Cryptonomicon    by Neal Stephenson Order:  USA  Can Avon, 2000 (1999) Hardcover, Softcover, Audio Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Wesley Williamson Cryptonomicon is a densely plotted, many sided novel, shifting in time between World War II and the present. In it we meet Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse, a mathematician and friend of Alan Turing. Waterhouse joins detachment 2702, a group dedicated to preventing the Nazis from learning that their codes are being read by the Allies - a pivotal event in the progress of the war. Muscle for detachment 2702 is provided by Bobby Shaftoe, a Marine Raider. Moving forward to the present time, the story follows Waterhouse's grandson, a crypto-hacker. Randy Waterhouse is involved in setting up a data haven in the South Pacific and in the process meets Amy, the granddaughter of Bobby Shaftoe. Randy becomes entangled in salvaging gold from a Nazi submarine --- just to begin with. Cryptonomicon is very well done. The science is persuasive, the many characters are well drawn and interesting, and the imagination never flags. This is a very different novel from Stephenson's earlier The Diamond Age but at least as well written. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more SF books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews