Cryptonomicon

Rating:
Summary: Starts well, ends miserably
Review: _Cryptonomicon_ was entertaining, in a let's-be-clever-because-we-can kind of way; and Stephenson writes very well about the thrills and chills of being a nerd. His sections on WWII cryptography were by far the most interesting and entertaining. His characters, on the other hand, were mostly cardboard.

I can't say that I liked the book. It really fell apart at the end, and not just in a run-of-the-mill way: I mean, he completely lost control of the story in about the last 200 pages. Characters appear out of nowhere, do things for completely incomprehensible reasons, then die or live happily ever after, without so much as a Thank You and Goodnight. Also, Neal Stephenson, computer geek par excellence, unfortunately is afflicted with the worst characteristics of his species, as well as the best: the one female character is more a teenage videogame addict's fantasy, a la Tomb Raider, than any kind of even minimally believable woman. Misogyny is rampant throughout the book, as well as a defensive hostility to anything that smacks of perceived political correctness or academic theorizing.

The technical parts were fun, though a bit shaky at times. I liked his descriptions of the California hacker subculture -- until the end, when he takes a swan dive into black-helicopter/cyberterrorist fantasy land, at which point the writing becomes mastubatory as hacker wet dream scenarios drift across the pages.

I think he had a good idea, and he definitely has the ability to tell a good story, but the task he bit off for himself in the first half of the book proved to be too large. The second half comes off like a term paper hastily finished the night before it's due -- a fairly callow attempt to bamboozle the reader into believing the conclusion is worthy of the build-up.

Rating:
Summary: Too many useless words
Review: This books attempts to entertain through the excessive use of words. Thick with simple witty comments and useless descriptions, this quick read drags on endlessly and finishes with a dull quiet thud.

Pass until it comes in paperback.

Rating:
Summary: Dazzling! Long, but well worth the read.
Review: Very impressive in that it's decidedly non-cyberpunk.

The WWII scenes were witty and gritty. The present day scenes had all of the wonder and paranoia needed to keep them alive and interesting.

I've been reading NS (& SB) from the beginning and I'm delighted to see that his prose chops work as well with the historical epic as they do with the sci-fi cyber world of the near future.

IMHO, one of our generation's most gifted writers.

Read Cryptonomicon. Read it now.

Rating:
Summary: This was a very entertaining book in unexpected ways!
Review: Neal Stephenson is a great story-teller. I wouldn't say this is his best novel (Diamond Age will be hard for him to beat!) but I couldn't put it down.

I preferred the 30's and 40's to his modern age drama, surprisingly, because he's more into the cyber culture. Maybe the point was that instead of being users of technology, the guys in the 40's were trail blazers.

This was a very ambitious book. Ultimately, the themes fall flat. Let's face it, gold isn't that important from a monetary perspective anymore. Sure everyone will be rich in the novel, but that's not really going to change the world.

But as a story, it was great.

Rating:
Summary: Intensely satisfying
Review: Cryptonomicon is a fascinating look at WWII, although from a different perspective completely than the recent WWII novel "The Triumph and the Glory", which I've heard so much about, read, and greatly admired. Stephenson is at his masterful best in this new one, you had better read it.

Rating:
Summary: Huge disapointment
Review: I was floored by Snowcrash and The Diamond Age but I couldn't even finish this ponderous glorification of yuppiedom.

Rating:
Summary: Complex & insightful
Review: The title, alone, is interesting enough. I spent a few moments trying to properly pronounce the title. After reading the synopsis inside the covers, I was hooked. This book can be confusing & even more so the more you think about it. So, I just read and enjoyed myself. At times, I enjoyed the WWII segments more and other times I prefered the modern era more. Randy & Lawrence are protagonists are a bit more technically literate than average but are quite likeable and truly find yourself rooting for them. Their discussions with others can be deep and insightful but there is a humorous aspect that keeps everything enjoyable. Cryptography and history may not be the most interesting subjects but they are combined in such a way that you can't help but feel as if you've learned something. This book has stong sense of human nature (past & present), and technology, and where both are headed. I would recommend this book to all anyone who has an interest in either or both subject(s).

Rating:
Summary: good yarn a bit too long.
Review: not great literature, but who cares? A good yarn but could be a bit pacier at 100 pages less. The humor rather sophomoric. I was very impressed by the quality of the book production. The only annoying thing is the large number of typos. Looks as if the proof reader got too engrossed in the story to do his job properly.

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe I got so engrossed in this book!!
Review: I was very suprised to find that I loved this book so much. It's about several topics I have little or no interest in(crytography, WWII combat, and business), yet I got deeply involved in the story. I hope this novel gets the wide readership it deserves. I'm doing my part by recommending it to all my friends and relations (anf now you).

Rating:
Summary: It's no Snow Crash, but...
Review: I've been hooked on Stephenson since Snow Crash and since the finish of that book, I have been comparing everything I read to it. Now, with a new Stephenson story to check out, I find myself neck deep in complicated number theory, cryptography and a lot of WWII references.

Again, Stephenson decides to take the multiple main character's route and divide them up among chapters to keep the tension rolling. Unfortunately, there are a lot of main characters. Bobby Shaftoe, balls to the wall marine raider. Lawrence Waterhouse, military cryptographer and code hacker in WWII. Randy Waterhouse, Larry's code hacking grandson trying to establish a data haven in the South Pacific. And eventually, a japanese soldier named GotoDengo who seems to have little bearing on the story at all. The book is also plagued by Stephensons long winded establishment, a good 300 pages is alotted to establishing characters.

The characters, like all Stephenson characters are rich and fun to read. Each one distinctly different from one another that it keeps the story fresh and the interest high. Just lay off the numbers, Neal, I failed my math classes in high school.