Cryptonomicon

Rating:
Summary: Don't hesitate!
Review: Don't waste time with this review, buy the book NOW! Delightfully convoluted! Neal can't seem to keep his eye on the plot for more than a couple of pages, but you don't mind, because his departures are always entertaining, and they usually set a point of reference for later asides and references in the book. Case in point, throughout the book he describes old, heirloom quality furniture as "Gordon Blaustrade" furniture. You would have no idea what he was talking about except for a long-winded treatise on the sexual habits of the wife of a tertiary character that has you rolling with laughter! After that you have a vivid image whenever he uses the term. Disappointing ending, but it's the trip, not the destination with this book.

Rating:
Summary: Dazzling: Computers, Codes, and Buried Treasure
Review: Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon has to be read to be fully explainable or appreciated. An epic book, it details two interlocking plots involving two interlocking families: The Waterhouses and the Shaftoes. Part of the novel is set in the current day, and we follow two Silicon valley types, Randy Waterhouse and his friend Avi as they set up a "data haven" in the Philippines -- and as their fiber optic cables are laid on the ocean floor by the Shaftoes, American expatriate adventurers, a sunken German submarine is discovered off of Manila, filled with Nazi gold. Strangely enough, the submarine contains a document with the world "Waterhouse" on it, and Randy is confronted with a mystery -- what did his grandfather actually do in World War II?

The other part of the story is set in World War II, and we follow Randy's grandfather, and a marine named Bobby Shaftoe, through their adventures, which involve high level crtyptograhy and a secret military detachment which exists to spread disinformation to the Nazis and the Japanese, in order to protect the secrets that the broken Enigma codes have revealed.

But this is no mere Clive Cussler tale -- it contains levels of irony, comedy, and just pure information that bring it to a very high creative level. There are portions of this work that will have you laughing out loud -- the cameo performances by Lieutenant Ronald Reagan and General Douglas MacArthur are masterpieces of sublime absurdity -- and other portions that will leave you in wonderment at Stephenson's technical erudition (van Eck Phreaking anyone? 4096 bit encryption? "One-time pads" generated by a deck of cards?).

It is a breathtaking performance -- a fascinating, complicated work that can be enjoyed on many different levels.

Rating:
Summary: "As long as men are capable of evil."
Review: So you want to break a code?

Noble undertaking. Be careful, though. What you learn might spur you to action. And, in taking said action, your Enemy might realize you've broken their code. They change it. Suddenly, zap! You're back to square one.

In Cryptonomicon, that's just the beginning. In a book that spans from World War II to present-day, covering almost every continent, jumping back in forth in geography and time, you get the feel for connections that turn out to be more than coincidences. It is almost as if the codes everyone tries to break suddenly come to life and take on personalities, and you are left to ponder how one piece of the code relates to another.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Between the codes and code breaking, the numerous analogies Stephenson uses to explain how codes work (especially the bicycle chain), the injection of various Famous People (like Turing and... oh, you'll find out),and just the author's overall world view (similar to my own), I found myself unable to put it down. Entertaining and informative.

And... BUMJU EBTWW DUFRX DUQVK UMEBU FBVIB EVTOU XFHXV KZTVU PKXLM UMMXW XMUYW BAUM. Off the tongue-in-cheek scale. OK, not exactly a strong cipher. But it's fun to work through, much like the book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in codes or code-breaking, history (especially recent history), and security.

Rating:
Summary: Wanted to pass time until Quicksilver became softcover.
Review: I bought this book because I saw Quicksilver in the store and it looked amazing, but it was only hardback and I wasn't about to spend the money. I had let the size prevent me from getting this book in the past, but I figured, same author, I'll give it a shot. That was yesterday. I'm on page 300 today. Amazing read, and now I'm REALLY looking forward to Quicksilver. Especially since I found out that, apparently, Enoch Root is a character in both books. Wow.

Rating:
Summary: Biased Reviewer Loves This
Review: Two notes before you read this review:

1) I simply don't give out 5 star reviews often. If you look at my history, you'll see that. I feel that far too many Amazon.com reviewers give out 5 star reviews all the time, and once a book is awash in laudatory reviews, it's almost impossible to tell if it's really good, or simply draws a lot of fans to tappity-tap in gushing reviews. If you see what I mean.
2) I love Neal Stephenson. I would read pretty much anything by him. I acknowledge that he's put out some stinkers ("The Big U," anyone?), but I love his stuff. If he put out another stinker, I wouldn't be blind to it's stinkiness, but this ain't a stinker.

