"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
In the second book, Stephenson introduces Jack Shaftoe and Eliza. "Half-Cocked" Jack (also know as the "King of the Vagabonds") recovers the English Eliza from a Turkish harem. Fleeing the siege of Vienna, the two journey across Europe driven by Eliza's lust for fame, fortune, and nobility. Gradually, their circle intertwines with that of Daniel in the third book of the novel.
The book courses with Stephenson's scholarship but is rarely bogged down in its historical detail. Stephenson is especially impressive in his ability to represent dialogue over the evolving worldview of seventeenth-century scientists and enliven the most abstruse explanation of theory. Though replete with science, the novel is as much about the complex struggles for political ascendancy and the workings of financial markets. Further, the novel's literary ambitions match its physical size. Stephenson narrates through epistolary chapters, fragments of plays and poems, journal entries, maps, drawings, genealogic tables, and copious contemporary epigrams. But, caught in this richness, the prose is occasionally neglected and wants editing. Further, anticipating a cycle, the book does not provide a satisfying conclusion to its 900 pages. These are minor quibbles, though. Stephenson has matched ambition to execution, and his faithful, durable readers will be both entertained and richly rewarded with a practicum in Baroque science, cypher, culture, and politics. --Patrick O'Kelley
In which 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.
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The first novel in Neal Stephenson's acclaimed Baroque Cycle.As extraordinary an achievement as Cryptonomicon, Quicksilver is Neal Stephenson's first novel in his acclaimed Baroque Cycle.Neal Stephenson follows his international bestseller, the WWII thriller Cryptonomicon, with a novel set in the 16th and 17th centuries, in a world of war, scientific, religious and political turmoil.With a cast of characters that includes Newton, Leibniz, Christopher Wren, Charles II, Cromwell and the young Benjamin Franklin, Stephenson again shows his extraordinary ability to get inside a place and time; as he did for the futures of his science fiction (Snowcrash,The Diamond Age) and for WWII (Cryptonomicon), here he does for the England of the Civil War and the Europe of the Wars of Religion and the Scientific Revolution. Quicksilver is yet another tour-de-force from a writer who is simply unique. Including a cast of characters such as Newton, Leibniz, Christopher Wren, Charles II, Cromwell and the young Benjamin Franklin, this book shows the ability to get inside a place and time; and more. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780099410683
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780099410683
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780099410683
Book Description Condition: New. pp. 927. Seller Inventory # 5823323
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9780099410683-GDR
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. As extraordinary an achievement as Cryptonomicon, Quicksilver is Neal Stephenson's first novel in his acclaimed Baroque Cycle. as he did for the futures of his science fiction (Snowcrash,The Diamond Age) and for WWII (Cryptonomicon), here he does for the England of the Civil War and the Europe of the Wars of Religion and the Scientific Revolution. Seller Inventory # B9780099410683
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 944 pages. 7.80x5.08x1.93 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0099410680
Book Description Condition: New. 2004. 01st Edition. Paperback. Including a cast of characters such as Newton, Leibniz, Christopher Wren, Charles II, Cromwell and the young Benjamin Franklin, this book shows the ability to get inside a place and time; and more. Num Pages: 944 pages. BIC Classification: FA; FV. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 129 x 51. Weight in Grams: 684. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780099410683
Book Description Condition: New. In. Seller Inventory # ria9780099410683_new