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Cryptonomicon is a sprawling novel by Neal Stephenson that is more a combination of historical fiction and contemporary techno-thriller than the science fiction of Stephenson's earlier works. It follows two parallel sagas: that of cryptographers from World War II attempting to crack Axis codes (see U-413, U-553, U-691, Enigma machine, Alan Turing, Bletchley Park), and that of their descendants attempting to use modern cryptography to build a data haven in a fictitious East Asian island state. It also details the political machinations that follow both efforts.
The title is drawn indirectly from the Necronomicon, a fictional work detailed within the works of the writer H. P. Lovecraft, even though when Stephenson came up with his title, he was not aware of the word's origin. He was directly inspired by the book's appearance in the Evil Dead series of comedic horror films.
Cryptonomicon is notably heavy going for non-technical readers in parts. Several pages are spent explaining in detail some of the concepts behind cryptography. For an example see below, past the spoiler warning. Despite the technical detail, the book drew praise from both Stephenson's science fiction fan base and literary critics and buyers.
The French and Spanish translations divide the book in three tomes.
The Cryptonomicon book, described as a cryptographer's bible, that appears within the novel itself is a fictional book invented by Neal Stephenson for the plot purposes of his book and does not exist in reality.
Stephenson includes a precise description of (and indeed a Perl script for) the Solitaire cipher (called Pontifex in the book), a cryptographic algorithm developed by Bruce Schneier for use with a deck of playing cards, as part of the plot.
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