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explodinghead 's review for:
Cryptonomicon
by Neal Stephenson
In theory, I should absolutely love this book: parallel narratives, settings in modern times and in WWII, conspiracy/intrigue, numerous characters and distractions, maximalist prose. Unfortunately, Neal Stephenson's CRYPTONOMICON doesn't quite live up to its own ambitions. I found myself constantly wondering where the editor was during all of this, and this comes from a lover of both INFINITE JEST and GRAVITY'S RAINBOW. Instead of INFINITE JEST's insights into the human condition, Stephenson loads up the text with pointless meanderings. Instead of GRAVITY'S RAINBOW's morbid fascination with technology, Stephenson loads up the text with some interesting cryptology.
CRYPTONOMICON isn't without it's fun though; I feel like I learned something about codebreaking, and Stephenson's prose bursts along at a quick clip, even if nothing consequential happens for long stretches of time. I loved the technical detail given throughout the book, but in the end, its over-complicated plot never made itself compelling enough to carry the 900+ page weight.
CRYPTONOMICON isn't without it's fun though; I feel like I learned something about codebreaking, and Stephenson's prose bursts along at a quick clip, even if nothing consequential happens for long stretches of time. I loved the technical detail given throughout the book, but in the end, its over-complicated plot never made itself compelling enough to carry the 900+ page weight.