Set against the backdrop of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Quicksilver tells the intertwining tales of 3 unforgettable main charact...
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Jul 30, 2011
Kemper
rated it: 
(The following is an excerpt from the journal of Neal Stephenson.)
After the success of Cryptonomicon, I’m having some problems narrowing down my next project. The issue is that I have far too many ideas, and I can’t decide which plot to use for my next book.
I know that I want do something set during the late 17th century in Europe. It was an amazing time with huge changes in politics, culture, commerce and science, but there was just so much going on that I can’t see More...
After the success of Cryptonomicon, I’m having some problems narrowing down my next project. The issue is that I have far too many ideas, and I can’t decide which plot to use for my next book.
I know that I want do something set during the late 17th century in Europe. It was an amazing time with huge changes in politics, culture, commerce and science, but there was just so much going on that I can’t see More...
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Jan 16, 2011
Bryan
rated it: 
This book is just too vast to give justice to it in the few lines of this review that I might come up with now.
If you are ready to read this, here are some suggestions:
1) Start with Cryptonomicon first. You don't need to read this first, but it will help you get used to Stephenson's style, and you'll appreciate Quicksilver better having done so.
2) Before reading Quicksilver, spend some time brushing up on some basic English history. (Did you know that London b More...
If you are ready to read this, here are some suggestions:
1) Start with Cryptonomicon first. You don't need to read this first, but it will help you get used to Stephenson's style, and you'll appreciate Quicksilver better having done so.
2) Before reading Quicksilver, spend some time brushing up on some basic English history. (Did you know that London b More...
Jul 27, 2009
Mosca
rated it:
Although this is an admirable work, it is probably not the best book to read as an introduction to Neal Stephenson's work. This is not an easy read because the frequently tedious pace of the prose is a result of both Stephenson's strengths and weaknesses.
It is clear that this book is really the first book of a continous trilogy. (In fact it is the first three books of an eight book series) And because this trilogy will evidently involve complex plot lines and, abstruse (but important More...
It is clear that this book is really the first book of a continous trilogy. (In fact it is the first three books of an eight book series) And because this trilogy will evidently involve complex plot lines and, abstruse (but important More...
4 comments
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Feb 25, 2009
Jamie
rated it: 
I think it's official: I hate Neil Stephenson. I hated his so called cyberpunk classic Snow Crash --a fact that sets me apart from most of the nerdegalian-- and I really hated Quicksilver.
Quicksilver is kind of hard to classify, if you in fact insist on classifying it. It's kind of historical fiction in that it's set in the 17th and 18th century and follows the rise of empiricism and science. It features real people from that period, like Isaac Newton, Gotfried Leibniz, Robert Boyle, More...
Quicksilver is kind of hard to classify, if you in fact insist on classifying it. It's kind of historical fiction in that it's set in the 17th and 18th century and follows the rise of empiricism and science. It features real people from that period, like Isaac Newton, Gotfried Leibniz, Robert Boyle, More...
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Feb 25, 2009
Stephen
rated it:
Reading a huge 900+ page hardcover book with a seemingly open plot filled with pages of 17th century philosophical exposition and the requirement of reading two more books just like it may seem like a chore, but for me at least, Stephenson makes it fascinating. He reveals (or invents, at the very least) the inner workings of Isaac Newton, early Dutch stock market fraud, the invention of the calculus, and Turkish harems. This all serves as a backdrop for Daniel Waterhouse, Jack Shaftoe, and Eliza
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Jan 23, 2009
WK
rated it:
4.0/4.0
It's the Moby-Dick question.
The plot's about an angry guy chasing a whale. There's not a lot of variation on this theme: he catches it, or he doesn't. Maybe he catches it and wishes that he didn't, maybe he doesn't and regrets that he failed. But this basic plot, a straightforward quest for revenge, is such thin gruel that you'd have to be on the lower end of the intellectual spectrum to fail to realize that the book's about something a little bit more than hunting More...
It's the Moby-Dick question.
The plot's about an angry guy chasing a whale. There's not a lot of variation on this theme: he catches it, or he doesn't. Maybe he catches it and wishes that he didn't, maybe he doesn't and regrets that he failed. But this basic plot, a straightforward quest for revenge, is such thin gruel that you'd have to be on the lower end of the intellectual spectrum to fail to realize that the book's about something a little bit more than hunting More...
