Rating: 
Summary: This one is hard to put down!
Review: Neil Stephenson brilliantly spins three plots simultaneously into one fantastic adventure. He draws heavily upon WWII History, cryptoanalysis, and today's high tech industries combined with a lot of romance to set the stage for the treasure hunt of all time. This adventure will leave you feeling good and wanting more.
Rating: 
Summary: Stephenson does it again..
Review: Combining elements of pulp narrative within literary trappings, Stephenson manages to invest his story with wit, history and inscrutable characters. Although not quite as compelling as Snow Crash, this book shows tremendous growth of Stephenson as an author.Like most of Stephenson's book this uses an elipticl narrative and epic length (as well as epic quality) to highlight the extraordinary actions of (for the most part) ordinary, but talented people. I was a little surprised while reading it as initially the plot didn't sound like it would be compelling (and slogging through the first 100 pages, like all Stephenson books, was a bit of a chore). Stephenson still needs to develop his characters a little more fully. Character development is all too frequently sacrificed to pithy observations, or one diminsonal quirkiness masquerading as character. Still, he is far and away of one of the most talented writers of his generation. I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent!!!
Review: Stephenson is simply the best modern writer alive. Each of his books are more engrossing/broad/complex than the last. If you can't tolerate the Capt'n Crunch and Oral Surgery passages, well, then you just don't get it. BTW at first I thought the typos were just lazy editing. But then, after reading the appendix on Solitare, I started to notice some interesting non-randomness in the errors. Has anyone else discovered these clues?
Rating:
Summary: A seminal work.
Review: Neal Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon" is both a great story and the most insightful commentary on our society now in print. Readers who have experienced the award winning "Snowcrash" and "Zodiac" will be familiar with Stephenson's ability to create fascinating characters, tell an imaginative yarn in an ironic voice and sprinkle in some caustic social commentary along the way. That talent is evident in "Cryptonomicon", as well. But there is more, much more. This novel tells a gripping story about buried treasure, high tech corporate intrigue and code breaking spanning three generations. But that description might describe any one of a dozen potboilers we might read on an airplane and forget as soon as we set them down. THIS IS NOT THAT KIND OF BOOK. It is this use of generations where this work stands out. His characters are at once flesh and blood and icons of and for their respective generations. Reviewers have in the past compared Stephenson's style to that of Thomas Pynchon and truly this book can only be compared to "Gravity's Rainbow". But where Pynchon's novel might be said to have told a story about the Boomer generation set in the milieu of WWII, Stephenson tells a story about all three generations beginning in WWII. Neal Stephenson has written a transcendant work. This is a real must read.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic! The best book I've read in a long time!!!
Review: Exhaustively discriptive in a similar way to Tom Clancy, I could not put this book down. I loved the way the story jumped between and successfully intertwined the WWII and present-day storylines, with all the main characters represented in both generations. The story itself was mesmerizing. I found myself laughing out loud at the dry humor of the characters and the author's comically sarcastic descriptions of people, places, and things. The third-person, present-tense style of writing feels like the author is sitting in your living room telling the story to you from personal experience. I loved the hell out of this book, and look forward to more if its true about it being the first in a series.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing crypto thriller
Review: Stephenson has an incredible talent for turning fundamental ideas (e.g. code breaking, currency, telecommunications) into a satisfying story full of colorful characters and lavish detail. He know what he's talking about and knows how to draw you in.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting at first then muddled
Review: I found this highly promoted book initially quite interesting, especially the cult of crypto, but by the middle of the book it was getting bogged down and muddled with the myriad plot lines, and references to the myriad plot lines by the author to make sure we we are aware how clever he was in creating this complex web of interactions. But ultimately I must admit I found myself growing bored, and just stopped reading. Upon reflection I found myself disappointed that the author had tried so much but failed in the most crucial task, engaging the reader and creating a story that propels you forward. But oddly enough I will still recommend this book to others, as maddening as the book became, because the sheer audacity of the leaps the author makes is worth the price of admission.
Rating:
Summary: A great book, I was sorry it ended
Review: A few people below are complaining about the length, but I didn't find that a problem at all. I thought it was a rare combination of a real page-turner, and a book that works on some sub-textual levels as well. Thumbs up.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing
Review: I agree with the earlier reviewer who mentioned comparing Stephenson's Crytonomicon with Rustad's WWII novel, The Triumph and the Glory. They are different in approach, yet I am a big believer in reading books in groups, 2 or 3 three titles in the span of a week or so, and comparing and contrasting the themes and characters, it adds a whole new flavor and perspective to my enjoyment of good fiction. Sometimes it doesn't work, it just mixes me up. But when it works, when novels seem to blend into a whole greater than the sum of the parts, it can be a revelation.
Rating:
Summary: Really enjoyed it; Good/interesting history leasson as well
Review: Great book. I specially enjoyed learning all about how we broke the German and Japanese codes in WWII. Great history lesson in the process. Exposed me to a new and interesting topic that I had no clue (no pun, :)). Makes me want to read more about WWII. The other parallel story in the book that takes place in modern times is interesting but a little disjointed. Seems like NS changed his mind of where he wanted to take it half-way through it. It goes from being Crypt centric to gold and love story. NS could have milked the Crypt angle a lot more. Interesting idea that could have been better explored. Overall, I think it is definitely worth reading it. You will enjoy it.
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