Rating: 
Summary: See Also October 1999 National Geographic Magazine
Review: For a fascinating nonfiction glimpse into the salvage of a Japanese submarine carrying war gold between Japan and Germany, read the article entitled, "The Last Dive of I-52." The parallels are stunning, and I can't help but wonder how much of this true story Stephenson was aware of when writing his book. The lead technical contractor for the salvage operation was Seattle-based Sound Ocean Systems and the dust jacket tells us Stephenson lives "in the Pacific Northwest."National Geographic's teaser above the title of the article sets the stage: World war II in the Atlantic...German U-boats...Secret Codes...Gold Bullion...A Rendezvous at Sea...American Flyboys..Sudden Death...A Salvage Hunter...The Lust for Gold...And a Japanese Sub on...THE LAST DIVE
Rating: 
Summary: Tremendous
Review: Stephenson's earlier books, while finishing abruptly, seemed crammed with ideas, and rushed. This one is more leisurely, and even more fun to read. Sure, it's 900 pages, but it reads quickly, and I think you'll find you remember much of it long afterward (would that it were always so). The ending is less of a problem than before, though I never had much trouble with his other conclusions. If you are at all into math, do yourself a favor, and don't be daunted by the heft. He ain't William Gaddis.
Rating:
Summary: Unsurprisingly awesome
Review: The measure of respect I have for Neal Stephenson can best be summed up by noting that apart from my J.R.R. Tolkien collection, his books provide nearly the entire balance of my permanent SciFi/Fantasy fiction collection. (Well, ok, Gibson, Dick, Heinlein, and Lem also occupy some shelf space....) That _Cryptonomicon_ is 'unsurprisingly awesome' seems to be derivative of the fact that Neal wrote it, and thus far he has failed to disappoint. The author segues back and forth historically and navigates vast geographic distances convincingly, but it's the interplay and dialog of his characters perhaps that makes the story so compelling and suspension of disbelief completely unforced. If you read Neal's "Hacker Tourist" piece printed in "Wired" (hmm, a few years ago already?), you'll instantly recognize his use and integration of that research into this latest title. Allow me to sum up by saying that I feel nary a twinge of guilt nor resentment at having paid full retail list price for this hardcover title, and I encourage anyone and everyone else to acquire a copy as well. And if you haven't already read _Zodiac_, _Snow Crash_, or _The Diamond Age_, you are encouraged to do so, though they are certainly not prerequisites to reading _Cryptonomicon_. (I haven't read _The Big U_ yet, and was unaware of its existence until last week.)
Rating:
Summary: This book (though long) is exeedingly good!
Review: The cryptonomicon is so engrossing, I read it in a matter of days! I really suggest it. I read a lot of Niven, and i find all of neal stephonson's books to have the same exellent quality to them...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I think Stephenson is getting better and better. This is his best book yet and I think it will stand up to any "Literary" review. It takes place now and during WWII. The end is a little dangling but presumably there will be at least one sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant for the first 500 pages, then unfocussed
Review: I thought it was 5 stars out of 5 for the first 500 pages-- part Vonnegut, part Heller, part Illuminatus trilogy, and all brilliant. But I found my mind wandering in the 20 page e-mail, and soon after that I lost interest in 3 of the 4 principals' stories. Only Dengo's storyline remained interesting in the 2nd half; both Waterhouses' sputtered, and Shaftoe's became ludicrous. Also, the geek interludes later in the book (e.g., Cap'n Crunch) showed little of the wit and spark of the earlier ones (e.g., Turing's faulty bicycle chain as analogy for the Enigma machine was brilliant). I have put down James Michener (sp?) for being "laboriously descriptive", but I loved the long, languorous images Stephenson draws early in the book (e.g., flying over Corregidor). In the 2nd half, it's like he lost interest and just wanted to be done-- the ending felt forced and rushed. If we let plot points covered (Y) per unit page (X) be described by the function Y=MX+B, in the first 500 pages M<<1, but at the end of the book it's humming along at M=2X. There are other, smaller criticisms that I could make-- the disappointing female characters (e.g., Amy and Glory are certainly wasted opportunities, Neal), what happened to the secure data haven, and the annoying typos. But I gotta give it a solid 4 stars out of 5; at 900+ pages, it's a load to lug on airplanes and to the beach every weekend, but there's a lot of great stuff in there.
Rating:
Summary: If you are a techie then BUY IT!
Review: A great intro to cryptography, and more technical detail than I've seen in any other SCI FI book. An engaging story, and well written to boot!
Rating: 
Summary: No regrets, but not what I had hoped for
Review: I thought the Diamond Age was "an important book"; in addition to being an interesting story, it painted a plausible picture of the radical social changes a mere half-step toward nanotechnology could bring. I recommended it to non-techie friends, saying "this is real, this kind of upheaval is coming, and maybe in our lifetime." I was hoping Cryptonomicon would do the same for cryptography, digital money, data-havens,and "holocaust avoidance". Instead, the reader gets a very long, (unnecessarily) complicated adventure story with enough technical mumbo-jumbo to let the reader know how *complicated* this stuff is -- but very little explanation about *why its important.* Its not a bad read, but the huge implications of what the characters are doing gets short shrift. Lots of filler, lots of loose ends. And forget the Cap'n Crunch, Penthouse letters, and bicycle-chain algorithms; What the hell is that guy doing in the middle of the jungle, in a business suit, shooting arrows?
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding book
Review: Certainly it -could- have been shorter, but I don't think it -should- have been. Perhaps a bit less technical, but overall, I thnk it was a good length. And, yes, it's ending is a bit (though not terribly) weak. But from the beginning this was billed as the first of three volumes. While not all story elements are resolved, it wasn't a cliff-hanger. All elements are tied up neatly enough that you don't -need- to read the following books. I agree with several other readers that it wasn't as good as Snow Crash, but it was pretty damn close. And that's high praise.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific book
Review: Great book and very timely for me. The comments involving Asia travel were hilarious, as I was reading on a trip in Asia. I was sad to get to the end of the book. Up there with Snow crash!
| 