Jul 16, 2007
meg
rated it:
The first third of the book was generally plodding and lacking in any interesting protagonists (and no, I don't care that the oh-so-clever-writer added in as many famous characters as he could think of, they were still generally annoying). The second third showed much more promise, and was actually really fun, until the very end when everything got awful. Not like The-Empire-Strikes-Back-second-act-as-many-bad-things-happen-as-possible awful, though I think that's what the author was aiming fo
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Mar 15, 2011
William
rated it:
I loved Stephenson's "Snow Crash". Really liked "Cryptonomicon". But, this novel was terribly boring. It is divided into three books. Book 1 follows the scientist Dan Waterhouse. Book 2 followed Jack Shaftoe, King of the Vagabonds. Book 3 sees Eliza, a former slave girl, caught up in a spy ring between the French, English & Dutch governments. Sounds good, but it isn't. The writing is too long, and too detailed to remain focused on what should be important to the story...the s
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Jan 15, 2009
Scott
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Stephenson deserves an editor that will tell him to write less. The man prodigiously describes "cool" "fun" "interesting" events with such detail and precision that it usually loses its narrative flow. The guy has a command of the english language and is certainly fascinated by late 17th century and early 18th century goings-on that this feels like a historical narrative rather than historical fiction, yet the whole book feels like it was written in computer code;
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(3 people liked it)
Mar 06, 2011
Manny
rated it: 
I received an unexpected visit yesterday evening from a Mr. Nosnehpets, who told me he was a time-traveller and writer from the early 25th century. He had just published a historical novel, and wondered if I would do him the service of reviewing it.
"Why me?" I asked, bemused.
"Well," replied my visitor with an insinuating smile, "You appear in it more than once. You don't know it yet, but you're one of your period's major authors."
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"Why me?" I asked, bemused.
"Well," replied my visitor with an insinuating smile, "You appear in it more than once. You don't know it yet, but you're one of your period's major authors."
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(14 people liked it)
Aug 22, 2008
Dan
rated it:
This book is historical fiction at its best. It is jam packed with background on Europe in the 17th century: the wars, political machinations of the royalty, as well as the academic rivalries of continental and British natural philosophers and alchemists. Furthermore, the background of the characters is very well explained.
The book is structured in an interesting way, it consists of three books. "Quicksilver", "King of the Vagabonds", and "Odelisque." More...
The book is structured in an interesting way, it consists of three books. "Quicksilver", "King of the Vagabonds", and "Odelisque." More...
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(2 people liked it)
Sep 25, 2008
Jamie
rated it:
Not as riveting as Cryptonomicon but still a very good read, during which I covered my bookmark with notes of things to go look up later.
This volume is split into three books, each the size of a decent 300-page novel. The characters appear to be the ancestors of those in Cryptonomicon; i.e. Waterhouses and Shaftoes.
I really loved book one, which is set in 17th century England and follows the exploits of Daniel Waterhouse, an associate of Isaac Newton and other famous Natu More...
This volume is split into three books, each the size of a decent 300-page novel. The characters appear to be the ancestors of those in Cryptonomicon; i.e. Waterhouses and Shaftoes.
I really loved book one, which is set in 17th century England and follows the exploits of Daniel Waterhouse, an associate of Isaac Newton and other famous Natu More...
Feb 25, 2009
Brooke
rated it:
I went on a long Neal Stephenson kick a while back:
QUICKSILVER
I finished reading Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson about a month ago. This book took me almost two months to finish reading because it is so freaking long and epic. I really love Neal Stephenson. I've also read Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash. I highly recommend reading Cryptonomicon before Quicksilver, because you get to have the pleasure of seeing the family names of characters that lived in the 20th century poppin More...
QUICKSILVER
I finished reading Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson about a month ago. This book took me almost two months to finish reading because it is so freaking long and epic. I really love Neal Stephenson. I've also read Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash. I highly recommend reading Cryptonomicon before Quicksilver, because you get to have the pleasure of seeing the family names of characters that lived in the 20th century poppin More...
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Oct 04, 2011
Kerry
rated it:
I just finished reading this for the second time; I was loathe to dive into the Baroque Cycle again, because of the commitment involved: three volumes of nearly a thousand pages each, and you know how I feel about commitment.
But man is it great. So funny and clever and I learn SO MUCH (though since I'm learning nearly all of it all over again, clearly I didn't retain much the first time around.)
