a extremely large cast, tossed in everything from mathematics to pop culture and managed to maintain a palpable sense of paranoia that leaked even into the narration itself. So comparing the two is unfair and to Stephenson's credit, I don't think he himself has tried to link the two. So we should look at his novel on its own merits. How does it stand up? The biggest credit here is that he manages to write a nine hundred page novel that moves at a fairly even clip, there's no boring parts to make you want to put it down, the chapters are mostly short, the POV switches often and he does everything he can to keep you engaged. The plot shifts between the present day and WWII, in the former, computer guy Randy Waterhouse is trying to get the funding and backing to create an offshore data center, independent from all governments, while in WWII his grandfather joins a super-secret intelligence department designed not only to break Axis codes but to convince the Axis that the codes haven't been broken (the most clever part of the novel, in my opinion). In both eras the Waterhouses are joined by the Shaftoes, who run around like lunatics trying to help various goals get accomplished. In the end there's stuff about hidden gold and lots of information about cryptology and the math behind it, which is more or less interesting. The problem is, with me at least, is that Stephenson continues to be more style than substance. His prose is breezy enough, though the present tense style strikes me as somewhat pretentious and the tone for some reason comes across as rather smug, as if he knows he's being hip and modern and wants to make sure you realize it too. Occassionally he comes out with a bizarre and memorable metaphor and some passages attain some resonance (though over nine hundred pages it had to happen, even if by accident), but the prose just exists to move the story along. Even worse is when he stops the narration entirely to delve into math equations . . . it's clear that he thinks he's being deep and clever, but it really just comes across as annoying. The plot is interesting enough, though certainly not gripping and I'm not sure why it took nine hundred pages . . . it's actually fairly straightforward, certainly not the difficult, knotted novel it's proported to be. It meanders a heck of a lot though, and although the diversions are entertaining, they don't really lead anywhere. The characters are typical Stephenson constructs, for once not completely oh so painfully hip as in the past, Randy is actually interesting in spurts and the male Shaftoes are fun in a uninhibited fashion, but Amy Shaftoe really doesn't do much except act tough and act as the object of Randy's lust (there's no real strong female characters in the novel, which may or may not bother you), but for the most part the characters just serve to move the plot along. So in the end what you have is a reasonably entertaining page turner, certainly nowhere near the bonafide literary classic that someone (either the author or the publisher) is hoping for, but it has its moments and to be honest it's the best Stephenson book I've read so far. And hey, it's well researched at least. Fans will have already read this, everyone else expect a fairly good time but don't expect to have your mind blown.
Rating:
Summary: It was ok.
Review: The story is really good. The only problem i found was the chapters that deal with numbers. I found myself skiping 20 pages at one time. Other than that it was a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Math textbook or fictional novel?
Review: I did not think this book was poorly written, but I did think the story was dry as day-old toast. Unless you're extremely interested in math, and you don't mind Neal Stephenson sounding a bit like he's trying to impress us all with just how much high-level math he understands, then read this book, otherwise I wouldn't bother.
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