Rating: 
Summary: Stephenson's Best Novel Yet
Review: The first thing I should point out is that this book may not quite count as SF. It takes place in two timelines: one during World War II, and one in the present day, dealing with a tech start-up. There's no alternate history, no science fictional technology, and only a few small things that might possibly be considered fantasy. But I'm not interested in discussing genre classifications; I'm interested in recommending good books -- and Cryptonomicon is a good book. While Snow Crash was a hell of a book, Cryptonomicon is in every way its better. The characters are more interesting, the settings more believable (though, perhaps, slightly less frenetically fun), and the plot far more coherent. For the first time, Stephenson actually has managed to end a book with as much as gusto as he begins it. Don't be alarmed by the monolithic 900-odd pages of this book, though. Yes, it deals with two whole casts of characters; yes, it has a lot of irrelevant (and endlessly amusing) diversions; and yes, it even has mathematical equations in it. For all that, it's first and foremost a book that will make the reader laugh more often than furrow his brow. (And to those who have been bothered by the notorious inaccuracies fiction writers introduce when writing about computers, here's your salvation. Stephenson gets all the geeky little details correct.)
Rating:
Summary: Blockbuster is too mild a term
Review: It has been forever since I have read a book that I wanted to re-read and highlight nearly every page. Having grown up during the whole historical period of WWII and having had an interest in both history and science, I am astounded at his depth of knowledge. I am an ex-Marine and, at least at one time, had an intimate knowledge of the weapons of war. He writes as one who was there, although obviously he was not. His prose reminds me of a brilliant guy I once knew who could sit with a glass of wine and just spin out information punctuated humorously with irreverance and profanity that was not offensive. The plot design of this book is at once complicated, yet clear. The characters have outstanding facets, so much so that I think I know them all. Bobby shaftoe is my favorite. In sum, this is a book that will not get loaned out as I want to read it over again.
Rating:
Summary: Massively Excellent!
Review: If I could have given ten stars, I would have. This is, far and away, the best Stephenson yet and easily the best book I've read all year. I couldn't wait to get to the end so I could start it over again immediately.While Stephenson covers intricate technological and cryptological concepts, he does so with such relentless intelligence and wit that no previous exposure to these ideas was necessary to keep the reader firmly glued in their seats. That he's able to pen five pages devoted mostly, in microscrutinous detail, to the consumption of a bowl of breakfast cereal and keep me pinned to the page...what can I say! If you love technology, intense literacy, masterful wordsmithing and keen wit, you will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: It makes one rethink lost of things.
Review: please hide under the table when you change your monitor resolution as it might explode and hurt your face. can it really happen? now i flinch when i hear that click inside my monitor. the story is amazing and basically covers everything and also subtly makes you think about things that aren't directly covered. every single page has some fun stuff going on. i can't see how some readers found it too long. i found it too short. neal knows the "computer" stuff. it's not just buzzwords. besides, i found couple of discrepancies, which, i think, neal has thrown in just to indulge all discrepancy freaks. e.g. a plane is flying between tunisia and malta and those on the plane open the hatch and throw a corpse out. the author then insists that this corpse makes a big splash in the ocean... what ocean? well, i hope you'll love this book.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing book for someone who likes crypto and computers
Review: Hey, you guys, I'm only fifteen and if I can read this book and understand it, too, then I think everybody should read it! Clever (though very, very long) and with a great and interesting plot, this book stretches your imagination and has a lot of excitement and plenty of detail. Lots of it is hilarious and I found the information on crypto in WWII and current times very interesting. I recommend it to everybody!
Rating:
Summary: Stephenson continues to impress
Review: From Neal Stephenson I am used to great futuristic or near-future science fiction. This is more like current fiction mixed with historical fiction, with a bit of science and family history holding the various stories together. You would think that confining himself to more "real" circumstances than he usually plays with might stifle Mr. Stephenson, but no. With this novel he proves that he doesn't need to step into the fantastical to weave some great stories together and convince us that no matter how intelligent and creative any one of us may be, he can always come up with something wonderful to surprise and please us. I can't wait for his next novel, whatever it may be.
Rating: 
Summary: For Geeks Only!
Review: This book could easily be cut in half. It rambles in so many areas -- going into mind-numbing detail about unimportant subjects. Don't waste your time unless your idea of a good weekend is writing new computer operating systems. (And I'm a computer consultant.)
Rating:
Summary: Gripping geek-empowerment
Review: A great story, great characters, and an amazing way of looking at the world. I thoroughly enjoyed this; it's Stephenson's best yet.
Rating:
Summary: A huge disappointment.
Review: I was so looking forward to reading this book, but then this. The plot is lame, the characters lack any depth, and Stephenson's normally superb writing style is at its worst. Only halfway through the book, the general idea becomes clear. After that you hope for something to happen but the story doesn't take off. The worst thing is that dozens of pages are devoted to absolutely irrelevant topics (eating cereals!). The only good part about this book is the good explanation of crypto-systems but then you don't buy a novel to read about technical details. Conclusion: Don't buy this book. Go and read Zodiac, Snow Crash, or Diamond Age, they are a lot better. (Hopefully Stephenson's next book will rise up the old level of writing.)
Rating:
Summary: Geek Chic!
Review: This book is everything a geek wants, and written well to boot. Although I found his digressions into the intricacies of Unix system administration fascinating, not everyone might. But if you know what I mean by "Unix system administration" you'll love it.
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