Cryptonomicon

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3 points·davidw··9 comments

This book is great. Cryptography. Pirates. Finux. Battle scenes. Fantastic wit.

What more can you ask for? Definitely a must read.

Kind of off topic, but this book is fantastic hacker reading - in my opinion at least. If you don't actively dislike Stephenson for some reason (de gustibus non est disputandum), and haven't already read it, this book is worth a look.

And if you do dislike Stephenson based on his other writing, this is still certainly worth a try. I thought it was excellent, but didn't enjoy his other books (other than Snow Crash).

It always bothered me that Enoch Root dies in Sweden during the second world war (page 541 in my copy) and then suddenly appears in a Manila prison in the 90's (page 860)

I mean what's up with that? He's a main character - did Neil Stephenson just forget that he killed him earlier in the book or what?

He has an elixir which allows him to be resurrected. He uses it in the Baroque Cycle as well as Cryptonomicon. If I remember correctly he also uses it to revive Bobby Shaftoe.

Right - in Sweden, when he dies, Hacklehaber stays in the room with him, and then walks out with some guy under a sheet, which is evidently Root.

Aah, always wondered about that.

Thanks for clearing it up.

There are a bunch of other things that are also a bit clearer if you read the Baroque cycle, which also add to a rereading of Cryptonomicon, like the Samurai swords in the trunk of the Shaftoes' car.

The parts involving Goto Dengo were for me the most interesting.

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