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Quicksilver

Book One of The Baroque Cycle

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Quicksilver

By: Neal Stephenson
Narrated by: Neal Stephenson (introduction), Kevin Pariseau, Simon Prebble
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Summary

In this first volume of Neal Stephenson’s genre-defying epic, Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and courageous Puritan, pursues 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.

The Baroque Cycle, Neal Stephenson’s award-winning series, spans the late 17th and early 18th centuries, combining history, adventure, science, invention, piracy, and alchemy into one sweeping tale. It is a gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive historical epic populated by the likes of Isaac Newton, William of Orange, Benjamin Franklin, and King Louis XIV, along with some of the most inventive literary characters in modern fiction.

Audible’s complete and unabridged presentation of The Baroque Cycle was produced in cooperation with Neal Stephenson. Each volume includes an exclusive introduction read by the author.

©2003 Neal Stephenson (P)2010 Audible, Inc. Action & Adventure Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Science Fiction Royalty Middle Ages War Mathematics Imperialism
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Critic reviews

“[The “Baroque Cycle”] will defy any category, genre, precedent, or label – except genius….Stephenson has a once-in-a-generation gift: he makes complex ideas clear, and he makes them funny, heartbreaking, and thrilling.” ( Time)
“A book of immense ambition, learning, and scope, Quicksilver is often brilliant and occasionally astonishing in its evocation of a remarkable time and place.” ( Washington Post Book World)
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I personally loved this book. It does jump around a little bit in time but it needs to in order to explain the story, and it isn't hard to work out where you are up to, unlike some other books I've listened to recently.



I've never had much of an interest in history, but this work really brings it to life. Whether or not it accurately follows history doesn't matter, because the storytelling is masterful.



It does feel like it needs a better ending, and as this is the first of the long series I have read, I assume it will follow. I know I learned something whilst I read this and enjoyed it thoroughly too.

Science History comes to Life

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Honestly, this takes some time to settle in. Once it does it carries you at pace on a wonderful journey
well narrated

Brilliant start to a complocated cycle

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The Narrator was very good. I drifted in and out of the story, but that didn't seem to matter. The plot is not what drives it, rather it is the portrayal of the people and lives of the time.

Well narrated portrayal of late 17th cent London

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Having just completed the final book of Stephenson's cycle I am drawn to add a few words here (in view of the poor rating of some negative reviews) as only now can I appreciate the true scale of achievement of this wonderful book. Don't judge the work from a superficial reading of the first part. The sheer length and complexity of the plot makes demands on the reader, and especially in audio format the narrative races on, characters multiply and the inattentive listener will soon lose the plot; but persevere, put the time in, re-read if necessary and your efforts will be rewarded. In this first volume Stephenson gives a detailed account of Newton's early days as a student; the narrative proper takes off slowly which is befitting in a work that is ten times as long as a standard modern novel. But none of this is superfluous- details from these pages return, mulitiply and resonate in the later story just as the experiences of youth return to us in our maturity; and the depth of biographical detail allows us to come to know and love the characters in the book as if they were real. Also check out my reviews for the final three sections.

A glorious and enchanting tale

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I couldn’t quite get into the story because all the women you encounter remain these one dimensional characters and the men in the story (or the author) don’t seem to see them as actual people.

No women

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