Quicksilver

Book One of The Baroque Cycle

By: Neal Stephenson

Narrated by: Neal Stephenson (introduction), Kevin Pariseau, Simon Prebble

Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

In this first volume of Neal Stephenson’s genre-defying epic, Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and courageous Puritan, pursues knowledge in the company of the greatest minds of Baroque-era Europe in a chaotic world where reason wars with the bloody ambitions of the mighty, and where catastrophe, natural or otherwise, can alter the political landscape overnight.

The Baroque Cycle, Neal Stephenson’s award-winning series, spans the late 17th and early 18th centuries, combining history, adventure, science, invention, piracy, and alchemy into one sweeping tale. It is a gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive historical epic populated by the likes of Isaac Newton, William of Orange, Benjamin Franklin, and King Louis XIV, along with some of the most inventive literary characters in modern fiction.

Audible’s complete and unabridged presentation of The Baroque Cycle was produced in cooperation with Neal Stephenson. Each volume includes an exclusive introduction read by the author.

Listen to more titles in the Baroque Cycle.

©2003 Neal Stephenson (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“[The “Baroque Cycle”] will defy any category, genre, precedent, or label – except genius….Stephenson has a once-in-a-generation gift: he makes complex ideas clear, and he makes them funny, heartbreaking, and thrilling.” ( Time)

“A book of immense ambition, learning, and scope, Quicksilver is often brilliant and occasionally astonishing in its evocation of a remarkable time and place.” ( Washington Post Book World)

very good historical fiction

I found myself engrossed in the story and was surprised when it ended.

very well written

Heavy with detail

I really enjoy the detail Stephenson provides in all of his books. This on was almost tedious at times with historical detail. I can imagine many people being put off by that - and I can admit zoning out several times during the descriptions of the different families and their histories, but this book was unique in its ability to string together a plot while painting a very vivid picture of the world long ago. Great historical fiction.

Don't think of this as a book...

The author doesn't. This is the first part of a 9 book 3 volume cycle. There's a whole lot of set up and not a lot of action in this one. If you enjoyed this but felt let down by lack of plot keep going it'll get there.

fantastic

listened nonstop! Some complain that there is no plot. that is certainly untrue but is is an epic and this is only the first eighth.

awesome start to an awesome series

Extremely well performed and beautifully written book. looking very much forward to the remaining 7 books.

Just OK

I kept listening to this book waiting for something to happen. Fortunately the narration is quite good. Basically, the book is a description of scientific theories and experiments, some quite gruesome (the ones with the poor dogs). I did purchase the first three books during a recent sale. The reviews says the subsequent books are better.

Story starts slowly, but it is worth staying.

Somewhere in chapter 3, (about 90 minutes) it begins to make sense. Maybe it’s not science fiction. But Stephenson is a great story teller. Enjoyed it a great deal. Now on to book two in the series.

LOVED IT!

I really loved this book...and the sequels...I'm up to the third one and I find them all big fun! It's going to be one of those series that I will be sad to have it finish. I look forward to my commute time so I can catch up on my listening. I guess I'm a bit of a girl-geek who loves history...maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. It reminds me of the Ken Follet books about the middle-ages, which I enjoyed as well!

Also learned a valuable lesson -- I shouldn't put too much stock in reviews, since this book got such bad ones and if I'd read those before I bought the book I might not have.

WARNING

This is not "Quicksilver" the first volume of the three volume Baroque Cycle.

This is "Quicksilver" the first *book* of the first volume. The first printed volume, also conveniently called "Quicksilver", contains "Quicksilver", "King of the Vagabonds", and "Odalisque". Theses are separate purchases on Audible.

So, other than being a bit disappointed to find out that I bought "Quicksilver" instead of "Quicksilver", it's a quite enjoyable story. If you're a science geek like me, you'll enjoy the fictionalized account of Newton, Hooke, Leibnitz and other key players in this key point our history.

The audio quality and narration is also particularly good, though the Dutch, German and French accents all sound a bit similar.

Definitely good.

Here's the deal: when I work on projects around the house I like to listen to audiobooks. This book is ideal because Simon Prebble has an amazing voice, and the book is nice and long. I had read the book so it was easy for me to follow along. If you want constant action, this isn't for you. The action scenes are few and far between, and Stephensen puts long, boring dialogs in all of his books which is when I hit x2. Otherwise, just be patient and you'll be hooked. Eventually.