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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
It's definitely not easy trying to figure out wtf is going on in the beginning, and by the time I did figure it out, I started skipping sections. Good story, but just couldn't keep me interested.
challenging
I read this a long time ago. I remember enjoying it, but that it was maybe a little overlong.
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not generally a fan of science fiction type books, but this one was really interesting. Interesting characters and situations that are dramatic without being too over-the-top. Lots about code-breaking, but it's not like you need to have a lot of mathematical knowledge to understand it.
When a book first releases me from it's narrative grip (ie when I finish it), I always like it better than when I have a chance to process--my favorite books are ones about which I figure some truth or insight about the theme or the characters or the built world much later. Here's my first reaction to Cryptonomicon:
"It took me a bit to warm up to it but I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the ones that follow it. The long descriptions of the brutality of the South Pacific war theater can be rough going, and there was one point in the middle when a "new" character was being introduced when my interest faltered, but it all starts to fit together at that point. My only real criticism is as a nerdy girl I felt pretty alienated by all the nerdy guy characters, but maybe characters in the later books will be less obsessed with their bodies."
On reflection I like it much less because the ending is completely unmemorable and I can't think of a thing I'm going to take away from it except maybe a vague curiosity about war-gold and a hatred of Captain Crunch.
"It took me a bit to warm up to it but I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the ones that follow it. The long descriptions of the brutality of the South Pacific war theater can be rough going, and there was one point in the middle when a "new" character was being introduced when my interest faltered, but it all starts to fit together at that point. My only real criticism is as a nerdy girl I felt pretty alienated by all the nerdy guy characters, but maybe characters in the later books will be less obsessed with their bodies."
On reflection I like it much less because the ending is completely unmemorable and I can't think of a thing I'm going to take away from it except maybe a vague curiosity about war-gold and a hatred of Captain Crunch.
tl;dr Code breakers/hackers and gold hunters from WWII to today.
Well that was quite a ride. Spanning WWII to modern times, across dozens of characters and technical disciplines, this was quite the introduction to what I've been told is an author I'll appreciate ... if I can manage the length of his works. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Well that was quite a ride. Spanning WWII to modern times, across dozens of characters and technical disciplines, this was quite the introduction to what I've been told is an author I'll appreciate ... if I can manage the length of his works. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
This was my second or third time through this book and I loved it just as much as the other times! A lot of great history and setting, with tons of local richness and detail. I love the way that Stephenson starts you off with many different stories in two different timelines, and then gradually over the course of the book you see how they all come together and are connected. Masterfully done from start to finish. The narration for the audiobook is also great.
Wrestled with this book for 2 months, and I finally managed to put it down!
Neal Stephenson is a geek's geek, and that's what makes his books enjoyable to me. His digressions about Greek mythology or the Knapsack Problem, among others, are what make a long-winded book like this one quite entertaining. You just learn a lot reading a Stephenson book; and after 1000+ pages, you will most likely feel rewarded. Oh and, of course, there's Neal's sarcastic sense-of-humor which I'm really fond of!
Cryptonomicon isn't my first Stephenson mammoth. I've already enjoyed Anathem quite a lot and still hold it in high regard to this day. Cryptonomicon, on the other hand, was slightly less enjoyable (not too many big ideas here, I guess). It tackles topics such as cryptoanalysis, code-breaking in WWII, digital currency, entrepreneurship, Big Data, among others. These come together quite well (especially in the latter half of the book) but is still a thriller at the end of the day.
One thing I really liked in Cryptonomicon was the timeline set during the WWII period - one of my favorite historical periods when it comes to fiction. For me, it shed some new light on WWII from an angle that I knew little to nothing about.
All that being said, however, the book's length made keeping up with the timelines and the plot quite difficult in my case. I'm not sure whether it was my poor reading stamina, or whether it goes with the book's length and the writing style. And then there's the ending which was a bit of a letdown for a book this size - but I won't say much about here.
I would still recommend this book wholeheartedly for anyone interested, at all, in any of the topics I've mentioned.
4/5
Neal Stephenson is a geek's geek, and that's what makes his books enjoyable to me. His digressions about Greek mythology or the Knapsack Problem, among others, are what make a long-winded book like this one quite entertaining. You just learn a lot reading a Stephenson book; and after 1000+ pages, you will most likely feel rewarded. Oh and, of course, there's Neal's sarcastic sense-of-humor which I'm really fond of!
Cryptonomicon isn't my first Stephenson mammoth. I've already enjoyed Anathem quite a lot and still hold it in high regard to this day. Cryptonomicon, on the other hand, was slightly less enjoyable (not too many big ideas here, I guess). It tackles topics such as cryptoanalysis, code-breaking in WWII, digital currency, entrepreneurship, Big Data, among others. These come together quite well (especially in the latter half of the book) but is still a thriller at the end of the day.
One thing I really liked in Cryptonomicon was the timeline set during the WWII period - one of my favorite historical periods when it comes to fiction. For me, it shed some new light on WWII from an angle that I knew little to nothing about.
All that being said, however, the book's length made keeping up with the timelines and the plot quite difficult in my case. I'm not sure whether it was my poor reading stamina, or whether it goes with the book's length and the writing style. And then there's the ending which was a bit of a letdown for a book this size - but I won't say much about here.
I would still recommend this book wholeheartedly for anyone interested, at all, in any of the topics I've mentioned.
4/5
challenging
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Two and a half stars.
I think this is the last of his books that I will read. I actually like his writing style, and his descriptions of the cryptographic systems were good, but I am so damn tired of the xenophobia and edgy-flavored version of white male normative values that are woven through his narratives.
I think this is the last of his books that I will read. I actually like his writing style, and his descriptions of the cryptographic systems were good, but I am so damn tired of the xenophobia and edgy-flavored version of white male normative values that are woven through his narratives.