The title of this novel is a play on Necronomicon, the title of a book mentioned in the stories of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The Cryptonomicon of Stephenson's story, however, is a "cryptographer's bible" summarizing America's knowledge of cryptography and cryptanalysis. The story zooms all over the world and spins back and forth between two time periods, World War II and the present. Nominated for a Hugo award.
