John Quiggin read Quicksilver just before Christmas. He was a little puzzled by it. Apparently it’s a sort-of historical sort-of fantasy novel set in the seventeenth century. Hmmm. Apparently it portrays “the Duke of Monmouth as the Dan Quayle of the 1685 campaign”. (And there may, or may not, be some veiled mockery of Wales, which was after all a popular activity among the English in the 17th century…)
Anyway, it might make an interesting change from historical crime novels. Worth a try.
6 comments on “Might have to read this”
I loved it, but it really is a very peculiar book. The quirks may drive you away…as well as the fact that it’s a zillion pages long, and only the first in a trilogy.
I like big books. And big book serials. (If I don’t like the first one I can ignore the rest. If I do, well that’s a few weekends lazing sorted…)
Now the only question is whether I can find a copy in town or will need to order it.
I liked _Quicksilver_ a lot, but I remain anoyed at Stephenson’s inability to cut stuff that needs cutting. And he gets too whimsical too often, in a way that worked fine in _Snow Crash_, but nearly brought down _Cryptonomicon_. He appears to be hovering close to being struck by the Brain Eater which attacks successful sf authors. A shame; _Quicksilver_ could be great, but it’s merely very good as it stands.
On the other hand, _Quicksilver_ is worth twelve pounds of anyone’s money, if only for the brilliant description of the scientific revolution that happens around page 81 or so.
I liked Quicksilver, The Confusion and System of the World, but not 2700 pages worth of liking. By the end I was forcing myself to read it just to finish it (which I did periodically through the series). There is a great scene at the end of the last book, but in the end, it wouldn’t be my first suggestion for a book to read. I liked Snow Crash & Diamond Age, but not as much Cryptomonicon, though his digressions about technology are great fun. He has a very distinctive style, too, which occasionally grates because it doesn’t quite fit. It’s not just whimsy, though it is a little bit.
Picked up a paperback copy of Quicksilver this afternoon! Now I must not take it out of the bag until I’ve got some more work done… must be good, must be good.
I hope you enjoy it. I did, and I look forward to reading books two and three sometime … later.