Rating: 
Summary: EPIC, ENTERTAINING LISTENING
Review:
Ever notice how some folks in a bookstore will heft a book, check to see how many pages there are, and then perhaps deeming it too heavy or too many simply put it aside? They would probably cast aside Quicksilver, an encyclopedic tome which is the first volume in a projected trilogy. Well, here's an alternative for them - the audio edition read by two sterling performers.
A Brit who crossed the pond some years back, Simon Prebble had two decades of experience as a BBC announcer before embarking on his career as a voice performer. He's done some of the best from giving voice to Rumpole to becoming a jockey in one of Dick Francis's mysteries. He's right at home in this tale of 17th century Europe.
Broadway actress Stina Nielsen is his able partner as they come across the likes of Sir Isaac Newton and Samuel Pepys. It was a time of enrichment as well as skullduggery.
If this were a movie it would be billed as wide, wide screen. Our star is Daniel Waterhouse, torn asunder by his upbringing and intellectually inquisitive. Lesser lights include Jack Shaftoe, a bit mentally challenged who makes ends meet however he can; a luscious lass, Eliza, whom Jack plucked from a Turkish harem. She rises to sit and share secrets with the royals.
Opening scenes find David on the high seas, narrowly escaping the clutches of Blackbeard, and veering toward Europe. Few of that continent's hot spots in that day and time are overlooked as the author extrapolates, edifies, and entertains.
An epic scenario - epic enjoyment.
- Gail Cooke
Rating: 
Summary: Immense potential - but a victim of its own cleverness
Review: "Too many notes!"
I truly wanted to love this book. I was not at all daunted by the size of the tome (although it was a bit of a lower-back strain to lug it around), nor the topic (I like big sprawling picaresque novels), but found myself steadily growing bogged down throughout my reading of it. I'm not sure I will be able to handle the second and third books in this trilogy.
Stephenson possesses an incredible talent for turning a phrase, and clearly has a ravenous apetite for 17th c. European history and intrigue (which I also love), but in Quicksilver he shows himself, sadly, to be a rather poor storyteller. It seems to me that he fell prey to his own pleasure in language, and forgot all about us, the gentle readers. I'm of the school that one should write to communicate, and wit and historical detail should stay a close second lest it be construed as a clever child showing off.
The issue isn't really with the multiple protagonists, overall. It's with the fact that the protagonists themselves aren't sufficiently highlighted in the foreground of the plot(s) for me to follow them around without getting dizzy. I found the sections that focused on Daniel somewhat dull, but perhaps his character merely was. Eliza is a delight, as is Jack; I've always loved Pepys, Newton, et al. I enjoyed the interweaving of fictional and historical characters immensely, and found many pages so quoteworthy I nearly spat out my coffee from laughing aloud, but ultimately found myself so distracted by the cast of thousands, multilayered plot lines, playing back/forth with time settings, that my interest flagged...
At bottom, Quicksilver has a whole lot of words and ultimately says little. It needs flowcharts, diagrams, and hyperlinks to remind us where we, and the characters, are at.
For some examples very well written historical fiction, set a bit later, read "The Sot-Weed Factor" by John Barth. Or, more frolick-y, "The Crimson Petal and the White" by Michel Faber. I ate 'em both up.
