From TheBestLinks.com
Cryptonomicon is a sprawling novel by Neal Stephenson that is more a combination of historical fiction and contemporary techno-thriller than the science fiction of Stephenson's earlier works. It follows the parallel saga of cryptographers from World War II (see U-413, U-553, U-691, Enigma machine, Alan Turing, Bletchley Park) and their descendants attempting to use modern cryptography to build a data haven in a fictitious East Asian island state and the political machinations that follow both efforts.
The Cryptonomicon book, described as a cryptographer's bible, that appears within the novel itself is a fictional book invented by Neal Stephenson for the plot purposes of his book and does not exist in reality.
Cryptonomicon is notably heavy going for non-technical readers in parts. Several pages are spent explaining in detail some of the concepts behind cryptography, for example. Stephenson includes a precise description of the Solitaire cipher (called Pontifex in the book), a cryptographic algorithm developed by Bruce Schneier for use with a deck of playing cards, as part of the plot. Despite the technical detail, the book drew praise from both Stephenson's science fiction fan base and literary critics and buyers.
The title is drawn indirectly from the Necronomicon, a fictional work detailed within the works of the writer H. P. Lovecraft, even though when Stephenson came up with his title, he was not aware of the word's origin. He was directly inspired by the fictional book's appearance in the Evil Dead series of comedic horror films.
Editions
External links
Related links
Top visited
0 of
0 links
[no links posted yet]
>> place link >>
Discussion
Last posted
0 of
0 messages
[no messages posted yet]
>> post message >>
Watch
You can
add this article to your own "watchlist" and receive e-mail notification about all changes in this page.
