Neil Fein's Blog

Quicksilver
by Neal Stephenson

In my review of Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon (29 September 2004) I mentioned that Cryptonomicon, Stephenson's book of the rise of cryptography in World War II and its effect on the present day, is but the first book in a projected series. ^[1]

Quicksilver takes place entirely in the 17th and 18th centuries. The main characters are Daniel Waterhouse, a natural philosopher wannabe and son of an infamous apocalyptic Puritan preacher; Jack Shaftoe, the "King of the Vagabonds", and his companion Eliza, a Turkish spoil of war and ambitious enough for several generations of Shaftoes, and then some; and others such as Newton, Leibniz, William of Orange, and their contemporaries are effective characters as well. The rise of the scientific method within the Royal Society is the overwhelming concern behind the first book, and it is highlighted by conflict within the Royal Society itself between Alchemy and what we would consider more "conventional" science, such as Newton's treatises on optics and gravity.

Similar parallels are made in other plots, such as Eliza's investments managing career, showing the codification of primitive stock markets and the details of princely debt. (Someone's got to pay for all those wars.) The concepts that Stephenson is exploring are timeless, even the subplot planted about Cryptology, something we view through letters.

Oddly enough, barring the second act of the book, it's safe to say that most of the action happens offstage, and much of the book is conversations and letters. However, Eliza's superiority, Daniel's self-loathing, Jack's confident yet introspective manner are all so well drawn that this is an entertaining and fascinating book nonetheless. Stephenson, as usual, has a knack for making even the everyday seem profound. Quicksilver is over 900 pages long, almost none of it is superfluous. I greatly enjoyed the novel, and found it to have a satisfyign ending, despite what other reviews have said. If you're a science and history junkie, (and interested in reading a three-book saga, of which this is but the first^[2]) this book will speak to you. Highly recommended.

^[1] Cryptonomicon uses characters descended from those in the Baroque Cycle, but it is not necessary to read it in order to understand Quicksilver.

^[2] The Confusion has just come out, and The System of the World is to be released later in 2004.