A gripping and page-turning thriller that explores themes of power, information, secrecy and war in the twentieth century. From the author of the three-volume historical epic 'The Baroque Cycle' and Seveneves. In his legendary, sprawling masterpiece, Neal Stephenson hacks into the secret histories of nations and the private obsessions of men, decrypting with dazzling virtuosity the forces that shaped this century. In 1942, Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse - a mathematical genius and young Captain in the U.S. Navy - is assigned ... Read More
A gripping and page-turning thriller that explores themes of power, information, secrecy and war in the twentieth century. From the author of the three-volume historical epic 'The Baroque Cycle' and Seveneves. In his legendary, sprawling masterpiece, Neal Stephenson hacks into the secret histories of nations and the private obsessions of men, decrypting with dazzling virtuosity the forces that shaped this century. In 1942, Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse - a mathematical genius and young Captain in the U.S. Navy - is assigned to Detachment 2702, an outfit so secret that only a handful of people know it exists. Some of those people have names like Churchill and Roosevelt. Their mission is to keep the Nazis ignorant of the fact that Allied Intelligence has cracked the enemy's fabled Enigma code. Waterhouse is flung into a cryptographic chess match against his German counterpart - one where every move determines the fate of thousands. In the present day, Waterhouse's crypto-hacker grandson, Randy, is attempting to create a "data haven" in Southeast Asia where encrypted data can be stored and exchanged free of repression and scrutiny. Joining forces with the tough-as-nails Amy, Randy attempts tosecretly salvage a sunken Nazi submarine that holds the key to keeping the dream of a data haven afloat. But their scheme brings to light a massive conspiracy with its roots in Detachment 2702 - and an unbreakable Nazi code called Arethusa. There are two ways this could go: towards unimaginable riches and a future of personal and digital liberty - or towards a totalitarian nightmare... Profound and prophetic, hypnotic and hyperactive, Cryptonomicon is a work of great art, thought and creative daring, the product of a ingenious imagination working with white-hot intensity. Read Less
Add this copy of Cryptonomicon to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2000 by Harper Perennial.
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Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of Cryptonomicon to cart. $6.59, good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2000 by Arrow Books Ltd.
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Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Add this copy of Cryptonomicon to cart. $6.70, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1999 by William Heinemann Ltd.
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Very good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Add this copy of Cryptonomicon to cart. $6.74, good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2000 by Harper Perennial.
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Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Add this copy of Cryptonomicon to cart. $8.00, fair condition, Sold by SELL BOOKS LTD rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2002 by William Morrow & Company.
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Add this copy of Cryptonomicon to cart. $10.65, good condition, Sold by M Godding Books Ltd rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Devizes, WILTS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2000 by Arrow.
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Add this copy of Cryptonomicon to cart. $14.88, new condition, Sold by Ria Christie Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2000 by Arrow Books Ltd.
Add this copy of Cryptonomicon: Neal Stephenson to cart. $18.87, new condition, Sold by Kennys.ie rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Galway, IRELAND, published 2000 by Arrow Books Ltd.
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New. 2000. 1st Edition. paperback. Neal Stephenson hacks into the secret histories of nations and the private obsessions of men, decrypting with dazzling virtuosity the forces that have shaped the past century. He weaves together the cracking of the Axis codes during WWII and the quest to establish a free South East Asian 'data haven' for digital information in the present. Num Pages: 928 pages. BIC Classification: FA; FL. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 197 x 130 x 48. Weight in Grams: 674......We ship daily from our Bookshop.
Add this copy of Cryptonomicon to cart. $27.67, new condition, Sold by Kennys.ie rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Galway, IRELAND, published 2000 by William Morrow & Company.
Add this copy of Cryptonomicon Tome 1: Le Code Enigma to cart. $13.52, very good condition, Sold by crealivres rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from val couesnon, N/A, FRANCE, published 2000 by Payot.
Picked this earlier work up, after reading the first volume of Stephenson's Baroque Cycle. In the very fast-paced Cryptonomicon, he combines the recent history of codes and code-breakers with a unique interpretation of the present World Wide Web, and a prophetic (1999) view of a future in which ordinary citizens seek to protect their data from the prying eyes of governments. Scenes with a nerdy tech set alternate with those of battles and treasure hunters. Definitely gets the imaginative juices rolling.
greebs
Feb 5, 2009
A brilliant piece of genius
Cryptonomicon is a stunning masterpiece, well worth the time it will take to read (and digest) the over 900 pages it fills.
The book is divided into two time periods -- World War II, and the current day (which appears to be right around the turn of this century). In WWII, there are several different characters, each operating independently though all crossing each others path -- an American code breaker, an American Marine and a Japanese soldier. In the present, we mainly follow Randy and Avi, two software entrepreneurs heading to the Philippines to set up The Crypt, a project the reader slowly learns about through the course of their story. Along the way, real life characters such as Albert Einstein, Alan Turing, Ronald Reagan and Douglas MacArthur make cameos.
To say that this is a complicated book is an understatement, and yet Neal Stephenson makes it incredibly engaging, funny and consistently brilliant. As but one example, he writes four or five pages on how the chain on a bicycle wheel operates -- and it is only when he breaks from that narrative to point out that it's similar to how the German Enigma machine worked that I realized I'd just read five pages about a bicycle chain. It's incredible, and a book that -- given even more free time -- I'd easily read again.
Ricolaw
Jun 24, 2007
Nice story
Very nicely written story wrapping the internet and World war 2. It was a very believable story that worked very well.
