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Summary: Summarization of the following reviews
Review: This is simply a well put together book, Especially for uber-geeks. Science fiction that doesn't compulsively dumb itself down for a wider audience is a rare thing, and deserves 5 stars in and of itself. Its length is welcome since the worst thing about Stephenson's books are that they end.
Rating: 
Summary: Great setup, just couldn't finish it
Review: I loved the way Stephenson slowly and painstakingly laid the groundwork of this story. Twists, tangles, plotlines scattered around, and an interesting ability to jump around in time kept me reading this book long past the time I should have gone to sleep.However, for all the effort to craft this story, it fizzled out in the end. The climactic scene simply wasn't. I'm going to try another Stephenson book to see if maybe this was a fluke.
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Summary: Whoa. This is good.
Review: I picked this book up with much trepidation as I stay away from anything even remotely connected to William Gibson and cyber[insert current cultural catch-noun]. Was I surprised! This is my first NS book and I was blown away. It was like Kurt Vonnegut got together with Mark Helprin and Robert Heinlein (who came over with a bottle of Jack Daniels). Then they surfed the web, got drunk and wrote a book...sorta. Thoroughly enjoyable, the author was spot on writing about the military mindset. Anyone disagreeing hasn't been a grunt. This book should be on the Commandant of the Marine Corps recommended reading list. If you are hesitant, pick it up in a store and open at random and read for two to three pages. It will keep you on your toes, too. When I read about the complex arguments in the Zeta function I dropped the book and scurried to the math texts to see if that were true. I had originally thought of the Riemann Zeta function as only allowing integer arguments (s.NE.1) - wrong! Hee hee, this book is lots of fun. The message that runs through it is particularly well- crafted into the story...one of freedom from tyranny.
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Summary: Engaging fiction, very good book
Review: Only "The Triumph and the Glory" can rival "Cryptonomicon" for intensity, breathtaking action, and grandeur of theme. I rarely read science fiction, but because of my fascination with WWII I read everything I can find relating to that epic struggle. "Cryptonomicon" provide a very different approach to the topic, it was a refreshing change of pace.
Rating: 
Summary: Inventive and entertaining.
Review: This book stands out from, for example, Gibson's work by explaining the details of the hacking going on -- including zeta functions and a perl script, even, where Gibson would be vaguely waving a narrative hand at "black ice." This is extremely cool if you're into how things work; it might come across like the whale anatomy chapter in Moby Dick (boring!) if you're not. More generally, I found the plot to be very inventive and consistent, including tales of some truly clever hacks, and the characters were very 3-d. The length (900pg.) was not an issue -- I never felt that it got tedious. This book is probably going to be most appreciated by those with at least some degree of computer sophistication and a bit of native curiosity about crypto. There are visible efforts to reach out to other readers, but I couldn't say how effective they are. The missing star in this review has to do with the way things wrap up. Suffice it to say that I got the feeling I was reading the Holywoodized version of the ending, rather than the real ending. Good cyberpunk often ends with some sort of transformative event -- the plot leads to some new beginning, which is where the story ends. This almost happened in Cryptonomicon, but Neal got too busy neatly resolving character conflicts to complete that promise, which I found disappointing after so much excellent groundwork. Still, a great read, and one you can learn something from as well.
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Summary: another fascinating page turner
Review: First, an admission: I am a huge fan of Neal Stephenson. As such I bought the book and waited in trepidation before opening it while finishing the pile of books I already had waiting to be read. I was not disappointed, by page 16 I was already hooked and now I have a new pile of books to be read to research the facts brought up in the book. Any book that can make the intricacies of WWII cryptography this compelling should be at the top of the best seller list forever. As to the typos, I don't think this is just a problem with Cryptonomicon. Coming from the UK but often buying books from Amazon in the US, I've found a large number of US books have annoying typos and the publishers really need to sort out their proof reading procedures.
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Summary: Stephenson has matured, gained serious edge
Review: Though I am someone who reads both Snow Crash and the Diamond Age at least once a year, I have to say that this is, on a higher level, a better offering than either one of those. While it's not the rollercoaster ride that Snow Crash was, or the carnival of the bizzare that the Diamond Age was, Cryptonomicon is written for a readership more appreciative of his multiple talents; Stephenson gives more personal details about the Waterhouse pair than he did about either Nell or Hiro Protagonist. He also makes use of the more advanced writing technique of beginning new sections of the narritave from interesting, initially seemingly unrelated angles. While the new techniques are indicative of Stephenson's rise on the literary food chain, the best parts of the book are (for the unabshed Stephenson fan) the rambling, off-subject narratives, especially the humorous journal entry which lasts for almost thirty pages. This book also belies both Stephenson's serious interest in (and thorough knowledge of) history, as well as his extensive journalistic endevours in the South China Sea. A must read for anyone who likes the idea of tech and history wrapped up by Stephenson
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Summary: A fascinating book..
Review: This book is one of the best I have read for a while. It kept me up far too late at night. The characters are excellent. Looking at the other reviews its odd how much this book has polaried people - however don't let them put you off. Press the button and buy a copy...
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Summary: Oh.......my..........god...........
Review: If you have even the tiniest interest in WWII, cryptography, hacking, computers, business, treasure hunting, or history, run, don't walk, to the nearest source and buy this book. It is one of the best-written, most engaging, and thoroughly good books i've ever read. The characters are interesting and believable, the writing style sucks you in like a tornado, the plot is intricate and builds itself to a satisfying conclusion, and the transition between 1942 and 1999 is brilliant. My only gripes are the endless anecdotes and sidetracks Neal Stephenson goes off on and the shameless stereotyping of the character Bobby Shaftoe. Its length will throw you off, but it's eminently worth it. It's a weighty tome, but great reading. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Overblown, overdrawn, too many typos
Review: I'm a big fan of Stephenson's, but this book disappointed me- loved the cryptography bits, the characters, and the intergenerational interweaving plot line, but the math and tangental meanderings seemed very self-indulgent and in need of editing. And what was with all the typos in the book? Not to be a total stickler, but a printed work loses much when the differentiation between their and there is absent and the publishers apparently don't give a hoot to proof-reading properly...
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