Uh, okay, quick synopsis? It takes place in the late seventeenth century, More...
But man is it great. So funny and clever and I learn SO MUCH (though since I'm learning nearly all of it all over again, clearly I didn't retain much the first time around.)
Uh, okay, quick synopsis? It takes place in the late seventeenth century, More...
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Jan 16, 2009
Margo
rated it:
I bought this book because it said on the cover that it was a "New York Time Bestseller". How can this be? The paperback version is 916 pages and I got to page eight hundred and sixty something and then couldn't take it anymore. It was one of the most boring books I've ever read in my entire life. There were only a couple interesting characters and of course they had the shortest sections in the book. I could saved myself the hassle and only read the 100 or so pages that were semi inte
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 31, 2009
Paul
rated it:
It's a huge tome, but well worth it. Where can you find Isaac Newton as a character among many, and I am close to positive that the most popular Caribbean pirate was modelled after Jack Shaftoe. Be advised that it's the first of a series of three. Pretty amazing, though!
Feb 25, 2009
Marisa
rated it:
Neal Stephenson is really interested in the same things I am... and he does make it all sound so fun... but the weakness of this book is its heavy reliance on historical characters, like newton, about whom one might have a different idea than he does. I think that Stephenson is also trying play with ideas and adopt a tone that is forever inching him away from the populist (but excellent) Snow Crash into a pynchonesque nerdville where most fear to tread. I wonder if he'll be able to pull it off
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Feb 17, 2009
Lizzy
rated it:
This was an overwhelming book to read, and it’s an overwhelming book to try to review. What is this book about? What isn’t it about would be a more appropriate question! Set in the late 1600s, it is separated into three books, which chronicle the adventures of the three main characters. We first meet Daniel Waterhouse, whose radical Puritan upbringing makes him somewhat of an outcast in post-Civil War England. His main pursuit in life is Natural Philosophy, and he enjoys the privilege of being a
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Feb 11, 2012
James
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 27, 2011
Nigel
rated it:
Well, I've been pleasurably wading through this slab of witty exposition for what feels like most of the year now, re-reading it, to be exact, and finding comfort in the chaos, warfare, catastrophe and upheaval of the late 1600s. Daniel Waterhouse wends his way back to England beset by pirates and recalls his formative years attending Cambridge with a young Isaac Newton. Raised by a religious extremist who believed the world would end in 1666 (obviously) and wanted Daniel to stand on the Cliffs
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Nov 13, 2011
Andreas
rated it:
This is the prequel to Cryptonomicon, although they are only vaguely related. The story focuses (as far as I can tell from the first hundred and fifty pages) on the heated debate between Newton and Leibniz on the nature of calculus. Or rather, on the notation that should be used to explain it. You don’t have to be interested in mathematics (no formulae so far), but it helps. The other interesting part is how the backdrop is shaped by events following the restoration of Charles II to the throne o
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Sep 05, 2011
manuti
rated it:
Con más de 6 meses de retraso y con 9 libros a la espalda (11 si contamos la saga de Azogue por separado), empiezo a escribir las reseñas de los libros que he leído en esta edición de mi particular iniciativa 12LxA.
El primer volumen, del primer libro del ciclo titulado "El sistema del mundo". Vale parece un trabalenguas, y creo que lo es. Se trata de que estos libros son una trilogía, y que cada uno de los libros lo han separado en volúmenes, en concreto el primer libro Azo More...
El primer volumen, del primer libro del ciclo titulado "El sistema del mundo". Vale parece un trabalenguas, y creo que lo es. Se trata de que estos libros son una trilogía, y que cada uno de los libros lo han separado en volúmenes, en concreto el primer libro Azo More...
Aug 13, 2011
Craig
rated it:
Wow... this book was dense. I read the vast bulk (two-thirds) of it in airports and on airplanes while on vacation, and I think that having nothing to distract me was a very good thing - there is just so much going on, and so much information, that I don't think I would have been able to make heads or tails of it otherwise.
Quicksilver follows the threads of three lives through the beginning of the Baroque period in Europe: Daniel Waterhouse, natural philosopher; Jack Shaftoe, Vagabon More...
Quicksilver follows the threads of three lives through the beginning of the Baroque period in Europe: Daniel Waterhouse, natural philosopher; Jack Shaftoe, Vagabon More...
