Quicksilver

Christina Schulman writes " Quicksilver, Volume One of the Baroque Cycle, is the new doorstop from Neal Stephenson, author of Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon . It's set in late-seventeenth-century Europe, and while it has a few links to Cryptonomicon, you don't need to read Cryptonomicon first. A bit of background reading about the English Civil War wouldn't hurt, though." Schulman's review (below) is enough to whet the appetite, without major spoilers -- perfect for those of us who've been waiting since the end of Cryptonomicon for another 900 pages.

Quicksilver: Volume One of the Baroque Cycle
author	Neal Stephenson
pages	944
publisher	William Morrow
rating	9
reviewer	Christina Schulman
ISBN	0380977427
summary	More than you ever wanted to know about the English Restoration and the invention of calculus, with lots of explosions, syphilis, and piracy thrown in for good measure.

First, let's make it clear that Quicksilver is not science fiction. It's historical fiction, occasionally about science, for people who like science fiction, i.e. geeks. It has math, optics, and vivisection, but no computers, no code, and no high-speed pizza delivery.

This is also not a book that gets anywhere quickly. It's 900-plus pages, and it's not padded so much as it is fractal. Stephenson wanders down side tracks, stages elaborate adventures and morality plays, explores philosophical issues and geometric proofs, assembles obscure puns, and drags in all manner of famous people and events, purely for his own amusement. Either you sit back and enjoy the game, or you hurl the book (with effort) at the wall somewhere in the first few hundred pages.

Daniel Waterhouse is a seventeenth-century geek; his father's a prominent associate of Oliver Cromwell, but Daniel's more interested in Natural Philosophy than in decapitating kings and Catholics. At Cambridge, he befriends Isaac Newton; later he becomes sort of a grad student and chief bottle-washer to the Royal Society. He starts out as naive observer of London politics, but over a few decades, gravitates into the intrigues of both the Court and the European intelligentsia. Just as Lawrence Waterhouse befriended Turing in Cryptonomicon, Daniel Waterhouse orbits Newton and Leibniz. It seems to be the fate of Waterhouse men to be brilliant thinkers eclipsed by the geniuses of their age.

Jack Shaftoe is a legend in his own time, a thief and mercenary who propels himself around Europe on sheer balls and avarice. He bumbles into and out of ridiculous scrapes, including an ostrich-chase at the Siege of Vienna that results in his rescue of the slave-girl Eliza from a Turkish harem. Eliza's business savvy draws the pair back across Europe to Amsterdam, where Eliza becomes entwined in both the Dutch stock exchange and the court of Versailles.

Cryptonomicon readers will remember the improbably long-lived Enoch Root, who shows up occasionally to nudge the plot along. Most of the story takes place between 1655 and 1689, but it opens with Enoch in Massachusetts in 1713, interrupting Daniel's efforts to found MIT by presenting him with a summons from England. Daniel spends the next several weeks being chased around Plymouth Bay by the pirate Blackbeard, only to have his plot thread left dangling with no apologies. Either it will be picked up in the sequel, or Stephenson is attaining a new degree of sadism.

Where Cryptonomicon was about secrecy and deception, Quicksilver is about revealing the hidden and the unknown, and the free dispersal of ideas and money. Stephenson uses quicksilver as an unsubtle symbol of the scientific discovery that was beginning to percolate through the known world. He highlights the dichotomy between the religious viewpoint, of a world that began in perfect knowledge and order and has steadily decayed since the Fall, and the scientific viewpoint, of a chaotic world that is slowly being brought into order and the reach of understanding. Much of this understanding was accomplished through the efforts and correspondence of the Royal Society, which operated in a state of excitement, enthusiasm, and confidence that they would decipher the mechanisms of nature: an attitude not unlike that of the dot-com startup era, but fueled more by wonder and less by naked greed.

Lesser writers dump blocks of expository prose into the narrative; Stephenson shamelessly shovels it into his dialogue. As a result, much of the dialogue is stilted, and the banter is painfully odd. You get used to it. Some bits are more blatant than others, such as a dialogue between Waterhouse and Newton and a Jewish prism-merchant, in which Stephenson trots out a brief overview of European coinage of the time, while cycling through a catalogue of synonyms for "Jew."

