Cryptonomicon

I've had my head in Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon for the past few weeks. Seriously, at a thousand-over pages, its not one to knock over in an evening. But it is a fantastic tale. Actually more like three tales in one. It makes me wonder how he does it. The writing is like stream of consciousness, and I guess it would need to be judging how prolific he is (I haven't even started on the baroque cycle). Yet if mere mortals like you or I would try this, I am pretty sure the result would be pure tripe. Cryptonomicon is anything but. I am dazzled and intrigued by the miscellaneous tangential twists and turns of the narrative, and the incredibly inventive detail that scatter the way, like breadcrumbs leading to a safe haven. Little things such as his similes. .. dead-monitor-screen grey.. Now isn't that brilliant? Surely deserves a named place in the CSS Color Palette if I were the judge! And subtle digs that flit by if you are not paying attention. "You know what that is? It's one of those men-are-from-venus, women-are-from-mars things" "I have not heard this phrase but I understand immediately what you are saying." "It's one of those American books where once you've heard the title you don't even need to read it," Randy says. Oh so true. "Then I won't." Priceless!