Cryptonomicon or Awesomicon

Cryptonomicon is a novel by Neal Stephenson, whom I consider to be one of the best science-fiction writers alive. This novel is no exception. While it is less science-fiction than science-fact, it still holds an aura of awe. I don't like books very much, especially long ones, and this one is long: 1130 pages, but this book was well worth the read. It ranks as one of my favorite novels...but still not as good as the Illuminati Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson.

The story revolves around 3 (then 4) characters whose lives are intertwined by the nature of crypto-analysis. Whether it is about Lawrence, a crypto-analyst, Bobby, a competent soldier caught up in crypto-missions, or Randy, a crypto-computer-scientist, the story switches between these varied perspectives seemlessly. Often their personal experiences, though separated by time, parallel each other in fantastic narrative ways.

The only possible criticism I have of this novel is not one I share with most readers. Neal Stephenson, in this particular novel, goes into great depths about the science of crypto-analysis and the various mathematical applications to it. This, as the novel began, was an extraordinarily awesome addition to the mundane elements in the novel (for instance a semi-broken bicycle became a mathematical exploration in how to maintain the most constant use out of a broken bicycle chain). While these side-stories and mathematical indulgences are explained in a common way, so that any reader can understand the nuances of the mathematical application, they become tiresome and difficult as the exist consistently to the very end.

KEEP IN MIND that it took me over a year to read this novel. Had I been capable of reading this novel in only a couple of months, I seriously doubt this concern would have arisen. Unfortunately, I believe for me, when I found myself with only a couple hundred pages left, I thought the three page description of Randy's wisdom teeth being pulled was unnecessarily long. Or, perhaps more appropriately, I thought that the three pages slowed down the pace of the novel, which does reach a train speed by the end.

This is a novel I would recommend to people who like Sci-Fi (though it is not science-fiction, per se), who like spy stories, who like intrigue stories, who like action stories, and/or who like epic stories (which I do!).

I hope you enjoy!