Hello once again. It has been a few weeks since I have posted anything, simply been extremely busy around Casa De' mucno.
I thought for something different I would start doing movie, book and television reviews since I c an be somewhat the media mole. My first take will reviewing the book Cryptonomicon. By Neal Stephenson. I have been a fan somewhat of Neal's since Snow Crash since I have an affinity for cyberpunk/steam punk and this fell into that genre quite handily.
Cryptonomicon is an 11oo plus page tome that dives head first into the realm of alternative history. Although the figures; Alan Turing, Douglas MacArthur are historical fact Neal's ability to bring them alive is definitely alternative. The book covers the period just prior to World War II to the "present", and, to go into the multilayered plots that Stephenson puts forth would be akin to juggling jello and take just as long as to clean up. Neal handles the logistics of these plots that are somehow supposed to come together by way of actual narrative and flashback. How these are handled is another thing. The nefarious things about Neal is that he can draw you in with these premises like spys, Marines, computer programmers gone bad, and make you want to turn the next page. This book kept me turning pages to see what would happen next. Thats just it, what was going to happen next wanted me to find out what would happen next and next and well you get the picture. There was no payoff. Somewhat like the best looking girl/guy in the class teasing you to the point of uber tension then not making the payoff or... it turns out to be akin to the menu picture at the restaurant, looks good but hey wasn't that supposed to be larger. Neal goes in so many different directions (oh and be sure to bring a dictionary since Neal has the vocabulary of a Rhodes scholar). That you actually want the book to payoff better than it does. Instead it felt as though the last 20 pages were pulled by some Hollywood hack that just wanted to end the book so he could go on to something else. Don't get me wrong, if you are a Neal Stephenson fan this is probably one of his best works aside from the Diamond Age. Neal is the only writer I know that can take the different plot devices, humor, adventure, romance, masturbation (manual override) , Japanese typecast camp officers, Marines, drug use, drug addiction, (damn I would hate to have the job of the copywriter that would have to write that one up for the ratings board for the movie) did I mention gold hunting, gold melting, gold sinking to bottom of the ocean. Did I mention as well there are misplaced loyalties, misplaced Nazis, misplaced submarines, misplaced cryptographers? And this is in just the first 500 pages. If you read this book be prepared for long discourses over the proper eating of Capn Crunch, Code breaking, the inter-relationships between the two.
Neal's ability to twine these together is one of his saving graces, any other author would fail horribly. The payoff just did not work for me since there really was no conclusion. Does Randy (the eventual lead protagonist) get the girl and the gold? What happens to the Dentist and his S/M wife. What about General Wing? And Enoch what is going on with him. Too many questions left unanswered and these are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Now I know Neal has started a new series that has Enoch Root back during the Baroque to Newtonian era (starts with a witch hanging) so maybe those questions could be cleared up as we go. Cryptonomicon starts in the pre-war torn era of China with a Marine formulating Haiku as his squad mates are attempting to depart Nanking before the Japanese attack. I swear Neal's literature is like the best kiss you ever have when they open up only to find out 3 weeks into the relationship that you married a space alien (although from some relationships I have had, that wouldn't be such a bad thing). My rating scale is based on a 1-5 scale and Neal's tome receives a 2 out of 5. Only get this one if you are a real fan. If not grab it from the library as an audio book.
Until next time when I review Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair. Happy reading.
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