Rating: 
Summary: Great Idea but desparately in need of a strong editor
Review: I feel terrible writing this review after having loved Stephenson's other works. Quicksilver is simply a work run amok, there is a great and interesteding story here -- like Crytonomicron. But unlike that book, which I never noticed was over 1000 pages, I have had to work through ponderous prose and descriptions that are not particularly helpful. It needed an editor to cut this book down to size. My concern is that Stephenson's earlier success may have dampened his ability to tell a good story rather than get caught up in himself. I really do not want to think of him as the 21st century james michener but he needs to hone his craft better to avoid becomming that style.If the other volumes of the trilogy are of the same size, then I will pass.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fascinating Book
Review: I usually like to wait until I complete a book before writing a review but, with some of the comments on here about Quicksilver, I didn't want to wait. This is totally fascinating book about a time and place and epoch in history. The level of detail is spellbinding in regard to the history, science, fashion, politics, intrigue, and morals of the later 17th and early 18th century. And I do feel like I "know" many of the characters -- Daniel Waterhouse, Watkins, Newton, etc. -- even though the main characters of this book are Natural Philosophy, the Scientific Revolution, the Laws of Physics, Cromwell and then the Restoration, and the like. And the plot is much more riveting than a Grisham thriller since it has to do with real events -- what will the results be of the experiments of the Royal Society? How will Anglicans, Catholics, and Puritans co-exist in England, America? Is Newton a genius or a madman? Overall, if you give this book the time and attention it deserves (use the maps, royal history charts, and cast list in the back liberally) you will be well-rewarded.
Rating:
Summary: this book makes you think
Review: It was nice to read something that wasn't all plot. The last book I read before this one was The Last Jihad - need I say more... I knew that when Quicksilver arrived in the mail that it would not be an easy read - but I was anxiously awaiting the chance and I was not disappointed. I had been exposed to most of those scientists during my school years, but what really interested me was the detail in which he described London and its inhabitants. I was laughing out loud as he described some of the outlandish outfits some of the 'fops' wore to walk around the streets. I could picture it perfectly as Neal has a great way of describing things when he puts his mind to it. Like other reviewers mentioned, there is lots of stuff here and no coherent plot, but I found myself looking up some of the names mentioned in the book to find out more. How many works of fiction actually make you want to expand your knowledge like that? In today's world where most of us hunger for instant gratification and neat plotlines, it was refreshing to read something that took you back to a pretty much forgotten era. It made me realize how many important things were discovered. I can't wait until the 2 volumes come out.
Rating:
Summary: A new meaning to Picaresque
Review: This book (to which we are promised two follow-ups by the author in the same vein) lends new meaning to the term picaresque in describing a novel.-Commonly meant to mean one of meandering or no plot in which one adventure follows another with no seeming coherence, morality, etc.---Having just read what is considered one of the great 18th Century picaresques, Smollett's The Adventures of Roderick Random, I must say that this book puts the earlier one to shame, making it seem a rather pat work with stock characters, a predictable ending and comparatively little nuance. For this is not only a picaresque of swashbuckling adventure: It is one of politics, money, intrigues, religion, alchemy, mathematics and much else. I had, in fact, to cudgel my mind in some places to remember the conic section formulae and how number systems without the base of ten worked (especially the binary system). - Those with financial backgrounds will no doubt cudgel their brains over the rise and fall of V.O.C. stock. Those with a philosophical turn of mind will find themselves tackling anew the free will vs. predestination argument and follow it as what we now call science redefines predestination as determinism as well as the old mind-body problem, and others of others persuasions will find much else.
But this is far from a plodding, meandering, didactic book. Stephenson has written a tale, or several tales loosely and (sometimes) mysteriously interconnected in a style which I can only describe as having a bounce to it. One feels bounced from one page to another much as the characters and ideas are. It's not exactly a page-turner in the sense that good mystery genre fiction is, where you turn the pages to find where the next twist will lead all the while making educated guesses at the solution. But one feels rather bounced into the world of (mostly) 17th Century science, philosophy, politics, money, society etc. and finds oneself enwrapped and bouncing along in it, much as the characters do. I hope I shan't have to wait too long from the bounce of the last page of this first book to land me on the first page of the second one!
Rating:
Summary: A fiction of ideas
Review: Stephenson's strength is his ability to capture the ideas of a world. All else in his novels -- characterization, plot -- is subordinate. His plots are multiple, intertwining, never quite complete, but he captures the essence of a world. Quicksilver is set in the seventeenth century. Its main characters are Daniel Waterhouse, college roommate of Isaac Newton and later Secretary of the Royal Society and revolutionary, and Eliza, a Celt-turned-Turkish slave-turned Natural Philosopher and spy. Its true main characters, however, are the Royal Society, the Church, and the Free Churches. Quicksilver is a fiction that captures the spirit of the world at a time when the Enlightenment was taking over from the Reformation, and it does so in an enjoyable though demanding fashion.
