Quicksilver was a huge undertaking of a book. At times I found it amazing, at other times drawn-out and meandering. Overall I'm happy to have read it. It really was unlike any other book I've ever read in scale, historical depth and diversity. I will eventually like to read the sequels but I'll wait a while before attempting such another long haul read like this. It still shocks me that the author wrote this and the next two books all by hand. ( )

Watch out! Stephenson is a rambler! And he's now got essentially free rein, nary an editor's influence in sight. So, if you thought that "Cryptonomicon" was a tad unfocused, this is not going to be the read for you.

That aside, Stephenson is Stephenson, and this tome vibrates with his presence. Gone are the futuristic visions of "The Diamond Age" and "Snow Crash," now we get detailed historical fiction, woven by characters--some very much real people--in the Scientific Revolution, mostly in England. Be prepared to meet a hesitant and brilliant Newton. Be also prepared for dog vivisection (and other gruesome but I-can't-look-away wayward experiments).

I confess, I had to read this book twice (a rarity for me) before it sunk in. But, as a bonus, his historical facts really stuck with me--I doubt I'll forget that in 1666 London we had the Great Fire, a touch of the plague, and a youthful Isaac Newton. ( )

(#17 in the 2006 Book Challenge)

This is the first Stephenson book I've read, so I'm glad to remedy that. The afore-mentioned friend who suggested Assassination Vacation also raved about this one. Somehow, I got an impression that this book would be different from how it really is. I was expecting something along the lines of Mr. Stephenson doing for science what Ms. Dunnett did for trade routes. Naturally, I was confused when reading this book because one character would say something to another about how a plot was afoot, and then ... he would go on to explain what the plot was. Right on the very same page. Mystifying. But once I got over that, I found this to be a very good time and I will continue on with the series (which seems rather long, this isn't like a Wheel of Time thing, is it?) The story takes place during the Restoration, and focuses on the newly formed Royal Society and the development of Natural Philosophy. It also has Puritans.

Grade: A-
Recommended: The nice thing about this is that it's hard to say what it's like. I think it would make for good vacation reading, it's light in tone but has substance in content. ( )