Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson

Though I still love Stephenson's writing, I must admit that I did not enjoy this book as much as his others that I have read. My best guess as to why is that the half of the book set in the present time just don't appeal to my imagination. I loved the parts set during World War II, but the present parts just weren't as engaging. Granted, this could be because of the insane amount of techno-babble, but then I was perfectly fine with the mathematical and scientific discourse in The System of the World and Anathem. I once again come to the conclusion that I prefer cultures that are inherently different from my own. This is why I love medieval history but am bored by American history, and why I enjoy reading science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction more often than modern fiction. Reading is a form of escapism for me, and it is very difficult to escape into something that looks exactly like the world in which I already live.

That being said, I did enjoy this book, and still consider Stephenson to be one of our most talented contemporary authors. I am, however, glad that I read The System of the World first, since I don't know that I would have read it had I read Cryptonomicon first.