jayseven Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I've just started reading Cryptonomicon (and I fear I will be at it for some time). Finding it quite enthralling! Only 80 pages in but it's so dense and well researched that it's well worth spending the time to read it. I've read Snow Crash which I greatly enjoyed, besides the fairly rapid and unconcvincing ending, but never finished Diamond Age just due to being given too many books to read at the same time. Will get back onto it after this (i.e. 2011 sometime!), and I suppose pick up Zodiac too. I know nothing at all about any of his other stuff, or even if there is any. I'm sure there are some cyber- and steam- punk fans out there! Not sure what category Cryptonomicon would fall into... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyboy-the-Dane Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I'm sure there are some cyber- and steam- punk fans out there! Not sure what category Cryptonomicon would fall into... I'm both and especially the latter. Is Cryptonomicon a book you'd recommend for a steampunk fan? (As if I don't have enough books I need to read at the moment ...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayseven Posted October 21, 2010 Author Share Posted October 21, 2010 Cryptonomicon is different to the other two I name in the sense that it's not invented nearly as much - There are three narratives through the story, one of a 'China' Marine in what I presume is the 60s/70s, one is of a genius (at least) mathematician during the pearl harbour incident who is involved in the enigma/indigo codebreaking stuff and teh other is presumably the latter's son/grandson in the 90s, a man of many failed business ventures who is cynical, realistic and burdened with a long term girlfriend in academia who early on in the book publishes a thesis on why beards are unnatural just because her boyfriend said that growing a beard was more natural than shaving. It's not about the future, or an alternate reality. This book is more of an historical fiction piece - a 900 page tome dedicated to... well, from what I can tell, codebreaking and symbolism, with cameos of real-life people like Alan Turing and Ronald Reagan. Stephenson is utterly fantastic in describing these three totally different individuals and their worldviews in a very subtle and unobtrusive way. I read his other books and was usually enthralled by his ability to create a well thought-out sci-fi world that didn't leave behind any factor of society (art, engineering, politics, etc). In this book he manages to create, so far at least, a reel of terrific/hauntic/juxtaposing/makeyathink anecdotes that are altogether human and pitiful. So, uh... if you're just into the ~punk stuff then idunno. It's a boy's book. Techy stuff, war stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyboy-the-Dane Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 Hum, doesn't really sound "-punky". But definitely interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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