So, is Quicksilver worth the effort? On the one hand, it's an insightful look at both the Scientific Revolution and the Glorious Revolution. On the other hand, it's got plague, pirates, astronomy, sex, explosions, daring rescues, religious strife, and the profound effect on European history of stockbrokers and syphilis. It's a terrific book, but don't expect it to resemble Stephenson's prior books in anything but ambition and length.

---

You can purchase Quicksilver from bn.com -- the official release date is September 23rd. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.

I kid because I love

Quicksilver, Volume One of the Baroque Cycle, is the new doorstop...

You know, it's a good thing I love Neil Stephenson, 'cause 900 pages is not so much doorstop sized as *door* sized. ;)

Another good hi-fi book about the Period....

Is An Instance of the Fingerpost [penguinputnam.com] by Ian Pears.

Can't wait to read Quickselver, though. I'll even spring for the hardcover to go next to my Cryptonomicon.

-- ac at work

Somewhat ironic summary...

He highlights the dichotomy between the religious viewpoint, of a world that began in perfect knowledge and order and has steadily decayed since the Fall, and the scientific viewpoint, of a chaotic world that is slowly being brought into order and the reach of understanding.

A somewhat ironic summary, considering the laws of thermodynamics. =) (Yes, yes, I know what he meant.)

come on....

900 more pages about Waterhouse and Shaftoe.... How many generations can these families bump into each other?

Damn you Neal Stephenson!

I can't read this book now because it would violate my first rule of book selection: I don't read any books that are part of an incomplete series. He's got to write faster so I can get my fix! Then again, I already sort of broke my rule by reading the sample chapter...

Re:Damn you Neal Stephenson!

I don't read any books that are part of an incomplete series.

IIRC, the series is mostly complete and each volume is being released at six month intervals.

*which* English Civil War?

There were a few. Many nations were created from them. Notably, the USA.

And yes, you should read Cryptonomicon. (It will be interesting to see if this novel has a less abrubt ending that most of his other 90's books though)

Re:*which* English Civil War?

Britain did in fact win that struggle in the long run.

Since Britain has gone from #1 global superpower to a third world shit hole, I'd say Britain lost in the long run.

You were rightly modded down as a troll, but your response brings up a couple of points worth addressing. First, Britain is a long way from a "third world shithole;" the standard of living there is roughly equivalent to that in the US (slightly better in some ways, slightly worse in others, but none of the differences are really all that significant.) Second, and more important: for a century and a half after losing the American Revolution, Britain ran an empire which was larger and more prosperous than any other in history, before or since; that's a pretty good run, and one which I doubt the US (I'm almost sure you're an American) will equal. The American empire has lasted sixty years, more or less, and now looks a whole lot like the British empire in its final days.

In the long long run, everybody loses. But London's turn at running the world was the most successful since Rome's.

Hallelujah, Stephenson is back!

Glad to see that Neal is as independent and cantankerous as ever. Cryptonomicon was so phenomenal that I gave my copy to a fellow geek-traveller (and old friend), who has probably passed it along like some virus in Snow Crash. Stephenson's books have expanded my mind and I am sure that Quicksilver will be worth a long slog. What the review failed to mention was whether or not the entire book was actually first written using a fountain pen, as I had read it would be years ago. If so, one has to wonder at the determination of an author literally penning a "doorstop". Off to the bookstore...

I've been waiting for this book.....

The Cryptonomicon was terrific! I hope I enjoy this one just as much. A lot of his complaints about Quicksilver appeared in the Cryptonomicon, esp. the plot jumping. Nothing like leaving the plot to discuss the revolutions of a bicycle chain.

Vertical

Display some adaptability.

Words to live by. This sort of became my personal motto after reading Cryptonomicon. When things get crazy at work, I just think to myself, "What would Shaftoe do?" Display some adaptability, that's what.

NEw Geek bumper sticker.

W.W.S.D?

C'mon, do it all the way!

When things get crazy at work, I just think to myself, "What would Shaftoe do?"

Well, first, when IT fucked up all the networked laser printers, he'd parachute into their building, impaling himself mortally on a letter-opener on someone's desk. Then, he'd machine-gun the front-line support staff. Then, he'd lob a few grenades into the server room. Finally, for good measure, he'd jump in there himself to make sure the job got done, going out in a big ball of glory.