Rating:
Summary: Attention Spans
Review: I had been wondering if my peers' attention spans were getting shorter and shorter or not. I guess I don't have to look much further than other reviews. Not since reading the Magic Mountain have I been so engrossed in a book. Great ideas - great characters - couldn't put the damn thing down.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, grand, and, well... baroque.
Review: While it certainly requires some work for the reader, it's worth it. I've read nearly everything in the Cyberpunk / Steampunk / Cypherpunk pantheon, from Cadigan to Sterling to DiFillipo, and Neal's the shining star, without a doubt. Quicksilver does dry up in a few bits, due to the depth and breadth of the subject matter, but IT'S WORTH IT.
Yes, it leaves you in the lurch a bit, but only til April when the next book in the cycle comes out! I'm sure Neal would have shipped 1800 pages as a single book if he could have, but I doubt that would have been practical. Do the work, ride it out, and read the next two. If you can push your mind enough to grasp the broad and far-reaching threads of a story arc that takes place over centuries and spans the globe, you'll be better for it. If you're not inclined to do so, go ahead and flip on the telly or crack open the latest pap from the bestseller rack. As for me, it's the best book I've read this year. Can't wait for The Confusion in April.
Rating: 
Summary: If it ain't Baroque...
Review: Thank God I majored in classics and natural philosophy in school, because I needed every bit of my education to keep up with this novel. To say it's ambitious and audacious to bring Newton, Liebniz, Hooke, and all the others to life in the way Neal Stephenson does here is an understatement. But I think he's done a deft and witty job of it. While others have said they crave more plot cohesion and fuller characterization, I think that, though they're not wrong, these faults are mitigated by the author's thorough understanding of his subjects, and the wonder he puts across at their contributions to science. Also, the writing style itself is so clever and suspenseful, my hat's off to this author. You never know what he's going to sneak in there next, even frogs in the baptismal font! I do wish Stephenson would take more care wrapping up his plots (he's had this problem with every single book so far, most notably Diamond Age), because he starts them with such breathtaking verve that you really feel you're off on an adventure that will blow your world-view wide open. Sometimes, however, at the end, you're just not sure what happened. Still, there are few authors with the intelligence, daring, and gusto to do what he does, and I'm willing to go along with the ride for the whole Baroque Cycle. I await his next book with eagerness!
Rating:
Summary: I wondered if I was alone in my dissapointment...
Review: I find that I am not alone. Anyone that has liked previous Neal Stephenson books will find this one slow and pointless. There is NO story to follow so don?t worry about getting lost. I give Quicksilver two stars for good cover art, great maps in front and back of the book and usability as a doorstop. Cryptonomicon was a page-turner in comparison, though also semi slow to start,there was a great cantputitdown story. My belief is that Mr. Stephenson has trouble with his endings (none of his books have good endings IMHO even Zodiac) so he has found a way to avoid an ending for thousands of pages. I would forgive him this if we had a story or some characters of any interest whatsoever. His work in the fantastic future (Snow Crash & The Diamond Age) was so brilliant it is too bad he has decided to now bore us with history (I have read some great history and enjoy *good* non-fiction). There are bits of quick wit and humor from time to time.. almost Terry Pratchett like but instead of working these stick out like small lost gems in a huge mire of detail. I was only able to read on in this tome because I already know many of the players and have a significant knowledge of scientific history. I would also caution fans not to go to a book reading. He can be a great writer and seems very private. His voice does not add anything to his work. I had to wait months to get his voice out of my head before I read Cryptonomicon.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing work from Neal Stephenson
Review: Neal Stephenson's previous novels often stumble their way into
a coherent plot, seemingly in a hit-or-miss fashion.
Unfortunately this last novel is a big miss. In the previous
novels, the cartoonish description of the characters and how
they behave and interact slowly weave their way into a bigger,
more coherent story line. Quicksilver's inspiration is very interesting: it is inspired
by Newton, Leibniz, et.al.'s attempt to solidify the foundation
of modern science and the scientific method. Thus the characters
are made to speak in 17th century speech, and dressed
appropriately. However, there are several issues here. The three main characters of Cryptonomicon (Stephenson's previous
novel) run into each other throughout the course of that novel's
history, and the build up to the larger picture kept me excited
and entertained. Shaftoe was modeled after the American GI
poster boy archetype with a yes-can-do-sir attitude, and
Waterhouse was modeled after the boy genius archetype. The
interactions are rich and our familiarity with the archetypes
actually help keep the traction in the novel. However, Quicksilver has little traction, and the chosen setting
makes it hard to appreciate the depth of the developing plot or
the characters themselves. The breadth of characters is missing
and thus there is not much interesting in the interactions of
the characters themselves. The inherent satire in Cryptonomicon
holds the plot together, but in Quicksilver it is not effective. As is typical of Stephenson's novels, the ending is hurried,
and the characters interact mostly in monologues divided up
between the characters. Overall, I'm disappointed in
Stephenson's latest writing and hope that the next one
(which it seems will be the second part of the Baroque cycle)
will be better. Considering his record, I am quite confident
it will be.
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