Quicksilver
by Neal Stephenson
-Warning, very long book!-
Quicksilver is the first of three books of the Baroque Cycle trilogy, and it’s also three independent books in one. It follows the lives of three fictional characters interwoven with real figures from the 17th century such as Louis XIV, Isaac Newton, and Leibniz. The fictional characters are:
– Daniel Waterhouse, a man raised by religious dissenters who later becomes a powerful political figure in England.
– Half-cock Jack Shaftoe (Vagabond Extraordinaire) whose success and subsequent fall add humor to the book and whose exploits tie major events of the period together.
– Eliza, a one-time harem slave to the Turkish Sultan, and later a skilled courtesan, financier, and spy.
Each of the three books focuses on one of these characters though occasionally they travel together or have more brief encounters.
Quicksilver is a light fictional history primer of Western Europe in the 17th century. The main characters serve as vehicles for Stephenson to depict gruesome early medical experiences, the dangers of kidney stones, effects of untreated syphilis, religious fanaticism, wars on the European continent, slavery, and social hierarchy. These subjects inform the larger themes of history and the history of scientific development, liberty, and economics.
The scope of Stephenson’s knowledge is vast and each of the subjects is interesting in its own right. But the story does suffer from the sprawling subject matter.
I had high expectations for Quicksilver after reading other novels by Stephenson, such as Snowcrash and The Fall, sadly Quicksilver fell short. Nevertheless, I’ll keep reading the Baroque Cycle after this slightly disappointing first book. I’m curious to see if new characters are introduced. And overall I’d like to know more about the period without diving into slower and sleepier history books.
Quicksilver inspired me to re-read the Scarlet Letter, the Tempest, the Crucible, and more of the Wolf Hall series. And it’s given me a new interest in the seventeenth century. Somehow it’s also made me feel guilty for not reading original writings by Newton and other foundation mathematics texts.
Those interested in science, the history of science, medicine, and society’s understructure would like Quicksilver.
See below for my review of Confusion, the second book in the Baroque Cycle.
What did you think of Quicksilver? Have you read other books by Neal Stephenson?