Quicksilver
Volume One of the Baroque Cycle
By Neal Stephenson
(William Morrow Paperbacks, Paperback, 9780060593087, 960pp.)
Publication Date: October 2004
Other Editions of This Title: Hardcover
Categories: Action & Adventure, Historical - General, Sagas
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Quicksilver is the story of Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and conflicted Puritan, pursuing 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.
It is a chronicle of the breathtaking exploits of "Half-Cocked Jack" Shaftoe -- London street urchin turned swashbuckling adventurer and legendary King of the Vagabonds -- risking life and limb for fortune and love while slowly maddening from the pox.
And it is the tale of Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent Europe through the newborn power of finance.
A gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive novel that brings a remarkable age and its momentous events to vivid life, Quicksilver is an extraordinary achievement from one of the most original and important literary talents of our time.
And it's just the beginning ...
Neal Stephenson is the author of Anathem; the three-volume historical epic the Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World); Cryptonomicon; The Diamond Age; Snow Crash, which was named one of Time magazine’s top one hundred all-time best English-language novels; and Zodiac. He lives in Seattle, Washington.
“[O]ften brilliant and occassionally astonishing ...[QUICKSILVER] has wit, ambition and ... moments of real genius.”
-Book World
“[QUICKSILVER] is a rare thing: a 1,000-page book that you don’t want to end.
-San Antonio Express-News
“A sprawling, engrossing tale.”
-Seattle Times
“Sprawling, irreverent, and ultimately profound.”
-Newsweek
“[A]n awe-inspiring book, stuffed with heart-stopping action scenes ... and a treasure trove of forgotten historical lore.”
-Book
“Dense, witty, erudite ... and gripping ... a far more impressive literary endeavor than most so-called “serious” fiction.”
-Independent
“[QUICKSILVER] explores the philosophical concerns of today . . . through thrillingly clever, suspenseful and amusing plot twists.”
-New York Times Book Review
“Genius . . . You’ll wish it were longer.”
-Time magazine
“Stephenson’s new machine is a wonderment to behold. A-”
-Entertainment Weekly
“An astonishing achievement.”
-Sunday Telegraph
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