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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have pretty mixed feelings about this book. It is quite an epic romp, covering WWII and modern day simultaneously. The book tries to accomplish a lot in its 1000+ pages, and I don't think it quite makes it to the masterpiece finish line, but the ride is tons of fun. Definitely recommended to anyone with an interest in computers or cryptology.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the lack of female characters or perspective...Cryptonomicon feels very much like a book written by a man, for men. The only, very few female characters are secretaries and/or sex objects, and are often described as being the polar opposite of the tech-savvy or battle-ready men. I don't think the overarching misogyny was really intentional, and I've heard that his other books contain some female main characters, but the constant feeling of "This book is full of computers and war! We are men! Only men do those things! Arr!" was pretty disappointing.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the lack of female characters or perspective...Cryptonomicon feels very much like a book written by a man, for men. The only, very few female characters are secretaries and/or sex objects, and are often described as being the polar opposite of the tech-savvy or battle-ready men. I don't think the overarching misogyny was really intentional, and I've heard that his other books contain some female main characters, but the constant feeling of "This book is full of computers and war! We are men! Only men do those things! Arr!" was pretty disappointing.
This is one of my all time favorite books. I think it describes a time period for which we still don`t have a name but that clearly shaped our future present.
Second time I read it; still a great book, reading as a nice criss-cross of adventures, sprinkled with crypto knowledge and tech. Fascinating till the end.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you care to put the time into reading it, "Cryptonomicon" will blow your mind. It's true that nobody ever accused Neal Stephenson of being shortwinded, but the man definitely has something to say. This book tied three stories of war, code-breaking, and hacking into one cohesive narrative. Everything tied together. Everything. It wrapped up a little too succintly in the end for my taste, but I enjoyed every minute of it. The portions concerning the Pacific theater in World War II were particularly interesting because I knew almost nothing about it. I don't expect to read this again any time soon, but I will absolutely continue to recommend it.
I say five stars despite having some questions about the realism of the female characters.
adventurous
funny
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best written books I have ever read. Neal puts in a lot of details on very technical stuff. But he makes it easy to understand and interesting. Even the parts that went over my head were still fun to read. The story is great, a mixture of historic fiction with science fiction. The story really comes together at the end with great characters that can have their serious aspects, suspenseful aspects, and their humorous aspects. It's a large book to get through, but completely worth it.