Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (English) Paperback Book

Description: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson Neal Stephenson hacks into the secret histories of nations and the private obsessions of men, decrypting with dazzling virtuosity the forces that have shaped the past century. He weaves together the cracking of the Axis codes during WWII and the quest to establish a free South East Asian data haven for digital information in the present. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description A brilliant patchwork of codebreaking mathematicians and their descendants who are striving to create a data-haven in the Philippines...trust me on this one GuardianA gripping and page-turning thriller that explores themes of power, information, secrecy and war in the twentieth century. From the author of the three-volume historical epic The Baroque Cycle and Seveneves.In his legendary, sprawling masterpiece, Neal Stephenson hacks into the secret histories of nations and the private obsessions of men, decrypting with dazzling virtuosity the forces that shaped this century.In 1942, Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse - a mathematical genius and young Captain in the U.S. Navy - is assigned to Detachment 2702, an outfit so secret that only a handful of people know it exists. Some of those people have names like Churchill and Roosevelt.Their mission is to keep the Nazis ignorant of the fact that Allied Intelligence has cracked the enemys fabled Enigma code. Waterhouse is flung into a cryptographic chess match against his German counterpart - one where every move determines the fate of thousands.In the present day, Waterhouses crypto-hacker grandson, Randy, is attempting to create a "data haven" in Southeast Asia where encrypted data can be stored and exchanged free of repression and scrutiny. Joining forces with the tough-as-nails Amy, Randy attempts tosecretly salvage a sunken Nazi submarine that holds the key to keeping the dream of a data haven afloat.But their scheme brings to light a massive conspiracy with its roots in Detachment 2702 - and an unbreakable Nazi code called Arethusa. There are two ways this could go- towards unimaginable riches and a future of personal and digital liberty - or towards a totalitarian nightmare...Profound and prophetic, hypnotic and hyperactive, Cryptonomicon is a work of great art, thought and creative daring, the product of a ingenious imagination working with white-hot intensity. Notes Bound together by the thread of cryptography, this novel ranges across the years from the breaking of the Enigma codes to freedom and security on the Internet. It is Stephensons deft handling of the characters that carries the plot along, rather than the dialogue and the plot, making this both a great historical thriller and an homage to cyberculture. Definitely an author to watch. Author Biography Neal Stephenson is the bestselling author of Reamde, Anathem; the three-volume historical epic the Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World); Cryptonomicon; The Diamond Age; Snow Crash, which was named one of Time magazines top one hundred all-time best English-language novels; and Zodiac. He lives in Seattle, Washington. Review Cryptonomicon, a novel of such ambition and intensity that most modern fiction looks timid and shallow in comparison... * Guardian *Cryptonomicon was dauntingly vast: brilliant, splenetic, paranoid and beguiling in roughly equal measures... Stephensons...thrilling fluency * TLS *An audaciously conceived tale of code-making and code-breaking * New York Times *A brilliant patchwork of codebreaking mathematicians and their descendants who are striving to create a data-haven in the Philippines...trust me on this one * Guardian *Pynchon meets Gibson in the biggest novel of the season * Time Out * Promotional A brilliant patchwork of codebreaking mathematicians and their descendants who are striving to create a data-haven in thePhilippines...trust me on this one Guardian Kirkus US Review Stephensons prodigious new yam (after The Diamond Age, 1995, etc.) whirls from WWII cryptography and top-secret bullion shipments to a present-day quest by computer whizzes to build a data haven amid corporate shark-infested waters, by way of multiple present-tense narratives overlaid with creeping paranoia. In 1942, phenomenally talented cryptanalyst Lawrence Waterhouse is plucked from the ruins of Pearl Harbor and posted to Bletchley Park, England, center of Allied code-breaking operations. Problem: having broken the highest German and Japanese codes, how can the Allies use the information without revealing by their actions that the codes have been broken? Enter US Marine Raider Bobby Shaftoe, specialist in cleanup details, statistical adjustments, and dirty jobs. In the present, meanwhile, Waterhouses grandson, the computer-encryption whiz Randy, tries to set up a data haven in Southeast Asia, one secure from corporate rivals, nosy governments, and inquisitive intelligence services. He teams up with Shaftoes stunning granddaughter, Amy, while pondering mysterious e-mails from , whos developed a weird but effective encoding algorithm. Everything, of course, eventually links together. During WWII, Waterhouse and Shaftoe investigate a wrecked U-boat, discovering a consignment of Chinese gold bars, and sheets of a new, indecipherable code. Code-named Arethusa, this material ends up with Randy, presently beset by enemies like his sometime backer, The Dentist. He finds himself in a Filipino jail accused of drug smuggling, along with Shaftoes old associate, Enoch Root (!). Since his jailers give him his laptop back, he knows someones listening. So he uses his computing skills to confuse the eavesdroppers, decodes Arethusa, and learns the location of a huge hoard of gold looted from Asia by the Japanese. Detail-packed, uninhibitedly discursive, with dollops of heavy-handed humor, and set forth in the authors usual vainglorious style; still, theres surprisingly little actual plot. And the huge chunks of baldly technical material might fascinate NSA chiefs, computer nerds, and budding entrepreneurs, but ordinary readers are likely to balk: showtime, with lumps. (Kirkus Reviews) Prizes Short-listed for Arthur C. Clarke Award 2000 Review Text Cryptonomicon , a novel of such ambition and intensity that most modern fiction looks timid and shallow in comparison... Review Quote Cryptonomicon , a novel of such ambition and intensity that most modern fiction looks timid and shallow in comparison... Promotional "Headline" A brilliant patchwork of codebreaking mathematicians and their descendants who are striving to create a data-haven in the Philippines...trust me on this one Guardian Details ISBN0099410672 Author Neal Stephenson Year 2000 ISBN-10 0099410672 ISBN-13 9780099410676 Format Paperback Publication Date 2000-04-27 Imprint Arrow Books Ltd Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom DEWEY 823 Media Book Publisher Cornerstone Short Title CRYPTONOMICON Language English Residence Seattle, WA, US Pages 928 UK Release Date 2000-04-27 AU Release Date 2000-04-27 NZ Release Date 2000-04-27 Audience General Alternative 9781446440520 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:906883;

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