Quicksilver

File:Quicksilver.jpg

First edition cover.

Quicksilver is historic fiction, and the first three volumes of the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. The book follows three fiction characters as they interact with a most otherwise historical England during the days of Isaac Newton, Gottfried Leibniz, Robert Hooke, and various other members of the Royal Society.

I originally started reading this book shortly after it was published, but never finished the first book. A few years later, I re-started it, and made it over halfway through, but still gave up. In 2016, I found an audio book version of it, and finished it in a few weeks. It's a daunting read, but extremely worth it.

Review

Good

• For the vast majority of the book, I enjoyed the story and characters which is quite a feat considering how long the book is.
• The attention to detail on the various cultures of the time and the vast array of historical figures is astounding.
• I liked the inclusion of the ancestors of the Cryptonomicon. The Shaftoes, Waterhouses, and Roots had impressive lineages.
• The character Enoch Root, who seems to have discovered the philosophical mercury, is quite interesting.

Bad

• While I thoroughly enjoyed the characters Jack and Eliza, I kept wishing they would have more interactions with the members of the Royal Society, as I wanted to know more about the scientific discoveries.
• There seemed to be a bit of padding, parts of the story that were unimportant to the plot, but even they weren't very tedious.

Ugly

• Nothing, this book is amazing.

Links

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksilver_(novel) - Wikipedia.