Skip to content

Cryptonomicon

Cryptonomicon

CyberpunkHistorical Fiction
Pages
1152
Published
1999
Language
English

Synopsis

Neal Stephenson weaves together two timelines, one in the midst of World War II and another in the present day, to explore the secret history of cryptography and its impact on global events. In the past, a brilliant mathematician and a tough Marine work to outwit Nazi codebreakers, while in the present, their descendants race to create a digital haven and uncover a conspiracy rooted in a legendary Nazi code. It's a thrilling adventure that connects past secrets to future freedoms.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

AdventurousThought-ProvokingComplexTense
Dual TimelineQuest

Genres

Cyberpunk Historical Fiction Science Fiction Espionage World War II Adventure Thriller

About the author

N
Neal Stephenson

Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer and game designer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, postcyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work explores subjects such as mathematics, cryptography, linguistics, philosophy, currency, and the history of science. He also writes non-fiction articles about technology in publications such as Wired. He has also written novels with his un...

Characters

Lawrence Pritchard WaterhouseProtagonist
Bobby ShaftoeProtagonist

A U.S. Marine Raider sergeant whose World War II exploits and codename Cantabrigian run through the novel's wartime timeline.

Randy WaterhouseProtagonist
All characters in Cryptonomicon

Frequently asked questions

  • Is Cryptonomicon connected to Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle?

    Yes, loosely. Cryptonomicon follows the Waterhouse and Shaftoe families in World War II and the 1990s; Stephenson's later Baroque Cycle trilogy (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) follows their 17th-century ancestors. The books share a family lineage and a few historical threads, but they are separate, standalone works rather than a single numbered series, and can be read in either order.

  • What awards has Cryptonomicon won?

    Cryptonomicon won the 2000 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and was inducted into the Libertarian Futurist Society's Prometheus Hall of Fame in 2013. It was also a finalist for the 2000 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the Arthur C. Clarke Award, though it did not win either.

Read all 2 reviews