If you're still reading, here's the deal: this is a wonderful book. I don't know that I'd stack it on the top of a pile of "Great 20th Century Literature," but I'd sure as hell read it again rather than plow through, say, Faulkner. Some have compared this to "Gravity's Rainbow," and while I understand the comparison--Pynchon and Stephenson both have a tendency to "riff;" sort of the authorial equivalent of Robin Williams going off on a comedy tangent--Stephenson's prose is for me far more accessible. Perhaps it's an age thing; Stephenson and I are of an age (born rather than coming of age in the 60s). As some say, perhaps you have to be of that age and a nerd. I dunno. But I love his stuff.

There's almost too much in this book to discuss, but in short, there are two intertwined stories: one set in WWII, and involving a literal ship-load of gold; and one set in the 1999 present, and involving a virtual ship-load of gold. The inter-relationship of the characters is nicely done, if perhaps a bit forced. The inter-twining of the stories is pretty jarring at first, but one becomes accustomed to it. And the settings (corporate geekdome during the heyday of the internet boom; various WWII locales) are for me fascinating. But then I'm a geek who lived through the internet boom, and I'm rivited by WWII. If you aren't, you should probably give it a pass.

Finally, to me the language is a delight. Does it slow the story down considerably to read a 3 page dissertation on eating Cap'n Crunch? Or an encounter between a Marine and a bunch of Japanese soldiers in a sushi bar just prior to Pearl Harbor? Or a comparison on the relative skill and courage required to either pull seriously impacted wisdom teeth vs. take a major relationship risk? Or read about the formulae required to fairly divide up Granny's valuable antique furniture so as to take into account both its monetary and emotional value? Hell yes. But it's damn wonderful all the same. Not to mention hilarious.

If any of this sounds funny, or interesting, or potentially entertaining to you, give it a go; you won't be dissapointed. If it doesn't, heck, give it a miss; there's plenty of good books out there. Few as good as this one *for me*, but you're not me, so judge for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: You will not be bored.
Review: Stephenson goes farther, deeper, juicier and funnier into a time and place in history. A mixture of fact and outrageous (but technically possible)speculation, Cryptonomicon is a whirlwind ride around the world and to a past era. This story is a new twist on the techno-thriller genre, making Tom Clancy look like a cub scout. Stephenson excites all the parts of your brain in this, one of my favorite novels of all time. You will not be bored.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely read.
Review: Crypto is a great read with more of stevenson and less of the techno side of Snowcrash. I was hooked by snowcrash and enjoyed Zodiac but Cryptonomicon truly amazed me. As the other reviewers say it does, at times, become lost in description but Stephenson has put together a great story that ends great and keeps you wondering. Can't wait for the next one to hit the shelves. No telling where this dude will run off to next.

Rating:
Summary: Quality in every aspect
Review: Yes, it's big. Yes, it's long, occasionally slow-moving, and weighty in more senses than the obvious.

But every one of these attributes is a virtue, when employed with this much skill.

_Cryptonomicon_ is a complex, elegant examination of code-making and -breaking in WWII and the present day, and of the two generations of people whose lives it alters. Past and present are interwoven with often breathtaking subtlety, with each new chapter illuminating the work as a whole, both thematically and in terms of the plot.

The intelligence at work here is both broad and incisive, yet the novel is far from being a sterile display of intellectual prowess. At heart this remains a deeply human story, full of flawed characters and ethical complexity; _Catch-22_'s influence runs deeply, most overtly in the comically illogical missions Bobby Shaftoe's team carry out to prevent the Germans from discovering their code has been broken, but more generally in the way that the impact of extraordinary events on ordinary people always remains in view. Furthermore, a strong historical awareness ensures that environment, ideas and story enjoy a healthy, mutually-reinforcing relationship. The evocation of the wartime Philippines is superb, but there are numerous smaller triumphs (the present-day ultra-PC American academics are a personal favourite...).

In short, this is clever on more levels than I can begin to describe, yet never fails to be engaging. Stephenson has constructed a novel that manages to be simultaneously astounding, enlightening, moving and witty - a novel that revels in its length, tackling a decades-spanning story that would be ill-served by anything shorter.

Rating:
Summary: Just plain FUN!
Review: Stephenson had me riveted throughout the book. He combined humor, action, and technology masterfully, and switches between viewpoints flawlessly.

Without a doubt it is on my list of great hard Sci-Fi.

P.S. I loved it so much I went out and bought a copy, which, considering me, is saying something!

Rating:
Summary: Cryptonomicon or a lesson in tedium
Review: I found this book to be tedious in the extreme.It is way too wordy and is very disjointed.I am an avid reader but the only thing I could look forward to with this book was finishing it so I could finally put the darn thing away!