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Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon
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- Author: Neal Stephenson
- Type: Paperback
- ISBN: 0099410672
- Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd
Synopsis
A panoramic novel of the latter half of the 20th century, ranging from World War II and the breaking of the Enigma code to more recent struggles for control of the Internet. From the author of 'Snowcrash'.
Reviews
I was really loving this for the first 400 pages or so but then...oh dear. My goodness does this drag on...and on and on. It became a chore to finish. There is just no way that this book needed to be more than 900 pages long, I was actually thinking of things that should've been cut when I was reading it. Never a good sign.G. J. Marsh
...300 pages of plot and 100 pages of really, really dull crypto details that don't do anything for the story. Its a pity because there is a good story to be told. In fact you could cut the book literally in half and throw away the first 450 pages and not miss much.
Why so much padding, was the author on piece work? I truly don't understand.
The humour starts off funny, but descends into a fixed, fully predictable template very early on and then irritates as it adds just more superfluous words.
However its made me want to read more about Turin and Co, unsung heroes, and I'm now searching for a well written book on that era.
Jeff
I've never enjoyed reading a book as much as this. At times it feels like you are reading a science fiction book but set in the past. A great read, there are times when the hairs on your neck literally stand on end. I love the characters, Bobby Shaftoe is a new idol of mine and i love seeing the world through the eyes of Laurence Waterhouse (read it and you'll see what i mean).
Next stop, the Baroque cycle for me!
FutureWolf
I get frustrated sometimes when I see Stephenson's work hidden away in the sci-fi section of bookstores. This book is only sci-fi in the sense that it deals with scientific subjects in a fictional manner. There are no lasers, robots or spaceships here.
Its a long book, but I have read it three times and been delighted by something on every page each time. The length of the book allows you to get to know the characters very well and you feel closely acquainted with all the main protagonists by the end. There are at least three, if not four major plotlines, each of which are meaty enough to merit a book in their own right in Cryptonomicon. I find myself in total awe of the way Stephenson brings all the plotlines together and creates symmetry between them. In this book you will see a master writer at the peak of his powers. The book is exciting, funny and tragic and has something powerful to say about the daftness of war and the best way to do business. Buy it, I command you.
legslikeaspider
I have been a heavy reader for the past 20-odd years, and this novel is the best I have ever read. I cannot come up with the superlatives to describe it, so I won't even try. Read it.
Seriously, do.
Ace Ventura
