Deciphering

Name: Deciphering
ISBN: 9787538728125

陈雨涵Jun 2015

3.2

Word count: 233K words
Chapters: 22
ISBN: 9787538728125

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Summary

There is a battlefield without gunpowder, yet with slaughter—a crueler destruction of human nature. There is a group of heroes without names, only code names, yet their deeds will live on forever. Cryptography warfare—deciphering the hidden wisdom; espionage warfare—the deadly schemes deep behind enemy lines. One book to understand the making and breaking of military codes. One book to see through the intricate world of spies, counter-spies, and multiple agents across nations. One book to commemorate and praise the countless nameless heroes who fought for victory.

Editor's review

This book places codebreaking and espionage on the same narrative thread: on one side, a contest of technology and logic; on the other, the pull of human nature, trust, and betrayal. It is not content to catalog legendary exploits but tries to explain how ciphers were made and broken, so readers understand the thinking behind the struggle for intelligence; meanwhile, threads such as multiple spies and counterintelligence convey the complexity of the situation. Reading it yields both an introduction to military history and secure communications and a sense of the price paid by the unnamed in the shadows. It suits readers interested in espionage, cryptography, and military history as an introductory work, and can also be read in concentrated sessions on a commute or weekend as an extension beyond film and television. Those expecting strict scholarly annotation or mathematical derivation should look for a specialized monograph instead.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Introductory readers interested in code warfare, espionage, and military history
Viewers who enjoy spy films and television and want to understand the logic of real intelligence confrontation
General readers hoping to acquire basic knowledge of secure communications and ciphers
Writers or planners of spy-themed works who need background material

Not a good fit for

Professional readers seeking mathematical derivation and algorithmic detail in cryptography
Researchers who prefer rigorous historical verification and require full annotation
Readers sensitive to dark elements such as violence and betrayal
Young readers; the book's content on war and the destruction of humanity requires adult guidance

Reading tips

Read the sections on making and breaking ciphers first to establish basic concepts before entering the spy thread
Keep paper and pen to sort out the various factions and spy identities and avoid confusing the threads
After each chapter, retell in your own words how key intelligence changed the situation
Pair with standard military history or introductory cryptography materials to verify background concepts

版权信息
第一回难解的明码电报
第二回两份日军的密电
第三回两套六位数密码
第四回军统破译出密电
第五回密室里的凶杀案
第六回天才的密码少女
第七回照片当中藏秘密
第八回破译出“飞雪行动”
第九回《水乡夜游图》之谜
第十回 “虎！虎！虎！”与“东风，雨”
第十一回破译珍珠港密电
第十二回古宅连环凶杀案
第十三回意乱情迷少女心
第十四回破译玫瑰花奇谜
第十五回 “AWT”密码的研究
第十六回邮局的密语电报
第十七回一封书信的秘密
第十八回神秘的特潜名单
第十九回汉语的漏格密码
第二十回高级密码的破译
后记

FAQ

Is the cryptography knowledge in the book hard to understand?

Overall it is popular-science and narrative in approach, focused on explaining the basic thinking behind making and breaking ciphers, and does not require a advanced mathematics background. If you encounter terminology, you can skip it for now and hold on to the main line of who controls information and how information changes action; this lowers the threshold for reading.

Is it suitable for children?

Independent reading by young children is not recommended. The book involves heavy content such as war, killing, betrayal, and the destruction of humanity, which can easily cause unease; if teenagers are interested, parents or teachers should accompany them and discuss the ethics of espionage behavior and the cost of war.

Is it real history or a novel?

Judging from the introduction, the work takes code warfare and espionage as its subject and has the narrative aim of commemorating unsung heroes, but the materials do not state whether the specific people and events are factual or fictional. Readers can treat it as an introductory popular work; for historical facts, consult authoritative sources separately and do not cite it directly as historical material.

Can I learn to break ciphers after reading it?

Do not expect to reach a practical level. The book focuses more on principles and stories, helping readers understand codebreaking thinking and the complexity of intelligence warfare; to truly practice, you need to study the foundations of cryptography systematically and start with exercises in encoding and frequency analysis of classical ciphers.

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About the author

陈雨涵 Author

Chen Yuhan is an author about whom publicly available information is limited. The only confirmed work is a book titled Po Yi (Deciphering), which is commonly classified under war and military fiction. At present, details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, and writing career cannot be established, making a full account of the author's literary output difficult. Judging from the genre of Po Yi, Chen Yuhan's writing may center on military operations, codebreaking, or battlefield intelligence, with attention to suspense and plot development, and may seek to present characters' judgments and choices against the backdrop of war. Because only this single work is held in the collection, there is insufficient material to assess the full range of the author's style, thematic scope, or actual influence among readers, and excessive evaluation would be inappropriate. The above introduction is based solely on the available bibliographic information and may be supplemented if further works or materials come to light.