Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, #1)
Neal Stephenson
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) This P.S. edition includes 16 pages of supplementary materials. Cover design by Richard L. Aquan Cover illustration from the Mary Evans Picture Library; painting of Great Fire of London on stepback
Publication Year: 2004
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0 0This was an audiobook of the condensed version. It’s a poor abridgment. Half the time, I wasn’t sure what was happening to whom when.
I may try again with a print edition, as this came recommended.
Update: I took another swing at this four years later, in print this time. This time around, I found it intelligible but boring.
This is one of those “this thing happened, then that thing happened” books. It may fascinate those with a particular interest in British, scientific, or British scientific history. I, however, am not that reader. In the absence of an immediate and compelling plot engine, I soldiered on in hopes of discovering what my STEM friends see in this novel. I never did find it.
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