Re-reading Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon I realize how much it primed me for Bitcoin

I must have read this eye opening book about 20 years ago. Rereading it today, I realize how it prepared me to see the ingenuity of Bitcoin when I first heard about it.

Back then, cryptography was an extremely nerdy topic and cryptocurrency was not invented. The book made me think about money and information in an abstract way.

Stephenson did a great job describing the shortcomings of fiat money and physical gold. Example: (Sub plot spoiler): when they arrived at a huge pile of gold bars in the middle of the jungle, they quickly realized that it's practically impossible to turn this treasure into money or move this pile without being discovered and robbed.

The book also does a great job describing the basic principles of cryptography to the reader. It takes a trip back into the days of WWII and tell stories about the enigma machine and Alan Turing.

I'd love to hear for others who liked Cryptonomicon. What other eye opening books are out there?