Jul 27, 2011
Dave
rated it:
At times quite hard going with it's vast scope, serious nerdyness, and overtly rambling style, Quicksilver is quite a wonderful, majical book. Neil Stephenson shows off his obsession with seganography and other encryption techniques by hiding a whole novel in this book (hence it's so bloody long and the writing style is ornate). Even without that though it's a fascinating romp though one of the most critical points in the history of the world.
It covers the origins of science, technology, che More...
It covers the origins of science, technology, che More...
May 31, 2011
Mark
rated it:
I never really know whether I will be able to stand a given piece of history-based fiction until I get started on it. I tend to like the silly sort better (a book like Ragtime) but there are ones that are more 'serious' that I can also enjoy, such as Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. On the other hand, sometimes I hate the serious ones and sometimes I don't like the silly ones.
Quicksilver is both serious and silly at different times, and I liked 2/3 of it. I'm not sure right now if the More...
Quicksilver is both serious and silly at different times, and I liked 2/3 of it. I'm not sure right now if the More...
May 03, 2011
Daniel
rated it:
It seems people who have read 'Quicksilver' have either loved it or hated it. I'm sorry to say, I belong to the second group.
Neal Stephenson originally became one of my favorite all-time authors for 'Snow Crash', for I felt his prose was quick, sharp, precise and very enjoyable. I remained a fan throughout 'Cryptonomicon', because although he was no longer quick, his drawn-out discussions on Things Geek remained fascinating.
I was looking forward to 'Quicksilver', but I'm afraid this book has ser More...
Neal Stephenson originally became one of my favorite all-time authors for 'Snow Crash', for I felt his prose was quick, sharp, precise and very enjoyable. I remained a fan throughout 'Cryptonomicon', because although he was no longer quick, his drawn-out discussions on Things Geek remained fascinating.
I was looking forward to 'Quicksilver', but I'm afraid this book has ser More...
Dec 30, 2010
Cybergit
rated it:
Wonderful just wonderful!
One of the best, most inventive and mind bending books I've read in years.
If you like your fiction formulaic, procedural and devoid of complexity; then move on - nothing to read here! However, if, you want a challenge, then this is definitely the series for you.
Quicksilver is a seamless blend of; historical themes, locations, religion, philosophy, world changing events, mixed with a who's who of scientific greats from the 17th century. All More...
One of the best, most inventive and mind bending books I've read in years.
If you like your fiction formulaic, procedural and devoid of complexity; then move on - nothing to read here! However, if, you want a challenge, then this is definitely the series for you.
Quicksilver is a seamless blend of; historical themes, locations, religion, philosophy, world changing events, mixed with a who's who of scientific greats from the 17th century. All More...
Nov 19, 2010
Felix
rated it:
Yes! Stephenson again! This one’s quite different to Anatham, though, as it’s set in our very own universe, but in 17th century Europe during the enlightenment. I’ve been trying to find the time to hack into the gargantuan Baroque Quartet for years now and it was certainly worth the wait. I read this through Tibet and most of the Annapurna trek in Nepal. It’s a vastly intricate and complex (one could say Baroque) tale of discovery, intrigue, violence, romance and blithe curiosity about the world
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Aug 27, 2010
Karen
rated it:
I am so in love with the Baroque Cycle. Each time I read them, I pull new information from them.
In my latest foray through the cycle, I was reminded of the Alchemical Wedding. It's useful to think about it, since alchemy is the theme for the entire series. For an alchemical match, you need two volatile components and a neutral catalyst that changes all the elements into something new.
In this case, the three components are:
Daniel Waterhouse, an early member More...
In my latest foray through the cycle, I was reminded of the Alchemical Wedding. It's useful to think about it, since alchemy is the theme for the entire series. For an alchemical match, you need two volatile components and a neutral catalyst that changes all the elements into something new.
In this case, the three components are:
Daniel Waterhouse, an early member More...
Jul 16, 2010
Amanda
rated it:
It is so very hard to classify this book - the first in an extremely weighty trilogy (this book alone weighs in at over 900 pages!) Is it fantasy? Is it science fiction? It is historical? It most certainly is dense, dull, delightful and dry.
The book is split into three different sections. The first of these looks back on Daniel Waterhouse's early life in London and his association with the Royal Society and the pre-eminent philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers and scientists of t More...
The book is split into three different sections. The first of these looks back on Daniel Waterhouse's early life in London and his association with the Royal Society and the pre-eminent philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers and scientists of t More...
