Early designs of the digital computer are ascribed to Waterhouse, including an extraordinary type of RAM using organ pipes. As it is a novel, the author takes many liberties, and we are introduced to two fictional cryptologists and friends of Turing - Rudy von Hacklbacker and Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse. For those interested in the mechanics of the Enigma machine, the novel contains by far the best explanation of its working that I have read. In the historical strand, various fictional and real characters (principally Alan Turing) are involved in the code-breaking effort at Bletchley Park and elsewhere. I have not seen a novel reviewed in these pages before, but this one seems worthy of bringing to a wider audience, and I feel that the readership of C Vu might be a good target.Ĭoncerns itself with two principal timelines the first is the Second World War from just prior to Pearl Harbour, and the second is the present day. For an all round good read and, for most of us, a chance to learn something into the bargain, this book is hard to beat.
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