Short review - switching between two eras, this book tells a story of codes (making, breaking, and what they all imply). Nuggets of truth are wrapped in two stories with many crossovers. Neal Stephenson's humor was a welcome sight. Good qualities aside, this book is too long. I am not implying it could have been broken into two books easily - the story is too interconnected for that - but editing could have tightened things up considerably. Only 15 years old, the "current day" story shows too much age. Finally, there was way too much focus on ejaculation. 3½ stars.

Amendment - now that I have read a bit about the Baroque Cycle, I see that this book is a mostly required lead-in. Will be tackling those in the near future.