Now *that's* some fucking adaptability. If you're going to do it like Shaftoe, you fucking do it right, soldier.

oh dear

between another 900-page epic from stephenson, FzeroGX and Freevo, ill be surprised if i manage to graduate this semester...

Re:oh dear

That's why you download Nethack. That way, there's no longer any doubt that you'll graduate - you're guaranteed not to. =)

I'm still reading Cryptonomicon...

and I'm only on page 200 or so after a couple of weeks (due to many silly reasons like kids and job). So it's with reluctance I succumb to the desire to read yet another (not to say there are too many) of Stephenson's books.

I enjoyed "Diamond Age" quite a bit and started in on "Cryptonomicon" shortly after finishing it, but I have to say that the characters are so complex in this book that I have trouble keeping their background straight. I do feel that once in awhile he (Stephenson) takes the character for a ride but forgets to take us along, too. That's not to say that I don't enjoy the stories; far from it. I think he's able to create quite a tapestry in his stories, and I just can't remember all of the individual threads (much like real life).

Looking forward to reading this novel when I finish "Cryptonomicon" several weeks from now. :-/

- Leo

Some shocking statements for a '9'

Sounds like more of a defense than a review.

The 900-pages consist of a plot 'not padded so much as it is fractal' and apparently 'purely for his own amusement.'

I prefer novels written for the amusement of readers, thank you.

Lesser writers dump blocks of expository prose into the narrative; Stephenson shamelessly shovels it into his dialogue. As a result, much of the dialogue is stilted, and the banter is painfully odd. You get used to it.

After 900 pages 'you get used to it' is hardly is glowing endorsement.

Re:Some shocking statements for a '9'

i think the thing i enjoy so much about Stephensons writting is that its actually a challenge to read at times. You read a micheal chrichton book or robin cook and its like reading a comic book. To me its like the difference between watching a program on Discovery and watching Power Rangers. You might enjoy non-intelligent writing that doesnt actually push you but there are those of us who enjoy it.

Re:Some shocking statements for a '9'

This isn't the sort of book where audience reaction follows a Gaussian distribution.

I gave it a 9 because I enjoyed the hell out of it, and I think most of those who made it all the way to the end of Cryptonomicon will too. But it's also going to drive a lot of people nuts, and they should be warned; this shouldn't be anyone's first Stephenson book.

Looking forward... mostly

I enjoyed Cryptonomicon quite a bit, but the historical gaffes in Snow Crash make me a little hesitant about Stephenson diving back into anything before current events. His descriptions of Sumerian myths, and of the book of Deuteronomy being all about kings, still make me cringe.

Let's hope his research was better this time around.

Re:Looking forward... mostly

And forgot my favorite Cryptonomicon goof: after is laptop is fried by the EMP gun, Randy takes out the hard drive and later uses it in another computer. Umm, Neal, hard drives have logic boards with chips... and swapping those doesn't usually work, either.

Re:Looking forward... mostly

dude, get out more often. :)

In episode 2F09, when Itchy plays Scratchy's skeleton like a xylophone, he strikes the same rib twice in succession, yet he produces two clearly different tones. I mean, what are we to believe, that this is some sort of a magic xylophone or something? Boy, I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder.

Re:Looking forward... mostly

Neal, hard drives have logic boards with chips... and swapping those doesn't usually work, either.

You must be new around here. . . [slashdot.org]

Re:Looking forward... mostly

You do realize that all that stuff about neurolinguistic hackers was fictional? And that there will inevitably be untrue statements involved when fiction references historical fact? This is like demanding archaeological evidence of Middle Earth.

Re:Looking forward... mostly

I did some rudimentary checking on the reliability of Stephenson's research, which is to say, I ran the high points past my sister, who's a historian specializing in the Dutch Golden Age. (On a side note, having received countless calls from friends and family with computer questions; it's pleasant to be on the other side of the equation for once.)

My sister gave a tentative thumbs-up to the general outline of Stephenson's history, and suggested that two of his source books were probably 1688: A Global History [amazon.com] by John E., Jr. Wills and Dutch Primacy in World Trade, 1585-1740 [amazon.com] by Jonathan I. Israel.

