Quicksilver
No. 1 in The Baroque Cycle series
edited by Neal Stephenson
|
HarperCollins (New York): 2003. Trade paperback: 944 pages. ISBN-10: 0-380-97742-7 Suggested retail price: $27.95 (US) Tags: alchemy; Calculus; cryptography; England; finance; France; Historical; Holland; Leibnitz; markets; mathematics; Newton, Isaac; Puritans Tactical strength: [6/10] |
I have yet to read a Neal Stephenson book I didn't like. Usually, once I pick up a Stephenson novel, I spend every possible minute I can with the text until I have devoured the entire story. Something about Quicksilver didn't keep me reading. I got the book as a gift last Christmas and started reading right away. I generally liked the story, but found it really easy to put down and read something else. I could pick up Quicksilver just about any time and read a few chapters, but the narrative just didn't have a compelling nature that kept me addicted to the story line. Finally, I decided to push myself through the remaining two hundred pages.
Like any enormous tome, the cast of characters sometimes seems daunting, especially since you have to deal with not only the characters' names, but also the characters (often changing) position within 18th Century politics. I'll cover the main cast. Daniel Waterhouse, a puritan and college roommate of Isaac Newton, has a good brain of his own, but the characters of Newton and Hooke overshadow any scientific possibilities Daniel might have enjoyed. Instead, Daniel ends up serving as the secretary to the Royal Society, which often gives him access to the English court and occasionally a room in the Tower of London.
We first meet Eliza as a slave in a Turkish harem. Jack Shaftoe, a foot soldier and vagabond, manages to rescue Eliza during a skirmish. Jack essentially lives as a vagabond, ranging about through the European underworld. Eliza ends up in Amsterdam and has an amazing ability to work the market. She develops some impressive portfolios for several French royals, and Eliza finds herself in Versailles as a financial advisor to the royal family. She also carries on encrypted correspondences with Gottfried Leibniz and William of Orange.
Stephenson make clear how finance, even in this "early" time made a huge difference in the outcomes of the wars. A standard history text would describe how a larger force overpowered the smaller, but most texts would seem to ignore the logistics of supplying the raw lead needed for cannon and musket balls as well as the finances needed to purchase, process, and deliver the raw materials. Stephenson clearly sees how the royal families must maneuver fortunes, armies, and relatives to create any kind of revolution.
I really like Neal Stephenson, and will definitely read the next volume, The Confusion, but I don't see it high on my priority list. This volume reads easily and I always enjoyed my time in its universe, but I think much of the story line gets bogged down with the interesting things Stephenson found in his research. These elements might have a bearing in the second or third volumes, but distracted from the immediate enjoyment of the novel.
Related Items from Amazon.com
  Trade paperback |   Audio Book |
