Cryptonomicon
Review
by : Li
Rapkin
Written
by : Neal Stephenson
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Whenever
I read something by Neal Stephenson, I always imagine him
saying "Made you think!!" Cryptonomicon is packed full
of mathematics, computer science, cryptology, and physics,
and at around 900 pages, it's not an easy read. It is, however,
well worth the effort, and if some of the higher math escapes
you, you'll enjoy the story even if you don't entirely understand
the whys. I got the feeling that it had all kinds of technical
in-jokes that were completely over my liberal-arts-educated
head.
Cryptonomicon's
story ties together two members of a World War II cryptography
unit, their opposition, and their modern descendants, with
a special guest appearance by Alan Turing. The novel is thoroughly
modern cyberpunk, and although the technology will probably
seem dated all to soon, I think the story will hold up a lot
longer than the average laptop. The unabashedly cynical look
at modern high-tech business practices is familiar to anyone
working in high tech, and the descriptions of the lifestyles
of the rich and geeky practically had me falling off the couch
laughing.
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