QUICKSILVER: THE BAROQUE CYCLE PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Neal Stephenson | 944 pages | 01 Feb 2005 | Cornerstone | 9780099410683 | English | London, United Kingdom Quicksilver: The Baroque Cycle PDF Book It's a big book, but it's utterly fascinating and I loved it. Each volume hand-bound in Japanese silk. I believe if I had read it 10 years earlier, that would not have been the case. Daniel realizes Eliza's importance during a meeting at the house of Christiaan Huygens. It is assuring to see Stephenson working and waxing so Pynchonian. Maybe it's because I only have about pages left and I know that nothing's going to be resolved. In his research for the characters, he explored the major scholarship about the period. Probably both. The Village Voice. Finally tried again, and spent the whole book vaguely confused and wondering when something resembling an actual plot would happen. We have successfully created a tour d'horizon through the world of the 17th Century. I have got in the habit of seeking them out, and declining to trust anyone who has no oddities. I won't try to paraphrase it--the scene is lengthy--but this section is worth reading by any modern-day scientist. Error rating book. Snow Crash and Cryptomonicom were up and down for me. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Having already read Cryptonomicon , I was also glad to see Enoch Root one of my favorite characters from that book. View all 4 comments. As is my preference, I began the book with little foreknowledge. Seller Rating:. Let us first pretend that there are only two criteria to use when analysing works of fiction, 1 number of characters and 2 richness of plot. George's rats he escapes without injury but destroys the ballroom and removes the hand of Etienne d'Arcachon. Which is fine - it's what we're used to, and it often results in exciting fiction. So in terms of scope, Neal's work is biblical. Those machinations do convey their own sort of enjoyment, though I don't know what they are. View all 12 comments. Daniel escapes with the help of Jack Shaftoe's brother Bob, whose infantry unit is stationed there. Though he plans to depart for Massachusetts, Daniel's case of bladder stones increasingly worsens during this period. The third book pulls the first two together in something of a conclusion, leading up to the year This is a long book, and not an easy read. Quicksilver: The Baroque Cycle Writer I do have to say that I really feel cheated by the mass-market version. I could listen to his rambling anecdotes for hours Waterhouse as a Puritan, a scientist, and a political player in England? In parts it absurdly hilarious the Royal Society's experiments in uncovering knowledge and at others it give the thrill of witnessing Science's great wars - Newton vs Leibniz over ownership of Calculus - and the end of Alchemy and Blending historical fact with clever fiction, Stephenson takes us to midth century London where scientific Upheaval is taking place. And there are the made-up folks, like Daniel Waterhouse, who appears in one form or another in nearly every Stephenson book. If there is an overall, guiding principle in the work, the disjointed mass of detail and isolated events makes it hard to discern. More properly "historical fiction," Quicksilver is intriguingly written but takes a long time to go anywhere, plot wise. More Details Aug 12, Navaneethan Santhanam rated it it was amazing. Lists with This Book. With her help, the French court, supported by King Louis, creates several market trends from which they profit extensively. This would definitely be a great Shaftoe character. I didn't feel a strong compulsion to avoid such anachronisms, and if something came up that I thought might be funny, or that might work, I would just go ahead and slap it in there. However, once I stopped looking for that story line, and just allowed myself to simply be in the same room as the characters while they talked to each other, it was rather enjoyable. Quicksilver may be more entertaining than a high school textbook on the same topics, but only marginally. I actually kind of liked the some of the parts with struggling scientist Daniel Waterhouse the best, because the history of science interests me, but even these moments of engagement were covered up by obscure details and diversions that were like overgrown plants in a sprawling garden. A flashforward finds Daniel's ship under attack by the fleet of Edward Teach Blackbeard in I mean, he's a funny dude! View all 4 comments. It was incredibly fun to read about a young Isaac Newton and to learn about optics, alchemy and mechanical clocks, all the while seeing the balance of science and politics at play. This acts as a