Quicksilver
Ratings99
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings99
Average rating3.7
Quicksilver is the story of Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and conflicted Puritan, pursuing knowledge in the company of the greatest minds of Baroque-era Europe, in a chaotic world where reason wars with the bloody ambitions of the mighty, and where catastrophe, natural or otherwise, can alter the political landscape overnight.
It is a chronicle of the breathtaking exploits of "Half-Cocked Jack" Shaftoe--London street urchin turned swashbuckling adventurer and legendary King of the Vagabonds--risking life and limb for fortune and love while slowly maddening from the pox.
And it is the tale of Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent Europe through the newborn power of finance.
A gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive novel that brings a remarkable age and its momentous events to vivid life, Quicksilver is an extraordinary achievement from one of the most original and important literary talents of our time.
And it's just the beginning...
(back cover)
Featured Series
3 primary booksThe Baroque Cycle is a 4-book series with 4 primary works first released in 2001 with contributions by Neal Stephenson and Gianni Pannofino.
Reviews with the most likes.
Volume One of the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson is a mind-boggling novel. I don't know how to categorize it. Maybe an historical novel of science and politics. Whatever. This tale of 17th century Europe features appealing characters caught in historical events, illuminating them from a fascinating and humorous insider perspective. In spite of the fact that the book is enormous, it is mesmerizing. The second volume is out. I'll be reading it.
Published in hardcover by William Morrow.
My favorite Stephenson series; this book is chock-full of delightful prose, and fantastic stories. A lovingly researched view into the western world ~300 years ago, with a mess of characters both fictional and real.
I am surprised by how much I hated this. I love Neal Stephenson, but couldn't stay awake while reading this. So dull and plodding. Generally I do not have an issue with the length of his novels, but I really felt it with this one. At least that means I can knock the two other gratuitously long books In the baroque cycle off my list as well. Maybe I'll try for a reread once I'm not a new parent and I'll have more patience.
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