I'm so glad I don't do that for a living.

Familiar...

Historical fiction in which a man who embodies Scientific Thought clashes with relgious zealots against the background of social upheaval in Western Europe. Contains lengthy divergent sections dealing with strands of physics, mathematics, theology and sex.

I think Stephenson has been reading a lot of Umberto Eco (either "Name of the Rose" or "Foucault's Pendulum") recently.

advance copy?

I don't want to wait for the official release; I'll be on my plane already! So, how did you get the advance copy for a review? Since it's 900 pages, I presume you received it some time ago. Or read -really- fast.

Has he....?

I'll eagerly read it, regardless, but I wonder -- has Stephenson learned to write:

a) an ending
b) a sex scene that doesn't make one cringe

At least with sex scenes, he could just leave them out since he's so obviously uncomfortable writing them. Writing a book without an ending would be tricky, though, and might invite a lawsuit from Lionel Hutts.

Re:Has he....?

for those who didn't get the refence:

Homer: All you can eat - Hah!
Hutz: Mr Simpson, this is the most blatant case of fraudulent advertising since my suit against the film, The Neverending Story.
Homer: Do you think I have a case?
Hutz: Now, Homer, I don't use the word "hero" very often. But you are the greatest hero in American history.

BN Link

You can purchase Quicksilver from bn.com

When you embed a sourceId into the link, it is reasonably ethical to disclose who will be the beneficiary of the referral.

Re:BN Link

Actually, I submitted an article that was accepted not too long ago, with a link to a book on Amazon (just a plain old link, with no kickbacks associated).

When the article appeared on Slashdot, lo and behold, the Amazon.com link was now a Barnes and Noble, with enough info in the URL to indicate that someone was making a buck.

I believe that /. has an agreement with B I just wish they would be more open about it. I don't mind supporting Slashdot, but I like to know when I'm doing it.

Eco Book

This description reminds me of Umberto Eco's "The Island of the Day Before". Eco's book is set in the 1600s and revolves around the search for a method to measure longitude during war and political and religious intrigue.

Maybe if you like this Stephenson book, you'll like that. Eco's books tend to be a little smarter than most people enjoy, however.

Re:Eco Book

I actually hated "The Island..." but most of the rest of Eco's fiction is really good, so comparisons to Eco are reasonable. If you liked Cryptonomicon, I'd recommend you go check out _The Name of the Rose_ and _Foucault's Pendulum_ in particular. Very dense, but excellent writing.

I'll pass

It sounds like Stephenson is turning into Thomas Pynchon.

DFW

If you're going to work through 900+ pages of a novel, may I also suggest David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest [amazon.com]?

Neal would be proud of you.

900 pages? Again?

I liked Snow Crash- I didn't even mind the "non-ending". I also liked Zodiac. But both the Diamond Age and Cryptonomicon left me...bored. Stephenson apparently has decided that he'd rather show-off all his historical research than tell an interesting story.

Timing Sucks

C'mon guys, couldn't you have waited until TOMORROW when the book is actually released? Now I'm gonna have a major case of blueballs waiting to go to the store tomorrow.

two great tastes that go great together

"...and the profound effect on European history of stockbrokers and syphilis."

Ah, yes, stockbrokers and syphilis. You just can't have one without the other.

Sample Here

Here [baroquecycle.com].

Seems a little dry, IMO. I'll probably still buy the hardback.

Stephenson == very educated avantgardistic writing

I really like Stephenson. He's the current living benchmark for literature imho. He writes witty, educated, phantasy rich, thoughtfull and, in ways, seriously esotherical without losing it.
He is consequently ignored by the 'big' literature critics - allways a clear sign of quality - and still manages to fascinate and grip the fun reader and the thoughfull one alike.
Personally, I'm looking forward to this new one from him.

Re:Stephenson == very educated avantgardistic writ

He is consequently ignored by the 'big' literature critics - allways a clear sign of quality -

Um, actually Stephenson's writing has been written up (from Snow Crash through Cryptonomicon) in the New York Times Book Review so I don't know what "'big' literature critics" you're talking about.

