Book Review: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Is he very bad? Is he very tough? Is he very formidable? Is he very? No, not very.

When I got this book I felt anticipation to begin reading it because it is long and I tend to like long novels. The paperback is 1152 pages. It was soon after I began reading that I realized the mistake I had made in thinking the length of the book somehow contributed to its enjoyability and value.

Six pages are dedicated to describing the mathematics involved when one of the characters calculates precisely how long he can ride his bicycle before a broken spoke will interfere with a weak link in the bicycle chain. Is that very interesting? Are six full pages required to convey the importance of this issue which is never referenced at any time later in the book?

Ten pages are used when some of the characters succeed in hacking a colleague's laptop and read a document about the victim's passion for women's stockings. Ten pages of the victim describing how important stockings are to his libido. Ten. Again, this distraction is of the utmost unimportance. It is never referenced again.

Mr. Stephenson fills six pages describing a main character's interaction with his favorite food, Cap'n Crunch, and provides arduous detail about the use of ice cold milk in conjunction with the cereal. Six pages.

How interested am I in doing complex math problems in my leisure time? Lots, if Neal Stephenson doesn't miss his guess. There are significant and numerous formulas included throughout the book.

Does this clear some things up for you? Next time you're looking for the better deal between two options at the grocery store, pull this handy formula out. You're welcome.

Summary: Neat things happen to some people in WWII. Alternating chapters describe neat things that happen to the descendants of the WWII characters. It all comes together in the end for a hearty conclusion with RN things happening to the RN people you have come to... uh... distinguish.

But at the end of the day, you can open the back flap of the book and see the author's awesome photograph and realize.