Rating: 
Summary: Stephenson's best...so far
Review: After a two week marathon session, during which I shunned food, family and Christmas alike, I finished Stephenson's Quicksilver. Once again, I was blown away by his style, vocabulary, character development and his astounding ability to weave a multitude of seemingly-unconnected events into a coherent, even beautiful, whole.The characters seemed to jump off the page and far from being carbon copies of one another; each brought a unique force to bear on this shaky, intrigue-plagued, action-packed era of world history. Those that criticize the work do so, I imagine, out of a disappointment that this book is not a hard-core science fiction work, a la "Snow Crash" or "Diamond Age". However, anyone who read "Cryptonomicon" and enjoyed the characters of Enoch Root, America Shaftoe or Randy Waterhouse, will no doubt enjoy glimpsing a few generations back in their family history. At just over 900 pages, it's not for everybody. If you are looking for a book that is intelligent, witty, fun, exciting and does NOT cater to the lowest common denominator, then Quicksilver is for you. I can't wait for the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Not half baked
Review: An enjoyable romp through an exciting time in European history. I wish my highschool history teacher could have presented it has sexed up and gritty as stephenson's vision. Maybe I would not have come to class stoned as often as I did. Engaging male characters, sparse but interesting female characters. Great story arcs, but then again it is the late 17th-18th centuries, so much going on. Similar writing style to his previous books but more mature, less gagget stuff and more character developement, but still long descriptives (you can skim at your discretion). Looking forward to the next two comming out in paper back, the suckers are heavy!
Rating:
Summary: Massive Scope
Review: Daniel Waterhouse is summoned to return to Europe from Massachusetts to resolve a dispute between prominent mathematicians Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. During his voyage, which is interrupted by pirates, he works on a chronicle of his past, which is set against a rich tapestry of religious, political and scientific revolutions. Daniel evolves from a young Puritan roommate of Isaac Newton to courtier and natural philosopher of the Royal Society. While Daniel follows the great scientific minds of the era, Jack Shaftoe, vagabond extraordinaire, careens through colorful misadventures all over Europe. He rescues the bright and beautiful Turkish slave Eliza from the siege of Vienna. Together, they travel across Europe to Amsterdam, home to the budding financial markets. Eliza's quest for fortune and revenge on her enslaver lead her deep into political plots and catapult her to Paris where she captures the attention of the King. Jack moves on in his adventures and attracts a different kind of attention altogether. As the fortunes of kings and countries rise and fall, the paths of our intrepid characters twist and cross over the vast scope of history. Do not expect this to be similar to Stephenson's cyber-punk novels. Quicksilver is not science fiction in the classic sense - do not expect aliens, futuristic technology or time-travel. Quicksilver is historical fiction that takes place in the 17th and 18th centuries. Large portions of the book cover the birth of modern science and math. Other broad subject areas encompass European political intrigue, war and the development of financial markets. But this is no dry, tame history - this is alive and kicking. Having read Stephenson's book Cryptonomicon adds an extra dimension of interest to reading Quicksilver, since the main characters are ancestors of the characters in Cryptonomicon. The one exception is Enoch Root who appears in both books and is apparently ageless. Quicksilver does not have a neat resolution, and contains a large amount of set up material - it is very obviously the first book in the trilogy. It is also massive, and with two more massive books to follow, you need to be prepared to devote a serious amount of time to this series. Nobody can deny that Stephenson is wordy, but for such a long book, there weren't too many places where I found my attention wandering. Stephenson keeps things moving along even during some fairly detailed explanations of science or politics. He also plays around with different styles of writing, such as writing a chapter as if it was a period play. It gives a feel for the times as well as varying the pace. The three lead characters balance each other out nicely. Daniel can be a very passive character, which contrasts with Eliza's plotting and scheming. Just when the going gets too heavy, Jack provides physical action and comic relief. The main trio interact with an enormous cast of characters and one of the things I like best about Stephenson's writing is that he takes time to make even his secondary characters interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Rewarding for the patient, but not without flaws
Review: For those who may be looking for something in the vein of Snow Crash or The Diamond Age, this is not it (try Altered Carbon instead). And while _QS_ has some similarities to Cryptonomicon, there can be no doubt that it represents an evolution of Stephenson's style. It is certainly chock-a-block with historical trivia, cryptographic arcana, and (possibly too much) exposition. But, as other reviewers have noted, one cannot help feeling that the book might have benefitted from more aggressive editing.
That said, _QS_ is clearly quite an achievement. Stephenson does a great job of bringing to life a period when the western world-view was rapidly changing, and the political, economic, scientific and religious foundations of what we think of as the modern world were being laid. While readers who already have some familiarity with Restoration England -- or with Newton's life and work -- may find the first part of the book a little slow, the pace quickens, and I found that the second half of the book went very quickly.