frame story for the second, which is a tale about his life and exploits with the Royal Society decades earlier. Waterhouse and details his exploits during his time as a courtier for Charles II of England. My biggest issue with this half of the book is there are no substantial female characters. Frankfurter Allgemeiner in German. Volume One of the Baroque Cycle. The first novel is about a 17th Century natural philosopher, who is recalled to England to mitigate in the quarrel between Leibniz and Newton. Further, anticipating a cycle, the book does not provide a satisfying conclusion to its pages. In the narrative Waterhouse boards a ship leaving Boston harbor which runs into an extended encounter with pirates, including Edward Teach a. Jun 17, Jonfaith rated it really liked it Shelves: speculativelyspeaking. It easily could have been pages shorter without any loss of impact. You must judge for yourself, but use some of the information I presented. Books by Neal Stephenson. Completely redesigned from the trade hardcover in a larger format-7" x 10". As is characteristic of a Stephenson novel, this one is delightfully tedious — thoroughly researched, full of period stylistic flourishes, and oft labyrinthine prose. The second book introduces the vagabond Jack Shaftoe "King of the Vagabonds" and Eliza a former member of a Turkish harem as they cross Europe, eventually landing in the Netherlands, where Eliza becomes entangled in commerce and politics. King of the Vagabonds 3. This volume commits several heinous sins; the Sin of Protagonist Switching occurs twice. Is it me? Stephenson deserves an editor that will tell him to write less. I think if I had read book one initially I am not sure I would have continued. It seems to have taken stock of Joseph de la Vega's. None of these are merely glimpsed, but each is explored in such depth as to prompt the reader to wonder who the hell this Neal Stephenson person is and how many heads he might possess. But Enoch's appearances in Quicksilver are relatively few. Officials, supervisors, assayers, clerks, guards, and, in general, the usual crowd of parasitical gentlefolk clustered around the brute with the hammer, but like lice on an ox they could not conceal the simple nature of the beast. Perhaps I just wanted more SF or Fantasy in my life at the time and it just fell away from me, but I feel like an idiot now. Quicksilver: The Baroque Cycle Reviews Instead he becomes steeped in politics and an integral important figure in the Royal Society. I like the label: History of Science Fiction. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. By both Daniel and Newton become fellows at Trinity College where they build an extensive alchemical laboratory which attracts other significant alchemists including John Locke and Robert Boyle. Cover design by Richard L. Both escape the camp and commence a sightseeing tour of Amsterdam, Paris and Marseilles, interacting with William of Orange, Gottfried Leibniz and the Duke of Monmouth who is planning his coup of the English crown. Christ, I need some vodka. It picks up in Part 2 with the Vagabond King. Namespaces Article Talk. Those machinations do convey their own sort of enjoyment, though Based on the success of Cryptonomicon , a New York Times bestseller with sales of about , copies, the initial print-run for Quicksilver was , copies. Rating details. This is a link to my review of Cryptonomicon. Jun 29, Darwin8u rated it really liked it. View all copies of this ISBN edition:. Shaftoe as a soldier, a vagabond and a syphilis sufferer? It's kind of dissapointing because the ideas and possibilities of where this book could have been going were reall Neal Stephenson needs an editor. The book is divided into three parts. New, issued without dust jacket, in slipcase with "peekaboo" design. He had extended conversations with the young Leibniz. Mar 05, Amelia rated it liked it Shelves: fantasy , sci-fi , adult-fiction , history-alt-history , american. TL;DR: how many times can you write a novel about the invention of the computer? An incredibly researched novel of historical fiction that has trademark Stephenson qualities of blending disparate ideas. View all 19 comments. Quicksilver: The Baroque Cycle Read Online Gorgeous production. Jul 29, David rated it really liked it Recommends it for: scientists, fans of historical fiction. Instead, read it for fun, and for a distorted view of these early days of advanced mathematics that emphasizes the foundational role that they played in leading to the modern information age. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 16, The book then jumps to , when Jack travels to the Battle of Vienna to participate in the European expulsion of the Turks.