Are you talking about academic literary critique? I know for a fact that several universities (those that aren't so Canon-bound; Penn State is one) read Stephenson at the graduate level. Likewise they read PKD and detective fiction. Sure, Martin Amis hasn't written a critique of Stephenson but I bet there is some published work being done.

I assume your problem is the fact that SF is being "marginalized" as genre fiction and not accepted into the Canon along side Ulysses, Old Man and the Sea and Canterbury Tales. Well the problem is that Literary Criticism is interested in 'literature' not 'reading'. A good story is a good story, yes, but that isn't what literary study is about: it is about understanding the way people write. Style, technique, editing. Gravity's Rainbow is considered big not because it reads "well" but because of its post-modern design (i.e. the entire story is parabolic, starting with a single thread, building to a central mass, and then, simplifying at the far tail... tracing the parabolic tragectory of the V-2 rocket at the beginning and the end). For all of Stephenson's positive traits, his writing doesn't expand the landscape of literature.

Literary criticism isn't about reading good books. It's about understanding the theory of writing itself.

Quote from Diamond Age

Although I probably liked Snow Crash better myself, I enjoyed Diamond Age also. What makes Stephenson so good isn't his novel's plot, I think, but all the interesting passages sprinkled throughout. Here's a discussion I liked from Diamond Age:

"Because they were hypocrites," Finkle McGraw said, "the Victorians were despised in the late twentieth century. Many of the persons who held such opinions were, of course, guilty of the most nefandous conduct themselves, and yet saw no paradox in holding such views because they were now hypocrites themselves---they took no moral stances and lived by none."

"So they were morally superior to the Victorians---" Major Napier said, still a bit snowed under.

"---even though---in fact, because---they had no morals at all."

An insightful passage I think, very relevant today. Anyway, this kind of stuff is characteristic of Stephenson's writing, so I think the books can be forgiven if they don't have good endings.

I still don't get cryptomoncomonmon

I understand the book, I just can't come up with a feasible reason why someone would want to read it. I did, I'm sorry to say, and I wanted to tear my eyes out for the last 600 pages or so. I actually considered not finishing it when I was about 20 pages from the end, and to this day, I wish I had.

So am I interested in another 900 pages from an author without any apparent editor? No. I'm not interested in reading chapter upon chapter of stuff that has absolutely no bearing on the plot, is uninteresting in its own right, and will be forgotten as soon as the next totally unnecessary twist.

The thing that Neal seems to forget is that the essence of writing is deciding what to leave out. Until he figures that out or hires an editor that can make the decision for him, I'll pass.

Re:I still don't get cryptomoncomonmon

Look, Neal is a wanker. He wanks on for however many pages he feels like and then cuts it off sharp and sweet. But the fact is, he's the most amusing and well-written wanker writing anything today, he really has a grasp on how to write amusing and current prose. It's almost like you crossed William Gibson with a smart, funny person, because (compare: though) the style is completely different. So it may be wankery, but it's really damned entertaining.

So if you're expecting deep substance (though some deep thought obviously went into snow crash, and some care went into zodiac, and by the way the Bury books - nice marketing tactic Neal - are quite interesting) then maybe you'll want to skip this book, maybe not, certainly I can see why it would make you dislike Cryptonomicon. But it's a fast, entertaining ride, it's the kind of thing that would make a good movie for geeks. In fact I'd say the majority of Stephenson's books fit the basic requirements for a movie. They have some filler which you could strip out completely, or (much better idea) allude to. They have unique, interesting characters, though the reasons some of them are interesting are pure geek fodder, so you'd have to make them pretty people. They have chase scenes, love interests, good guys, bad guys, causes, struggles, blah blah blah.

Stephenson

Stephenson is a really excellent author. Although I'm usually left a bit unsatisfied by his books' endings - particularly Diamond Age - this may only be because at the end of his books I wish there were still five hundred pages to go! He is particularly good at populating his worlds with characters who are, for lack of a better phrase, really exceptionally cool. I can't think of any other author whose characters reach a comparable level of out-and-out badassitude - Gibson doesn't even come close.