Overall, I recommend the book to fans of Cryptonomicon, and those interested in this period in western history. Note -- this review was written after reading Volume 2, The Confusion. The 4 stars may in part reflect my satisfaction with where Stephenson took things in the second book.
Rating: 
Summary: HELP !
Review: I am 260 pages into this book at the moment and bored to death... (not to mention my straining biceps)...Is there anyone out there who can tell me why I should go on reading this? I LOVE Stephenson... Read all his stuff... What is this anyway, a course in 17th century history ? I'm too lazy to put this much effort into something that should relax and entertain me. And I was so looking forward to reading his baroque cycle... Bought all three, in fact. What a waste of time and money. I do think I'll move on to something else. Je n'en peux plus. je suis épuisé !
Rating:
Summary: Detailed but turgid
Review: I had great expectations for this book, having read all of Neal Stephenson's previous books, but was disappointed by this. Although he has obviously invested immense hours in research, the book comes across as stiff and overly ornate - much like baroque design. In particular, Stephenson's smart-alecky dialogue, that worked to great effect in Snow Crash, is merely grating here, as are the anachronisms that the characters utter from time to time. As for the characters themselves, I found it very difficult to care about any of them, which made it very difficult to involve myself in the story. I really had to wonder what the benefit was of creating a gargantuan work that appeared to say so little; as if mere volume could substitute for depth.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful writing and use of history
Review: I hadn't read anything of Stephenson since I read Snow Crash years ago. I was impressed then, and I am impressed now.
Stephenson can be a little long winded at times, but for the most part the book is fluid (with tangents that are interesting, yet not always important to the story) and well written.
What makes this series so interesting is his use of history throughout. He is extremely accurate and very thorough in his representation of late 17th and early 18th century. Even his fictitious characters seem as though they belong to history.
Stephenson's versatility is amazing to say the least. Writing a sci-fi thriller in Snow Crash, or a WWII code breaker in Cryptonomocon (spelling?) or a historical novel in Quicksilver, all of which are full of detail and concise.
Nothing more to say, because this series is very straight forward. Long and full of history with a story intertwined, enough to enjoy and relax with. But, if you enjoy quick reads and not so complex story lines, stay away.
Rating:
Summary: Keep it coming, Neal !
Review: I loved this book to bits. One of the reasons is that it deals with a lot of subjects I am interested in : history, physics and the relationship between religion, politics and science. The chosen time period is dead on for illustrating the latter : during the late 17th century the fight between Catholics and Protestants (of all feathers)for supremacy on British soil went into its final and decisive round, while some of the greatest minds ever set about discovering the underlying physics of the universe. Stephenson does a great job bringing historical figures such as Newton, Hooke and Leibniz to life and mingling them with fictitious characters that are central to the plot. Another reason is Stephenson's style of writing. I understand that some find it longwinded, bloated and tedious. One advice to those readers : stick to 200 page max action packed novellas and stay away from the bigger work. To me, this novel is an actual pageturner : not because so many things are happening - though they certainly do - but because the writing is so well crafted and packed with ideas. Stephenson succeeds in showing us how 17th century people struggled to understand the world they were living in and often he does this by juxtaposing solid scientific efforts with experiments that we know are bound to fail and thus to be laughable. E.g. on the one hand he shows Hooke experimenting with pebbles in a bottle, trying to find out whether pebbles actually grow, Wilkins trying to develop an universal scientific language where every word can have only one meaning and Newton dabbling in alchemy, but on the other hand also Hooke making the first chronometer measuring seconds and Newton turning out his Principia Mathematica. The Baroque Cycle is wide in scope, well written and has some great characters - both historical and fictitious - whom you are bound to become attached to. I did not think this book one page too long and am already well into the next volume that shows equal promise. Don't be deterred by moanings like "needs editing badly" or "cut out 200 pages" and let yourself be swept off your feet by this whale of a novel.
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