Rating: 
Summary: A gripping read
Review: Having majored in history while working on my undergraduate degree, I found this book to be extremely well-researched. The author obviously went to great pains to make the work believable, and I now have difficulty convincing myself of which characters really did exist and which did not. I thought the modern sections got a little trite (especially the developing relationship between Randy and Amy), but overall I think the book is a great read for someone who has a little extra time on hand.
Rating: 
Summary: In the Global Economy, Business is War (And War is Hell)
Review: Stephenson is known for his cyberpunkish novels _Snow Crash_ and _The Diamond Age_, but _Cryptonomicon_ is not of this genre. Rather, it is, in the vein of _Catch 22_ and _Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy_, a perceptive and biting depiction of the brutality of war as reconstituted in the actions of global corporations who behave as if business *is* war._Cryptonomicon_ rivals LeCarre's best. The characters are psychologically deep, the issues are clear-cut yet confusing, ethical problems abound, the good guys and the bad guys all have reasons for their behaviors ... and yet the result is so complex that all of their actions must be called into question. This is a very well-crafted novel about life in the post-modern, high-tech, global, etc. etc. etc. Stephenson's inventiveness is relentless and eclectic. Every time I thought I had the plot worked out, there appeared a new structure, sometimes in the present, sometimes in the past; sometimes a personality quirk, sometimes a social movement. _Cryptonomicon_ does not have the sardonic pessimism of _Catch 22_ nor the manic paranoia of _Gravity's Rainbow_, but it resembles them in pace and timing. This is a big book, but it contains little "filler." (Outside my window there is a squirrel digging holes in the snow -- it is this same well-balanced mixture of futility and hope that pervades _Cryptonomicon_.) I could go on at length -- in fact I'd *like* to go on at length; _Cryptonomicon_ left me with a list of things to think about, so I put it up on the shelf in the living room as I'm sure I'm going to need to read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but it's no Snow Crash
Review: I really enjoyed this book, and it was a good read, if a bit slow at times. If you're expecting another Snow Crash, you won't get what you're looking for. However, it *is* a great book and, as always, it seems like Stephenson really did his research.
Rating:
Summary: Cryptonomicon
Review: Neil Stephenson is operating in another dimension from the rest of us. This book, which is probably his best, not only keeps you guessing, it makes you think as you go on. A delight to read w/ fresh, direct storytelling dialog.
Rating:
Summary: A definite tour de force!
Review: This book completely blew me away! When I first got it, I was intimidated by the sheer size of the work, but as I worked through it, and the plot continued to evolve and progress, I was in awe at the way that Stephenson took these many, scattered, fragmented plot segments and joined them into a single underlying theme. He hits the attitude of hackers everywhere right on the head, with the paranoia and safety precautions taken by his characters, both in the World War II pltolines and the present day. His ideas about Bletchley Park, German U-Boats, and Arethusa are so well researched and developed that I'm still not toally sure what is real and what is fiction. Absolutely, without a doubt, one of the 10 best books I've ever read. I'd recommend this to anyone, without a second thought.
Rating:
Summary: Stephenson's Best Yet
Review: SNOW CRASH was hilarious; THE DIAMOND AGE was a beautiful job of the pure science-fictional art of world-building; but CRYPTONOMICON actually has an ending that doesn't fall apart! Some reviewers have suggested that the book "needed editing" and "could have been shorter"--this is possibly true. However, Dickens also probably could have stood for some editing, and could "have been shorter." In general, Stephenson's digressions are entertaining and relevant--it's these digressions, in large part, that make the characters come alive. CRYPTONOMICON is well worth 918 pages of your time.
Rating:
Summary: If you liked the IIluminatus Trilogy or Foucault's Pendulum
Review: It's got everything, and the kitchen sink. As for loose ends, a careful reading of the scene when Enoch Root is shot will reveal that his death was faked. The ending is of course simply setting the stage for the next volume in the series, so if you're looking for a punch line you'll be disappointed. This novel is a 900 page cornucopia of history, philosophy, conspiracy theories, cryptography, etc., etc. If you're ready to sit down to a 10 course gourmet feast of ideas and new perspectives, give it a try. If you are simply hungry for a Whopper and want a cheap, slick and quick read with a slam-bang ending that goes in the can when you're done, stick with Grisham or Clancy.
Rating:
Summary: Very good writing , some plot threads left hanging.
Review: The best thing about this book is the writing style; multiple sub-plots spanning different countries and times are still kept tight and focused by the detailed primary characters. While the book was a genuine pleasure to read, (descriptions of the phillipines was nailed dead on, while the 'tech' writing for the most part displayed a decent understanding of Unix.) Unfortunately with a novel so complex, details tend to go awry; prime example being the character of Enoch Root who seems to have been subjected to serious editing - at one point (during WW II) this character is supposed to have died while possibly leaving a son (of a different name) behind. Later on in the novel, the same? or another character of the same name and profession pops up in modern time with no clear explanation. Additionally some characters such as Bischoff the U-boat captain are simple dropped into limbo - the reader having no clue what happens to them. Finally the conclusion in my opinion was a bit weak leaving more questions than it answered. Its to the Authors credit however that the novel was so engrossing that I am intent on nitpicking over these issues.
Rating:
Summary: The best yet
Review: This book was indeed a slow read, but in a good way. It was a book that could be savored rather than devoured. I found the mathematical and technical discussions both entertaining and interesting, it one of the reasons one reads Stephenson, definitely not a negative. Pure pleasure!
Rating:
Summary: great commentary on just about anything that comes to mind
Review: the book is huge, but that corrects for the flaws of DIAMOND AGE. there, i think he cut out too much and the plot appears to drift. here, the guy is brilliant, offering fantastic observations about little things that still just make you think. that's what is great about his prose: he make the reader think through many of the mundanities that seem to bore us too often. his writing points out that if you think creatively about life, you don't have time to be bored. the book is big, but he's always teaching us cool things about the world. i've read Robert Harris' excellent ENIGMA, a world war II thriller about the guys at bletchley park. but stephenson masters the topic of cryptography. (is he weird--or francaphone--enough, as a post-modernist author that the text itself is an encrypted attempt the neuro-linguistically hack the reader's consciousness....okay, i've read SNOW CRASH one too many times.) finally, love him or hate him for his verbal gymnastics, any discussion of contemporary science fiction must quickly cover his work. completely fascinating.
|
