Quicksilver (Baroque Cycle Series #1)

people who rate this below a 4 don't get it.

Thusfar all the 'complaints' regarding this book are that it's too long, the dialog is too stiff, and that there's no plot. History doesn't have a plot. Life doesn't have a plot. This book is a portrait of what life was like in the 1600's. It's not a neatly packaged story with a clear beginning and ending. Think of the Baroque Cycle books as a history lesson with personality. If you don't like history, or don't care about how aspects of our lives came to pass, then this isn't the book for you. As for the 'passivity' of the characters in the story... in order to maintain the historical integrity of real world events the *fictional characters* kinda need to be passive. Daniel Waterhouse doesn't do anything of consequence because Daniel Waterhouse didn't really exist... what would you have him do? Invent something? Cure something? Kill someone? Daniel Waterhouse is the camera-man through which we can watch Neal Stephenson's retelling of real-world history. If you want pure fiction, look elsewhere. This is a masterfully disguised history lesson.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Stephenson has done much better

As a Stephenson fan, I opened this book with high hopes. Alas, they were quickly dashed. He shovels up mountainous descriptions of landscapes and architecture and period costumery, religious and political and scientific intrigues, but all to no purpose in advancing the action. A second flaw is that he pastes much of this description into dialogue form, making conversations between the characters stilted and artificial. Stephenson is undeniably brilliant; but he needs to cut more and write tighter. What might have been a decent 400-page story unfortunately balloons to 900+ pages.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Startling

The author brings to life what may well be the most important decades of western civilisation

Wow

A must read!

Warning

If you're not into 17th century European history, this may not be for you.It took me a couple weeks to wade through this monster,and to what end? This is time I will not get back. Parts of it were humorous and interesting, but too many of its 1093 pages were just boring. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS!

Gives me a headache just looking at the cover.

I tried to read this book many years ago. As much as I loved Cryptonomicon I did not like Quicksilver. I finally had to give up. Years later it still bothers me. I am, however, going to put "REAMDE" on my wish list and give Neal Stephenson another try. Cryptonomicon was that good.

On my all-time top 10 list

Although this is fictional and staged during one of the greatest periods of scienctific discovery, it is not science fiction. The many historical characters act and perform as they did in their exciting times. Questioning everything, from science to religion to financial systems to governmental forms, the delightfully real and fictional characters live each day to learn, educating the reader at the same time. Lest this 1000 page volume 1 of the Baroque Trilogy sound daunting, rest assured that the creative inclusion of lovable scoundrels keep you laughing and wondering what mess is around the next corner. A sure bet for avid readers with scientific, financial, historical, or philosophical interests.

inflappably incredible

this and its two sequels are the a great way to escape into a past that might have been with a touch here and there of 'hmmm' and a lot more hilarity. Go Neal Go

Not that good

I read to about pg 700 and decided that there wasnt much story to it. I dont recommend it to anyone that wants and interesting, climatic book. The characters aren't that great and are forced into just about everything, even though it is historically accurate.

Interesting alternate to alternate history

Modification to actual events in the process of delivering a subtle message about current events is difficult writing. Stephenson seems to be able to do this without much effort-thought provoking, but not a hard sell.

A Fantastic Epic

It seems fair to say that this book would not have made a good movie. The plot has an infinite number of tangents, the pacing is meticulous, the dialogue and descriptions are mercilessly overwhelming, and the multitudes of characters, family trees, and titles of nobility are so extensive could easily go mad, or at least frustrated. That said, as a book¿no, as a novel¿better yet, as an epic, this is easily one of the greatest and most entertaining pieces of historical literature ever written. Far from being just a instructive illustration on seventeenth century Europe (a task which it fulfills accurately and entirely), this first volume of the Baroque Cycle is infused with the type of humor and wit that manages to poke fun at every misfortune of the social lives of its subjects, from the failures and absurdities of government, to the trials on the quest for knowledge, even to the universal paradox of dealing with women (especially concerning Shaftoe¿s infatuation with Eliza). While at times it can feel a little heavy and even mentally draining, Stephenson¿s prose presents even familiar subjects in a surprisingly inventive manner, managing to depict the times with instances of jargon and empiricism without losing the author¿s colloquial and always humorous tone. Be warned, this is no light read. Not to say that it is boring, for it is far from it. Rather, the book is so incredibly dense that even at their vast length, cramming close to a century¿s worth of European history into each volume must¿ve been a daunting task. For those who wish for a standard novel, complete with its formulaic plot, conflicts, climax, solution, etc., stay away. This book isn¿t that. It¿s more than that. Each of it¿s close to 1,000 pages is rich in humor, most of which is so subtle that failing to notice defeats the author¿s purpose: to present a single yet interesting period in history in the most entertaining and enjoyable fashion. You may feel intimidated and overwhelmed at first, but stay with it. Your high school history class was never this exciting.

