Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1) by Neal Stephenson
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Book Reviews of Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1)
Book Review: More speculative history from Neal....
Summary: 5 Stars
Several of the reviewers have pointed out the supposed departure of Mr. Stephenson from his previously published genre. Having invested the time to burn through all of his increasingly heavier tomes, I would have to say - "Depends on your intepretation". David Brin advocates renaming true science fiction (as opposed to the science fantasy portion of the genre) as speculative history, into which this work falls squarely as sort of speculative science history. Only Snow Crash is neither baroque-feeling and futurist (in fact, it is more nearly a work of absurdist humour). The Diamond Age - which I name among my all-time favourites is a work of alternate future history - with a heavy 19th century influence. Cryptonomicon & Zodiac have very little futurist about them, the former exploring the work of prominent historical contributors to the field of cryptography. So I say to those reviewers, this is the same sort of work - wherein I unexpectedly learned about the emergence of science in our culture. So I guess it is obvious that I am still a fan of Mr. Stephenson.I say all this with the confession that nearly my entire collection is the work of futurists, and maybe my advancing years have softened my opinion on creations that exist outside of this narrow genre.
John Bucknell, Age 32
Book Review: Great book
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're a fan of Stephenson's previous works (most notably Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash), you'll notice improvements in Stephenson's writing style - and I don't mean the [by today's standards] intentional spelling mistakes or capitalizations within sentences. The way this book is delivered creates an authentic sense of the 17th century and this sense is not lost even when Stephenson includes his traditional way of bluntly describing some events. Most of the main character names are recycled from Cryptonomicon ala King's "Desperation" and "The Regulators", but unlike King the roles for these characters remain the same. The changes in literary medium - from third person to letters to play - throughout the book make for an interesting read and change of pace. The action in this book is, however, slow, so if you're looking for the 17th century recreation of Cryptonomicon, this is not it. I enjoyed this book, and look forward to the remaining two books in the series.I am not a history buff, so any little annoying changes Stephenson may have made to actual character names like he has in previous books (i.e. "Finux" for "Linux" and "L. Bob Rife" for "L. Ron Hubbard") were lost on me which I think made the book that much more enjoyable.
Book Review: The start of it all...
Summary: 5 Stars
In Quicksilver, Stephenson provides an extremely well-researched and compelling account of the development of the modern world, as a biproduct of the philosophical, religious, and social changes which took place in the post-Rennaissance world.
For those of you who only read books in order to discover interesting bits of trivia, I pose the question: Why would you read a thousand page book just for trivia? Nevertheless, QS weaves in all kind of interesting facts about London before it burnt down, the development of natural philosophy (now lovingly referred to as science), and the interplay of commerce as a driving force, both politically and intellectually.
What I found particularly compelling about QS and the entire Cycle in general, is that it provided a very interesting perspective on the world as it exists in 2006, as a result of the changes made in, before, and in the years after 1666. The changes which took place then, like it or not, are what made the world what it is today. Although it is probably possible to say that about many other epochs, if stated indirectly enough, the development of the new "system of the world" which began in QS provided a large amount of fodder for my contemplations on the state of the world, in which we live, today.
Book Review: I phant'sy I'm Hooked beyond Patrick O'Brian
Summary: 5 Stars
Disclaimer: this reviewer is a historickal addict. My mourning of the abrupt loss of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin cycle was partly relieved by a fortuitous encounter with David McCullouch's commendable John Adams biography. Getting wind of Quicksilver, and scanning it in a bookstore, I was tantalized by the tie-ins to Cryptonomicon, from Waterhouse to Root, to Shaftoe and Qwghlm. Thus impelled to a Christmas indulgence, my evenings were enriched for more than a month, with "partum" arriving too soon. What other reviews have neglected to mention is the wonderful precision and wide-ranging richness of language and linguistic allusion Stephenson has given his readers, not to mention the devil-may-care interspersion of his own humourous, 21st century asides (easily accomodated). April 2004, the projected date of issue for Volume Two of the Baroque Cycle, "The Confusion", cannot come too soon. Will Daniel Waterhouse get his stone in a poke? What Persons of Quality will he encounter in Massachusetts? Will Jack resurface? (Some remarkable Deus ex machina for the pox will need be involved.) Will Eliza and her issue land safely in Qwghlm? And what more of "The Red"? All worth the wait, and damn all the quibblers for their stingy and specious elitism!Book Review: Neal Just Gets Better & Better
Summary: 5 Stars
The name may be Quicksilver but the read is hardly that. And I'm happy about it. This is a book that I simply could not put down. History, politics, science, philosophy and quite a bit of humour all find their way into Neal's current opus. He has chosen a time and place (actually several times & places) that today can be looked back on as watershed years for all the subjects he has chosen to cover.Does he ramble on? Yes. Does he provide too much detail on some aspects and not enough on others? Yes. But at no point are you not entertained and enlightened. And that to me is the key. Not only did I learn more about Newton, Hooke, Leibniz, Huygens and Pepys from Mr. Stephenson, I actually spent many hours researching these and other historical figures and historical events during and after my read.
This book is not for everyone but there is something in it for NEARLY everyone. Neal's previous works such as Snow Crash, Zodiac and most obviously Cryptonomicon were mere lead off hitters for this grand slam.
I truly cannot wait for the 2 follow ups that Neal has promised in 2004. I may just book a few days off immediately after their release so I can devote my full time to losing myself in their pages as I did with Quicksilver.