For many months (or is it years?) I have been reading Eugene and others singing the praises of Neal Stephenson here at VC. I had read parts of Snow Crash a few years ago but wasn’t impressed. Finally I picked up Cryptonomicon and read it through. I loved it and was overwhelmed. Stephenson has an amazing mind. Somehow he manages to combine a thriller, science fiction, and serious fiction all at once. I expect people will still be reading this one a century from now. Give it a try if you don’t already know it, and don’t be put off by the length, namely 1168 pages. I like to ask Samuel Johnson’s question: did we wish the book were longer than it was? In this case the answer is a clear “yes.” So I just might be tempted to try the Quicksilver cycle now…
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