{"id":141,"date":"2005-10-14T22:52:16","date_gmt":"2005-10-15T02:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=141"},"modified":"2021-06-04T13:05:34","modified_gmt":"2021-06-04T17:05:34","slug":"cryptonomicon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/141","title":{"rendered":"Cryptonomicon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cryptonomicon<\/a><\/em> (2000) Neal Stephenson<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It’s been awhile since I’d read Cryptonomicon<\/em>, although it came out more recently than I remembered. For some reason I thought it came out in 1997. Memory is funny like that.<\/p>\n

It is a hard book to categorize. It’s part history, part fiction, part mystery, and very technical. As I read almost no science fiction, I lack the terminology to properly categorize this book. Maybe it ends up in the science fiction section because one of the main characters, Randy, seems precisely the kind of guy who would be found in the science fiction\/fantasy section of the bookstore. <\/p>\n

Despite the fact that it has (to some) science fiction overtones, and deals a lot with technology, I really like this book. The technology bits were obvious, and I could scan the bits that didn’t make a lot of sense to me quickly without missing the rest of the plot.<\/p>\n

Because for me, the storytelling is the real strength of this book. I want to find out what happens to the characters. Plus, the ideas and the cryptology are fascinating–even when they went over my head.<\/p>\n

There are two time lines in the book. One set during World War II, and the other, current. The current timeline follows Randy Waterhouse, who has ended up in the computer networking business. The second timeline follows several characters: Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse (Randy’s grandfather) and Bobby Shaftoe primarily, but also Enoch Root, and Goto Dengo. I really liked Bobby Shaftoe.<\/p>\n

I also like the fact that Randy is a functional geek. Not your typical hero, so it was a lovely change.<\/p>\n

“Filipinos are a warm, gentle, caring, giving people,” Avi says, “which is a good thing since so many of them carry concealed weapons.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is a lot of thinking about sex in this book, but it’s pretty much guy sex, no romance at all–or at least nothing that even an atypical female would find romantic.<\/p>\n

The only issue I took with the story is that Randy assumes that Arethusa is in English. It was supposed to be a foreign WWII military code. Why on earth would it be in English? Even if it was a code to communicate between the Germans and the Japanese, why would they choose English as the language they used between them?<\/p>\n

I am curious, however, as to whether the sect of geeks that Randy knows would be as libertarian in real life. It sounds reasonable to me, but then much of what he describes and creates sounds reasonable to me, so I might not be the best judge.<\/p>\n

Oh, this is a big book. Just over 900 pages. And it’s not a quick read. You can’t just stick this book into your pocket (unless you have big pockets), and it’s big enough that it’s uncomfortable to hold–I kept having to prop it up somewhere, because my wrists would rather quickly get tired of holding it up while I read. So prepare to have your evenings taken with reading this book, because it’s not an easy book to carry around and read.<\/p>\n

If you find cryptology even the slightest bit interesting, then you will most likely love this book. If you are a geek, then chances are you’ll love this books. Everyone else? You’re on your own. But if you think the story sounds interesting, you’ll probably like it.
\nRating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cryptonomicon (2000) Neal Stephenson It’s been awhile since I’d read Cryptonomicon, although it came out more recently than I remembered. For some reason I thought it came out in 1997. Memory is funny like that. It is a hard book to categorize. It’s part history, part fiction, part mystery, and very technical. As I read […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,14,291,25],"tags":[427],"class_list":["post-141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-8-10","category-fiction","category-paper","category-science-fiction","tag-neal-stephenson"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-2h","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":417,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/417","url_meta":{"origin":141,"position":0},"title":"Poltergeist","author":"Michelle","date":"August 10, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Poltergeist (2007) Kat Richardson I enjoyed Greywalker enough that I pre-ordered Poltergeist when I came across it. This was a decision I did not regret. I liked Poltergeist even better than I liked Greywalker. Harper Blaine is still coming to terms with her ability to see and move into the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Poltergeist.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2972,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/2972","url_meta":{"origin":141,"position":1},"title":"A Glass of Shadow","author":"Michelle","date":"May 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"A Glass of Shadow (2011) Liz Williams Liz Williams writes stories that fall into a variety of genres at once: science fiction, fantasy, mystery. I read--and fell in love with--her Detective Inspector Chen series, and so buy her anthologies, hoping that means she'll then be able to write more Chen\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Anthology"","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/anthology"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Glass-of-Shadow.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2146,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/2146","url_meta":{"origin":141,"position":2},"title":"Firebirds Rising","author":"Michelle","date":"December 9, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Firebirds Rising (2006) edited by Sharyn November Huntress by Tamora Pierce Unwrapping by Nina Kiriki Hoffman The Real Thing by Alison Goodman Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles de Lint I'll Give you My Word by Diana Wynn Jones In the House of the Seven Librarians by Ellen Klages Wintermoon Wish\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Anthology"","block_context":{"text":"Anthology","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/anthology"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Firebirds-Rising.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":270,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/270","url_meta":{"origin":141,"position":3},"title":"Twisted Tails","author":"Michelle","date":"June 11, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Twisted Tails (2006) edited by J. Richard Jacobs e-book ISBN: 1-55404-339-5 Twisted Tails This anthology probably wasn't meant for someone like me. It's an eclectic mix of short stories, of fantasy, mystery, science fiction, and horror. The problems is that I don't enjoy science fiction, and horror simply bothers me.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":373,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/373","url_meta":{"origin":141,"position":4},"title":"The Banquet of the Lords of Night & Other Stories","author":"Michelle","date":"April 26, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"The Banquet of the Lords of Night & Other Stories (2004) Liz Williams The Banquet of the Lords of Night & Other Stories is an anthology (obviously) of stories by Liz Williams. The stories range in style from the fantasy to science fiction. As with most mixed anthologies, I didn't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Banquet-Lords-Night.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":337,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/337","url_meta":{"origin":141,"position":5},"title":"Perdido Street Station","author":"Michelle","date":"January 3, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Perdido Street Station (2000) China Mieville I've been reading this book since March, a page or two at a time and for awhile, I was beginning to think it was never going to end. It's not that this book isn't good--it is good--I just didn't care for it. Isaac is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"Perdido Street Station","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.klishis.com\/Books\/images\/perdido_street_station.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}