Someone suggested Neal Stephenson’s books to me, so I figured I’d give one a try. I decided on his historical series, The Baroque Cycle. The first novel is Quicksilver.
What shall I say about this book?
What I liked: Very well written. Witty. Good, interesting characters. Excellent historical research on view. A grand artistic vision undergirding all (which seems to be to give us a much-needed introduction to the history of the ideas that eventually produced digital computing).
The central character in Quicksilver is Dr. Daniel Waterhouse, a 17th Century Puritan and scientist. As a boy he watched Charles I being executed. As a young man he roomed with Isaac Newton at Cambridge and was involved with the beginnings of the Royal Society. Through him we observe the actions of the scientists who were inventing modern science, as well as the machinations of the court of Charles II.
Then the story takes a detour, and we follow the adventures of Jack Shaftoe, an English adventurer and mercenary, who rescues a beautiful harem slave, Eliza, at the siege of Vienna. Together with her he sets off on a journey across the German principalities toward the Netherlands, during which they become acquainted with the mathematician Leibniz.
And then back to London and Dr. Waterhouse.
I have rarely read a novel with greater educational value. I was impressed by the fair treatment author Stephenson gives to the religious believers in the book, who are almost everyone. Religion is played for laughs sometimes, but that’s fair enough under the circumstances. Even the Puritans get decent treatment, although Dr. Waterhouse gradually loses his faith. A young person reading this book will not only learn a lot of important stuff about the history of science, but will get a fair picture of the religious beliefs of the creators of the modern world.
The book is often quite funny, though the humor can be dark. This is the 17th Century, after all.
What I didn’t like about the book was its length. I’ve rarely read a book that moved so slowly, in spite of excellent writing and plenty of adventure. Neal Stephenson is simply an extremely discursive writer.
But he’s a bestseller. So his formula seems to work for a lot of people.
Therefore I recommend the book, with the usual cautions for adult themes.
Not sure if I’ll read the next one, though. It felt like it took forever to get through this one.
While it’s far better than Wallace’s Infinite Jest(which prefigures Stepehson and I think was written with active hostility to the reader) , Stephenson really could use some aggressive editing, especially the Baroque Cycle, which richly deserves that name.
My two favorites are probably Snow Crash and REAMDE.
Snow Crash moves much faster, and while REAMDE is similarly sprawling, the plot is more linear and is remarkably sympathetic to conservative, off-the-grid Christians.
I read the whole Baroque Cycle over the past year and it was totally worth it. The ending is great, but I was also pleasantly surprised that he resolves certain threads midway through the series rather than keeping everything in suspense until the very end. It’s long, but it is well-structured and entertaining. You kind of have to just go with it and trust that it is all going to come together eventually.
REAMDE is great. I didn’t care as much for Cryptonomicon (I actually liked the discursions, but I felt like the plot never went anywhere). Stephenson’s other books (Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, Anathem, SEVENEVES) are all on my reading list.