Rating: 
Summary: Great Asiatic view
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Stephenson's engaging novel. This despite the typos. The strength of the novel is the way plots are interlaced and in the power of description, specially the scenes in Manila. I am from Manila and I must say that NS managed to capture the sensory elements that are very hard to describe. Overall a good read with a pulsing buildup. Loved The technology angles.
Rating: 
Summary: Bit off more than he could chew
Review: As an avid Neal Stephenson reader (he ranks up there with Hemingway in my book) I was sorely disappointed. His attempt to make this a grand epic overshadowed his ability to tell a good story. It is WAY too long and it meanders from time period to time period without going anywhere in particular. It's often bizarrely tangential anecdotes became extremely tiresome to the point at which I found myself yelling, "get to the point already!" on more than one occasion. We DIDN'T need to spend 5 pages (I'm not kidding!) reading about eating a bowl of Cap'n Crunch or about the time one of the characters got his wisdom teeth pulled while we are trying to read a book about cryptology. Things like that just kept getting in the way of the story. Even then it was still a pretty weak story with very little payoff for the amount of effort that it took to read it. I sometimes delighted in his prose and it was a grand effort. In the end, however, it was just way too poorly put together. This one could have handled two or three more edits! A disappointing effort for such a great writer.
Rating:
Summary: I volunteer to be Stephenson's next line-editor!
Review: Stephenson's new novel is a refreshing throwback to his earlier works like The Big U and Zodiac. Without mentioning Snow Crash I think we can all agree that Diamond Age was good content, bad execution. That said, this book was compelling in an interesting way; I rarely put down a book (especially after a gruelling 2-day 1k-page read) and wait for DAYS before picking up another book. It was that compelling--I was afraid I would hate whatever the next book might be to cross my desk, and even read lingusitics texts to distract myself for a few days until I ran across the tepid Bombay Ice. Anyway, the worst part about Stephenson's new book is the copy editing. There was approximately one error every three to four pages, indicating that no one read it before sending it out, signalling a lack of respect for readers. I know publishers work for the almighty $, but jeez, they could at least hire a copy editor. I volunteer--Neal, send me your next novel and I'll check it over for the desk copy.
Rating:
Summary: Woof! (How's that for a one-line summary?)
Review: Having read all the other reviews, I don't have much to add. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard while reading a book. Yes, the book could have been better edited, but I would have missed the things that probably would have been removed. I'd compare it to something like the Beatles' "White Album" -- it could have been cut down to a single record, but then you would have never heard some of the interesting little side works like "Wild Honey Pie" or "Why Don't We Do It in the Road." I also never thought I would come across a novel that could incorporate higher level mathematics so well. I'll bet contemporary readers complained about the "unnecessary" detail on the whaling industry that Melville included in "Moby Dick", too... hee HEE!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent - but, makes you want more.
Review: This was an excellent book. Many balked at the fact that it was 900 plus pages. But, when I finished reading it, I wanted to know more. Stephenson wrapped up everything neatly in the end but I still had some unanswered questions. This is definately a hard-to-put-down page-turner that will cause you to lose sleep. Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Convoluted yet fulfilling in a quirky way
Review: First, lets just say its long, real long. However, the uniqueness of the plot which is both complex and variegated drives the reader along page after page. At times the prose is beautiful and at other times Stephenson's style is cumbersome and unfriendly to the reader. Unfortunately, Stephenson seems to be unable to succinctly convey his thoughts to the reader even with so many words at his disposal. Finally, I must say that the endings is rather an anticlimax. Nevertheless, the novel is fairly enjoyable, mostly due to its refreshingly innovative concepts and would be recommended to those who are interested in computer technology and/or WWII history. If you have the time, that is.
Rating: 
Summary: A little long but still a great book.
Review: Crytonomicon is fascinating. I'd just read the profoundly moving WWII novel "The Triumph and the Glory" and it was interesting to compare that gem with Stephenson's latest, since Cryptonomicon also deals throughout the plot with WWII. Stephenson delivers a big winner, I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Bring me the head of the proofreader.
Review: I read through the other commentary before venturing to put down my opinion, and it made me think sheesh! who'd be an author? I love his books (hey Amazon, why can't you find a cache of The Big U somewhere?) because, anong other reasons, he has never tried to pitch his tent on higher moral ground. The "voice" of the story is allowed to have characteristic limitations. The reason I haven't given NS 5 stars is because I think the next book is going to be better so I have to reserve ammo. Also the careless editing (HE said there is no hidden code) made me wince at times. But "...a shack of knot-pocked cargo pallet planks..." is going Beowulf one better! One of the main subplots of the novel is as picaresque as Catch-22. Hey, in a war you don't always *know* what happens to everybody else, as both Heller and Pynchon, and now Stephenson, suggest by indirection. The accusation of gender tone-deafness is interesting, because I got the impression (I'm female), exactly as I did with The Diamond Age and Zodiac, that the voice is acknowledging a deep and puzzling gulf between the sexes, that the sex that the voice isn't is admirable but ineffable, and that the voice finds deep humor in this. Shaftoe is a guy with plenty of natural intelligence but little education -- and he's a Marine, for pete's sake. When he goes to bed with a girl, he's smart enough to know he's still at war. The book is a delightful and funny read.
Rating: 
Summary: Stephenson's editors should be fired, quickly
Review: I have no comment about the content. The length, however, is unforgivable. This work was 50% longer than necessary, and Stephenson suffers for it. Bad editors, bad!
Rating:
Summary: Truly an excellent book.
Review: I won't bore you with a 7th grade book report. It is sufficient to say that this latest work by Stephenson is almost on a par with Robert Anton Wilson's "Schrodinger's Cat" trilogy as one of the best books I have read. Flaws include the 15 niggling typographical errors scattered throughout the book, almost evenly divided between spell checker errors and actual typos. The idealized page cut to give the book the air of a medieval work like the "Necronomicon" was probably a decent idea on paper, but it didn't work for me in actual fact. There were some factual errors as well, but these were small and inconsequential, such as finding date palms in a humid jungle. As one who has spent time in Philippine jungles and in SE Asia in general, I can say that Stephenson is spot on in many hilarious observations and the book turns out brilliantly. Many will object to the length of the book, but for me, that was one of the best parts. Neal, the next time you write a book, send it to me first to clear up these embarrassing errors made by your editors and typesetters.
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