I also think that he pressents some interesting and worthwhile takes on politics and modern society, particularly in his portrayal of the faithful. Traditional religion and social conservatism often end up dismissed and/or mocked in scientific and technical communities, but Stephenson manages to present them in a new light and to depict a world where faith and appreciation of traditional values does not necessarily mean intolerance or being terminally lame. :) He is able to present versions of morality and faith that are at once true to their roots and capable of thriving in the modern world. Examples that spring to mind are his descriptions of Juanita's efforts to reinvigorate Catholicism in Snow Crash, his depiction of Avi in Cryptonomicon, and the long homage to Victorianism and Midwestern America that is Diamond Age.

Has Neal been reading jwz?

I know that Neal Stephenson doesn't much enjoy contact with his readers, so this is perhaps the best place to ask this question. Maybe someone on Slashdot even has an answer. :)

Anyone else suspect a connection between Randy's wisdom-tooth episode and this [jwz.org] blog entry from Jamie Zawinski on the same subject? Or is it just my own experience with dental surgeons that makes me cringe at both of these?

Science Fiction Definitions

First, let's make it clear that Quicksilver is not science fiction. It's historical fiction, occasionally about science, for people who like science fiction, i.e. geeks. It has math, optics, and vivisection, but no computers, no code, and no high-speed pizza delivery.

Personally this does sound like SF. Merriam-Webster describes SF as "fiction dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component." Futuristic elements to the science is a common trait, but not a defining characteristic. So Quicksilver is pure SF just like William Gibson's Pattern Recognition is SF, even though its just dealing with meme-passing and culture creation. Heck, a caveman perfecting the flint spear with an atl-atl is SF. The interaction of man and science is the key, not the nature of the science itself.

Cryptonomicon sucks, anyone else agree?

Every time I read about people swooning over Cryptonomicon, I just don't get it. I've read the first few hundred pages and after failing to be excited on any level - emotional, intellectual, spiritual - I had to put it down. There is no decent plot, zero (!) action and yet zero deep introspection. If a book is going to be slow and without much action and plot, dear God, please at least let it be deep?

To contrast this with something, I loved every single Dune book. While some books had more action, others, without much action, had plenty of depth to keep me satisfied. I felt like swimming in another mind and in another soul, and it was great. When I was reading Cryptonomicon, I felt like chewing paper. The taste was very dry, void of any nutritional value, nothing whatsoever was happening in the book, with the most exciting action scene being the american guy adventuring in a bar full of asians - boooooooriinnggg....and this is coming from someone who is fascinated with asian culture. On the other hand, there is absolutely zero spiritual, OR intellectual content. Zero. I don't expect great spiritual depth from this author, but at least, as a hacker (or a hacker wannabe, or a hacker in spirit, what have you), he ought to be more engaging mentally at least.

I also find it amusing that the stale styrofoam such as Cryptonomicon got a link and yet, the arguably better book, Snowcrash is without a link.

I realize that many people love this book, but I don't understand why. Why?

stephenson endings...

I like his endings.
He flies right up to the brink and then stops the car. Apparently most slashdotties have their seatbelts on. I like to leave mine off and fly off that cliff.
He gives you so much to chew on with his endings. plenty of space for "what if..."
I always remember his books far longer than most simply BECAUSE it's not all spelled out for you in detail.

Will this make the bestseller lists?

That is, the 30% off discounts at B&M Barnes & Nobles or Borders?

I'm trying to decide if I should order from Amazon tonight.

How did Randy read Japanese plaintext?

WARNING: Cryptonomicon spoiler. If you have not read Cryptonomicon, please skip the rest of this comment.

I loved Cryptonomicon, but there was one little thing bugging me. When Randy, in jail, decrypts the WWII radio transmissions that mentioned the location of Golgotha, why did that message have English plaintext? Wouldn't the Japanese have used Japanese, which Randy does not speak?

The only 3 reasons that I can think of are: 1) Mr. Stephenson didn't want to confuse the reader by switching languages, the crypto was potentially confusing enough, 2) The messages were sent by the Conspiracy, in English, and I didn't notice that in my reading, 3) Mr. Stephenson made a mistake.

Reason #2 seems most likely to me, but I didn't get that from reading. Do you, dear Shashdotters, have any insight?

So looking forward to this...

