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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
WWII combat and atrocities, including scenes of mass violence; the horror of combat depicted through Shaftoe's experience
Language
A lot
Strong adult language throughout
Sexual Content
Some
Some sexual content; adult relationships in both timelines
Substance Use
Barely any
Social drinking; wartime substance use
Emotional Intensity
Barely any
The moral weight of wartime deception; violence witnessed by soldier characters
What this book is about
Interweaving two storylines sixty years apart, Cryptonomicon follows mathematician Lawrence Waterhouse helping crack Axis codes in WWII alongside marine Bobby Shaftoe, while in the present, Lawrence's grandson Randy Waterhouse and his business partners try to establish a data haven in Southeast Asia. Stephenson's enormous, technically demanding novel is a love letter to cryptography, information theory, and the question of who should control the world's secrets. Deeply researched, wildly inventive, and occasionally demanding of the reader's patience.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Intense WWII combat and atrocity sequences
Technical density that may challenge some readers
Adult content throughout
Reader Verification
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