Rating: 
Summary: Not Just For Cyberpunk Fans
Review: Neal Stephenson's latest book, Cryptonomicon, will appeal to a wider fan base that his previous novels. Having read all of Stephenson's previous novels (with the exception of the elusive The Big U) I was surprised to find this book lacking in ultra-futuristic technology, and presented as more of a straight war story/business suspense novel. As usual, Stephenson's character development and prose is amazing, and if you work in high-tech or mathematics you will instantly realize how well Stephenson knows the personalities of these people. As with Snow Crash, the book takes a while to get up to speed, but once it does you'll find yourself not wanting to put it down. As other reviewers have mentioned, there are many potentionally confusing plot twists, so the reader must pay close attention at times or risk getting lost. Stephenson also gives a thorough grounding in the mathematics of cryptography, although the pages of formulas and explanations can thankfully be skimmed by the mathematically-challenged (like myself) without losing the story. The book also doesn't fall apart towards the end as many thought Snow Crash did - in fact, at one point you will smack your forehead when you realize how everything fits together, and you can't wait to see how it ends. Overall, an excellent read.
Rating: 
Summary: Stephenson is as capable a writer as he is a techie. AMAZING
Review: Throughout this 900+ page masterpience, Stephenson challenges the reader's mind, and their ability to sleep! I often found myself so enthralled by the problems (mathmatical and logistical) faced by the protagonist, that I would often stay awake for hours in bed, trying to work them out. It was a great book, well worth the read, and I can't wait for his next.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome, among the great books of the past decade
Review: I would have to describe Cryptonomicon as among the greatest books I have ever read (over three decades of reading...). There is well-written plot within plot within plot, realistic high tech, and an intriguing perspective on history and human nature. I would be hard-pressed to find another to compare it to. If you are looking for well written, hard science, science fiction, that just happens to have literary appeal, this is the book to buy.
Rating:
Summary: The best
Review: This is one of my top 5 books I've ever read; and that is in spite of some of the problems other reviewers have alluded to.
Rating:
Summary: Don't fear this book's length...
Review: If you are even vaguely interested in Cryptography, it's history and present day use, this book will suit you well. I found the book to be an extremely fast and easy read, despite its "War and Peace" appearance. Though not quite a classic, it is the best travel or beach book I have yet to read. Its plot will keep you interested and the characters are both believable and genuine. Again, this book will keep your mind involved and remind you why you read fiction in the first place; it's all about telling a good story. And this is one of them!
Rating:
Summary: Intricate, Humorous, Detailed - A Great Read
Review: Stephenson does a great job in Crytonomicon as in his preceding works, with his trademark prose. The intricate detail and the humor are all there, together with references to areas such as mathematics and Tolkein which some readers may find unfamiliar.A rollerblading girl is present as usual, even if she makes only a token appearance at the airport. The book is a great read with numerous humorous gems such as the dinner party and the adventures in the Philippines' jungle. Crytonomicon will make you laugh out loud and is very difficult to put down. In as much that I enjoyed reading it, as I did "Snow Crash", "Zodiac" and "The Diamond Age", however, I believe that the book suffers in one aspect. The book displays a plot convergence not unlike the graph of Waterhouse's Ndecrypts vs Mental clarity - which I felt was markedly similar to "The Diamond Age". Things fell together in the last few chapters at a rate that was astounding. This would be very disappointing if the book was just some run-of-the-mill novel, but the great reading is not just the plot, but the descriptions, the characters, the digressions and the peripheral events. Strongly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Clever and highly entertaining
Review: This will never be a literary classic, but it's a fantastic story. The complex interweaving of plots is wonderful, the myriad tangents are an entertaining distraction. Modern readers (especially sci-fi readers) are used to trim, linear novels, so this is an archaic and uncomfortable format for some of the less flexible. I'd give it a five if the characters had depth or the novel as a whole had been profound. Frankly, I think Stephenson's geekiness is pretty glaring in these respects. The female characters are all utterly inscrutable and their desires/behavior apparently random (do women really seem that way to you, man?). The men, while better developed, still tend to me more charactures than characters. Still, the utterly brilliant language use and the multi-layered, overlapping stories give this novel high entertainment value. It'll make you laugh out loud with delight. In my opinion, one of the best novels of 1999.
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME
Review: I have read "Snow Crash" and "The Diamond Age" and I think that "Cryptonomican" really shows Stephenson's maturity as a writer. To be honest, I don't think the book could have been as complete had it been less than 900 pages. It has all of Stephenson's trademarks; an intriguing plot, sympathetic and complex characters, and his rich, witty prose. This book is all around awesome. I found myself dying to get back to it when I wasn't reading, but I dreaded finishing it. I also think this book would appeal to a wider audience than his usual techie and scifi fans. I found the story lines that took place during WWII fascinating. It is a vastly entertaining novel full of Stephenson's insights, which, as always, challenge you to think about things in a way you might never have considered. GO read it, it's worth the 900+ pages!
Rating: 
Summary: Proof why editors are still needed
Review: First of all, in my opinion, Neal Stephenson is a very good writer (Snow Crash is just wonderful) but this is not one of his better books. This book is vaguely Microsoft-ish because it is extremely bloated but it does a few cool things. However the few cool things are massively overshadowed by the overall unsatisfactory operation of the item. The book is way too long....It makes "A Suitable Boy" seem terse...has too many major characters that the author just goes on and on about...and the ending seems like the publisher said "All right, Neal, your contract says the book can't be any longer than 910 pages, OK?" and then author just seemed to remember that as he was finishing page 895. There are bits that are really good but they are drowned out by pages and pages of text that doesn't really add anything to the story. The author spends something like 3 pages describing how one character eats his breakfast cereal...and I still didn't get how he arranged the squares of cap'n crunch in this mouth..(and after three pages, I didn't really care either). It's not a horrible read by any means (it is very entertaining in sections), but it is just long and vaguely unsatisfactory when you finish it (and the hardback is mondo heavy, weight wise...you won't be lugging this book on the subway or an airplane). It would have been much better if it was 350 pages shorter because there is simply a great deal of text that doesn't add a thing to story or the characters. Editors can be your friends, Neal!
Rating:
Summary: A SLEEPING GIANT - Adventure, Mystery,War and Science- WOW
Review: Every once in a great while if you love books, you come across a fabulous surprise that makes searching those bookshelves for a great read worth it all. Prior to discovering Cryptonomicon, the last surprise of this magnitude I discovered was 1 copy sitting on a lonely shelf with a "white cover" - the 1st edition published by the Navel Institute Press of Tom Clancy's "Hunt for the Red October." Obviously these are two different kinds of books, but they both share uncommonly good writing mixed into a new "niche". Cryptonomicon is not a science fiction novel, although the publisher, to Stephenson's disservice has pushed it onto the SF shelves ( virtual or otherwise.) What it is a remarkable thriller,a "hang by your fingertips" war story, an adventure yarn,and to be accurate, a hard science fiction novel, taking place both during World War II and well as the day after tomorrow. Yes its about cryptography, (you'll learn a lot), but it really revolves around a wonderful cast of characters that are linked in the past (WWII) to the present. It's all really quite believable. It is not "CYBER PUNK." It is a, trite as this may seem. "A REALLY GREAT READ." My only regret was that even as long as it is, it ended! I hope the author doesn't take another 5 years for his next novel.
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