I've loved every Stephenson book I've read, and I've read all of them except zodiac and the um... the one with the U;) I forget the exact title and I'm lazy... but in any event... I have had this book on pre-order since July and I'm hoping that next-day delivery really means next-day...

Since a lot of people commented about Cryptonomicon... I wonder, did anyone else try to find Qwghlm on a map, or was that just me? haha I swear I thought maybe it was an island in the UK that I never heard of LOL

Well...Ok...900 pages...

But are there pictures?

NY Times review

Saturday the NYTimes (reg, you know the drill) reviewed this book. here's [nytimes.com] the link.

ack... couldn't resist!

It's a terrific book, but don't expect it to resemble Stephenson's prior books in anything but ambition and length.

but you know what I always say... if it ain't Baroque, don't fix it!

[ducks for cover]sorry[/ducks for cover]

Good read, if you can get through it.

I'm currently on page 800 of my proof copy and thought I might try writing a Slashdot review. Fortunately, somebody beat me to it! Instead I'll present the following points:

1) If you did not (like|understand|pretend to get|claim to have read) Cryptonomicon, this is not the book for you. I can't imagine Mr. Stephenson was looking to expand his fan base with this book. This book is easily an intellectual achievement and as such, is written to satisfy an audience of 1: Neal Stephenson.

2) Generally, Stephenson's books are best after multiple readings. If you don't like reading books over again, you should steer clear of this author altogether. Quicksilver is no exception. There is a lot going on and, if the other books serve as guides, you will get more out of them a second time around.

3) After reading parts of this book you are going to want to track down articles on (wikipedia|everything2) to refresh your memory about late 17th century European history. Even so, this book is not "late 17th century European history." This is a book about 17th century hackers and, if you believe the premise, how much and how little things have changed. Either way, this book merits a Companion guide.

4) The sixth paragraph above is a pretty big spoiler. Don't read it.

5) I don't think Christina Schulman, the reviewer, (and despite the Epiphyte reference) made it through the book. The Quicksilver metaphor is important in the first book. The second and third books in the Quicksilver volume go on to other metaphors.

6) don't expect it to resemble Stephenson's prior books in anything but ambition and length. Ummm, I disagree. The parallel story line method is Stephenson's trademark, whether you are reading The Big U, the Diamond Age, or most noticeably Cryptonomicon. This book is more of what Stephenson does best, but in a very different setting.

7) Despite having a proof copy, I'm getting the hardcover of this sucker. Stephenson is worth it.

8) The Real Character puzzle from the website was only a glimpse of what was to come in the book. Given the time and effort (and application of programming skills/OCR) I don't expect to be disappointed.

Bottom line, if you're new to Stephenson, you'll want to try Cryptonomicon first. Quicksilver can be a page-turner but it is by no means a quick read. I usually fly through books but have taken over a month on this one. This book represents an incredible amount of effort and cements Stephenson's position top among the most versatile, intelligent, (Linux friendly) authors today.

Books 2 and 3...

For those of you already wondering when the next books will be out, Stephenson is trying a Matrix approach:

HC: When can we hope to see the next volumes in the Baroque Cycle?

NS: They're coming out at six-month intervals, so April 2004 for The Confusion, and then October 2004 for The System of the World.

http://www.baroquecycle.com/interview.htm [baroquecycle.com]

No-one seems to have asked this....

But why isn't Cryptonomicon the first book in the Baroque Cycle?

Give it up phD Lit eggheads...

$20 for 900pp is better than a buck a page! Seriously, the density and non-linearity bear multiple reads. I've enjoyed all of Iain M Banks several times, ditto Crypto and Diamond Age, and every time I pick up a dog-eared Ellroy I'm shocked and thrilled again. Lots of potential for mindscaping in a work of fiction is an invitation to return again and again, like a favourite piece of music. I'm not impressed with proto-critic literary crotch thrusters: the academic reverence given to Dostoevsky does not mean normal people are stupid for liking great yarn - written way better than you or whoever's 9 year old could manage. And puhleez, if you are going to diss a work, better finish it off first. NS is good and I particularly like the long convoluted ones; glad to see other people feel the same.

Niccolo rising....

