Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: The book let me down in the following ways:
- the first third of the book, I thought, set up the battle of scientific one-upsmanship between Newton, Liebniz, and the others quite well, but was pretty muched dropped thereafter;
- the middle third of the book could probably be deleted with minimal impact on the narrative. Shaftoe and Eliza just didn't add much to the story for me. Wouldn't mind reading a novel surrounding the seige of Vienna, but I don't see how it served to advance our understanding of the characters or the plot here. So much time spent on Jack only to have him row away on a slave ship (unless he will make a miraculous reappearance in the next book, as Enoch Root did after his supposed death in Cryptonomicon.);
- annoying habit of trying to have the characters speak in what we imagine to be 17-18th century diction ("phant'sy") one minute, and bringing 20th century idioms in the next (somehow can't picture courtiers from that era being "on the rag.")I realize it is a work of fiction, but I believe I'll take Mr. Stephenson's advice and read from the references he provides in the preface - the Newton-Liebniz conflict and the surrouding scientific breakthroughs are intriguing - and thereby get the straight story.
Rating:
Summary: BUMMER!
Review: After devouring Stepheson's "Snow Crash" and "Cryptonomicon" and reading about his upcoming trilogy a year in advance, it was with high anticipation that I started Quicksilver. Well, 900+ disappointing pages later I am not so sure that I want to know what comes next. Reading through the current stack of reviews there are those who gave the book thumbs up, others who are not so sure about this book but feel certain that it provides the "fundament to greatness" for the next two books, and finally reviewers that simply did not like the book. Paraphrasing Hamlet at the current time "this book is the thing" to me, what comes next is nothing but speculation. From this perspective, this book did not impress me at all. The previous two Stephenson books offered high level entertainment. There was action, brains and fun. What we get here is a poor attempt at bringing history alive and putting scientific breakthroughs in a social and political context. Alas, having been force fed Dutch/European history from elementary through high school, I am not so sure whether Neal didn't get a little ahead of himself after what must have been a very significant number of hours studying 17th century French/Dutch/British history. While some aspects like the description of the court of Louis 14 are pretty much in agreement with many of the earlier (better) accounts, the recreation of the events in Dutch history are clunky at best. OK, you might say, this is history as entertainment. Well, count me out, because entertaining most of it isn't. Apart from the first 150 pages of the book's second part "the King of Vagabonds" I considered this tome pretty darned tedious, overblown, and boring. Looking at Cryptonomicon, we got a book low on character development, but high on counterpoint, invention and action. While there are clear attempts here to do the same, nothing holds together longer than a page or two. In addition, this book was very much advertised as part of a three book series on codes and code breaking in history. In all we don't get more than about 20 pages on this subject and about 900 pages of ballast. Even if the next two volumes will be better with the "feud" between Leibniz and Newton getting fleshed out better, the trilogy may have some raison d'etre, but this part will still remain weak. As such, any comparison of this book to Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow" or Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest" is certainly not based on a careful reading of the latter to masterpieces. In all this book felt like a poor historical stepsister to Power's failed attempt to scientific fiction in his "Goldbug Variations". Yet, and it pains me to admit, even that book was clearly written better.
Rating: 
Summary: Quicksilver is just the first third of the novel
Review: I have read most of Stephensons previous work, I have read Cryptonomicon three times, and I just finished my second reading of Quicksilver. I have also read a lot of reviews here, many of them from people who loved Cryptonomicon but did not like Quicksilver. I might be able to provide a little perspective. One of the reasons I like Neal Stephenson as a writer is that his books are not an easy read, they are a bit of a challenge. I consult a dictionary more often when reading Stephenson than any other author I can think of. Cryptonomicon was NOT an easy read; it would have been very easy to put it down in the first 25 pages and it didn't really get rolling until after page 300, after the first third. The first third of Cryptonimicon was a lot of exposition and character development which was necessary to the unfolding of the story. Readers who got through that first third were rewarded immensely in the latter two-thirds of the book. I remind you that Quicksilver is the first third of the Baroque Cycle. It is stuffed full of exposition and character, somewhat to its detriment as a stand-alone book, but I submit to you that this is necessary to the unfolding of the story of the Baroque Cycle as a whole. After reading Quicksilver the first time I read some historical non-fiction about Cromwell, The Bourbons and the Stuarts, and an excellent biography of Isaac Newton that examined his explorations in Alchemy. I appreciated Quicksilver more on the second read with this better background; I understood better how well-researched Stephenson is and I was better able to absorb the story he is trying to tell. Remember Cryptonomicon: Stephenson is teaching us about the origins of modern computers. The lesson is not an easy one and requires some effort of its readers. In my opinion the negative reviews reflect not a weakness in the book but rather a weakness or impatience in the reader. Be patient, complete the Cycle. I am confident that you will be rewarded for your efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Well Done, if not for Everyone
Review: I really liked this book. It was absolutely fascinating. I would have gone out, purchased Volume 2 and started it the same night I finished Volume 1. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait for Volume 2. (Anyone know the timing on that?) Nevertheless, I can see why some people are put off by this book. However, some of the negative reviews are off base. Just because it is not your cup of tea doesn't mean it is a bad book. The writing is excellent, the research impeccable and the character development superb. My advice would be that if you weren't hooked by page 100, put it down and move on to something else.
Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone
Review: For a certain kind of reader, this book is wonderful. If you have some prior knowledge of the history of physics and mathematics, particularly of the calculus, then this book is hilarious. If you know nothing of these subjects, then this book will largely go right over your head. If you haven't read "Snow Crash" or "Zodiac", I recommend them as they are much more accessible.
Rating: 
Summary: come on guys, it's marvellous
Review: ok, so stephenson gets a little carried away with lists and the prose is so dense at times you need Jack's Turkish sword to cut your way through, but it has all the delight in the systems and processes of the mind & of society of his previous books--and it's just as funny--besides being a jolly good stab at 17th and 18th century style. to those who criticise stephenson's characterisation, i submit that his characters have never been real people (diamond age, anyone?) and they're all the better for it. stephenson's writing is getting richer by the book. so quicksilver's historical period is perhaps more distant from the pan-geek consciousness than cryptonomicon's--go, i charge you, embrace the challenge.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Inpenetrable. All of the characters' "characters" blend together (besides having similar names), and the book has no plot. As a fan of his previous works I am disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth it...
Review: I had read all of NS's books written before this. I liked them all better than this. In particular I liked Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, and Cryptonomicon. While he obviously put a lot of effort into researching and writing this book and the succeeding two volumes, this does not compare with the 3 I mentioned above. It has some funny moments, but drags on without any real meat to keep you interested in what is going to happen to the characters. Yes, some ancestors of characters in Cryptonomicon appear, but without much point except to share a common name. Unfortunately after anxiously awaiting this book's release, it was a big let-down. I will be waiting to see the reviews on #2 before I buy it. What I am looking forward to is what comes *AFTER* this three volume saga comes to its conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Another fascinating piece of "math fiction" from Stephenson
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the book once I accepted that it is primarily about systems and concepts, not people and events. I call it "math fiction" (as opposed to science fiction). Some of the systems he writes about are: the logic behind all those beheadings and imprisonments, the reasons for seemingly pointless invasions and alliances, Dutch vs. French business practices and why Amsterdam businessmen were so rich, the difference between different religious factions in England, motivations behind French court etiquette, why fashion exists, how to make hangings less painful, etc. He continually asks why and how rather than who what when, and in that sense he gives a math perspective to history. Nowhere else have I read such careful (and enlightening) descriptions of capitalist systems such as money-minting, banks, stock exchanges, and the selling and transport of goods. Stephenson shares with us not just the intrigues and excesses of the nobility of 17th century Europe but also his analysis of the systems that made all that wealth (and war) possible. More importantly, he reveals the day-to-day work of Royal Society scientists. In describing the failed experiments, fires, smells, persecutions, and other dramas of their quest for knowledge he gives a human face to the development of science. And he shows how one might think mathematically and scientifically to solve problems in the real world. Is it great fiction? No. Stephenson needs editing, but no one is capable of quite keeping up with him enough to dare shorten what he has to say. Is he an interesting author? Absolutely! Think of the book as an extended, wide-ranging dinner conversation. You won't get a word in edgewise, but exhausted as you are at the end, you'll be up all night thinking.
Rating:
Summary: A Long, Hard Slog
Review: Like many others who have reviewed this book, I am a long time Neal Stephenson fan and eagerly placed a prepublication order as soon as I heard about it, in spite of the mixed reviews it was receiving. Well, that turned out to be a mistake. The book is amazingly devoid of plot, the historical context is overdone (a certain amount is expected and fun, but this was ridiculous), and the characters are not engaging. I only stayed with it through the end because I was hoping something would happen to entice me to at least sample the next volume. Alas, nothing did. So I will wait on the sidelines while the life cycle of The Baroque Cycle plays out, and then hope that Neal can redeem himself in a future effort. On the positive side, my wife commented that I looked very studious walking around with this massive tome tucked under my arm. That hasn't happened since my graduate school days.
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