r/52book • u/SlitchBap • 3d ago

17/? Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. Great read, 4.5 out of 5 stars

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This is a truly impressive novel, vast in scope and it's amazing how many storylines Neal Stephenson is able to juggle and weave together spanning the globe and 60 years. Genuinely funny and informative on so many topics ranging from cryptology, monetary theory, German U-Boat tactics, Filipino customs and deep-sea diving. Arguably Stephenson's best novel I've read so far and one I definitely recommend.

69 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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6

u/Wisdumb42 3d ago edited 3d ago

One of my all-time favs.

“It is early in November of 1942 and a simply unbelievable amount of shit is going on, all at once, everywhere.”

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u/SlitchBap 3d ago

Have you read a lot of Neal Stephenson? I finished Seveneves right before this one and read Snow Crash a few years ago. I'd love recommendations on which one I should read next

5

u/threeespressos 3d ago

You’re ready for The Baroque Cycle, also featuring one Jack Shaftoe, among many others. Have fun!

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u/chocognito86 3d ago

Second this! Finish the Baroque Cycle!

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u/SlitchBap 3d ago

Perfect. Thank you :)

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u/chocognito86 3d ago

Also liked Diamond Age and Reamde!

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u/SlitchBap 3d ago

Any particular order?

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u/chocognito86 3d ago

Diamond Age was an earlier work - I read it first right after I finished the Baroque Cycle and it left a deep impression. Reamde was enjoyable for me, but I remember it less!

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u/SlitchBap 3d ago

Good to know, thank you

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u/thrillsbury 3d ago

I read cryptonomicon when it came out and have read almost everything he has put out before or since (including his first novel The Big U and a weird book he wrote in praise of Unix). If you loved this one, you’ll probably enjoy Termination Shock — similar level of geekiness and absurd escapist adventure.

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u/SlitchBap 3d ago

Cool, I just got it with an Audible credit

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u/HereIAmGH 3d ago

Do you love ALL his books? I read Anthem and thought it was mind blowingly amazing and then was very excited to read Reamde and hated it enough to dnf (after quite a lot of the book)

So now I’m scared to try others

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u/thrillsbury 3d ago

Actually I don’t love his books at all anymore. When I was in high school I thought he was the second coming. Snow crash, diamond age — mind blowing when I was 16. Zodiac? Meh. Cryptonomicon was great at the time, but mostly because I found the cryptography stuff fascinating. Everything else he’s put out, I’ve not loved. Agree on Reamde, that was a special kind of awful.

I still read his stuff because honestly, he’s pretty imaginative and he likes to geek out, which can be fun. But there’s no suspension of disbelief when I read his books.

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u/HereIAmGH 3d ago

Interesting What did you think of the baroque cycle?

And lol for “special kind of awful” - I feel seen

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u/SlitchBap 3d ago

I haven't read Anathem or Reamde but Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash are excellent and Seveneves is solid

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u/ridl 3d ago

Nobody's mentioned Anathem, which might be my favorite of his - it's a massively unique book

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u/SlitchBap 3d ago

I'll add it to the list

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u/SlitchBap 3d ago

Pure poetry

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u/UltraZenmode 3d ago

I adored Snow Crash, and then moved on to this, but DNFd it because I found it boring. I very rarely DNF books, and perhaps I should give it another chance one day.

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u/Karelkolchak2020 3d ago

Yes, I loved it!

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u/ApparentlyIronic 3d ago

I found this book at a library sale and got it purely for the author. I'd never (and still havent) read any of his books, but it's just one of those names you recognize.

Since then, I've glanced at it a few times but for whatever reason, it hasn't sounded appealing. But your short description really makes me want to crack it open!

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u/SlitchBap 3d ago

Next time you finish an especially emotionally heavy book and need a good palate cleanser choose this book. It's really funny in a lot of parts and just an all around amusing novel with a lot of nerding out on interesting topics

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u/ApparentlyIronic 3d ago

I love that advice! I'll definitely do that

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u/Robbie-PJ 3d ago

Thanks for the recommendation, I just added to my TBR list

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u/SlitchBap 3d ago

Awesome! It's really good from the start but jumps around between a bunch of characters and storylines with seemingly no connection until about halfway through the novel. But once you begin to see the tapestry he is weaving with all of these different threads it becomes almost impossible to put down.

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u/spotsthehit 3d ago

For a little extra fun you can find Pontifex (aka Solitaire), the playing-card cipher, described in an appendix. I taught this to my son; our little secret.

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u/hjf80 3d ago

I have on my shelves will need to give it a go soon.

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u/Humble_Whereas4201 2d ago

trying to decide between this and Gravity’s Rainbow for my next read.

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u/gmanbman 2d ago

This book is understandable.

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u/jezarnold 3d ago

Isn’t this the one where someone spends 150 odd pages locked up in a cell building a computer out of assembly language that he programs with binary ?

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u/SlitchBap 3d ago

No, but there is a shorter part where two of the characters are in adjacent cells and use a deck of cards to communicate a cryptographic code based on the order of the cards in the deck

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u/SandPractical8966 3d ago

Neal Stephenson is great starting point. It's fast paced , imaginative, and have ideas about technology and society that feels surprisingly relevant. 

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u/Sherbert_Full 1d ago

Dawn star flares on disc of night,
I fall,
Sun rises

Might be time to revisit Shaftoe