Ostrich Chase? The weird thing about that is that is a key scene in Dorthy Dunnet's Niccolo Rising [amazon.com], which is a pretty decent fictionalization orbiting Machiavelli.

Chrisd

Background Material

The best work about the English Civil War and the Restoration was written almost 250 years ago by the great Scottish philospher David Hume. The relevant volumes are available in paperback for $10 each: History of England: Volume V, The first two Stuarts [libertyfund.org] and History of England: Volume VI, The last Stuarts and the Glorious Revolution [libertyfund.org].

For those of you who do not wish to read 18th century prose (which I find delicious, but some of you may think is too much work) try A Monarchy Transformed: Britain 1603-1714 (Penguin History of Britain Series, No 6) by Mark Kishlansky [amazon.com]. Avoid the Stone book which is crippled by the author's marxist commitments.

The English Civil War was a key event in American History also. the connections are explained by Kevin Phillips in The Cousins' Wars: Religion, Politics, and the Triumph of Anglo-America [amazon.com]

{SC,DA} != C

That is, Snow Crash and Diamond Age are almost, but not quite, entirely unlike Cryptonomicon. I loved SC and DA and really looked forward to Cryptonomicon.

But then I started reading the free excerpt on the web. Whereas SC and DA both sucked me in within the first few pages, Cryptonomicon just bored me. So I am very sorry to hear that he's continuing in the style of it rather than his earlier works.

Useful review in that respect, though. I now know I need look at Quicksilver any further. :)

I'll wait for more sci-fi, thanks.

Loved Snow Crash and Diamond Age, was somewhat underwhelmed by Cryptonomicon.

Since this appears to be more Crypto, I think I may pass on this.

Get back to your ultra-hip future tales, Neal!

I'm in complete agreement...

...that Neal's books often have abrupt endings & leave me wishing that he'd add a bit here and there (the open threads...). Come to think of it, his writing is much like every software project I've been involved in!

Enoch Root question (Spoiler for cryptonomicon)

I love Neal Stephenson books, and I have no qualms in rereading books whether they're particularly tricky or not, being a quite avaricious reader. However, there's one thing I don't get.

SPOILER ALERT FOR CRYPTONOMICON

What the hell is Enoch Root still doing alive at the end of the book when he dies halfway through and is pronounced dead by a doctor? He seems fine 50 years later. Did I miss something vital? I feel as stupid as I did finishing Diamond Age, although I'm a bit more sure I've got that one sussed.

Neil's books may not be for everyone . . .

I think that he has two different "styles." You have the Diamond Age and Snowcrash style, and then you have the Cryptonomicon (and it sounds like Quicksilver too)style. Though somewhat disconjointed, I really enjoyed the Diamond Age. Neil is not afraid to spend a chapter or two on some story completely unrelated to the plot or development of the book. He uses these digressions, I think, to give color and depth to his worlds. Not everyone appreciates these digressions though, because it can be viewed as worthless and distracting to the focus of the book.
This has been a pleasurable thread to read. Neil does seem to be one of those authors you either like or you don't. Very few "in betweens."

Re:same price at amazon

Yeah, and you also can go to amazon without supporting the blatantly spamming dumbass with amazon-id ccats-20
here [amazon.com]

Re:Yeah I know

No, that scientific discovery is to the known world as water is to coffee grounds, but I still don't know what that has to do with quicksilver.

Re:G4

Isn't Quicksilver the model of an Apple G4? Stop confusing us!

:::sound of slashdot crickets:::

Sorry this comment didn't quite rate a "+5 Funny". But it may not be that Slashdot is trying to confuse your poor little mellon. It may be more the case that in this wonderful little essay [barnesandnoble.com] Stephenson wrote about a few years back Stephenson reveals himself to have been at one time a real Apple fiend.

In it, he describes how he sadly left the Apple fold after his beloved blackbird powerbook ate a story he was working on. It was (according to him) irretrievably lost. He then embarked on a journey through other operating systems (including BeOS and WinNT)that culminated into a real enthusiasm for Linux.

But that essay was written a while ago, so maybe since the move to OS X he's come back to Apple.

Perhaps he was writing his new book on his new Apple hardware and thinking to himself "Title...title...hmmmm...what to all this wonderful new story of mine...ah-HA!"