Neal Stephenson
Cryptonomicon

If in some cases the essence of a masterpiece is immediately perceptible, in others it is initially hidden, waiting to be discovered: a painting instantly reveals its beauty, a record needs to be listened to, and a book needs to be read, etc. Sure, some details can hint at something, and it is precisely in this case that - in my opinion - sometimes the literary masterpiece has both the form and the substance of a masterpiece.

Often, very often, as heavy as the Bible and as tough as the Divine Comedy, the thousand-page block of "Cryptonomicon" has the WEIGHT of a masterpiece that reveals it right away.

Released in '99 at the dawn of the new century, it is, at least for me, the most wonderfully beautiful book a) in the world b) by that genius Neal Stephenson, a pearl that follows his other immense works, luminous milestones of literature like "Snowcrash" and "The Diamond Age" (but this one is fuller, more narrated, more resounding), and it's okay if this time it comes out for a major instead of Shake editions.
As this is the most beautiful book in the world, I have given it as a gift many times, but no one has ever thanked me: too long, too boring, etc. etc. now I am gifting it through a review to those among you who do not know it, hoping to sow better (and see something grow).

Ironical and witty, cynical and hyper-documented, Stephenson is the master of the futurible ("Snowcrash" is considered the godfather of Second Life) but here he futurizes little. Here he tells a story. And he does it as only he - but truly only he - knows how. Multiple stories intertwine in a tangle from which you emerge not only alive but so satisfied you pray for more: while many have pointed out that the endings of our author, after a long unraveling of phantasmagoric pages, are often a bit rushed (I cannot entirely disagree with them, indeed), here I agree that the ending reveals itself as a bit "flat" and somewhat simplistic, but I mostly agree with those who wrote that there is a certain disappointment with the ending mainly because such a vivid and full book - unfortunately - is over.

Stephenson's tour de force takes us from World War II to our days, narrating the stories of various characters: those from then, like Lawrence Waterhouse, the mathematical genius cryptographer in the service of Her Majesty, Bobby Shaftoe, the marine specialized in borderline missions, the Japanese soldier Goto Dengo, and the mysterious and almost magical Enoch Root, as well as those from today, the grandchildren of the first two, the - conveniently - computer genius Randy Waterhouse and the tough Amy Shaftoe, the vile Andrew Loeb (Randy's nemesis), along with a handful of others, including amusing cameos involving characters like McArthur, Yamamoto, Alan Turing, etc. etc.

Synthesizing the plot that Stephenson unravels here is like explaining the fall of the Roman Empire and the entire Middle Ages up to the Renaissance in three lines, yet in summary, we have the brave Randy deciding to create a completely secure place for storing computer data (the Crypt) in a rich mini-state like Brunei. Meeting Amy Shaftoe for laying underwater cables in the Philippines, they find themselves involved in an obviously long and intricate chain of events gradually focusing on recovering a gold treasure buried during the war by the Germans and the Japanese right in the Philippines. Gold to which - obviously - many other people are also interested, not all of them nice and kind.

The book has many ruthlessly mathematical and/or internet-computer-related parts, traversing which can vary from boring to amusing, obviously depending on who reads it. I never got tired of them and interpreted them as the rosemary to put in the sauce: some like it, some don't. If one doesn't like it, they don't put it in or, at most, don't eat it. Stephenson's writing is incomparable - simple and effective, from when he declaims to when he travels down to earth - and especially his humor. Inexhaustible. Eclectic. Eccentric. It pops up when you least expect it and floors you. Valid for all is the episode where Goto Dengo, after surviving an incredible series of adventures, finally seeks refuge in a Japanese camp and is asked - regardless of his skill with the machine gun and his engineering knowledge - to go bat hunting for food. Try it to believe it.