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Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1)

William Morrow

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Average customer rating: 3.5 stars

A Rare Treat - Mini-Review of The Baroque Cycle

I first became aware of the writings of Neal Stephenson when a friend suggested that I might enjoy reading "Cryptonomicon." How right that friend was. I would describe Stephenson's style as "Dan Brown with a bawdy sense of humor." He creates complex plot threads, uniting a kaleidoscope of colorful characters - some historical and others merely fanciful - who bump into one another in ever-shifting ways.

To follow my reading of "Cryptonomicon," I discovered that Stephenson had written a long series of books entitled "The Baroque Cycle." I have just finished reading the first two books in the series, "Quicksilver" and "King of Vagabonds." I can't wait to continue reading in the series. The action is set in Europe in 17th century, and takes the reader on a picaresque journey from the London of King Charles, the Amsterdam of Leibniz and a Turkish harem set up as part of the Ottoman siege of Vienna. This is rollicking good fun written with a clever and acerbic voice and wit. If your literary tastes run in these directions, you cannot go wrong in reading Stephenson.

Enjoy!

Al

DO NOT READ

Wost book in the three part series, and the whole series is not worth it. Better off reading his other work which is far superior.

Still reading it

I'm still reading the book but so far it's pretty good. It starts off a little slowly, but it's starting to get very interesting.

Middle Ground Feelings.

I will admit openly that I read this book because a friend of mine wanted me to. The same friend who pushed Harry Potter on me. Now, she loved the series and I am sure meant well and mean for me to like it as well. Unfortunately I just couldnt get into this book. I did try, I tried hard but by the end of the book I found myself letting out a breath and saying thank goodness!

Now why didnt I like the book is the next question I will be asked. Honestly I am not fully sure. The writing was good, the plot was well thought out. The characters were likeable. All of these things together should have made for a great book, and yet I just didnt enjoy it. So when I sit back and think about it I think I boils down to me. I think that the dislike of the book is purely me and that it just wasnt my kind of book. However I would recommend it to someone else with that warning.

So there is my odd and muddled review on this book. I have such conflicting feelings about the puritan Daniel. I Hope my loyal review readers wont think I have fallen off my rocker!

Mouse Turds in the Pepper

Having just finished Quicksilver, I feel like my words will be mouse turds in the pepper when compared to what I just read, but I guess that's the function of all critics, to give oh-so-imperfect analysis of writing that is, on rare occasions, oh-so-perfect.

First, I will give you the abridged version of why I enjoyed this book.

1. I thoroughly enjoy reading, so the length wasn't a real obstacle.

2. My paltry mathematics education at least made it through calculus I, so I was able to vaguely
follow that part of the story and to appreciate how ingenious infinitesimal calculus is.

3. Stephenson did a wonderful job of bringing these dusty old geniuses to life. I have studied
Leibniz in college in a Continental Philosophy class. I remember briefly hearing in passing of
the controversy between Newton and Leibniz in calculus. I have read much of Samuel Pepys's
Great Journal. Nothing brought these figures, or this time period, to life as did Quicksilver.

Ok, that's the abridged version. I guess there might actually be two of you who have read this far. Just be aware that what follows will be mindless, self-aggrandizing drivel with a smattering of fanboyish rot thrown in for good measure.

You have been warned.

The Length

I noticed in several of the more negative reviews that the length of the book was something of an issue. People, did you not notice this before you started reading? This thing is less of a book and more of a tome. It's literally three complete, novel-sized books in one binding. Picking up a copy of Quicksilver is a bit like picking up one of those barrels of lead that Eliza spotted being unloaded from the boats. It's heavy. I can imagine several things that go in to making it heavy, but the one that sticks out in my mind is the sheer quantity of ink used to put all of those words on paper.

In other words, the book is roughly 1000 pages of very dense text. If you aren't prepared to read that much, don't blame the book if you don't finish it for that reason.

The Story

The story is very, very good. One of my favorite things about Quicksilver is the perspective from which he tells it. It's almost as if the action is being viewed from a satellite flying over Europe. The scope is incredibly broad. However, he still zooms in from time to time. I particularly enjoyed the part he told through the letters, on top of which he added the ciphers.

My one complaint with the story is the time line. This is probably my own stupidity, but I found the years a bit confusing.

Time Period

The way Stephenson brought the time period to life is like nothing I've ever seen. Wow. I've been to London and to the Museum of London. They have this big model of the city with flames and the whole works that tries to make you realize what the Great Fire of 1666 was like. Ha! Quicksilver does a much better job of making things like that real. As I mentioned earlier, he did similarly good work with the characters.

Also, I was caught off guard by how powerful France really was during this time. Once again, it's one thing to read in a history book about France being the world leader. It's quite another when Jack Shaftoe literally shudders in awe of the power of La France when he enters the gate of Paris.

The Subject Matter

From my perspective, the academic subject matter of the book can be broken up into the following categories:

1. Mathematics
2. Philosophy
3. Religion
4. History
5. Currency, Economics, and Markets

I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones that stick out in my mind. I have at least a smattering of interest in all of these subjects, so I felt at home here.

Why Only Four Stars?

I guess I hold Stephenson to a higher standard than I would, oh, let's say, F. Scott Fitzgerald. ;-)