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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
A full drop to 3 stars because Stephenson has another weak ending in this novel, but still a worthwhile and enjoyable read.
Interesting concept (I think?), but I never really could get into this one. Maybe a re-edit that cuts a few hundred pages, gives it a better cohesiveness and clean up of the plot, and a better ending would make this a much more enjoyable read. Some parts were humorous, and I did enjoy some of it, so for that I will give it 1 1/2 stars...didn't suck, but not quite o.k.
Even if you aren't a geek, if you have any interest in treasure hunting type stories or WWII based historical fiction this would be a good novel to pick up.
This is another long long book by Stephenson. In some ways, I think his stories would be better served to be broken up and serialized. He packs a lot of information and a lot of action into his books which is fantastic and shows his skill at research. But it gets wearying, the relentlessness of it. It feels like a long march. And the fun and excitement that the story produces becomes hampered by the sheer length of it all. At certain points, I just wanted to be done (although I loved the ending so I was very happy to have stuck with it).
This is my 5th book of his. And I can see why this one is so highly regarded. It isn't my favorite but it is probably his best.
The narrator was very good. Again I have to quibble at the mispronunciations of Asian words. It annoys me because Stephenson works hard at the accuracy of his portrayals, so it seems slightly disrespectful to him (let alone the ethnic groups) that the producers don't ensure the narrator can say all the words (it's Ta-gah-low NOT tag-a-log). But considering the number of main characters involved, he did an excellent job of keeping the voices straight.
This is my 5th book of his. And I can see why this one is so highly regarded. It isn't my favorite but it is probably his best.
The narrator was very good. Again I have to quibble at the mispronunciations of Asian words. It annoys me because Stephenson works hard at the accuracy of his portrayals, so it seems slightly disrespectful to him (let alone the ethnic groups) that the producers don't ensure the narrator can say all the words (it's Ta-gah-low NOT tag-a-log). But considering the number of main characters involved, he did an excellent job of keeping the voices straight.
Finally done! It took me a long time to read, but even though it could have been slimmed down without losing much substance--were the four pages on the perfect way to eat Cap'n Crunch really necessary?--it never felt like a slog. Great characters. The crypto stuff was fun. I wanted there to be one great big pay off at the end to reward me for reading 900 pages, but admired the way the strands of the different storylines carefully flowed together instead. Nicely done. Not so nicely done: the basically complete lack of major female characters who aren't love interests. I know it's a book about nerds, but come on: it's not 1955.
What a colossal waste. I wanted a thrilling sci-fi story to capture me and instead I was bored out of my skull while nothing in particular happened and a ridiculous multitude of characters never managed to spring to life. (The entire time I felt like I was watching them through a stolid man's eyes, and never got to truly engage with any of them)
I guess not every 4+ rated book can be a winner, but this was a huge time investment to make for...well, tedium. I don't know what I missed, because some people I truly respect claim to have loved this novel, but I'd give anything to get back the hours and hours I spent waiting and hoping it would get better.
I guess not every 4+ rated book can be a winner, but this was a huge time investment to make for...well, tedium. I don't know what I missed, because some people I truly respect claim to have loved this novel, but I'd give anything to get back the hours and hours I spent waiting and hoping it would get better.
This poor book suffered the impact of my COVID brain. For the past year, I have struggled with inability to focus when reading fiction. As a result, it took me months to make my way through this one. It is a shame because I love NS. Maybe I will revisit someday.
okay so this was insanely good. clearly the journey was the important part rather than the end and the journey was so so thrilling. Lawrence waterhouse is constantly disappointed as soon as he decrypts a code and that's kind of my feeling now the book is finished.
if possible I would have loved more Rudy, his pov would have been so interesting and especially given his ending, I would have loved more but I also loved the mystery and illusiveness of him.
Shaftoe and Randy were awesome characters and there narratives held me and made me laugh and kept my heart in my mouth at some points. There was a lot of shady, distasteful edges to the work that was being done by both waterhouses and I loved that this was intrinsic but also not prohibitive to the development. everything was scary and cool and worth trying and just as likely to be misappropriated. and the black chamber was terrifying in the way it was alluded to and its various incarnations.
if possible I would have loved more Rudy, his pov would have been so interesting and especially given his ending, I would have loved more but I also loved the mystery and illusiveness of him.
Shaftoe and Randy were awesome characters and there narratives held me and made me laugh and kept my heart in my mouth at some points. There was a lot of shady, distasteful edges to the work that was being done by both waterhouses and I loved that this was intrinsic but also not prohibitive to the development. everything was scary and cool and worth trying and just as likely to be misappropriated. and the black chamber was terrifying in the way it was alluded to and its various incarnations.
Even better this time. More topical than I expected it to be in regard to data privacy.
Neal Stephenson's story spanning multiple generations, including information about leading-edge technology at different points in history, was fascinating for me as a computer geek. I heard that he had to edit this by cutting out various storylines - it would be very interesting to read the whole book as he originally envisioned it, especially since online books really don't have the limitations that printed books do in terms of total length.