Stephenson's CRYPTONOMICON

[HomeBrewerDude]

not exactly science fiction, but its good stuff. Its 1 part information theory/science, 1 part historical fiction, and 1 part funny.

about half way through and things are starting to come together.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

no one?

 

[myusername]

*scratches head*
very enjoyable (as all of his books have been). Quicksilver is in a similar vein, though set a couple centuries earlier. The Confusion was a bit more muddled, and not anywhere as entertaining as Quicksilver for me - which is not to say it wasn't enjoyable or a good book, but it dealt more with interpersonal relationships than with naturalism.

 

[Chu]

Wondering, when does it get interesting? I'm about 1/3 of the way through . . . and so far think it's pretty boring.

 

[klah]

I actually read the whole thing; and I hate fiction in general. It is interesting how all of the disparate stories start to come together.

 

[Anubis]

sorry ive never heard of it, shoudl i pick it up?

 

[AcidicFury]

Originally posted by: Anubis
sorry ive never heard of it, shoudl i pick it up?

 

[DingDingDao]

Stephenson rocks. That is all.

 

[CoveX]

Originally posted by: Chu
Wondering, when does it get interesting? I'm about 1/3 of the way through . . . and so far think it's pretty boring.

I thought it got interesting on page one...

One of the best books of recent years. IMHO, of course.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: Chu
Wondering, when does it get interesting? I'm about 1/3 of the way through . . . and so far think it's pretty boring.

IT really picks up at about page 500 or so, which is when some of these plot lines start getting tied together. Though, there are parts in the first 300 that I thought were great (The WWII accounts in particular, which based on real stuff).

 

[Chu]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude

Originally posted by: Chu
Wondering, when does it get interesting? I'm about 1/3 of the way through . . . and so far think it's pretty boring.

IT really picks up at about page 500 or so, which is when some of these plot lines start getting tied together. Though, there are parts in the first 300 that I thought were great (The WWII accounts in particular, which based on real stuff).

I do agree . . . I just find a lot of the cryptography stuff really boring, and the first third of the book has a ton of it. I guess that might have to do with the fact I'm studying to be a cryptographer and most of that stuff is mind-numblingly basic or very well known.

 

[CPA]

1200 pages? Are you nuts?

 

[LordMorpheus]

I've read Cryptonomicon at least 10 times through in the past 5 years or so.

Its fantastic. But its only about 8-900 pages, or at least my copy is (its a lot taller and wider than your average paperback, and has a gold colored cover, unlike the smaller, black colored one you find out in stores these days, which may be 1200 pages).

Baroque cycle is also fantastic (Quicksilver/ The Confusion/ The System of the World, due out soon).

I can't wait for the last installment of that.

The book is fantastic every time I go back through it, it completely rocks. I will treasure my copy until it finishes falling apart, past the point where tape can hold it together, then I will buy a new one.

Stephenson is by far my favorite living author.

 

[Biggerhammer]

I liked Cyryptonomicon, though it took some getting used to- the characters are remarkable in their depth but also in their disparate natures, and it's tough getting used to them.

Well worth the read.

 

[apac]

Before you pick it up at your local bookstore, you MUST recite the words "klatu verata nictu".

 

[jlarsson]

I started reading this while on vacation a few weeks ago, but haven't had the time to continue since returning home. I just started up again today, and hopefully have time to finish it in the coming days.

 

[cquark]

Originally posted by: Anubis
sorry ive never heard of it, shoudl i pick it up?

Neal Stephenson is great, but I'd start with Snow Crash if you haven't read that first. I liked Cryptonomicon, but the book is slow to become interesting, and the cryptography infodumps violate the cardinal rule of storytelling--show, don't tell--and they're tedious if you already know cryptography.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: cquark

Originally posted by: Anubis
sorry ive never heard of it, shoudl i pick it up?

Neal Stephenson is great, but I'd start with Snow Crash if you haven't read that first. I liked Cryptonomicon, but the book is slow to become interesting, and the cryptography infodumps violate the cardinal rule of storytelling--show, don't tell--and they're tedious if you already know cryptography.

snow crash is good too, as is Diamond Age

 

[Armitage]

Yea Cryptonomicon is great ... didn't find it slow at all. But then there's the geek plotline which is cool, and I'm a big WWII history buff so the other story line was great also.

Read Snow Crash as well. Was OK ... kind of cheesy I thought.

 

[ski2slow]

I read it after reading a review of this book in Delta's Sky Magazine. It was a long book but I did enjoy it.