Alright

This was okay...it gets kind of tedious but it is ok if you have a lot of free time. I think it isn't a complete waste of time, but it isn't all that great. I think all of N. Stephenson's other books were really good, though.

i'm cycling away!

never have i struggled so long and so fruitlessly to finish any book. the thought of two more to go makes my blood run cold. how can someone write over 2700 pages in which nothing exactly happens? the main character wanders through his scenes, observing and reporting on the action, but never exactly participating in anything that's going on. he's present at some remarkable events, but none of them seem to make any particular impression on him, or us. people spend pages telling you what happened elsewhere, although we don't get to go there to actually see for ourselves. if daniel waterhouse gets any more passive he won't have the energy to breathe. eliza is completely unbelievable. jack shaftoe, for whom i harbored hopes, as he at least seemed to have some energy beyond talking, talking, talking is irrational. i loved cryptonomicon, and i looked forward so eagerly to this trilogy. yes, it was an interesting time in history - if you like long discussions on obscure scientific topics and lots of stuffy englishmen jockeying for positions that don't seem to have much worth. do we ever get to know any of the great scientific minds that are supposedly the focus? well, no. why, why, why? i have to give up - there are books out there where things actually happen, they happen to the characters in the book, who are involving and interesting. it's like being locked in a room with zelig!

Rambling

Unless you enjoy long rambling descriptions and stilted dialogue, I would recommend going with another choice (e.g. any other Stephenson novel). Stephenson's dialogue is normally sharp and quick with descriptions that convey everything with a satirical overtone. This is forced and sheer drudgery to wade through. I barely finished the first volume (and losing the struggle to complete the second) and only then by reading other works to relieve the montony. I am a huge fan of the author's in general, but very disappointed with this effort. A note for the editors: sometimes less really _is_ more.

More Great Stuff from Stephenson

Very good book if you like historical fiction; might even draw you into the genre if you're not a fan already! I do kind of long for the older, high-tech stuff Neal used to write (and new guy John Robert Marlow writes now; see novel called NANO).

Massively Entertaining Scope

Daniel Waterhouse is summoned to return to Europe from Massachusetts to resolve a dispute between prominent mathematicians Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. During his voyage, which is interrupted by pirates, he works on a chronicle of his past, which is set against a rich tapestry of religious, political and scientific revolutions. Daniel evolves from a young Puritan roommate of Isaac Newton to courtier and natural philosopher of the Royal Society. While Daniel follows the great scientific minds of the era, Jack Shaftoe, vagabond extraordinaire, careens through colorful misadventures all over Europe. He rescues the bright and beautiful Turkish slave Eliza from the siege of Vienna. Together, they travel across Europe to Amsterdam, home to budding financial markets. Eliza's quest for fortune and revenge on her enslaver lead her deep into political plots and catapult her to Paris where she captures the attention of the King. Jack moves on in his adventures and attracts a different kind of attention altogether. As the fortunes of kings and countries rise and fall, the paths of our intrepid characters twist and cross over the vast scope of history. Quicksilver is not science fiction in the classic sense - do not expect aliens, futuristic technology or time-travel. Quicksilver is historical fiction that takes place in the 17th and 18th centuries. Large portions of the book cover the birth of modern science and math. Other broad subjects encompass European political intrigue, war and the development of financial markets. But this is no dry, tame history - this is alive and kicking. Having read Stephenson's book Cryptonomicon adds an extra dimension of interest to reading Quicksilver, since the main characters are ancestors of the characters in Cryptonomicon. The one exception is Enoch Root who appears in both books and is apparently ageless. Quicksilver does not have a neat resolution, and contains a large amount of set up material - it is very obviously the first book in the trilogy. It is also massive, and with two more massive books to follow, you need to be prepared to devote a serious amount of time to this series. Nobody can deny that Stephenson is wordy, but for such a long book, there weren't too many places where I found my attention wandering. Stephenson keeps things moving along even during some fairly detailed explanations of science or politics. He also plays around with different styles of writing, such as writing a chapter as if it was a period play. It gives a feel for the times as well as varying the pace. The three lead characters balance each other out nicely. Daniel can be a very passive character, which contrasts with Eliza's plotting and scheming. Just when the going gets too heavy, Jack provides physical action and comic relief. The main trio interact with an enormous cast of characters and one of the things I like best about Stephenson's writing is that he takes time to make even his secondary characters interesting.

Take it piece by piece.

I am reading this book for the second time. Realizing I'd read it too fast the first time around, I now will read just a section of this book in the morning and a bit at night (just like it says roughly 500 pages in) and meditate on what I read through my days. During the first reading I constantly forgot where and when and with whom I was. Now, I'm merely nibbling away and understanding much more. The dramatis personae is enormous! if you have trouble with this book then remember: the most important part is the chapter headings and times. If you read sectionally you will understand it better. It takes focus to make this book come to life as Neal intended. It's by no means a 'page-turner'--you should be a little lost.

STAY WITH IT! IT'S WORTH IT!

To all those who are discouraged by the book's length (hell, its weight)STAY WITH IT. History hasn't been this much fun in a long time. Hey! We read King's entended version of The Stand, didn't we? We read A Hundred Years of Solitude, didn't we? We stayed the course for the Rondevous with Rama series, despite its weak ending, didn't we. My god, we waited 12 years for Jean Auel's last book, didn't we!? Stephenson's next two are already scheduled for release. Stay the course. It's just going to be more fun.

Tedious and not worth the read

God only knows but I have tried to work my way page by page but it takes way too much effort to attain the now and again plums of insight or imagery that the author does provide. The conversations role on and on literally sometimes about the most trivial of facts. Sorry, but this is a novel for those who want to go to sleep while reading.

Just take your time

For the most part A long, rambling series of plotless events. But very enjoyable if you like this period of history. As usual Stephenson draws a vivid picture of the world he creates. In the end I could feel Daniel¿s pain.