≡ Download Quicksilver The Baroque Cycle Vol 1 Neal Stephenson 9780060593087 Books

Quicksilver The Baroque Cycle Vol 1 Neal Stephenson 9780060593087 Books

Download As PDF : Quicksilver The Baroque Cycle Vol 1 Neal Stephenson 9780060593087 Books

Quicksilver The Baroque Cycle Vol 1 Neal Stephenson 9780060593087 Books

After reading the reviews here, maybe I would like Cryptonomicon better? I am having a hard time finishing this book. I have no idea where it is going at this point, and worse - I don't care. I'm reading other books while Quicksilver sits face down, open and spine-bent in place in the optimistic hope that I will return to it when I finish all my other unread books. But it will have to wait for now.


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Quicksilver The Baroque Cycle Vol 1 Neal Stephenson 9780060593087 Books Reviews

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.
This is a long book and, as usual with Stephenson books, you need patience at the beginning to grasp what is going on. Several interrelated plots take place in Europe and Massachusetts between the years of 1650 and 1715. The reader gets an inside look at the plots and intrigues of the royal families in England, France and Dutch kingdoms while getting also a fascinating look at the quest for knowledge that famous members of the Royal Society (Hooke, Boyle, Huygens, Leibniz, et al) pursued in those years, performing sometimes weird experiments fueled by their ignorance while discovering some of the laws of physics through clear genius and perseverance. The author portrays Isaac Newton as a dark person, heavily involved in Alchemy, a loner , although a genius , and suggest that Hooke came out first with an insight of the gravitational theory. The rivalry between Newton and Leibniz plays a significant part in the plot (both developed Calculus at about the same time in different places). It's an extraordinary history of historical fiction. And it's a trilogy if you're a true fan.
This is the second Neal Stephenson book I have read. I had once started Snow Crash but didn't care for it. I bought Seveneves last year on a $1.99 Daily Deal just in case, and since it's sci-fi I gave it a try a couple weeks ago. I couldn't put it down and now I've finished Quicksilver this morning and am well started on The Confusion. That's how good I think Neal Stephenson is. I'm not getting his description of The Baroque Cycle as sci-fi yet, but I've got two big books yet to go. Thank goodness.

The funny thing is, I don't care at all for dialogue and exposition. I'm an action fan in sci-fi and epic fantasy. But I'm finding myself hurrying through the action parts of Quicksilver and settling in again when the dialogues start up once more. His characterizations are brilliant.
Quicksilver is the first volume in a really, really long historical novel about the creation of modern science, modern commerce, modern politics and the enlightenment. It is written in an arch, faux 17th century voice (similar to the one used by John Barth in his classic "The Sot Weed Factor." Reading it will take you a lot of time, no matter how quickly you read! So, should you invest your hard earned minutes of leisure bedding down with Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle? (I'll cut to the chase - I loved it so much that I read the entire series twice)

Do you like adventure stories about piracy?
Ever wonder about the plague, the London fire of 1666, and the debauchery of the Restoration?
Do you like stories about counterfeiting? How about ones starring Isaac Newton as a master of disguise?
Do you like crazed conspiracy tales filled with bodice ripping, massive amounts of gold, the King of France, and a man with bizarrely mutilated genitalia?
Do you care about the philosophy of science, but also enjoy really ridiculous puns based on imaginary languages?
Do you like harem girls who turn into world-straddling giants of commerce?
Did you enjoy Cryptonomicon, and wonder what the ancestors of those characters might have been like?
Have you ever wondered about whether the big fight about "who invented calculus" actually may have been really important?
Do you like reading about the people who created the modern world?
Did you ever wonder whether Leibniz might have been the most important thinker in the history of mankind?

Then, you should read this book. Actually, if you love a ripping yarn that (incidentally, mind you) teaches you all about the above mentioned things, then you should read Quicksilver (and its sequels, which are even better). Highly recommended for the self-selecting people who probably realize that they should read it.
After reading the reviews here, maybe I would like Cryptonomicon better? I am having a hard time finishing this book. I have no idea where it is going at this point, and worse - I don't care. I'm reading other books while Quicksilver sits face down, open and spine-bent in place in the optimistic hope that I will return to it when I finish all my other unread books. But it will have to wait for now.